Psalm 46 begins:” God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.”

The most arguably non-dogmatic, ecumenical, spiritual literature available today is the Psalms. They are timeless. They are to the point, heartfelt expressions of the soul more than the mind: they “tell it like it is’ without intellectualizing. In short, the Psalms are no-nonsense prayers and protests offered to God, frequently in times of crisis without a veneer of pompous religiosity.

In Psalm 46, whatever is going on in the life of this Psalmist terrifies him. He describes it like this: “the earth is removed and…the mountains carried into the midst of sea.” It’s horrifying like an earthquake ––no place to hide. His world is unsettled, and he is reaching deeply inside himself to find his bearings in the midst of the tumult. He speaks with God while he searches himself. He listens to his soul. He hears something and it seems to tell him to “Be still and know I am God.”

This Wednesday, while looking at some Psalms, I learned of the violence in D.C. surrounding the finalization of the election. My own political sentiments were satisfied with the election results. Nevertheless, I felt grief, fear, and then anger and helplessness as violent assaults on the democratic process were happening. My country was tearing itself apart and I was helpless and could do nothing. My stomach was tied in a knot.

This Psalmist is being instructed to be still. In the stillness, he will meet God and become more serene and better focused. In Hebrew, the word “still” means to let go or stop striving, slacking some or letting it drop. For me, it meant loosening my clenched fist around the circumstances that at the moment I could do nothing about. I read the Psalm as a call to surrender any illusions of my presumed rightness and my clinging to some idea of being able to control the turbulence – to make it all nice. My task at the moment was to be still, and put simply, to let go and let God. Hopefully, the time will come when I may be able to make some contribution to the healing of the country, but it is not now.

After the violence subsides and the pitch of the rage begins mitigating, the long road to healing must begin. I would like to be an agent in that healing in some small way. But, if my fist continues to be clenched, my stomach knotted, and my anger and my grief still roiling, I can be of no use to myself or anyone else. I can only become a part of the problem.

Anyone holding religious or spiritual sensitivities will in some ways have a feeling for the concept of a higher power and will understand how important the feeling is not only to have in the midst of crises, but in daily living. It’s helpful to remember the essential goodness in others, in ourselves and in our country. We are not in control of events. The control of events right now is in the hands of others. In stillness, we’re better equipped to respond strategically and wisely: and although I see matters differently from the rioters, in fact it is their country as well as mine.

Be still and pray for unity and healing.

Columnist George Merrill is an Episcopal Church priest and pastoral psychotherapist. A writer and photographer, he’s authored two books on spirituality: Reflections: Psychological and Spiritual Images of the Heart and The Bay of the Mother of God: A Yankee Discovers the Chesapeake Bay. He is a native New Yorker, previously directing counseling services in Hartford, Connecticut, and in Baltimore. George’s essays, some award winning, have appeared in regional magazines and are broadcast twice monthly on Delmarva Public Radio.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the fallacy of populism—particularly the hypocrisy of those who espouse it. Scholars define populism differently but the gist of it is a rejection of “corrupt” elites who are seen to act in their own self-interests. In contrast, populists claim to pursue the “people’s interests.”   Populists can be left leaning or right leaning—think William Jennings Bryant/Bernie Saunders/Elizabeth Warren or Joe McCarthy/Barry Goldwater/Donald Trump. 

A populist philosophy leads to a rejection of globalization, standard institutions, bureaucracies, the media, and basically checks and balances of any kind. Rapid demographic changes in the US have caused older established Americans and younger under-educated Americans to feel they’ve lost status and influence. These Americans tend to be anti-immigration and skeptical of recent global trends which have led to job losses in the US.  

Successful populists today latch onto fears and prejudices of the masses to gain political power. They often use catchy slogans, nicknames, etc. as bait to reel in their prey. Such techniques smack of the Pied Piper who plays music that supporters want to hear, and these supporters blindly follow where he leads—no matter how divorced from reality his play card is.  

The concept that disenfranchised Americans bought what Trump was selling still boggles the mind. Is there any way that Trump understood the average American?  I think not. The son of a multi-millionaire who gave his son millions and bailed him out time and time again from one bad business decision after another is hardly a man of the masses. (We won’t mention his illustrious college career that started at Fordham and ended at Wharton after someone else reportedly took his SATs, an academic record not to be found—much like his bone spur diagnosis to avoid the military.)

 The fact that any average American thought Trump related to them and their plight borders on the absurd. Do you really imagine that Donald Trump would welcome any of his rally participants to one of his properties?  And who really gained during Trump’s reign, including the loathsome year of 2020?  Was it the masses or the “corrupt elite” who made a killing in the stock market –many with record returns?  And let’s not dissect the makeup of his pardon list—loyal cronies— “corrupt elites” — who committed felonies and kept singing his tune. Yet Trump continued to play that tune, and his followers continued to sing his praises while thousands of Americans died, and Trump virtually checked out of managing a pandemic of epic proportions.

Now enter Josh Hawley; the brave Republican Missouri senator who has chosen to object when Congress meets to certify the electoral college vote for President-elect Joe Biden on January 6, 2021. Hawley has been coined the post-Trump populist, and he has decided to hitch his wagon to that falling star in a bid for the 2024 Republican nomination. He bills himself as “for the people” and a fighter of elitist policies.  But let’ take a closer look.  OK first, a banker’s son, he went to Stanford and Yale, two of the most elite schools in the country. Then he taught at England’s most prestigious school, St. Paul’s. Then he went to work at a prestigious law farm. Then he clerked for Justice Roberts.  Not exactly your everyday guy.   

And this decision to object to the electoral college vote is not Hawley’s first grandstanding move. During the Amy Coney Barrett hearings, he railed on and on saying, “When you tell somebody that they’re too Catholic to be on the bench, when you tell them they’re going to be a Catholic judge, not an American judge, that’s bigotry. The pattern and practice of bigotry from members of this Committee must be stopped and I would expect that it be renounced.” The irony here is that no Democratic member of the Committee even pounded on religion–the only members who spent time on Barrett’s faith were Republicans. Democrats avoided that pitfall at all costs. But Hawley, ever the opportunist, took every opportunity to grandstand here as well, never missing a chance to boost name recognition and ingratiate himself with the religious right.  

Hawley’s move to object to electoral college certification is a risky one. Perhaps it will serve him well in coming months—perhaps not. He claims he “has to do something”—even though case after case, recount after recount have ratified election results. Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, has taken the opposite route. He called Trump’s pardons “rotten to the core.” He also called Hawley’s proposed actions “a dangerous ploy.”  It will be interesting to watch how this drama plays out.

My point with all this is “beware of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” It is true that you needn’t be poor to be an advocate for the masses and propose policies that would enhance their standards of living.  But it is incumbent on all of us to look closer at truly fraudulent claims. 

Donald Trump is not a religious man. He never was. Josh Hawley, it has been said, doesn’t even live in Missouri. (He denies this, but records show he has used his sister’s address as his—where his sister pays the taxes– and put his name on his parent’s piece of land where he claims to be building a house.) Others in Congress have gotten harsh reprimands and worse for similar tactics. 

My hope for 2021 is that we respect, honor, and promote expertise. I would venture to guess if you asked Trump today how a bill becomes a law, he could not explain the process. America has some of the best and most respected educational institutions in the world—the best facilities, the best training, etc. Why in God’s name wouldn’t we select the most qualified people for those positions? 

Steven Hassan, the author of The Cult of Trump explains how the President uses mind control to convince his followers that only he can save them from ruin.  Supervising editor of The Apprentice Jonathon Braun told The New Yorker, “Most of us knew Trump was a fake. He had just gone through I don’t know how many bankruptcies.  But we made him out to be the most important person in the world. It was like making the court jester the king.”  Bill Pruitt, another producer recalled, “We walked through offices and saw chipped furniture. We saw a crumbling empire at every turn. Our job was to make it seem otherwise.”

In 2021, let’s all commit to doing a better job of seeking truth, verifying credentials, experience, and references. Let’s respect and trust science, expertise and facts. It’s important. And it’s the right thing to do.  It’s also a worthy new year’s resolution. 

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of Deloitte’s Federal Human Capital practice. Since retiring, she has focused on writing, reading, piano, travel, nature, kayaking and biking.

In recent months, we have seen the town of Chestertown take unprecedented steps to recognize and begin to address the long-standing effects of racism. Under the leadership of Mayor Chris Cerino and myself as chair of the Equity Advisory Committee, the town is about to embark upon a sixteen-month plan for community engagement on race as part of the larger #chestertownunitesagainstracism movement. The Town plan lays out a series of significant initiatives that are poised to grow in importance with additional input and participation not only from the Black community but from the larger community and all its citizens as well.

These steps are a promising start to a long journey ahead as Chestertown moves to become a community that takes action against the social injustice that continues to play a role in the lives of its citizens.

However, as auspicious as these beginnings might be, Chestertown is home to only a quarter of the inhabitants of Kent County. If we are to truly tackle issues of race and social justice, we need to focus not just on Chestertown, but also on the larger issues of systemic racism in Kent County.

By now many citizens have heard about or expressed concerns about racial issues in our county, whether racial slurs being hurled at Washington College students, a high school student hanging black action figures from a noose and rope, or fights based on racial slurs and incidents at Kent County Middle School. If we are to address racism in our education system and gentrification within our county and develop cultural understanding and empathy in our community, we must demand a strong response from the leadership of our Kent County Commissioners.

Unfortunately, thus far, the three commissioners have not demonstrated a sincere willingness to lead on this issue. When asked their thoughts on racism in Kent County during their campaigns in 2018, Ron Fithian replied that he had never seen racism in Kent County. Bob Jacob equated the racial prejudices of white towards blacks to the prejudices that Chestertown residents voice toward people from Rock Hall. Tom Mason replied that he had noticed the separation of races in Kent County, but did not know how to explain that segregation.

County Commissioner Bob Jacob even joked about an African American school being demolished at a County Commissioners’ meeting on 9/29/2020 when the Kent Cultural Alliance requested a letter of support for a grant application for the building where Isaac Mason was enslaved and will be memorialized. County Commissioner Bob Jacob said, “I mean, I thought they were tearing down everything that had something to do with slaves.”

This year, on Sept. 26, County Commissioner Bob Jacob participated in a local political event where the confederate flag was unrepentantly on display. I would like to ask Bob Jacob and the other commissioners their thoughts on the implications of displaying that flag and on its, trauma which has sustained a deep-rooted impact on the Black community.

The Commissioners’ actions and comments show a lack of understanding as well as poor leadership; such actions and comments are dismissive not only to the Black community but to all citizens of Kent County.

The Commissioners need to educate themselves about issues of social and racial injustice; they also need to take concrete action to move our community forward.

The Kent County Commissioners should seek a plan of action from an intersectional coalition of leaders in our community to begin the dialogue and open the lines of communication within those communities. Then, they should establish a Board of Equity for Social Justice for the county since the county has not had anything of relevance since the dissolving of the Human Rights Commission in 2011. They should adopt a plan similar to the 16-month plan that the Town of Chestertown recently adopted but create a more expansive commission to work with county citizens of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.

In closing, I respectfully urge the Commissioners of Kent County not to forget this moment in history and to consider how we can move together as a community in unity.

John Queen is the director of BlackUnion in Kent County and co-founder of Bayside Hoyas

Former U. S. Senator Paul S. Sarbanes, the Democrat from Maryland, was an unusual politician. He was soft-spoken, reserved and, apparent to all, blessed with a first-class mind.

He died Sunday at the age of 87. My guess is that few people, excluding his family, knew of any health problems he had. After he retired from Congress in 2007 after 37 years, including six in the House of Representatives, he typically shunned any residual spotlight.

I read once that Democratic Senate leaders would assign detailed, unglamorous tasks to Sarbanes, knowing he would complete them with little or no fanfare. I recall watching him spar with Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, able to match wits and intelligence with the deliberately obtuse finance guru.

Further, I remember his serving on the House Judiciary Committee, asking tough questions in his steady, dogged fashion during the Watergate impeachment hearings in the early 1970s.

Flash and self-promotion were not part of Sarbanes’ arsenal of personal traits. He preferred operating effectively outside the scope of media glare. Yet, he repeatedly won elections by large margins.

His brainpower, sharpened at Princeton University, Oxford University (as a Rhodes Scholar) and Harvard Law School, was his calling card. So were his integrity and work ethic.

On a personal level, I recalled that he attended my mother’s memorial service in October 1989. Neither my brother nor I knew he planned to attend. No fuss, no fanfare. I felt touched by his attendance and kind words to a Baltimore Evening Sun reporter.

Sen. Sarbanes was raised in Salisbury, Md. by his Greek immigrant parents, working as a youth in their restaurant. Though he rose from humble beginnings to membership in the clubby, exclusive U.S. Senate, Sarbanes exhibited no effect, no pretension. He was serious and cerebral.

His son John, now occupies the House of Representatives seat once held by his father.

Paul Sarbanes was a diligent public servant with a keen mind and acclaimed willingness to take on detailed, complex tasks. He represented Marylanders for 37 years by remaining attuned to their concerns.

He advocated for a cleaner, healthier Chesapeake Bay. He authored legislation after the Enron scandal to ensure ethical behavior by accounting firms.

He eschewed the limelight. That was for others.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.

As we celebrate our national day of Thanksgiving in a truly miserable year, we should set aside the negatives, even for a day. There is much to be thankful for even while remembering that millions of us across the country face an economic crisis rivaling the Great Depression and that more than 1,000 of us die from COVID-19 each day.

Here is our list:

Vaccines on the horizon. We have not one, but three (as of this writing) vaccines that, pending FDA approval for emergency distribution, could be available as early as December.  It will be a little longer for most of us to get our shots, but there is light at the end of our pandemic tunnel.

Health care workers.  The sacrifices these heroes make every day are truly remarkable. How can we ever repay them for helping us through this crisis?  The answer is we cannot, at least not to the extent they deserve.  We can send them our thanks.  Thank you nurses, doctors, first responders, and everyone else who offer help and compassion to the more than 12 million who have been infected.

Service workers.  Every time we visit the grocery store, we are thankful to those who make daily sacrifices to keep the food supply chain working.  Given that it is impossible to protect oneself totally from infection, the people at the cash register and who bag our groceries are heroes.

Dr. Fauci.  Our candidate for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year is Dr. Anthony Fauci. We consider him part of our personal medical team. Tony, thank you.

Food banks.  It is not easy watching lines of 400 to 500 cars waiting in line for food.  It is a lot harder if you are in one of them.  Fortunately, there are food banks and emergency distributions of food to our neighbors who need it. We all should be grateful for this.  Of course, much more needs to be done.  The food banks are but a temporary measure.  We need to get another stimulus bill passed and money out to those who need it.  In the interim, thank you food banks and everyone behind them.

My neighbors following the CDC guidelines.  All of us should be afraid of the virus. Unfortunately, not all of us are, which makes leaving one’s home a risky venture.  Fortunately, most are following the CDC guidelines on face masks, social distancing, and handwashing.  To all in that majority—thank you.   

Voters.  The 2020 elections were brutal. We learned a lot about ourselves, both positive and negative.  One of the positive takeaways from the election is that we voted in record numbers–a confirmation of faith in our democracy. Everyone who voted, even if they voted for the “wrong” candidate, should be thanked.

The election outcome. Although all are not happy that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will take office in January, their election means, among other things, that addressing climate change will again be a national priority.  Given predictions that the entire Spy readership area could be under water in less than 100 years, we are grateful for the election of leaders who want to prevent that.  Enough said.

Governor Hogan. During the pandemic, every state needs a level-headed, no-nonsense leader who rises to the challenges faced by current crises. Fortunately, Maryland has such a leader in our governor, Larry Hogan.  His sound advice has saved the lives of hundreds of Marylanders and made us proud.  If every state had a governor like Hogan, we would not be looking at more than 260,000 deaths nationally. Thank you, Governor Hogan.

Spy Media.  Our community is blessed with a resource that makes us unique—Spy Media. We are grateful every day at 3 PM when our Daily Intelligence Report arrives.  Thank you, Dave Wheelan for making it happen. And thank you to all who support The Spy via contributions and by simply being regular readers.  (Personal note, we would be thankful for The Spy even if we did not write for it.)

A safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving to all.

J.E. Dean of Oxford is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. For more than 30 years, he advised clients on federal education and social service policy. Maria Grant served as Principal-in-Charge of the Federal Human Capital practice of Deloitte Consulting. Since her retirement from Deloitte, she has focused on writing, the piano, reading, travel, gardening and nature. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. My fondest wish for you is a safe holiday with your loved ones–however many or few they may be. If your children are school-age and they’re at home every day, learning online instead of in class, you may be sick–or at least weary–of seeing them constantly.

And that’s OK. They’ll be at the table for Thanksgiving.

“Sick,” of course, is just a euphemism in this case. The last thing in the world you want for you or any of your loved ones is to become ill. It may happen because of an undiagnosed and/or asymptomatic virus one of your guests, either a friend (maybe your niece’s current flame?) or a family member may pass on innocently, but with just as deadly effect.

I know, it’s a total bummer. But way less of a bummer than if the worst were to happen to anyone you love dearly and whose life you may have saved by disinviting them or yourselves to a traditional Thanksgiving ‘gorgy.’ (As in platter-sharing gorge fest.)

My wife Elizabeth and I have disinvited our children to Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday. It will be the first time in their 30 and 34 years, respectively, of sharing time on this planet with us that we will fail to share Thanksgiving as a family. Our story is not incredibly unique, though the reasons for our choice to abridge the sharing of an in-person Turkey Day together may be more mortally relevant than others.

It can be said that both Liz and I have what are widely regarded as “underlying conditions” that make us more susceptible to serious illness or death by way of COVID-19. I had a heart attack about 13 years ago and was diagnosed a year later with atrial fibrillation. However, I’ve never acknowledged its severity because my heart has been beating with constant irregularity for as long as I can remember. (It’s been broken, too. But that’s another story: Remind me some time, it’s pretty funny.)

My wife, however, has Stage 5 kidney disease. If she wasn’t imminently in line for a kidney transplant, she’d need surgery that would enable her to undergo dialysis two or three times a week. Our son, who turns 35 in December, and daughter, who turns 31 the same month, failed tests as donors for Liz. However, our daughter, Rachel, with a relatively universal blood type, qualifies as a “paired” donor whose kidney will save the life of a recipient whose volunteer partner will donate his or her kidney to Elizabeth and, ultimately, save her life.

So, as you can see, for any of us to risk infections that disqualify Rachel as a donor or her mother as a recipient would be intolerably stupid and reckless. We hope and trust that the paired donors matched to Rachel and Elizabeth have as safe a Thanksgiving as we expect to enjoy, virtually.

I’ve been tracking the care package Liz prepared for our children–a loaf of cranberry bread and a baking pan of brownies. We will set a table for ourselves–just Liz and me–along with place settings with our best china and silverware for our absent children. We’ll also pour wine into crystal glasses at their settings–red, white, or sparkling, according to their choice–for a virtual Zoom Thanksgiving toast.

It’s the best we–or anyone in our circumstance–can do.

Thanksgiving menu footnote: Because our celebratory feast is just for two, the main course will be duck. We would be eating turkey till Christmas–when we’ll also miss our children who no longer expect Santa to slide down the chimney. In any case, Liz and I both favor dark meat. So, our Thanksgiving will be ducky, if a bit sparse in family company.

Never mind. We’ll drink an extra toast to our family’s health.

Steve Parks is a writer, husband, and father of two children, one living in Brooklyn and the other in Long Island. Steve and Liz, both retired and living in Easton, dearly miss Tyler, Rachel, and their grandson, Matthew.

I am loving the idea of the first “second gentleman” of the United States.  And I think Doug Emhoff is the perfect man to fill that role. Here’s why. 

Emhoff, a 56-year-old Jewish lawyer, appears to be totally comfortable in his own skin.  Unthreatened by Kamala Harris’s success, he supports her 100 percent. It’s the most refreshing attitude ever. It’s also refreshing that he is only two weeks older than she is—no 24-year difference here! (Emhoff also will be the first second spouse to have a surname differing from the Vice President.)

When Harris was running for president, Emhoff became good friends with the other spouses of fellow candidates, especially Pete Buttigieg’s spouse Chasten.  He came off as a genuinely nice guy with a great sense of humor. When Harris gave up her race for president, Emhoff’s tweet, “I’ve got you.  As always” went viral.  He has been there for her in defeat and success. 

When Harris was nominated for Vice President, Emhoff was thrilled.  He campaigned sometimes with her, sometimes without her, and sometimes with Jill Biden.  He seemed to enjoy all roles—extolling her virtues and explaining why she was the right woman for the job.  His campaign stops included LGBT venues and Jewish venues, and his rising popularity earned him more than 600,000 Twitter followers.

Emhoff took a leave of absence from his job when Biden appointed Harris as his running mate and plans to resign formally from DLA Piper where he has worked since 2017 to take the second gentleman role full-time. Obviously, women have been quitting their jobs to follow their men for ages, so there is a certain irony in his doing so receiving such fanfare. Still he seems excited about the opportunity and jazzed about being able to make a difference.  

One of Emhoff’s roles will be to convene lunches for the senators’ spouses. That should prove to be interesting material.  I can’t help but recall the brouhaha regarding Hillary when she was asked about her high-powered career when Clinton was running in the Democratic primary.  Hillary responded, “You know I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life.”  The uproar was immediate. Her comments were considered derogatory towards stay-at-home moms and catapulted her into controversy.

Emhoff has announced that since he is a lawyer and familiar with the judicial system, he will make one of his major initiatives criminal justice reform, ensuring access to justice and legal representation for all.  

Kamala is friends with Emhoff’s first wife, Kerstin Emhoff, a filmmaker and head of Prettybird, a production company which she co-founded. Harris also claims to have great relationships with Emhoff’s two children, Cole and Ella, named after jazz legends John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald. Such camaraderie needs to be commended in today’s world of vitriol-spreading banter among exes.  Harris has described their modern family as “almost a little too functional.”

When asked by a nine-year- old boy in an online “Ask a Grown-up” session what he plans to do, Emhoff replied, “I’m going to support her because it’s really important for men and even young boys to support the strong and wonderful women in their lives, and I’m going to do that, and I hope you do that too.” 

My case rests. Having an evolved non-threatened man as second gentleman is a gift indeed.  Let’s hear it for the evolved male. God knows, the world needs more of them.    

Maria Grant was Principal-in-Charge of the Federal Human Capital practice of Deloitte Consulting. Since her retirement, she has focused on writing, piano, travel, gardening, and nature. 

Far be it for me to offer Donald Trump a graceful path to exit from his disastrous presidency. But there is now an obvious and plausibly productive off-ramp for Donald Trump to end his first and now-evident only term as president on a high and heroic note.

I hereby dare you to take it, Donald.

Do I believe that Trump deserves full credit for a vaccine that may be successfully administered in the next several months? Far earlier than all expectations, certainly when compared to the development of vaccines against previous widespread diseases? Sure, he hyped the unlikely prospect of a vaccine available before Election Day. And, yes, he and his supporters now grouse about the fact that the Pfizer announcement of a 90 percent positive rate in its early tests for efficacy against COVID-19 was not published until a few days after the election rather than a few days before. I get that. Why shouldn’t he think, well, great for Pfizer? But why did they stick the knife in my back by not announcing this a week earlier? Or what about Johnson & Johnson? Well, first of all, Pfizer and J&J announcements of preliminary good news on vaccines would not have reversed the president’s electoral fortunes.

There are two stark facts that confront any remaining Trump loyalists. One is that Joe Biden is the president-elect. Period. And the second is that as of 12:01 p.m, Jan. 20, 2021–one minute after the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.–the Capitol Police who enforce law within the District of Columbia’s Federal Triangle, encompassing the Capitol, White House and Supreme Court–will evict any White House trespassers from the new president’s residence. That means you, Donald, and any Trumps hanging out in a government-owned house where they no longer enjoy free lease. I fully expect that Donald lacks the grace even to attend the inauguration ceremony, where he no doubt will witness a far larger crowd on the Washington Monument grounds than attended his 2016 event.

But if he wants to avoid the humiliation of forced eviction–a perfect bookend to his disgraceful reign, which began with a don’t-believe-your-eyes lie about his crowd size as compared to Barack Obama’s 2008 inauguration overflow–Donald now has an opportunity to claim a heroic presidential epitaph.

Donald can say now, whatever the facts to support his claim, that his Operation Warp Speed brought a successful vaccine to Americans, and to the world at large, months before anyone reasonably expected. I did that for you, he can claim. I personally don’t buy it for a minute. The timing is inauthentic, accidental, but maybe not entirely so. 

The Trump administration did indeed push hard for a quick vaccine solution. But this did not save his presidency. Nor should it have. COVID-19 administrative malpractice was not, by any means, the only black mark against the appalling record of the Trump presidency. I hardly know where to begin, but separation of hundreds of breastfeeding and otherwise preverbal children from their parents at the southern border–with NO MEANS OF REUNITING THEM–is a good place to start.

As far as I’m concerned, Donald Trump is an indecent reprobate guilty of international crimes of moral turpitude. But if he is at all invested in restoring his standing in history–and it stands so low now that I would oppose a Trump portrait ever being hung in the Capitol Rotunda (he’s already delayed Obama’s portrait ceremony because of baseless, racist assumptions about President 44’s legitimacy)–I humbly submit this one opportunity as his only shot in four fetid presidential years to do the right thing. Claim credit for a life-saving vaccine. Campaign for everyone to take it. Many of your followers don’t believe in science. Some regard a vaccine as voodoo, largely but not entirely because of your reckless rhetoric. Your followers no longer believe in anything Dr. Anthony Fauci says, even though you ignored him at YOUR PERSONAL PERIL.

Step up, Donald, and do the right thing. Again, I dare you. 

Steve Parks is a retired New York journalist now living in Easton.