They used to say that you can be waiting an hour hoping a bus will turn up and then two arrive at the same time. It is a bit like that with my Trumpwatch saga. Yesterday, after four months, I posted an episode (see here) that bridges the event gap between the outcome of Trump’s impeachment trial to Trump’s reaction to the aftermath of the George Floyd death, when in the meantime, not just water but a flood has gone under the proverbial bridge, a lot to do with the Covid-19 crisis, along with a sub plot – how to get rid of Trump.

People are still posting their thoughts and the so called good and the great have been pontificating about how bad Trump is. I don’t wish to go over old ground (you can read what I thought then and still do) and I don’t wish to apologize for Trump although I do want to see fair play (because if anti Trump rhetoric is all people see then it ain’t going to happen unless people like me do). Moreover, I would like a chance at tying up some of the loose ends that inevitably remain, although I have little doubt the torrents will continue to flow.

I was arrested yesterday by a half hour video by Tucker Carlson (yes he is more a rightie than a leftie so be warned) titled: “Tucker: Our leaders dither as our cities burn”. The video provides graphic detail how many of the protests up and down the USA (and now being seen in many countries in the world) are anything but peaceful and moreover being egged on by anti-Trumpers in high office, not that he let’s Trump off the hook, raising concerns that the issue that led many to vote for Trump he is not delivering on. When it comes to bringing about law and order, he has been found wanting.

I really don’t get it – well, sadly I do – we are being brainwashed (and maybe that includes me). But let’s be clear, racism is evil but white people apologising for being white is sheer stupidity and ignoring other evils is ignorance. Our two Archbishops, the heads of the established church in England called out white supremacists AND … well there is no AND. But thank God, they are not leaders of THE Church; sadly, I lost my respect for them long ago. Today one of my friends posted a link to a BBC article consistent with the anti-Trump narrative it is pushing: “Rose Hudson-Wilkin: Bishop slams Donald Trump for bible pose”. She accuses Trump of an inappropriate photo shoot instead of engaging with hurting people.

But invariably there are other perspectives, and here is what Franklin Graham wrote on his Facebook page: “I was asked if I was offended by the President walking out of the White House, which is his back yard, and walking over to St. John’s Church. Offended? Not at all. This made an important statement that what took place the night before in the burning, looting, and vandalism of the nation’s capital—including this historic house of worship—mattered, and that the lawlessness had to end. And I’m not offended that he held up the Bible—as a matter of fact, I was encouraged! I appreciate it. I believe that God’s Word is the only hope for each individual and for our nation. The problem we are facing in this country is a spiritual and moral problem. New laws and more government give-away programs are not the answer. It’s a heart problem, and only God can change the human heart. I’m disappointed that some of the President’s harshest critics about going to the church were clergy. They have publicly (to the media) criticized the President for walking to the church and for holding up the Bible. That’s unbelievable. They should be thanking him rather than criticizing him! They are nitpicking his gesture, also saying he should have prayed while he was there. So critical. Well, maybe they should invite him back and pray for him as he leads this country through a very difficult time in our history”.

Let’s be clear: the nation is as divided as ever; the church (I uses lower case because God only know who is part of the Church) is divided. Franklin Graham and Bishop Rose are speaking unsurprisingly according to their world view and view of Trump, just as Tucker Carlson and Anderson Cooper do so. My sadness is that nice Christians are jumping on the bandwagon to castigate Trump and get on their high horses re. racists, suitably armed with BBC soundbites and urged on by prominent virtue signallers. But what about the breakdown of law and order affecting America right now. Murder, rape, assault, looting, pillage, theft, arson, vandalism – you name it – there is NO justification for this. Attention is drawn to Trump’s if “you loot we shoot” comments as well as him waving a Bible outside a church set on fire, an act of defiance, and thus derided by the luvvies, Where are the leaders in condemning the riots along with the evil actions? From where I watch, Trump is only saying what is true and doing something about it.

Well yes, but if Tucker is believed not enough and ill advised by the likes of his liberal leaning son-in-law, Jared Kushner. So this is how I see it: he is showing signs of wobbling; he needs to match tough talk with action. He was elected firstly to protect Americans and this he must do! Sweet talk is not his natural forte and all of us should recognise that. People need to be feel safe (clearly not what is evident when we watch Tucker’s video) and he needs to do what it takes to uphold the rule of law, despite what Democrat governors who want rid of Trump, MSN with their anti-Trump agenda and luvvie bishops have to say. Not that love is to be discounted, for the two great commands (love God, love thy neighbor) remind us of its paramount importance. Biblical love is never removed from truth, righteousness and meekness. As ever a right balance is needed.

The killing of George Floyd was a wicked crime and those responsible should be brought to justice. Racism in overt and more insidious covert forms is an evil (and yes, I am white and have not had to walk in the same shoes as black folk and therefore can’t say how bad it really is), so let’s call that out, without losing sight of the other issues. While we are at it, where is the righteous indignation when all sorts of oppression and injustice have been and still being perpetrated (I can but will resist citing specifics)? The point is we all have things that bother us, and we need to respect each other’s concerns, while upholding and respecting peoples right to protest, yet upholding the rule of law, or else we are done.

Have we lost our minds, or worse still, our souls and is there hope? If there is a poignant image besides the carnage arising out of some / many of the protests / riots in the past week, it is the coming together of protestors and law enforcement agents in tokens (at least) of reconciliation and, besides law an order and justice, this is so important at this time. Let’s get our balance and sense of perspective right and get off our moral high horses. It says in the good book: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9, and that includes me, you and President Trump. Not only do we suffer from ignorance and bias, our motives aren’t always as pure as we like to think, even the best of us. We need peace and peacemakers to be sure, but it will only truly come when we bow to the Prince of Peace and we need to resist the spirit of AntiChrist that has been all too evident of late.