Ticket 2 Ride

Money talks in Washington, same as it always has. Under the Trump Administration, money is all that matters.

It isn’t politics that make strange bedfellows, it’s greed.

A special edition of Words for Wednesday.

Jamal Khashoggi was a thorn in the side of the Saudi ruling family. So, his killing was ordered and carried out. Even the U.S. intelligence community pointed the finger at the Saudi ruling family. There was a momentary hiccup in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S., but commerce between the two countries is robust again. So, when reporters asked about the Khashoggi murder recently during a visit by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump defended him and criticized the person asking the question.

“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman (Khashoggi) that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but (MBS) knew nothing about it,” Trump said in response to a question about Khashoggi. “And we can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.” Interesting, that’s not what our own intelligence experts said.

Saudi officials are here to secure cutting edge technology from the U.S., and Trump is eager to provide it. Money is changing hands and Trump gets more to brag about.

Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered. No spin from Trump will ever remove the blood stain from the hands of Saudi officials, nor those Americans who shrug it off and somehow blame the victim for bringing it on himself.

The rule of law still matters, though it’s not as shiny as gold. Morality matters, until it stands in the way of a deal.

One cannot make America great by trampling on the very principles etched in the bedrock of our founding, the guiding truth that built this country. It’s not the buildings or monuments or wealth that reflects our greatness, it is the core values each of us use each day as Americans. Greatness is not measured by bank and investment statements, and it’s not about espousing why our beliefs are more valid than someone else’s. It’s our actions. Greatness is not a medal or award, it’s a quiet commitment to better the lives of others through actions big and small. Not for calling ourselves righteous, but for being the right thing to do.

Jamal Khashoggi is still dead. Who do we see about that?