Black Friday

 Let me get right to the point.  I have never, ever in my nearly 68 years on this Earth been more embarrassed, more ashamed to be an American than I was yesterday following the ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by President Trump and Vice-President Vance.

There attitudes and remarks were uncalled for and humiliating to their guest.  Trump and Vance evidently had an agenda and went on an unprecedented agenda attacking President Zelenskyy for to him being "ungrateful" for everything the United States has done for Ukraine.  Which in fact is not the case at all.

Trump and Vance showed no respect for the Ukranian President at all as they took turns lambasting him, again saying everything from Zelenskyy "being ungrateful," for U. S. support, to being the sole cause should World War III should break out.  It was embarrassing to watch as an American seeing our President and Vice-President acting in such a childish way, it was for humiliating for President Zelensky to sit there and listen to Trump and Vance humiliate him in front of the world.  It was a disgusting outburst from the two men who hold the highest offices in the country.  It made them look small and untrustworthy not only in the eyes of many Americans, but also in the eyes of our allies around the world.  We might add right now, they are allies in name only.

Across Canada and Europe, our allies have systematically disavowed the words of President Trump and Vice-President Vance and thrown their full support and allegiance to President Zelenskyy and the Ukranian people.

Natasa Musaar,, the President of Slovenia wrote, "what we witnessed in the Oval Office undermines the foundations of diplomacy and decency.  We stand firmly with Ukraine."

NPR reported, France's prime minister, François Bayrou, praised Zelenskyy as the honor of Europe for "refusing to bend," despite the televised criticism he faced from both Vance and Trump. 

Starmer "retains unwavering support for Ukraine and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine."

But one of his ministers, Douglas Alexander, called the fracas in the White House "deeply troubling and sobering," and Starmer's chief political opponent, Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch, posted on social media "respectable diplomacy" was essential for peace, and that a "divided West only benefits Russia."

Within just an hour or two of the Oval Office meeting, similar expressions of support and solidarity online came from the Spanish premier, Pedro Sánchez, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and President Petr Pavel, and many others, including Australia's premier, Anthony Albanese.

We hold our leaders to a certain degree of accountability.  This includes the way they act, the way they speak, and the way they deal with others.

Unfortunately, our current President, does care one iota about what the rest of the world thinks, he doesn't value the allies who look up to us, and have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us over the last 80 years.  He is a bully, he is a child, he is narcissist, he has no regard for those who have made America great, or those who have worked with America to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

Like yesterday afternoon's outburst in the Oval Office, it was shameful, it was disgusting, it was a reminder of what happens when we put greed over service.

I was ashamed.  I was embarrassed.  I so want to be proud of this country, but i sure wasn't yesterday.