“Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation.”  Retired Naval Admiral William McRaven

I have cried multiple times this morning. I have spent the weekend attempting to deal with the utter shock of the Trump administration’s dramatic abandonment of our European allies. I have sobbed in realizing that the confidence in which we have relied on members of NATO and that they have relied for eighty years is now gone. I have felt gut punched by the audacity of our president in planning to hold peace talks regarding the Ukraine war with Putin in attendance but without the presence of either Ukraine or members of NATO. This is not the country that I was taught to cherish by my mother and father. 

My parents spoke often with great pride of the role of the United States of America in defeating the fascist Hitler and in helping the war torn countries of Europe to develop and strengthen democracies in their nations. As we approach the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of our own independence there are more democratic countries than at any other time in the history of the world. We helped fight for those freedoms and we made sure that the countries who worked so hard to fight dictatorships would always know that we are an ever loyal and ever vigilant friend. 

When our own nation was attacked by terrorists on September 1, 2001 those countries responded without hesitation, pledging their help in the battle against those who would dare to threaten any of us. Ours has been a long and mutual friendship in which we have been confident of reciprocal loyalty. In one fell swoop both our Vice President and our Secretary of Defense have made it clear that Europe is now alone and that we can no longer be counted upon in the event of takeovers by authoritarian figures. 

Adding insult to injury was our Vice President having the temerity to insult the German people by charging them with stifling free speech simply because they will not allow the kind of hate speech and lies that led to the deaths of millions of people during the Hitler regime. His visit with the far right party of Germany while snubbing the official governmental officers was a slap in the face and a clear indication of how rancid our narrowly elected leaders have become. 

I was a child who came to be at the end of World War II in 1948. I witnessed the rebuilding of Europe and understood the implications of the Cold War with the USSR. My parents openly discussed such things at the kitchen table. My father was a student of history who emphasized the importance of being well informed of the truth. He filled our home with books and magazines that told me the stories of our own struggles to undo the evils of segregation. I ducked and covered in bomb drills and heard the sirens being tested every Friday at noon. 

My mother told me about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and she sang about the joy of D-Day in Normandy. My father spoke of President Truman and President Eisenhower with reverence. He explained the Marshall Plan and how it would help to create a freer Europe that would guard against authoritarians and make the world a safer place. 

I have a chunk of the Berlin Wall that a friend from Germany collected for me when the team of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush helped to bring down the USSR. I watched my grandparent’s homeland of Slovakia become independent and free. I saw one despot after another being toppled. All the while the United States kept its promises and stood by its allies. 

When Putin boldly invaded Ukraine I began sending donations to organizations like World Kitchen and any others dedicated to helping the people in the worn torn country. I was so proud of the United States for standing up to Russia and offering help to Ukraine. I symbolically purchased a sunflower wreath in unity with the people of that country. It has stayed in my home ever since. I have sunflowers on my kitchen table to remind me of the courage of President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people whose country is right next door to the homeland of my grandparents. 

I feel shame and anger and sorrow that President Trump would only agree to keep supporting Ukraine if they gave us mineral rights. His was a disgusting bribe, brute force to get what he wants without any thought of what that would mean for the people both in Ukraine and here in the United States. I totally agree with the concise analysis of Retired Naval Admiral Willam McRaven. Donald Trump and his unAmerican crew have embarrassed all of us. I do not know what to say to my grandchildren who are puzzled and angry over what has happened. I don’t know how to deal with my grave disappointment that so many of my fellow countrymen don’t seem to care and so I weep and wonder if this is how democracy dies.