Shameful
It is shameful that the president of the United States has ordered and executed the construction of a cage fighting arena on the south lawn of the White House, the Peoples House, to “celebrate” his own birthday in connection with the 250th celebration of the publication of the Declaration of Independence. Never in US history has such a significant site been so debased. Trump’s additional efforts to transform places in the nations capitol into tributes to himself: the renaming of the Kennedy Center for the Arts, the demolition of the East Wing of the White House to create a ballroom, the “renovation” of the reflecting pool, the creation of a monumental triumphal arch framing a view of the home of Robert E Lee, a proponent of slavery, are all indications of his vanity and racisim.
In all of my studies in elementary school, high school and in higher education I was always encouraged to believe that, as a democratic and republican society, we would strive to rise above the concept of “the law of the jungle”, that we would develop tolerance and compassion for all our fellow citizens. This is not the message that I get from cage fighting on the south lawn of the White House. It is time for change.