The second Trump administration has brought many opportunities for patriotic Americans to be outraged at what is being done to our system of government.
However, the recent decision by the Air Force to grant Ashlee Babbitt military funeral honors might be the worst among them.
Let’s be clear: Babbitt was justly killed while invading the U.S. Capitol in a flagrant attempt at interrupting the peaceful transfer of power. She was not a patriot. Her final acts erased any record of honorable service she may have had. This government’s decision to treat her as though she died with honor is an affront to the vast majority of servicemen and women who have served nobly and lived their lives in accordance with our highest ideals.
The ease with which we have come to accept the degradation of civic virtue is one of Donald Trump’s most pernicious influences on our country. I write to note my horror at the government’s actions in this matter and to urge my fellow citizens to hold all of our public officials to a standard worthy of those who have engaged in honorable sacrifice in defense of our Constitution.
Brady Smith, Salt Lake City
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