By now everyone is well aware of the morbid stunt enacted by Kathy Griffin. The picture and video have been circulating all over social media and every media personality has had something to say about it one way or another. After listening to everyone’s comments and commentary I felt a different perspective was in order—that of a military wife and mother.
As a mother my first reaction was one of shock. As a military wife, it was disbelief.
Just last week mothers in Manchester, England buried their children. Did anyone consider what those mothers who held the bloody bodies of their children in their arms felt when they saw an American woman hold up the bloodied head of the president of the United States as some kind of joke? Violence is not a joke. The way she chose to express her frustrations was completely inappropriate. That she even considered it a good idea is indicative of our declining culture.
What happened in Manchester is an evil that should be abhorred not celebrated. Regardless of what Ms. Griffin’s intentions were, the message the world received is that it is OK to violently hurt people if you don’t like them. And don’t think for a minute the terrorists across the world who hate us and want to kill us didn’t get a good laugh at Griffin’s actions. To the world, the president of the United States represents our country, our people and everything America stands for. Our military is an extension of that. When terrorists see the bloody head of the president of the United States, they see our nation, our people, our military and they are emboldened by it because their very objective is to destroy us. Military families understand this because we live it every day. The fact Ms. Griffin didn’t realize the unintended consequences proves just how disconnected and out of touch she is.
The utopian “let’s just all get along” view entertainers seem to have just doesn’t exist. It takes two to tango as they say. Acquiescing to the demands of terrorists is not “getting along” it’s a sign of weakness. If a woman is in an abusive relationship would you tell her to just be nice to her husband so he won’t hit her? Of course not. So why would we handle international relations that way?
Terrorists respect strength not weakness. When the people of our own country wage relentless attacks against the president the way Ms. Griffin, the media, and the entertainment industry are doing, the terrorists see weakness and it emboldens them to commit more violence and that puts our military men and women at greater risk—as well as their families. After what we saw in Manchester mothers are realizing the escalating violence has made all families a target. After all, what better way is there to incite terror than to go after our children?
Following her exploit, Ms. Griffin tweeted, “Obviously I do not condone any violence by fans or others to anyone ever! I’m merely mocking the Mocker in Chief.”
But by her very actions, condoning violence is exactly what she did. Ms. Griffin didn’t make a mockery of the president. She made a mockery of our nation, our people and the very ideals and principles America stands for. Worst of all, she made a mockery of the evil, brutal violence plaguing our world; of every child killed in Manchester, every person who has ever been battered down and beaten, and every member of the military who has devoted their life, or lost their life, defending our freedom from the terrorists who would strip us of it.
Actions have consequences and while I doubt the Trump-hating media will acknowledge the gravity of Ms. Griffin’s actions and the message it sends to the world, Moms get it and know our nation’s security should not be a game of thrones. Enough is enough!
We’re sick of the red team/ blue team. We want the MOM TEAM! We don’t want to live in a state of fear wondering if our children are safe at the mall or if they’ll come home alive from a concert. We want our laws respected and our borders secure. We want civility, decency, and a higher standard of humanity. We can disagree without behaving violently or provoking violence. We can express our objections and opinions with dignity while respecting the opinions and objections of others. As John F. Kennedy said, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.”
All issues are mom issues. We all want our children safe, healthy and happy. Let’s just start from there, throw out the color-coded chaos, and let a civil discourse begin.