The Republicans were clamoring for Hunter Biden to be tried for a felony relating to his drug use. They thought that it would embarrass the president. It appears that it has not worked out that way. The trial relates to his falsely answering a question about drug use while filling out an application for purchasing a weapon and then possessing the weapon. At trial, what has been shown is a person who has struggled with drug addiction and a family that has tried to help him and otherwise cope with a difficult situation. This is a problem all too common in our country. It covers all social, economic, and political classes. Hunter’s family has been at the trial. Unlike at Trump’s trial where Melania was a no-show, Hunter’s wife has been there every day to support her husband.
The president already said that if Hunter is convicted, he will not pardon him. Could you imagine Trump saying that if one of his children were convicted of a felony? In contrast to Trump’s trial, where Trump and his acolytes including the House Speaker repeatedly attacked the prosecutor, the judge, the judge’s daughter, the jury, and the process, in Hunter’s case, the president and important Democratic Party elected officials have not attacked any of the above. The dichotomy between the adults in the room and the disrupters is striking.
Now to my main topic. It has been 80 years since D-Day on June 6, 1944. This past week’s commemoration in Normandy seemed more important and poignant than the 75th anniversary. Normally numbers like 25, 50, and 75 are the most significant years. There are a few reasons why this year was so special. There is a realization that this will most likely be the last anniversary for any of the surviving veterans - most of whom are about 100 years old - to be able to go back to Normandy.
Secondly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the first significant attack in Europe since the end of World War II. In addition, America has changed. There was January 6, 2021. We live in a divided society where each side is accusing the other’s candidate of promising to or engaging in conduct that is authoritarian. We have a nominee for one party who is a convicted felon. It must be such a shock for the veterans to see today’s America.
It reminds me of how traumatic it has been for Holocaust survivors to see what happened on October 7, 2023, in Israel and Gaza and the growth of anti-Semitism. They thought that after the Holocaust such actions would never occur again. However, the strong hatred of Jews is back in the open. The veterans have the same feeling. After what happened in World War II, they would have figured that fascism and isolationism would be a thing of the past. Yet it is on the rise worldwide, including in Europe. In America, both the far left and an increasing part of the Republican Party is looking at America First. The veterans saw the results of such a policy and know how things would have been different if America had been part of the world stage earlier.
As former President Ronald Reagen said 40 years ago at the D-Day commemoration: “We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We have learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.” “The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.” “There is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.”
These comments are appropriate not only for why America should not be isolationist but also for why Americans should support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. It should also apply to those who criticize Israel including their going in to free the four hostages. Israel went in to liberate the hostages. Senator Mitch McConnell made similar comments in an op-ed about the mistake of being isolationist.
One thing that they did not emphasize at the commemoration in Normandy was civilian casualties. The Allies understood that in order to defeat the enemy there would unfortunately be many civilian casualties. Imagine if those who protest at college campuses today had an influence in America’s conduct during the war. The war would have lasted longer with more Jews murdered and the Nazi regime intact.
Former President Reagen also mentioned about the importance of democracy. “One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.” That is what the brave soldiers believed. Yet in our country, some feel that democracy is a failure, the President, the Congress, and the Courts are corrupt, and we need an authoritarian figure to straighten things out and make America great again.
We live in a world where 100-year-old men are smarter than those who come from the county’s most prestigious universities. If it were not for the veterans’ sacrifices, we would not be alive today because had the Nazis been given the chance, they would have wiped every Jew off the face of this earth.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
