How Donald Trump’s inauguration drove one conservative Christian veteran to tears

By Joe Newby

I’m normally not given much to posts like this, but after seeing others express somewhat similar reactions online, I thought I’d share with you my reaction to the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the Untied States.

I turned 60 last November and I’ve seen presidents come and go.  Some I liked and others, well, not so much.  I served in the Marine Corps during the Carter and Reagan administrations and saw a clear difference between the two. I’ve watched a number of inaugural events in my life but have never, ever, felt the emotions I experienced on Jan. 20.

I’m not ashamed to say that for the first time in all my years I was actually driven to tears by a presidential inauguration.

It’s easy to understand why, really. For eight long years, I watched former President Barack Obama trash the country I love and served for 10 years, my Christian faith and the traditions and institutions that built Western Civilization. I’ve seen and heard him repeatedly tell the world that, basically, America sucks.

I watched as he praised  the anti-capitalist Occupy Wall Street and then Black Lives Matter — even as police officers were being gunned down in the streets and whole neighborhoods were burned to the ground. I watched as he lectured Americans after every single terrorist attack and essentially apologized to the world for America.

I watched as he and his fellow Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act, falsely telling us that we could keep our doctors and our plans if we liked them — something Politifact called its Political Lie of the Year in 2013.

And frankly, I had it up to “here” with constantly being told about slavery — an institution that was crushed into dust over 150 years ago — about Jim Crow, even about the Crusades — something that happened centuries before there even was a United States of America.

That’s not to say we had no injustice or dark periods in our history — we did.  But we corrected those, sometimes at the cost of human life.  Are there still injustices today? Sure, but that doesn’t mean we should hang our heads in shame.

In fact, no other country has done more or fought harder to eradicate injustice and tyranny around the world than the United States. Google World War II, for example.

Making matters worse, for eight long years I and millions of others have been repeatedly told by Obama’s fellow leftists that those like me, meaning straight white people, are responsible for most, if not all of the ills of the world.  And if we didn’t blindly accept every bit of liberal dogma without question, we were racist, sexist, homophobic, right-wing fundamentalist bigots. I’ve even been called “Hitler” for supporting religious freedom for everyone.

Keep in mind that I didn’t support Trump during the primary.  I voted for someone else, but my guy didn’t win.  Trump did, and became the GOP nominee.

I then realized that one of two people would become president — either Trump or Hillary Clinton, a woman I still believe is the most evil person ever nominated by a major party.  Not only was she Obama on steroids, she made it clear what she thought of people like me — every chance she got.

By the time Nov. 8, 2016, rolled around, I couldn’t wait to vote for Donald Trump. He won, despite all the efforts by the so-called “mainstream media,” which we now know was essentially the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party and the Clinton campaign throughout the general election season.

When Trump spoke at his inaugural, telling Americans that the election victory belonged to us and not him, I began to feel real hope for the first time in nearly a decade. And then he spoke of unity.

“The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when god’s people live together in unity,” he said. “We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is totally unstoppable. There should be no fear. We are protected and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and most importantly, we will be protected by God.”

He later added:

We stand at the birth of a new millennium ready to unlock the histories of space, to free the earth from the miseries of disease and to harness the energies, industries, and technologies of tomorrow. A new national pride will lift our sights and heal our divisions. It’s time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots. We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky. They fill their heart with the same dreams and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty creator. So, to all Americans in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean, hear these words: You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes and your dreams will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Finally — no lectures, no telling us how bad America is or how we need government to take care of us from cradle to grave. And finally, a president who seems to recognize the role played by the God of the Bible.

And he only referenced himself maybe three times, unlike the previous president who made everything about himself.

Then I saw him salute our military and our flag, and was flooded with emotion. “Finally,” I thought, “for the first time in years, we have a president who truly loves our country along with those who defend it and make it work.”

The next four years won’t be easy.  Liberals have threatened to do everything they can to stop Trump. Many have advocated killing him and others are already calling for his impeachment. Moreover, regulations and government bureaucracies are never easy to take apart once put in place.

I’m reminded of the days when Obama was first inaugurated. Those of us on the right were told to give him a chance, so we did.  After all, we were told, he won and we lost.

So now it’s time for liberals to “suck it up” and give Trump a chance to be president.  If he blows it, he’ll be held accountable, and he knows it.

There’s no need to burn things down, issue threats or generally act like idiots.  Those of us who voted for him will hold his feet to the fire.