Is this the problem?

I had known that little bitty old Black ladies could bring strapping young men to heel with the force and authority that a military officer would absolutely envy. I had heard directly from the mouth of one of these wise women how she ordered her grandson, who at that point in time towered over her (none of the men in her family were anything less than 6 foot something), to bring her a chair and help her get up on it so she could slap him for being disrespectful.

The grandson, a man in his 40’s at the time confirmed this as truth. He was a teen at the time, but he completely remembered the incident and was still very contrite.

A few years later I learned that this skill was not unique to elderly Black American women. I was at a memorial pow-wow for women, the mother of a friend who had died unexpectedly, was being honored. Two of the dead woman’s young male kin had come to the ceremony clearly under the influence and reeking of beer. The aunties surrounded them. I remember fierce whispers and the unmistakable sound of a hand slapping a face, hard. The two young men immediately took their place in the line of mourners. Both assumed demeanors of deference and respect one does not usually see when a person is also really drunk.

I mention this because it appears that in his vast experience, one Donald Trump, Sr., has apparently never had any of these types of encounters. Frankly the story of these encounters of the wise old woman with a young male drunk on his ego are archetypal and necessary. Regrettably there was no wise old grandmother energy to snatch POUTS 45 by his pink tie and inform him in no uncertain terms that he would go to the Belleau Woods cemetery; he would honor the American and other war dead who were buried there; and yes, he would probably get wet. His hair-do would get ruined and yes, he would also look a bit undignified. That something that can happen when you do your duty and honor the dead, especially the sacred and hallowed dead.

Yes, mourner in chief is not as much fun as Commander in Chief, but it’s part of the job. A big part.