So are they all, all honourable men

Whenever I open the newspapers or look at the news media outlets I can’t help but think of Antony’s funeral oration in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2). As might be recalled, Antony refers to Brutus and his fellow conspirators and assassins with Antony’s play on the word honorable. Antony had been cautioned to cast no aspersions on the conspirators and to speak only about Caesar. Antony begins:

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men–
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

As our democracy dies, I offer this:

 

·      Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) said on November 6: "President Trump won this election, so everyone who's listening, do not be quiet." We cannot allow this to happen before our very eyes." But McCarthy is an honorable man.” So are they all, all honourable men– 

·      Ted Cruz (R-TX): His many critics were quick to point to his own history of gaslighting, including his vote against the certification of the 2020 Presidential election based on disproven lies and conspiracy theories, and his shifting story after he was caught fleeing on a Mexico vacation as his home state suffered a major humanitarian crisis over the winter. But Ted Cruz is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men– 

·      Mitch McConnell (R-KY) "There is no question, none, that President Trump is — practically and morally — responsible for provoking the events of the day.” Mitch McConnell voted to acquit Trump of his incendiary, vituperative and treasonous diatribe. But Mitch McConnell is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men–

·      Paul Gosar (R-AZ): “The entire January 6 event was a Hollywood-like script written and played out by Democrats as a distraction away from the political assassination of President Donald J. Trump, the installation of a dictatorial and radical regime and a globalist agenda to force subservience from everyone to the state.” But Paul Gosar is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men– 

·      Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) said that the idea that the insurrectionist violence constituted "an insurrection," He added that Trump's rabid mob behaved "in an orderly fashion. . . [I]f you didn't know that TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit." But Andrew Clyde is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men– 

·      Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga): "We can look back in a time in history when people were told to wear a gold star and they were definitely treated like second-class citizens," "They were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany. And this is exactly the type of abuse Nancy Pelosi is talking about." But Marjorie Taylor Greene is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men. 

·      Ron Johnson (R-Wisc): Johnson said that he was never concerned for his safety on January 6 because the mob was comprised of “people that loved this country,” as opposed to Black Lives Matter protesters. He remarked, “I knew those were people that...truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, so I wasn’t concerned. Had the tables been turned, and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned.” But Ron Johnson is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men. 

·      Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado): “The easiest way to make the Delta variant go away is to turn off CNN. And vote Republican” But Lauren Boebert is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men. 

·      Mo Brooks (R-Ala): There's no question at all in my mind that, if we were to only count lawful votes cast by eligible American citizens, Donald Trump won Electoral College. Under those circumstances you should never concede because you didn't lose. It was stolen.” But Mo Brooks is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men-- 

·      Former President Donald Trump: “This was the scam of the century and this was the crime of the century. We’re never going to stop fight for the true results of this election ... Remember I’m not the one trying to undermine American democracy. I’m trying to save American democracy.” But Donald Trump is an honorable man. So are they all, all honourable men– 

Antony continues: 

Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
To such a sudden flood of mutiny.
They that have done this deed are honourable:
What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,
That made them do it: they are wise and honourable,
And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.

 

But I do not think any answer will be forthcoming. It is, nevertheless, the 4th of July.