{"id":7892,"date":"2019-01-04T03:03:06","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T03:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=7892"},"modified":"2019-01-20T18:41:09","modified_gmt":"2019-01-20T18:41:09","slug":"donald-trump-hes-no-virginia-gentleman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=7892","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump: He’s no “Virginia Gentleman”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alexander<\/p>\n

A true<\/strong> “virginia Gentleman” –\u00a0Alexander Spotswood<\/a>\u00a0(1676-1740)…<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

The last post I did was on December 10, 2018.\u00a0 (My excuse is the rush of the holidays.)\u00a0<\/em> So here goes:\u00a0 The first post of 2019.<\/p>\n

I just started reading\u00a0Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, by\u00a0Stephen Ambrose<\/a>.\u00a0 In the process I found a timely passage – relevant to today’s political scene – at the start of Chapter 2.\u00a0 It described\u00a0Lewis when he was a young “Virginia Planter,” from 1792 to 1794.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>(“Touchstone” edition, 1997, pages 30-31.)\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Some side notes:\u00a0\u00a0Lewis<\/a>\u00a0and his co-captain\u00a0William Clark<\/a>\u00a0didn’t begin their famous\u00a0“Corps of Discovery” expedition<\/a>\u00a0until May, 1804.\u00a0 That came about after his career as an army officer started – and thus after his career as a Virginia planter ended<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0in 1794.<\/p>\n

That\u00a0“change of life<\/a>”\u00a0was a direct result of the\u00a0Whiskey Rebellion<\/a>.\u00a0 (The “tax protest<\/a>”\u00a0in western Pennsylvania, from 1791 to 1794, during the\u00a0presidency of George Washington<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

That is, in 1794 Meriwether Lewis<\/a>\u00a0joined the\u00a0Virginia militia<\/a>,\u00a0to help put down the Rebellion<\/a>.\u00a0 In turn he\u00a0left the family plantation in the care of his mother.\u00a0 At the end of his term\u00a0(1795)<\/em>,\u00a0his mother wanted him back home to run the plantation.\u00a0 Instead he joined the regular<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0U.S. Army<\/a>\u00a0and –\u00a0In due course – got court martialed.\u00a0 (For “arguing politics” with a fellow officer.)\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0He was found not guilty, but had to be transferred to a different outfit.\u00a0 As it turned out, he joined the “Chosen Rifle Company of elite rifleman-sharpshooters.”\u00a0 The captain<\/em><\/strong> of that company was\u00a0William Clark<\/a>,* with whom he went on to explore the\u00a0Louisiana Purchase<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But we digress…\u00a0<\/em> <\/strong>The point is this:\u00a0\u00a0Ambrose<\/a>\u00a0began Chapter 2 by describing the life of a Virginia planter in the mid-1700s.\u00a0 (“Foaled, not born, Virginia planters were said to be,” in part because riding a horse “was not a matter of sport or diversion but of necessity.”)\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Ambrose continued:<\/p>\n

A Virginia gentleman was expected to be hospitable and generous, courteous in his relations with his peers, chivalrous toward women, and kind to his inferiors.\u00a0 There was a high standard of politeness…\u00a0 Wenching and other debauchery, heavy drinking, and similar personal vices were common enough, but as long as they did not interfere with relations between members of the gentry they were condoned.\u00a0 The unpardonable sins were lying and meanness of spirit<\/strong>.\u00a0 [E.A.]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which led to my conclusion that – whatever else he might be – Donald Trump is not<\/em> <\/strong>what you would call a “Virginia Gentleman.”\u00a0 Another aside:\u00a0 I\u00a0Googled<\/a>\u00a0“donald trump lying” and got 49 million results.\u00a0 “Donald trump lies” got over 37 million results.\u00a0 “Donald trump mean spirited” got transformed into “donald trump is<\/em><\/strong> mean spirited.”\u00a0 That got a mere 432,000 results.<\/p>\n

\"DonaldBut among the results from “mean spirited” was a May 2012 piece from Newsmax<\/a>.\u00a0 (The “multiplatform network focused on\u00a0conservative<\/a>\u00a0media…\u00a0 the most trafficked conservative website,” and – according to one study –\u00a0 “the number one site for conservatives in the U.S., making it one of the most influential conservative news sites in the nation.”)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The title of that 2012 article?\u00a0\u00a0Donald Trump [says] Mean-Spirited GOP Won\u2019t Win Elections<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 Which made for some interesting reading.<\/p>\n

Among the gems:\u00a0 Trump said he “really doesn\u2019t like to fire people,” a point that was confirmed by a “top aide for 26 years.”\u00a0 The aide said that “there are two<\/em> <\/strong>Donalds: the ‘outrageous’ one portrayed on television and the real one only insiders know.”\u00a0 The\u00a0private Donald Trump – the aide insisted – is \u201cthe dearest, most thoughtful, most loyal, most caring man,\u201d and that “caring side inspires loyalty and is one of his secrets to success.”<\/p>\n

But the main Trump point:\u00a0 “The Republican Party will continue to lose presidential elections if it comes across as mean-spirited and unwelcoming toward people of color.”\u00a0 Then too:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Democrats didn\u2019t have a policy for dealing with illegal immigrants, but what they did have going for them is they weren\u2019t mean-spirited about it,\u201d Trump says.\u00a0 \u201cThey didn\u2019t know what the policy was, but what they were is they were kind.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But again we digress…\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>Except to note that the Donald Trump of 2012 seems markedly different than the Donald Trump that we’ve seen as president the last two years…<\/p>\n

Getting back to the internet, we’ve seen the\u00a0Google<\/a>-term \u201cdonald trump lying\u201d got 49 million results, \u201cDonald trump lies\u201d got over 37 million results, and \u201cdonald trump\u00a0is<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0mean spirited\u201d got almost half a million results.\u00a0 So just to be fair I\u00a0Googled<\/a>\u00a0“donald trump is hospitable,” and got just under 25,000 results.\u00a0 The term\u00a0“donald trump is chivalrous” got under 14,000 results.<\/p>\n

So there you have it.\u00a0 \u201cDonald trump\u00a0is<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0mean spirited\u201d outweighed “donald trump is chivalrous” by a margin of 35 to 1.\u00a0 And \u201cdonald trump lying\u201d outweighed\u00a0“donald trump is hospitable” by a margin of 3,500<\/em><\/strong> to 1.\u00a0 Which proves again that – whatever else he might be \u2013 Trump is not\u00a0<\/strong>what you would consider a \u201cVirginia Gentleman.\u201d\u00a0 (And\u00a0it’s on the internet so it must be true.<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Bonjour!!!<\/em><\/h1>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Alexander Spotswood – Wikipedia<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n

[He] was a\u00a0Lieutenant-Colonel<\/a>\u00a0in the British Army and a noted\u00a0Lieutenant Governor of Virginia<\/a>.\u00a0 He is noted in Virginia and American history for a number of his projects as governor, including his exploring beyond the\u00a0Blue Ridge Mountains<\/a>, his establishing what was perhaps the first colonial iron works, and his negotiating the\u00a0Treaty of Albany<\/a>\u00a0with the\u00a0Iroquois Nations<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0New York<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other notes:\u00a0 “Spotswood Hall,” at the\u00a0College of William and Mary<\/a>\u00a0was named for him, along with “Old Spotswood, a cannon seized during the Revolutionary war,” along with the Spotswood Society.\u00a0\u00a0Spotsylvania County<\/a>\u00a0in Virginia is also named for him:\u00a0 “Spots” + “sylvania” (“woods” in Latin).\u00a0 The county seat is\u00a0Spotsylvania Courthouse<\/a>, the sight of a Civil War battle in May 1864.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yet another BTW:\u00a0 “Virginia Gentleman” is also the name of a bourbon, a hot sauce, and a “men’s collegiate a cappella group,” the oldest such group at the University of\u00a0Virginia,”\u00a0founded in 1953.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 Lewis having to transfer to Clark’s rifle company because of a court-martial.\u00a0 Army regulations at the time forbade officers from either using “reproachful or provoking speeches” to another officer, or challenging him to a duel.\u00a0 Lewis was charged with “disturbing the peace and harmony of a Company of Officers” by arguing politics.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, Lewis held “Jeffersonian” views, while the bulk of officers at the time were\u00a0cherry-picked<\/a>\u00a0Federalists.\u00a0 (Who went on to pass the\u00a0Alien and Sedition Acts<\/a>, arguably to quash political opposition.)\u00a0 When Lewis got thrown out, he challenged the fellow officer – a Lieutenant Eliott – to a duel.\u00a0 Lewis was found not guilty, in large part because the commander of the “Second Sub-Legion,” Mad Anthony Wayne<\/a>, thought the regulations were – in a word – stupid:<\/em><\/p>\n

So the partnership of Lewis and Clark, destined to become the most famous in American history, began because General Wayne preferred to have his officers fight out their differences in a duel rather than in a court-martial and therefore found for the man who had issued the challenge [Lewis] rather than the one who had followed the law and brought charges.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

See the \u201cTouchstone\u201d edition, 1997, at pages 45-46.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 The Trump image to the right of the “Newsmax, mean-spirited” graf<\/a>.\u00a0 Most recently I borrowed it from the November 16, 2018 post,\u00a0The Bible says: Blame Trump for \u201chis\u201d mass shootings<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 A Virginia Gentleman being “hospitable and generous, courteous in his relations with his peers, chivalrous toward women, and kind to his inferiors.\u00a0 There was a high standard of politeness.”\u00a0 See\u00a0Cherry-pick[ing] – Idioms … Free Dictionary<\/a>.\u00a0 And also\u00a0Turnabout is fair play – Idioms … Free Dictionary<\/a>.\u00a0 To be fair – for example – the term “donald trump is kind to his inferiors” got nearly 13 million results, but those results included\u00a0Katy Burns:\u00a0 Trump fumes, and America loses a bit more of of itself<\/a>, and\u00a0Donald Trump’s mother asked: ‘What kind of son have I created<\/a>?’\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Another note:\u00a0 I started typing “donald trump is<\/strong>” and immediately got the primary result, “donald trump is an idiot.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of\u00a0Internet Must Be True Bonjour\u00a0–\u00a0Image\u00a0Results<\/a>.\u00a0 See the original State Farm “Bonjour” television ad at\u00a0State Farm\u00ae State of Disbelief French Model – YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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A true “virginia Gentleman” –\u00a0Alexander Spotswood\u00a0(1676-1740)… * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * The last post I did was on December 10, 2018.\u00a0 (My excuse is the rush of the holidays.)\u00a0 So here goes:\u00a0 The first post of 2019. I just started reading\u00a0Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7892"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7892"}],"version-history":[{"count":53,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7954,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7892\/revisions\/7954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}