“Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” “Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness.”
Those were the words of Joseph Welch, the Boston attorney representing the U.S. Army during the nationally televised Army-McCarthy hearings on June 9, 1954. Welch delivered his historic rebuke after Senator Joseph McCarthy recklessly attacked a young attorney, attempting to smear him through an alleged association with communism.
It was a defining moment in the unraveling of McCarthy’s campaign of intimidation, character assassination, and political opportunism. Americans, still recovering from World War II and the Korean War, understandably feared communist expansion. McCarthy exploited those fears for personal power and notoriety. Eventually, the public saw through the demagoguery, and the senator became a political pariah.
Seventy-two years later, we are witnessing another disturbing test of America’s sense of decency. Elon Musk has denied responsibility for restrictions on the satellite communications systems his company provides to Ukraine, systems essential to its defense against Russian attacks. Musk insists that the authority rests with the U.S. military and, ultimately, Trump.
Meanwhile, Russian missile attacks between October 12 and 14 killed at least nine people. Ukrainian officials have reported disruptions in critical satellite communications and the absence of advance warnings of incoming Russian missiles. Ukraine’s ability to defend its people is being compromised by decisions made in Washington.
And what has Trump done?
He has called for Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming the victim of Russian aggression for a war Trump repeatedly promised he could end in a single day. He has moved to ease sanctions on Russian diesel, potentially providing Putin with additional revenue to finance his illegal invasion. At the same time, Russia continues to support Iran, whose military activities have killed. Americans.
These are not the actions of an American president committed to defending our allies, protecting our national security, and resisting authoritarian aggression. They raise a profoundly disturbing question: Whose interests is this administration serving?
Consider the broader record. Trump’s dismantling of USAID eliminated lifesaving assistance to vulnerable populations, including thousands of children. Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement has been accompanied by murders and serious questions about the use of government power. Trump’s personal and family business interests continue to raise extraordinary concerns about conflicts of interest and the use of public office for private enrichment. Meanwhile, millions of Americans struggle to pay their medical bills, buy groceries, fill their gas tanks, and maintain a decent standard of living, because of Trump’s war and tariffs. Yet this president appears more concerned with accommodating Vladimir Putin than defending a democratic nation fighting for its survival.
There comes a point when political disagreement becomes a fundamental question of national character and safety. When does cruelty become intolerable? When does recklessness become indefensible? When does loyalty to a political leader become complicity in conduct that betrays the country’s values and interests?
Joseph Welch asked those questions of Senator McCarthy in 1954. Americans should be asking them of Trump and the Republican leaders who continue to enable him today. Mr. President, have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency? And to those who continue to defend, excuse, providing ‘aid and comfort’ to this administration: Where is yours?
Enough of the MAGA enablers who put loyalty to Trump above loyalty to America. Vote them out!
VOTE!!!
RESIST!!! & EDUCATE!!!
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