Roy Exum
Ever since I was a child, I’ve avoided watching any President’s State of the Union Address. It makes no difference if I agree or disagree but when the audience applauds after each sentence, it drives me nuts. Instead I wait until the next day and try to read a mix of the over-night reviews – from both liberals and conservatives – and then try to figure out what was really said.
As I powered up my computer just before dawn the morning after Donald Trump hit a home run, my eye was immediately drawn to the weeping woman wearing back and I watched Carryn Owens, the widow of Navy SEAL Senior Chief Ryan Owens, as she was blanketed in the most genuine and compassionate 2½ minutes of applause ever heard in United States’ history. Yes, just before dawn on Wednesday morning I cried like Carryn did and I looked skyward just like she did to thank the Lord for His tender mercies.
This was before I read the “false news” from America’s woeful libs that Trump had “used” the bereaved wife to strengthen his foothold with the American public. That’s the most disgraceful bunch of garbage I have ever heard and all it did for me was to strengthen my contempt for film maker Michael Moore and others of his ilk who take such sport at agonizing those poor few who need help with their most basic emotions, not to mention their values and ideals.
One such loser we learn is Michael Grilo, a “principal” with Liberty Advisor Group, a financial firm in Chicago. As he watched Carryn join the applause as she struggled to hold herself together – tweeted, "Sorry Owens' wife, you're not helping yourself or your husband's memory by standing there and clapping like an idiot. Trump just used you."
His stupidity flashed across the social media and a tsunami of condemnation settled on him as though the responses were all the angry yellowjackets in the world. "You're disgusting, you don't even deserve to speak to this man who served," wrote @PolitBunny on Twitter. On the Reddit site, another user named "whywouldyousaythattt" wrote: "I really want to ruin this guys life over what he said. Does this make me THE LIBERAL now? ;("
Grilo immediately realized he was in big trouble. Within seconds he tweeted, “Folks, clearly a poorly worded tweet. I apologize to all and am deeply moved by all your comments. Thank you for your feedback."
But that wasn’t good enough. Grilo’s tweet was already viral. The dunce tried to use more compassion in his apology, sending out, "I apologize, I believe parading Ryan's wife's pain like that was shameful after his morning comments." The executive also tweeted, "I am so happy to see you are all inspired to protect Gold Star families, and I thank you for swiftly condemning my awful tweet."
That only made matters worse. He took down the tweet, and then closed his account, and then got the phone call. The Liberty Group explained the phone call on its website: “Last night during President Trump’s speech, a Liberty Advisor Group employee sent out an offensive and inappropriate tweet regarding the Gold Star family that was being rightly honored before Congress and the Nation. The personal views of this individual do not represent Liberty and we vigorously disavow them.
“Although the message and subsequent apologies were sent from an individual’s personal account,” the statement read, “and bore no connection to his work with Liberty, his comments were inconsistent with the Company’s values and the unyielding respect it has for the members of our Nation’s Armed Forces. Regardless of whether the comments in the tweet were intended to cause the hurt and anger that they ultimately generated, they were unacceptable to us, and the individual who issued the tweet is no longer affiliated with Liberty.”
By mid-morning all pictures and any traces of Grilo were removed from the company website.
Most reviews were glowing and Carryn Owens became all of America’s daughter. The NY Times reporting, “On the night of President Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress, it was not a policy proposal or rhetorical flourish that broke through partisan rancor, but a widowed mother of three fighting through sobs … For a little more than two minutes, as Mr. Trump pressed his case to build up the American military, Ms. Owens became the image of American bravery that the president had hoped his words would invoke.”
At the same time, a smarmy writer for the Washington Post’s Slate website, Phillip Carter, couldn’t resist himself. “Words cannot convey my compassion and sympathy for Owens and her family. And yet, at the same time, I can barely contain my anger and disgust at the way that Trump put her on display, seeking to appropriate her grief—and her deceased husband’s heroism—for his political gain. This was stolen valor on a presidential scale.”
Carter is badly mistaken. When Owens’ body arrived back to the United States, the President and his daughter, Ivanka, flew to Maryland to be with the Owens’ family when the plane arrived. While meeting with her, Trump invited her to bring her three boys to the White House. At the time Carryn was non-committal but Ivanka persisted, and asked the widow to sit with her in the First Lady’s box.
The media reported the children had a great time, eating at the Navy Mess and being fawned over by hundreds of sailors, Secret Service and other dignitaries. But the one thing that will stay with each child for a lifetime was when, during the “record-setting” applause, there came a vocal roar that proved their mom was not being used at all.
If the wonderful Catherine Graham were still Publisher of the Washington Post, I’ll guarantee you the smarmy reporter, Phillip Carter, would be right behind the despicable Michael Grilo in the welfare line.
royexum@aol.com