Honor Where Honor Is Due

Every King of Israel was not buried in "City of David with the kings" as the Old Testament says when they died. Some were too despicable and dishonorable. Some died with the people they sent to their doom in unjust and ill-conceived wars (King Saul and King Ahab, for example).

Romans 13:1-7 - "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."

Our President doesn't give due respect or honor - to women, to the poor, to people of color, to foreign neighbors, to the physically impaired, to the parents of fallen warriors, to American heroes, to the rule of the law, to the truth - so he often doesn't get any either. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez chose to give honor to those who deserved it and did NOT get it - the poor and powerless, those of color, the suffering, and "the foreigners in our midst." They got the honor the President didn't get. They got the honor the President didn't give. They got what they were due from her. So did the President.

Every American owes our President our Godly subjection to his authority as the Scripture above demands. We owe it to him to obey just laws. We owe it to him to speak truth that he is our President and that we are under his legitimate legal and God-ordained authority. We owe it to him to do right by our country, our neighbor, and most all, our God. We owe him what is DUE - we do not owe him what IS NOT.

Respect is defined as " a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements" and our current President has not broadly evoked these feelings at all and so no such respect is due to him. Respect is also defined as "due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others." This is the respect the President is due, even as he has disrespectfully hurt people's feelings, ignores people's wishes, tramples on people's rights, and tears down longstanding traditions of governance. This apparently is why Rep. Ocasio-Cortez respectfully did not disrupt the decorum of the President's speech as Rep. Joe Wilson in 2009 did when he yelled "you lie" at President Obama in those same House chambers. This is also no doubt why she respectfully did not attend the SOTU address just to storm out, like the current President did out of a meeting during the Trump Shutdown when the financial fate of 800,000 federal employees hung in the balance. She also wasn't vulgar like the President has been too many times to count, because she had respect for the feelings and dignity of the American citizenry - including those who support him. She had respect for the wishes of those who wanted his speech to be heard uninterrupted. She respected the rights of the President to give the speech and of the people to hear it, and finally, she had respect for the traditions of Congress. But Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was not obligated to rise from her seat, fawn, and clap obsequiously over lying and injustice. She has done no wrong in this matter, so no "terror" should be held for her.

Honor is defined as " high respect" or "great esteem." But one cannot give to someone what one does have for them. High respect is conferred upon the respectable and great esteem to the greatly estimable. The current President possesses neither quality. People who lie, defraud others, refuse to do the work necessary for a leader to inform himself of truth and to take wise action on that basis, and who treat those below them in status with cruelty and contempt never are.

"For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong."

The President has done much wrong - to his nation, to his direct reports under his charge, his family, and even to himself. It is for himself where his "terror" should lie.

I stand (sit) with the Freshman Congresswoman from New York...

Darryl L. Fortson is a physician practicing in Las Vegas, Nevada.