In regards to John McCain, Trump said "He's not a war hero. He's a war hero 'cause he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK." McCain spent 5 and a half years as a prisoner of war, during which time he was beaten, starved, tortured and subjected to years of solitary confinement. Trump's childish idea of heroism is self-aggrandizement and a man with a cape who suffers no real consequences. This is testament to his true lack of humanity and gratitude. Thousands upon thousands of people have suffered similar fates to ensure that even ingrates like Trump have the freedom to express their thoughts regardless of their merit and distaste. What I find disheartening is the lack of concern and accountability. Although he has freedom of speech, he does not necessarily have freedom of consequence and criticism. In the end, however, he got freedom of consequence and criticism; the incident barely lived through the 24-hour news cycle before it was forgotten and replaced with the next frivolous topic to occupy our short attention span. This demonstrates that the patriotism of some people is as thin as the flag they wrap themselves in.
