Tag Archives: Presidential Citizens Medal

Why Some Awards Mean Nothing

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The New York Times and The Washington Post won Pulitzer Prizes for their great reporting of RussiaGate. When the story was proved to be false, they got to keep their awards. I wonder if after Liz Cheney is tried for destroying evidence and other crimes committed during her time on the January 6th Committee if she will get to keep her award.

On Thursday, The Epoch Times reported:

President Joe Biden has awarded 20 individuals the Presidential Citizens Medal, including two leaders of the disbanded Jan. 6 congressional panel—former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)—for “exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”

The Presidential Citizens Medal, created by President Richard Nixon in 1969, is the country’s second-highest civilian honor after the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is awarded to those who “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”

“President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others,” the White House wrote in a statement. “The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice.”

Considering the current mental state of President Biden, I wonder who actually made this decision. It certainly does nothing to further the idea of a rule of law that applies equally to everyone, and thus will further divide the country. That may actually be the goal.

For all of President Biden’s claims that he is engaging in a peaceful transition of power, his actions tell a very different story. When I examine the President’s actions since the November election, I see a man doing everything he can to put roadblocks in front of the incoming administration. The pettiness of this man and the people behind him never ceases to amaze me.

This Is Long Overdue

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Yesterday Fox News reported that President Trump has awarded the posthumous Presidential Citizens Medal to Rick Rescorla. Rick Rescorla was one of the heroes of September 11, 2001. This medal is long overdue.

The article reports:

The U.K.- born Rescorla worked as the director of security for Morgan Stanley, which had its headquarters in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Following the 1993 bomb attack on the Trade Center, Rescorla designed and implemented evacuation drills to prepare employees for another attack.

Rescorla was born in Cornwall and served in the British army in Cyprus. He also worked as a policeman in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) before coming to America at the age of 24. He enlisted in the Army and fought in Vietnam before leaving active duty in 1967. He then studied at the University of Oklahoma, earning a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a master’s degree in English. He also earned a law degree from Oklahoma City University and taught at the University of South Carolina. He retired from the Army in 1990.

The article continues:

After the first plane hit the towers on 9/11, Rescorla ordered Morgan Stanley employees to get out of the South Tower and ignore building announcements telling people to stay at their desks. As he directed workers in the stairwells, Rescorla went right on singing his hymns. One of Rescorla’s last phone calls was to his close friend, Dan Hill, who he had known since his days in Rhodesia. Rescorla told Hill to get to New York to help with the aftermath of the attack.

The article concludes:

Rescorla was last seen climbing up the stairs on the 10th floor of the South Tower. He is credited with saving nearly 2,700 people that day. He was 62 when he died.

Rescorla’s wife Susan, who has spent the last 18 years preserving her late husband’s memory, accepted the honor from Trump.

“Of all the accolades… and all the people along the journey who have touched my life, each is so memorable because I was able to learn more about this incredible man than I had during our short time while he was here on earth,” she said. Susan and Rick had been married for fewer than three years at the time of his death.

In his remarks, the president recalled Rescorla’s last words to his wife, spoken in a phone call from the South Tower: “I’ve never felt better in my life. I love you so.”

For more of Rick Rescorla’s story, see the article posted here on September 10, 2008.