To the editor:

The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame has inducted Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the disgraced general officer and momentary national security advisor to the Trump administration.

Before today, I doubt more than a handful of Rhode Islanders ever heard of the Heritage Hall of Fame. Now I’m quite sure most will hear of it. And not for something good.

The induction of Flynn in the Heritage Hall of Fame is a travesty that diminishes the accomplishments of all those who were inducted before him. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, arguably violating his oath of office. I took the same oath of military induction as Flynn to “… support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” 

I’ve come to realize that oath is not only for the term of enlistment. It is a lifelong oath. Flynn certainly took the same oath in the military and once more upon entering the White House. And he threw it in the waste bin.

The far-right politics underlying this abomination is apparent from the board president’s statement defending Flynn’s induction. Flynn is no hero or patriot. He is no victim. He violated his oath and the law. We can be certain of that because he accepted a pardon. Only those who broke the law may accept pardons, pure and simple.

Withdraw the induction. The board president should resign.

David Schoorens

147 Musselbed Shoal Road

Portsmouth