I see these terms used in the Ukraine Storm.

Spies? Spies for whom? Soviet intelligence, Iranian ayatollahs?

Traitor. This is Trump’s favorite term of abuse, second only to “nasty.” I don’t think he knows what traitor means except, in his view, disloyal to Trump. But it was Trump who was attempting to make a secret deal affecting domestic politics with the leader of a foreign power.

Tattle-tales: I hear “Nobody likes a tattle-tale.” This is something out of elementary school, when a tattle-tale reports infractions by other little children. There is more at stake here surely.

Snitches: And I hear “Snitches get stitches.” This saying is used by a criminal underworld to frighten witnesses of crimes from giving evidence. Trump has certainly implied a white criminal’s equivalent in his “what we used to do to traitors.” I believe Trump and his entourage truly believe that the Whistleblower ratted Trump out. But you cannot rat someone out unless there is some misdeed to be ratted about.

As it is, the Whistleblower is neither spy, nor traitor, nor tattle-tale, nor snitch. She/He is, rather, a law-abiding professional public servant who brought a potential crime against our government to the attention of proper authorities. The term “patriot” is much misused by the right-wing. We see it in advertisements, in the trade-names given to firearms, in the names of criminal associations, etc. I think we’ll find that the Whistleblower is an authentic patriot.