Trump's snubs of his betters remind us, "There is nothing deep down inside us except what we have put there ourselves."

Edie Windsor was a quiet, widowed lesbian whose partner died years ago. 

Then the IRS sent her an inheritance tax bill for $350,000. Under the Defense of Marriage Act their marriage was invalid, and what would have passed to her tax-free had she married a man threatened to beggar her,

Edie Windsor said, "No."

She went out and got a lawyer and sued the US government.

The case went to the Supreme Court, and she won. Millions of LGBT Americans won, too.

Edie Windsor remarried and enjoyed a happy old age, full of honors. She died this week at the age of 88.

Former President Obama, in whose tenure Windsor won her case, posted on Facebook:

America’s long journey towards equality has been guided by countless small acts of persistence, and fueled by the stubborn willingness of quiet heroes to speak out for what’s right. 

Few were as small in stature as Edie Windsor – and few made as big a difference to America. 

I had the privilege to speak with Edie a few days ago, and to tell her one more time what a difference she made to this country we love. 

She was engaged to her partner, Thea, for forty years. After a wedding in Canada, they were married for less than two. But federal law didn’t recognize a marriage like theirs as valid – which meant that they were denied certain federal rights and benefits that other married couples enjoyed. And when Thea passed away, Edie spoke up – not for special treatment, but for equal treatment – so that other legally married same-sex couples could enjoy the same federal rights and benefits as anyone else. 

In my second inaugural address, I said that if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. And because people like Edie stood up, my administration stopped defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in the courts. The day that the Supreme Court issued its 2013 ruling in United States v. Windsor was a great day for Edie, and a great day for America – a victory for human decency, equality, freedom, and justice. And I called Edie that day to congratulate her. 

Two years later, to the day, we took another step forward on our journey as the Supreme Court recognized a Constitutional guarantee of marriage equality. It was a victory for families, and for the principle that all of us should be treated equally, regardless of who we are or who we love. 

I thought about Edie that day. I thought about all the millions of quiet heroes across the decades whose countless small acts of courage slowly made an entire country realize that love is love – and who, in the process, made us all more free. They deserve our gratitude. And so does Edie. 

Michelle and I offer our condolences to her wife, Judith, and to all who loved and looked up to Edie Windsor.

The *resident of the United States, who gets up every morning to spew bile and personal attacks on individuals, has been silent.

Noting the passing of the great and the good- a presidential routine- isn't his. It's the sort of grace note real leaders instinctively know is the right and timely thing to do. It's not PCness, it's marking the passing of a women who proved, anew, that government is our servant, not our master.

The *resident did, however, find time this morning to praise an eleven-year-old boy who begged to be allowed to mow The White House lawn (for free; one can see the "Loser" thought bubble over the billionaire's head):

Frank “FX” Giaccio-
On behalf of @FLOTUS Melania & myself, THANK YOU for doing a GREAT job this morning! @NatlParkService gives you an A+! pic.twitter.com/135DxuapUI

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017

His tiny claques of gay supporters here and there around the country, divorced from reality and respect even for themselves, ignored Edie Windsor's death, too, even as they clamor for personal attention and spew spite-memes in social media, slagging they majority of LGBT Americans who wonder why they have to welcome turkeys calling for an early Thanksgiving. They proclaim, ever less credibly, that he is the best friend the gays ever had.

All the gay Trump fanboys do is invite comparisons. Edie Windsor stood up to the federal government and bettered the life of every LGBT American.

What have the Melania-in-drag enthusiasts accomplished? I invite them to share what doubtless the mean mainstream media conceals.