Our dark underbelly…

Every time a group of people come together to begin to form a society, there are certain rules and expectations for how they will behave. They are generally accepted and followed, but there always seems to be a dark underbelly…those who rebel against those standards in large or small ways.

Much of the time that underbelly remains hidden. The societal pressures see to that.

But what happens when those societal pressures dissipate? Unfortunately, we’re currently seeing the result of that in the United States.

There has always been a dark underbelly to American democracy. That dark side burst into the open periodically, but then would be pushed back underground…to fester and grow.

And it burst into the open with a vengeance with the election of Donald Trump in 2016. During his campaign he made it “acceptable” to break standards that had been generally accepted, even if not always honored.

• He mocked a disabled reporter.
• He boasted about getting away with sexual harassment.
• He attacked a Gold Star family because they were not native-born.

In a better world, these actions would have been totally unacceptable. But he burst onto the political scene as an outsider, claiming that any criticism of his behavior just proved the need for his outsider status.

And it’s only gotten worse.

• He has cozied up with dictators, claiming that they were “great leaders.”
• He used the White House as a means of making more money for himself and his family.
• He had no interest in learning about foreign policy.
• He was careless with documents related to national security.
• He lied–and did nothing–about Covid when it could have been possible to get a better handle on it before it killed a million Americans.
• He has attacked immigrants.
• He refused to denounce hate speech and actions, in fact claiming that there were “good people” on both sides of a Nazi rally.
• He has refused to accept the results of an election he lost, continuing to claim without evidence that there was massive fraud, even though multiple investigations have failed to find any.
• His words incited an attack on members of Congress doing their constitutional duty to certify the election–and despite numerous requests, he did nothing for hours.
• He has threatened reporters with prison time and prison rape if they do not reveal their sources of stories he does not like.
• He convinced thousands who claim to be Christian to ignore the values and beliefs they loudly proclaim in order to support a man who has ignored all of them–and proclaim him to be “God’s anointed.”

We have seen hate speech and acts of hate increase.We are seeing doubts raised about the integrity of our elections. Members of minority populations are finding protections removed. Librarians and educators are under attack for trying to provide our children with access to a more nuanced history.

Is this really what we want? Do we really want the dark underbelly to take over?

The longer we allow these actions to be the norm, the harder it will be to change direction. It is up to each of us to determine what we will become.

Are we upside down?

I’ve been kind of quiet the last several days because–quite honestly–I’m just not sure what to say any more. I find myself wondering if the world has really turned upside down…

I grew up with a belief that integrity was important, that telling the truth was an important part of what made a person trustworthy. And yet…I’m still struggling with Aaron Rodgers’ lie about his vaccination status–and the fact that he still doesn’t think he lied. I’m shocked that a lawyer who made a blatant racist comment in a courtroom thought that he was apologizing by saying that he understood some of his words might have been insensitive–and he was sorry if anyone was inadvertently offended. And the former president–and so many of his followers–are still peddling the lie that the election was stolen from him.

I believed that part of our responsibility was to care for one another. Yet as we are still struggling with Covid, many are refusing to wear masks to protect the vulnerable…and many have also indicated that they have no intention of getting vaccinated or getting their children vaccinated to help us get a handle on this horrible pandemic.

I am a follower of Jesus–and my understanding of what that means now (and as I was growing up) was that we were to be stewards of creation. Climate change is real and is changing our world, and yet many refuse to believe it or are willing to make any changes. It is almost too late.

As a follower of Jesus, I grew up hearing his words calling us to care for the refugee…and I watch the news, seeing water cannons being used on people trying to find ways to a better life. I see people being turned back, sent back into hopeless and dangerous situations with no realistic hope of a future for their children. And I see refugees who have been accepted into my country being demonized and attacked.

I grew up believing that diversity made us stronger, and yet now I hear an advisor to the former president demanding that we all worship the Divine in the same way…the way he understands the Divine. I believe that none of us have a complete understanding of who the Divine is–and being willing to share worship experiences with others who have different understandings helps us all grow.

Education has always been important to me. Part of education encourages us to ask questions…to be challenged…to sometimes be uncomfortable. Yet I see librarians under attack for books on the shelf that make some people uneasy, that challenge long-held understandings. I hear people demanding that only one version of history be taught–the history of the victors, not the history of those who have been subjugated and exploited.

What has happened to us?!? The world I grew up in…the expectations about our relationships with each other…all this has been turned upside down. There are some elements of that long-ago world that deserve that, but not everything.

I’ve wondered what I can do to help right the world. Sometimes it feels like it would be so easy to just curl up in a ball and ignore everything else–but I can’t do that. If I do, I enable those that are so determined to keep the world upside down–and I think there is still a lot to salvage! I just can’t give up hope.

Revisiting January 6

Like many others, I watched in horror on January 6, 2021, as an angry crowd carrying Trump-supporting and Confederate flags broke barriers, fought with police, and broke their way into the United States Capitol, many of them chanting “Hang Mike Pence,” as they tried to stop the certification of an election that Donald Trump lost.

Since then, I have continued to watch in disbelief as many Republicans have sought to whitewash what happened–or who describe the events of that day in a way that only exists in an alternate, fantasy reality. I have seen individuals who were hiding underneath chairs and who were helping to blockade doors…individuals who were rushed to safety by brave police…now claim that what happened that day was “just like an ordinary tour.” I have seen individuals who at the time recognized the need to hold accountable those who incited that insurrection back away from and deny their original statements–and refuse to accept a bipartisan commission to investigate what happened and why…a commission that had been created by members of both the Republican and Democratic parties…a commission which would have included no members of Congress in order to focus on the events, not politics.

As it has become clear that there was no real interest from the GOP in finding out what happened and why, Nancy Pelosi created a select committee…and invited the Republicans to name members. Five were named–two denied because of words and actions that indicated they were not interested in finding the truth. Three others were accepted, even though they had voted not to certify the election. But Speaker Pelosi believed that they were willing to listen for the truth. The Senate minority leader apparently was not willing–and he pulled all GOP members from the committee.

Two other Republicans were invited to join the committee. They did–and have been excoriated by other members of their party for their decision.

On the first day of hearings, the committee heard from four police officers who were present and attacked that day: US Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, and Metropolitan Police officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges. Their testimonies are difficult to listen to–but necessary to hear. Who didn’t listen, though? Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell–congressional minority leaders. They weren’t interested enough to hear from individuals who put their lives on the line to try to keep them safe? What a slap in the face!

And while there have been numerous “Back the Blue” postings during summer protests, those same memes and statements of support have been sadly lacking on behalf of these officers and others like them who put their lives on the line to protect our democracy.

What will be the outcome? I think it’s important to read the opening statements of both Republicans on the committee–both Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney. Neither were particularly excited to be named to the committee but both feel it important to understand the events of January 6 in order to hopefully keep it from happening again.

Cheney’s final questions are important ones for all of us:

America is great because we preserve our democratic institutions at all costs. Until January 6th, we were proof positive for the world that a nation conceived in liberty could long endure. But now, January 6th threatens our most sacred legacy. The question for every one of us who serves in Congress, for every elected official across this great nation, indeed, for every American is this: Will we adhere to the rule of law? Will we respect the rulings of our courts? Will we preserve the peaceful transition of power? Or will we be so blinded by partisanship that we throw away the miracle of America? Do we hate our political adversaries more than we love our country and revere our Constitution? I pray that that is not the case. I pray that we all remember, our children are watching, as we carry out this solemn and sacred duty entrusted to us. Our children will know who stood for truth, and they will inherit the nation we hand to them — a Republic, if we can keep it.

May it be so.

Can we agree on this?

I’ve been thinking about the ways in which we seem to be so divided currently. We sometimes don’t seem to be living in the same realities, and that makes it extremely difficult to find common ground. This has been especially true when we talk about what happened on January 6 in the United States Capitol. What happened? Who did it? Who was responsible? Lots of questions–but we haven’t been able to find a foundation on which to build.

So I was wondering…can we at least agree on these statements?

• A mob attacked the United States Capitol as lawmakers were assembled to certify the election results.
• Windows were broken by members of the mob to gain access to the Capitol..
• People broke through barriers that had been set up by Capitol police.
• Some policemen were attacked and beaten by members of the mob.
• One policeman died as a result of his injuries and many others were injured.
• Some people in the mob were pictured sitting at the private desks in the offices of members of Congress.
• A gallows was erected outside the Capitol.
• Some people were chanting “Hang Mike Pence.”
• A number of members of the mob were either wearing shirts that supported Trump or were carrying flags that supported Trump.
• A few members of the mob died during the attack.

If we can agree on those events, is this the kind of behavior we want to allow or support? Should we not want to know what happened? what caused this? so that we can keep it from happening again?

We have to find some kind of common ground–a common foundation–in order for our democracy to survive.

Two countries?

More and more it feels like the United States is separating into two separate countries…not from a war fought with bullets, but in a more dangerous way—from a widening gap in beliefs. I jotted some down as I was pondering this; they are below. I realize that this is not a nuanced list—that individuals on both sides may not agree with everything on the list. But these are beliefs that I have heard or read from individuals / politicians / posts. Is there a way for us to bridge this divide? I used to think so…but I honestly don’t know any more.

May not understand it all, but trust science and scientists	Does not trust science or scientists
Sometimes challenges the government, but in general trusts	Does not trust the government
Believes that Trump was elected, not ordained; does not believe that everything he did was God’s will	Believes that Trump was ordained by God to the presidency and that everything he did was God’s will
Supports immigration reform; believes immigration makes us stronger	Believes that the borders should be closed – no immigration
Believes that for the good of all, there need to be some limits on personal freedom	Believes there should be no limits on personal freedom
Believes that the right of women to make decisions regarding their bodies should be between them, their significant other, their doctor, and religious advisor (if any)	Believes that the right of women to make decisions regarding their bodies should be regulated by the government
Believes in accepting some limits on gun ownership	Wants the right to carry guns wherever and whenever they want
Believes that we are a community and need to be sensitive to the things that will help protect others	Personal freedoms are more important than doing things that will help protect others
Believes that Trump supporters were the primary people involved in the January 6 insurrection	Believes that antifa and left-wing supporters were the primary people involved in the January 6 insurrection
Believes that Biden is the legitimate presidential winner	Believes that Biden did not legitimately win the election
Does not believe there was massive voter fraud	Believes there was massive voter fraud
Believes that there should be police reform to incorporate mental health services; also believes there should be better accountability for police in violent interactions	Believes that those who are shot in interactions with police (especially minorities) deserve what happened to them
Believes that the Covid vaccine is just that—not some nefarious plot	Believes that the Covid vaccine is a way to plant microchips in everyone
Believes that in order to understand how we have gotten to this point in our history, we need to look at the history honestly, and that includes being aware of the problematic parts	Believes that the history that should be taught should only focus on the high points of western culture and maintain the status quo rather than include previously not-heard voices
Believes that LGBTQ+ young people are living authentically, not just going through a phase	Believes that those young people who identify as LGBTQ+ are merely going through a phase…or that they’ve been indoctrinated
Supports the right of transgender individuals to live authentically without fear	Believes that transgender individuals should not exist
Believes that the decision regarding abortions should be treated as a medical issue, not condemned or individuals charged with murder	Believes that those women who get—and the doctors who perform—abortions should be put to death for murder
Believes that while Christianity is an important manifestation of the Divine, the Divine is not limited to one way of self-disclosure	Believes that Christianity is the only true religion and acknowledging any other way is heresy
Supports compromise and working across the aisle	Believes that any form of compromise is impossible
Believes that climate change is real and we need to do everything we can to slow it down / stop it	Believes that climate change is a hoax