Tag: politics

Behind the Fire

Behind the Fire

A few days ago, the death of Charlie Kirk made headlines, and the aftermath of it has had, it feels like, normal people and newscasters talking for days.

First off, death by such violence cannot be acceptable. Just like the deaths of other public figures for political reasons, like those of Melissa Hortman (Minnesota state representative) a few months ago, and her husband, are not acceptable. For Kirk’s wife and young children, and for other family and friends who knew him personally, this is a tragic and life-altering loss, and my heart goes out to them, as it does every time there is such violence.

Let me say that, before this week, I personally had not heard of Charlie Kirk, though, as some of his past comments were re-broadcast, I realized I’d heard them before. I did not know him by name and did not know what his life had been about. But I would have had to have lived under a rock to miss the very strong opinions that people have of him. At one end, people were calling him a champion for Christianity and a martyr. On the other end, people were re-publishing statements he’d made against entire groups of people.

Social media was very loud this week, and I found myself getting quieter and sadder. I needed time to process everything I was hearing, and also to process my own reactions to it. I had a lot of thoughts: is a life like his what true Christianity looks like? Why do so many think so and what am I missing? Can someone actually say this and still be a Christian? Oh my word, are these the things some people really think but are too afraid to say? Are these things in line with Christ’s teachings?

This is one of those times where wisdom and discernment are called for. There are a lot of voices out there. Not every voice speaks with authority or knowledge, and not every voice should be given equal weight. We must all ask ourselves: is what I am seeing and hearing actually true? Can I verify it? And when it comes to faith, is what I am hearing in line with Christian teachings?

We as a society have been behaving like we’re all campaigning to be right, and that whoever has the most popular viewpoint wins the day.

Except that isn’t what’s happening. A man died. A man reached that moment that every person will reach: death and what comes next. That moment where each of us will come before our Creator and answer for the life we have lived. It’s a terrifying and very real moment.

About this particular death–and any other death, actually–nobody can truly know God’s mind, because only God knows what is in the most secret corners of any of our hearts. So no. No one has the authority to say how God found Charlie Kirk or what will happen to his soul, me least of all.

I think we all must think about these existential questions from time to time, no matter our beliefs, and there’s nothing like someone’s death to bring them up. But in the face of all the noise, all the calls for vengeance, and the finger-pointing, the question remains: what do we do now, as a society? Of course, one of the calls I’ve seen is for others to rise up and continue Kirk’s mission. It sounded familiar, and I’d realized I’d heard it other times that a leader, particularly a political or religious, had been killed. And I have no doubt that his views will continue to be advocated by some and condemned by others for some time. The vitriol is a sad fact of the country we have become.

Still, how do we move on from this? Because we must step forward, otherwise we risk a downward spiral of more vengeance, more anger, more hatred, more violence, and more death. As if the world wasn’t already on fire.

From public officials, there are calls both condemning violence and pleading for peace, and calls for vengeance. From the highest public official, of course, it’s a mixed message: violence is unacceptable and we have to stop demonizing each other, but also the people who don’t agree with me are demons.

But the question that I am asking myself, and I would urge you to ask yourselves, is this: are my words and actions contributing to the fire? Is there anything I can do to bring down the temperature? What would Christ do if he were walking among us today?

I have no neat ribbon to tie this up, to be honest. If there was, someone smarter than me would have tied it up already. I am sad that we are so divided, but not surprised. And for myself and for all of us, I pray.

Smoke & Mirrors, and Sticks & Stones

Smoke & Mirrors, and Sticks & Stones

I know it’s been a long while, but in an effort to better mind my own sanity during these times, I think it’s time I found ways to write more, so here goes.

I want to start by sharing a personal exercise I did recently. One day in late March, I saw two video clips. In the first, a Democratic representative from New Mexico asserts that Congress is handing over its authority to the President to do whatever he wants to the Federal government. That is not true.

In the second, a Republican representative (who also chairs the committee and sponsored this bill so in theory should know it best) maintains that this is just a reauthorization (more like a renewal than a change) of a bill that’s been around for a long time. That is also not true.

I got curious: what were the different parties advocating for? And did anyone “win?” Of course, quick searches online only brought up more clips. Clips, as many of us would do well to remember, are edited to support a viewpoint. They end right after a smart comment and leave out the reply, or start at just the right moment to leave out some necessary context. So I dug a little and found the full video of the hearing (the link starts at where debate about the bill begins). I encourage you to watch 10 or 12 minutes if you can.

And since I am a former nerdy law school student, I found the bill amending the regulations and hand-wrote in the amendments to see what these amendments would really change. More on that in a minute.

Here’s what I learned from watching the full video–and bear with me because, while I know none of us have time, it takes more than a few seconds to explain this: neither side was being entirely fair in their statements, and even though one side’s assertions arguably do more harm than the other, neither’s behavior is what we should accept from our representatives.

Why am I dwelling on this one bill? Because I want to remind myself, and anyone else who will listen, to always remember the role of spin doctors (and no, I’m not talking about the 90’s band). I think the communication about this bill to the public (whether from elected officials and their staff, from the media, or from organizations that try to look like media) is a good example of how what is actually happening can be completely obscured by the many videos, memes, and commentaries that pop up on our phones every day.

For anyone who’s interested, here’s what the bill is about: the authority to change the government to make it more efficient. The bill allows the President to propose changes, and ultimately implement them, but keeps the approval authority with Congress. The bill also expands the changes a President is allowed to make, and by a lot. And the new language is vague enough that it really can mean whatever the President wants it to mean.

So for example, the proposed language talks about cutting agencies to get rid of “unnecessary” operations, or reducing/ eliminating compliance rules, with no counterbalancing consideration required of what harm those rules are preventing or safety standards they are maintaining. It also allows the President to eliminate any department he wants, including one that has an enforcement function. The current regulations do not permit this, for obvious reasons.

So overall, it would give the president more (but not absolute) power than the executive branch currently has. It is not a complete rolling over and handing of Congressional control to the executive branch. But neither is it just an extension, or reauthorization, of existing law. It is a dangerous bill to pass at a time when the executive branch’s M.O. has been to do whatever it wants without regard for laws and procedures.

But if we are not hearing this message clearly, but rather are hearing only snide remarks and irrelevant questions, how are we supposed to know what our representatives are really doing? And consequently how are we to make wise choices about who to elect or what to vote and not vote for? The fact that so much of what we see and read, especially in the form of “news” on social media feeds, is so doctored to produce a certain reaction, is really alarming. And really harmful.

And that is my main point. We need to find a way, despite the information overload and lack of time, to read real news. We need to listen to, or watch, or read news reports that at least try to tell us what is happening in a balanced way. These news sources are out there, but they are, well, less flashy and less entertaining. But news is not entertainment. It is a fundamentally important part of a functional democracy and society. If it’s entertainment we seek, we can get that from Netflix.

On a side note, I was struck by how some legislators do not appear to have read the legislation they are introducing or debating, or they do not understand how regulations are organized. And that’s really sad for our country.

Broadly speaking, it hints at a common sentiment in my circles at the moment: our democracy is at a real risk of dying. The things the US government is doing are not only unlawful and, more broadly, trying to dismantle the rule of law, but they have created true suffering. I’m not talking about the many who have lost and will lose jobs, although that is extremely stressful and disruptive and will hurt families and the country in many ways. I’m talking about innocent people who happen to have the wrong skin color or speak the wrong language being ripped away from their homes and families and put in violent prisons in other countries even though they have never committed any crimes. And who have no way to prove their innocence or to go home. I never thought that this kind of thing would happen, and with such frequency in such a short amount of time, in America today. I am seeing just how powerful fear and misinformation can be in making the country act against its founding principles.

Another common sentiment I’m hearing a lot is: what can we do? I do not have an answer, but the following quote from Elie Wiesel (who was, as you probably know, saw the rise of authoritarianism up close as a Holocaust survivor who went on to become a professor, writer, and Nobel laureate) comes to mind: “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
― Elie Wiesel