Brookings pastor Kline: We are in the midst of a battle for the soul of our nation. It’s a war we must win
Before he’s finished, this president will secure his place in history as the “first” in so many categories, the record books will be closed for eternity. Now he took control of the National Guard in California, a profoundly blue state, over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
All because people have been protesting in Los Angeles over his militia grabbing people for deportation, because they are the wrong color. Here we thought states had control over their Guard members! Apparently not, when the president can find some obscure legal means of doing what he desires and excusing it on the basis of a manufactured emergency.
We all knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Eventually the resistance to his unjust and immoral behavior would produce the kind of backlash that would require greater escalation on his part. Mark my word, martial law and canceled elections are just around the corner, as his militia of pardoned felons and new MAGA recruits will not be able to manage the growing resistance.
And yes, this appears to be his personal “militia!” No other president in our history has pardoned adjudicated violent prisoners and then reportedly hired them to perform his dirty work. Although, if we had learned our history better, we would have known that Adolf Hitler pardoned thousands of people, including some involved in his earlier failed coup.
The reason people are protesting in Los Angeles and elsewhere is because of the process the administration is using in “protecting us” from illegal immigrants. These ICE and other government workers dress and act like storm troopers. They do police work in a similar way to the storming of the Capital. Only this time they get to wear special uniforms, cover their faces with masks, and have the protection of the government for their use of unnecessary force. Human and legal rights disappear in their presence.
This president will also go down in history as the most abusive and sexist. No other was a felon, accused and convicted of rape by a jury of his peers. No other was actually recorded as enjoying groping other women, and believing they actually enjoyed it. And it wasn’t just E. Jean Carroll! It was Jessica Leeds, Rachel Crooks, Natasha Stoynoff, Kristin Anderson, Jill Harth, Summer Zervos, Cathy Heller, Amy Dorris, Lisa Boyne, Temple Taggert, Karena Virginia, Mindy McGillivray, Cassandra Searles, Tasha Dixon and many more. All have accused Donald Trump of some form of sexual abuse; groping, assault, rape.
“When you’re a star, they let you do it,” he said. He has put President Clinton to shame.
Now, with the aid of Elon Musk, the president’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is being revisited. We’re learning again that Trump enjoyed Epstein’s parties with young women. Pictures of Trump with younger women are reappearing on social media. We are reminded he was quoted as saying, “He’s (Epstein) a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
This president will go down in history as the most prolific and capable liar in history. Since his first term in office, people have given up tracking his lies and misinformation. The final tally for the first four years was 30,573 false claims, according to the Washington Post. That included six false claims a day in his first year in office, 16 a day in his second, 22 a day in his third, and 39 false claims a day in his fourth year in office.
God only knows how many we get daily in this second term. Humans seem to have given up keeping count.
All I know is one tires of the word “greatest,” and the phrase “nothing like it before,” in so much of his rhetoric. And one recoils from the violent verbal reprisals against friend and foe alike, who check his lies or misinformation. A rapid and critical response is certain to follow any criticism or unfavorable judgment. “Back at you” is his mantra!
Given that each new day presents a new set of concerning issues and challenges, it can become overwhelming. We go into fight-or-flight mode. Or we get depressed to the point of being unable to function!
We need to remember the chaos is intentional. Those in power want us to forget we are the decision-makers. They want us to forget we have a Constitution and are endowed with inalienable human rights. They want us to forget we are in control, along with our neighbors and other community members. They want us to forget dictators and their cronies are a dime a dozen and last only as long as the majority allow it. They want us to forget we have the power.
I’m heartened by the protests in L.A. and around the country against the ICE actions! I’m heartened by the persistence of E. Jean Carroll and others! I’m heartened by the willingness of the media to fact check the president! I’m heartened by all those institutions and persons who resist what they understand to be unjust and immoral policies! It looks to be a long and difficult struggle for the soul of our country.
But some are showing the way as they choose their battle and find sustenance for the long haul. May we all be so fortunate!
Carl Kline of Brookings is a United Church of Christ clergyman and adjunct faculty member at the Mt. Marty College campus in Watertown. He is a founder and on the planning committee of the Brookings Interfaith Council, co-founder of Nonviolent Alternatives, a small not-for-profit that, for 15 years, provided intercultural experiences with Lakota/Dakota people in the Northern Plains and brought conflict resolution and peer mediation programs to schools around the region. He was one of the early participants in the development of Peace Brigades International. Kline can be reached at carl@satyagrahainstitute.org. This column originally appeared in the Brookings Register.
Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons
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