People get to an age where they have trouble relating to the new norms and framework of society. The older generation of my youth didn't understand the music or the pacifism of the younger folks. The older folks, many anyway, felt the Vietnam war was essential for stopping "communism." You would think the '50s had taught us that communism was a trumped-up boogeyman by a certain faction of society.
Today the problem is the Trump supporters. If the restaurants were not closed, I'd be going to a place this morning where pickups are parked outside with pro-Trump and anti-Hillary bumper stickers. "Hillary for prison." You know the whole assortment.
Greater America or rural America has become strongly inclined that way. The Dakotas are hugely inclined that way. The sparsely populated parts of the country have disproportionate political power. Paranoia has infected that part of the country. Churches are a bastion for this. The U.S. Supreme Court is doing all it can to reinforce churches even in this catastrophic time of the pandemic.
Government had reasons for its guidelines that had nothing to do with a basic attitude about religion. Many urban Democratic leaders are as religious as you'll find. They go out of their way to try to allow normal life. What could be more practical for any elected political leaders? Wouldn't that be the natural incentive? To allow normal life, businesses to survive and for cash registers to be ringing? Who could be against that?
Does the Supreme Court think it possesses greater wisdom? Elected political leaders must get into the messy business of balancing public health with our normal freedoms. A school cannot "go out of business." A church? I suppose financial strains would have unpleasant consequences, but it's not like a real business going under. So our leaders try to weigh these considerations. We in Morris need a business like Willie's. From a brutal objective standpoint, maybe Willie's should come under the same draconian restrictions.
At a certain point our elected people must "suck it up" and make difficult decisions. There is no nirvana in the government sphere. Greg Mannarino has commented: "The government's No. 1 job is not to take care of the people, government's No. 1 job is to survive." Sounds cynical but you probably would still nod at that.
Our leaders recognize that a stifling shutdown won't do, that we need to get our essential needs met in a somewhat convenient way. The Supreme Court would say church is essential. It is not. Can we assume everyone in 2020 has an Internet-capable device? Your own church no doubt has a weekly Internet-based feature. Maybe your church will get distressed to the point where it reduces or suspends service. It appears we aren't there yet.
You'd think people now have a lot less incentive, or less money, for churches to be stable. A friend tells me the finances of Faith Lutheran Church in Morris are quite stable. Well that's a good thing. But while a business like Willie's is essential, a church building is not. I'm talking about the building. I'm talking about people in groups. Older people assume the traits just cited are essential. Well, I'm an older person but I think I have managed some adjustment. Obviously, one can gain maximum spiritual fulfillment (if that's your thing) by calling up the Internet.
I am observing weekly services out of an ELCA church in Austin, Texas. So, memo to Supreme Court: It is not essential to go to a church building and be with a group of people, even though this is a nice thing. The Supreme Court has declared that this "nice" thing is an inalienable right, even if public health specialists say it can be hazardous.
Aren't a lot of us notorious for not going to church anyway? And a lot of these people are the first to point fingers at Democrats who believe in intervention to limit the pandemic and save lives. It seems so know-nothing to me.
"Hillary for prison." Yes that will solve everything. I'm pointing fingers at my own generation, a generation which has sadly decayed in terms of being sensitive to progressive things that are supported by science and reason. We protested the Vietnam war. Now we support what the Supreme Court is doing and support Donald Trump.
I fear that a dagger was inserted into the future of America with the mere closeness of the 2020 presidential election. I mean, how close Trump came to winning.
Are people rational at all when they vote? This is the same state that elected Paul Wellstone. Bachmann showed the hubris to actually pray, yes to invoke God: "Would you deliver various local and state races, Father. . .and O God, I personally ask, for myself, Michele Bachmann, Lord, would you allow Donald Trump to have a second term as president of the United States?"
When you have a conversation with God, shouldn't it be about more transcendent matters/considerations? We have had four years of the U.S. president who has called U.S. military servicemen, fallen and extant, "losers" and "suckers." What an absolute scumbag of a human being. The First Lady has said "Who gives a fuck about Christmas stuff and decorations?" Yet the likes of Bachmann prays for the likes of these people.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is like a clone of Michele Bachmann. Covid has ravaged South Dakota where Noem thinks free movement must be an absolute. So, people are dying for it. Would you be willing to die for it? Herman Cain gave his life for Donald Trump. He was 74 and had more to offer in his life. Was it worth it? Was Trump worth it? A man who has paid hush money to porn stars? Is he worth it?
I ask all the patrons of my favorite restaurant in Morris, where the harsh bumper stickers rule, "Is Donald Trump worth it?"
How many loved ones would you risk losing for the sake of Christian worship? In my case, none.
I'm happy to make the kind of short-term sacrifices that Joe Biden is going to ask. If only the Biden administration could begin immediately.
Remember when "Troutman" of "First Blood" warned: "Heaven knows what damage (Rambo) is preparing to do." An apt quote now for anticipating the last one and a half months of Trump. And most of our Morris area churches are totally devoted to him, almost as if Trump is taking on qualities of the divine, literally. It is amazing beyond words. I do care about "all the Christmas stuff."
And Rudy Giuliani now says "we don't need courts." A prod toward violent uprising? For Trump?
My podcast for December 5
So this is Saturday, Dec. 5, in the midst of the Advent season. And what an atypical Advent season it is. The pandemic looms. Looming also is the behavior of the Trump administration as it profoundly disrupts American life, yet so many among us in Stevens County cling to the man. I invite you to click on permalink for my 12/5 "Morris Mojo" podcast. Thanks for stopping by.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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