I wonder how the late Andy Papke would be reacting to the incident at the U.S. capitol yesterday (Wednesday). He taught civics or social studies at the high school. He taught back when the overall tone of our U.S. culture was on a much higher level.
We just understood that the U.S. set an example with our orderly and civilized systems. We were temperate, fair and justice-oriented. We could have a sense of humor. We listened to the "John Birchers" but just understood they'd be on the sidelines.
Goldwater stood up for "conservatism" and that was fine. It was a time when we all primarily discussed ideas. We had a government of laws and not of men. We all saw Goldwater's loss coming. However, he injected a dose of conservative thinking that probably had a constructive effect. We eventually saw Ronald Reagan elected. The time was right for that. But people on the right could never get enough. At a certain point, maybe we have had enough of "tax cuts."
Reagan
was fundamentally a good person. He had experience with a union. He was
far more embedded in the real world than our outgoing president now.
What more can be said about what happened at the capitol on Wednesday? What would Andy Papke say? What would Stan Kent say?
I
know of another retired Morris High School teacher who got drawn into
the whole Trump phenomenon. It was frustrating even trying to bring up
politics with him. I refer to him in the past tense because the pandemic
has separated us. If I tried suggesting just a little skepticism about
Trump, he got a certain look in his eyes. The corners of his mouth would
turn up. He would have nothing of it. He didn't want to hear a word of
skepticism about Donald Trump.
And
as time rolled on, so many Morris residents chose this stance, to be
crusaders for Trump, to attack Trump critics as "Trump haters" while
venting their own absolutely venomous criticism of Biden and Democrats.
As of yesterday there was still a prominent "Trump-Pence" sign out by
the highway between Subway and Greeley Plumbing. So long after the
election.
I'll
theorize that the people behind that are not accepting the election
results. That's the sentiment behind what happened at the U.S. capitol
Wednesday.
What
if a civics teacher like the late Papke suggested criticism of the
Trump supporters? What if he said the behavior was out of bounds based
on the standards set by the Founding Fathers? Such mild and common sense
thoughts might actually get a teacher in trouble. The Apostolic kids
would go home and tell their parents about it. The parents would get on
the phone with school board members.
It's
not just the Apostolics of course, as there are a number of
"conservative" churches in the area who believe it is important to be in
line with Trump. Occasionally I'll hear someone "ranking" the Apostolic
churches in terms of which one is more "strict" than another. Strict,
strict, strict.
We
hear other churches described according to their intransigence vs.
certain cultural forces that have been advancing. Jesus Christ was only
political in the sense that he wanted more consideration for the poor
and oppressed. He believed in a gentle hand, not to support an obvious
would-be autocrat in his bid to retain power. And the wannabe autocrat's
objective is pursued with a full-on attack or invasion in our nation's
capitol.
Why
be a Christian in the year 2021? Yes, I have friends who'd say "good
riddance" to me. Well fine, but every human soul has some intrinsic
value, even those who might be celebrating the Democratic Party assuming
greater power. The voters made their decision. But my Trump-soaked
friends are denying that the voters made any such decision. And they are
now showing they are taking matters into their own hands.
The
Trump supporters probably think they are feeling their oats now. They
make tremendous noise while the skeptics are restrained, largely out of
fear. Look at what the Trump supporters are willing to do. Is the
Christian faith increasingly picking up a taint because of all this?
We
cannot be sure that the Trump faction in America is going to lose. What
if the Republican Party controlled the House? What if Republicans had
been in charge the last two years, instead of Democrats being able to
supply a check from the House? It's very possible we'd be on our way to a
full-fledged autocracy or dictatorship. Various other powers around the
world might be aligning against us. They might be the new "Allies" with
the task of suppressing a dangerous autocratic power.
I
recently reported an email exchange with a Trump-oriented friend. I can
at least communicate with this person so I'm not just subjected to the
eye-rolling. It's someone with whom I used to be present for Wednesday
night church gatherings. I recently shared with him the most reasonable
criticism of Trump that I think anyone could have listened to.
He
had originally emailed me with reservations about my Christmas song (my
annual original song) because it had a political message. I did not
mention Trump by name. I expressed optimism in connection to Biden. This
was in the context of a hoped-for better response to the pandemic.
I'm
sure I cannot get the rock-ribbed Trump people to even admit there was a
problem with the federal government's pandemic response, that
"response" being essentially to toss everything to the states. That's
with an eye for setting up the Democratic governors for failure.
Because, this is all about the complete wresting of power into the hands
of people who call themselves "Republicans."
These
are not the Republicans of old, not the type that Andy Papke would have
talked about in connection to our fair, revered political system. The
Republicans are striving to prop up Trump only under a contrived rubric
of "democracy." It is clearly Germany of the 1930s.
When the dust settles, the Christian faith may have picked up a permanent taint.
Today
it is against the law to dress up like a Nazi in Germany. I told my
friend in my email that I was upset about Trump calling U.S. military
service members, including the deceased, "losers" and "suckers." I told
him we had family and friends affected greatly by war. I thought my
criticism of Trump based on this would at least be accepted as
reasonable.
No.
He responded and suggested I was just a "Trump hater." So I "hate"
Trump. That's the problem? What do you think this is, a sorority? Again
we are a government of laws and not of men, or at least that's the way
it should be.
As
I write this, who knows really what side is going to win as all this
acrimony unfolds. Will it be the side that carried Confederate flags
into the capitol yesterday? We just cannot know at present. Nothing
stopped Hitler's rise. Shall we pray? That would be to acknowledge that
Christianity is a good thing.
Problem
is, Trump has exploited Christianity, mesmerized a plurality of its
followers. If the Christian faith did not exist, we would not have been
through this business of Trump.
Christians
are so scared of a few gay people becoming ministers. Or of transgender
people being in the military. And on issues such as these, they make
their stand. And they pretend that Trump is a man of principle in the
first place, rather than the total grifter he is. He ran for president
to elevate his profile for the sake of his "branding." I doubt he
thought he would win. But he sure did win.
Addendum:
Trump worked his crowd into a frenzy Wednesday with his claim that
victory had been stolen from him by "explosions of bullshit." This is
the president for the Apostolics. And Trump's crowd chanted "Bullshit!
Bullshit!"
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