Hello from Cracker Barrel on a wintry April morning,
It’s chilly enough that I am sure the robins and the daffodils are wondering if they miscalculated. It’s supposed to be in the 20s tonight, and April showers might include snow. Perhaps there is some method in the atmospheric madness we are experiencing. In the spirit of consistency, which seems to be in short supply lately, I was at Burger King with the infamous societal prognosticators this morning, and it was surprising to listen to them lamenting (not really, but perhaps that it has occurred so quickly) what is happening to their well-planned investments, what might happen to their best laid plans. And one person in particular when I noted a couple of specific instances of the crackdown on basic freedom of speech seemed shocked. And as he noted his Missouri “show me”background, I promised to send him specifics, but the specifics did surprise him. As I noted over the past four years the vitriolic comments I heard about President Biden would get people in trouble if that practice was used in the previous administration. And when he noted, but I am a citizen I noted it is happening to citizens. The attack on dissent is unprecedented.
As many of you know, I wrote my dissertation, which is a rhetorical analysis of some of the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Lutheran pastor who chose to involve himself in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. That decision would cost him and other members of his immediate family, or spouses, their lives. Eberhard Bethge, Bonhoeffer’s student, and eventual biographer once noted, “Because he was lonely he became theologian, and because he was a theologian be became lonely.” Bonhoeffer grew up as a person who attended church, but was more academic than emotional in his faith journey and it was not until he studied at Union Theological Seminary in NYC and participating in field work at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem he felt the spiritual power of the gospel. That would change the course of his life and push him into the path of a different Christian activism he could have not earlier imagined. As Bonhoeffer realized the pogrom of the Nazis, he believed the church had both the duty and the need to question. Bonhoeffer mentioned three possibilities of church action towards the state: “In the first place it can ask the state whether its actions are legitimate and in accordance with its character as state, i.e., it can throw the state back on its responsibilities. Secondly, it can aid the victims of state action. The church has an unconditional obligation to the victims of any ordering of society, even if they do not belong to the Christian community. The third possibility is not just to bandage the victims under the wheel, but to put a spoke in the wheel itself” (Wind).
The speaking out against the current actions of President Temp’s policies that violate our constitutional rights of free speech, of the right to assemble, freedom of the press, or jeopardize our national security should not only be questioned, each and everyone of those actions require steadfast resistance. I have done some research throughout the day, examining the Hands Off rallies and protests not only across the country, but globally. In spite of the 10s or perhaps 100s of thousands who protested, the incidences of violence were minimal in comparison. In comparison to what, might you ask? Perhaps January 6th, 2021 comes to mind. Our very Revolutionary War was a rejection of oppression. Our country was founded on the idea that protest was a practice in democracy’s most foundational tenets.
The founding individuals of our democracy believed in creating a space where dissent was essential and the questioning of process and authority was evident from the beginning of our fledgling Republic (e.g. States Rights vs. Federalism). Certainly the questions of slave states versus free states caused such furor that our country engaged in a brutal Civil War, and at the beginning of World War II the internment of Japanese Americans demonstrated some of the xenophobic behavior that seems indicative our current national tenor. The struggle of the left and right to form a republic in their own particular understanding of constitutionalism is nothing new, but perhaps the rancor that is present has reached a level I not known or experienced in my lifetime. The lack of respect and decorum is certainly problematic, particularly when it is so apparent even among our elected legislators and those in the President’s cabinet. Arrogance as a matter of course foments arrogance, and the consequence is significant. It destroys possibility; it reverses progress. Arrogance is not a sign of strength; it is precisely the opposite. Arrogance is a form of bullying. Dissent and speaking out against arrogance and bullying is frightening, but it is essential if such behavior is to be curtailed. As I write this now, it is 80 years ago that Bonhoeffer was executed in Flossenbürg for his conviction to become the spoke in the wheel that would stop the extermination of the Jewish people. He was one of four in his family that would be killed for their involvement in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. As I noted above, his commitment to justice took a radical turn, but he believed that was his duty as a Christian, as a pastor of the radical gospel that did not believe in cheap grace.
Democracy is not easy, and it is not maintained easily. This is something we have been told. Former President Obama referred to it as messy. I believe his statement is accurate, and messy is a lot to manage on multiple levels. Terms and concepts like balance of powers, republic, democracy, basic rights, constitutional republic, all come to mind. Our increased lack of civic understanding makes both the discussion and pondering of such concepts exponentially more difficult, but ultimately, the questioning and dissent of what happens has never been more significant. I am always willing to engage in the conversation, one-on-one is where I believe the most productive things happen. Expressing an opinion here and being open to the beliefs and opinions of those with whom I might not agree are of importance. I’ll buy the coffee.
Thank you for reading.
Michael
thewritingprofessor55 