Author: Pat Liberty

Working from home, attending endless Zoom meetings, distance learning for children, cleaning the house or apartment, cutting the grass, managing repairs, dealing with unemployment or underemployment, keeping the family safe from Covid, learning to live with the isolation; the list goes on and on. When it comes to the past year, normal is just a setting on the dryer.

 I will be the first one to admit that I don’t fully get it. I have little sense of the pressures that attend daily life in this time. As a retired person, the truth is my life didn’t change all that much during the pandemic. But I watched what went on around me in the lives of people I care about and all I could do was shake my head in wonder and feel my heart fill with compassion.

So I get it when Sunday morning rolls around and sleeping late wins out over going to church, whether in person or on YouTube. I get it when some quality time with the family eclipses sitting for yet another hour in front of an electronic screen. As a pastor, I also get the frustration of putting hours into creating a meaningful worship service and having only a few people show up, whether in person or virtually.

What gets lost in the shuffle, is that it is easy to forget that our souls need to be fed. That’s true whether we go to church or not. Sabbath time is moments of rest and recreation when we tend to being instead of doing. There is a reason we are called human beings and not human doings. We are more than the sum total of what we accomplish, or fail to accomplish.

Our primary identity rests in the truth that we are created by the Creator. We are creatures of the Divine. We join with all the created order as the beloved of God. Reminding ourselves of that for even a few minutes a day can make the day more tolerable. Honest.

I call it the five-minute Sabbath. It can come any time and in the midst of any moment. For example, you are stuck in traffic. It’s easy to get hot under the collar, lean on the horn or perhaps extend a certain digit as a way of blowing off steam. The truth is, when traffic stops us dead on the road, we have an opportunity to simply look around. Marvel at the miracle that is the modern automobile: the collection of bolts, nuts, screws, sheet metal and some magic that makes an engine run when you turn the key. People figured out how to do this. Spend a few minutes just thinking about the marvels of the human mind.

Or, look at the sky. Is it blue, gray, sunny or cloudy? Is it raining or snowing? Clouds are moisture suspended in the air. When we breathe out we exhale moisture (not just the virus that can kill people). All the water that has ever existed in the world since the beginning of time still exists. The moisture you exhale may contain water from Niagara Falls.  The options are endless. Spend a few moments paying attention to what is around you and let your thoughts take you where they will.

We are surrounded by wonder. Each person, even the ones that annoy the hell out of us, is a unique and unrepeatable individual bearing the image of the Divine. If we spent more time thinking about that and less time thinking about how they annoy us, we would be a lot calmer.

Taste your food. Most of us (me included) inhale our food, often while doing something else like watching TV or reading a book. Let the food dance on your tongue, even if it’s just a sandwich or something simple. Savor the flavors.

Sing along with the radio, even if you can’t carry a tune in a bushel basket. Feel the air as it flows over your vocal chords. Consider for a moment what a miracle it is that we can sing, speak and communicate. Enjoy the harmony and tune along with the words. There are only seven notes in a scale but they are put together in millions of ways to create every kind of music there is. Choose the music you like and ponder the talent that makes it possible.

There are countless ways to have a five-minute Sabbath. What they have in common is that they call us to pay complete attention to the moment and connect the moment to something larger than ourselves. And it is all holy. We are all creatures of the Divine and all that we create or observe in love connects us and others to the Divine, and in a mystical way to each other.

Life has more than its share of challenging moments in these days. While the end may be in sight, it is not here yet. A five minute Sabbath to ponder the moment you are in can transform all the other moments that come after it.

Oh yeah, don’t forget to breathe.

We have become accustomed to expecting the increased politicization of the Supreme Court. With six conservative Justices and three liberal Justices, decisions made along predictable lines are less and less of a surprise.

When the Court, however, ruled six/three in favor of an immigrant in danger of being deported, there was cause for surprise. The conservative block of Justices was split. Writing for the Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch was joined by fellow conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett, as well as the Court’s three liberal Justices. In dissent were conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito.

The case focused on the plight of Augusto Niz-Chavez, a Guatemalan immigrant who entered the US illegally in 2005. One requirement of immigrants is that they must show they have lived in the United States at least ten years before applying legally for citizenship. On the surface Niz-Chavez met the requirements.

The argument that Niz-Chavez did not receive adequate notice of his deportation hearing was the heart of the case. The government sent a notice to Niz-Chavez in 2013. If it was deemed lawful, it would have stopped the clock ticking on his ten year residency locking it at eight years which is below the required ten years.

A technicality turned the court in favor of Niz-Chavez. In an article in The Hill John Kruzel wrote, “Specifically, the majority found… that federal officials must provide comprehensive notice of upcoming deportation hearings in a single document. The government’s failure to comply strictly with the requirement meant he had not been properly notified. At issue is the fact that Niz-Chavez received multiple letters, each with a portion of the information about his possible deportation.”

It is a decision that has huge implications for thousands of immigrants who have met the ten-year threshold but have received multiple documents giving portions of information about deportation. This decision allows them to legally apply for citizenship in the United States.

It is a hopeful sign that the Court did not split along predictable lines. It demonstrates that the High Court is able to think independently. This is no small thing when the Court is stacked with six conservative Justices and three liberal Justices. For the law to be evenly applied there must be equality of positions before the Court. The capacity to make decisions without undue influence from outside conservative or liberal influences is of utmost importance.

One of the concerns with the current composition of the court is how personal values and beliefs influence their decisions. During the confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, her conservative Catholic practices were of concern, particularly in relation to pro-choice issues. That she was able to think outside her conservative box gives some hope about the future of the court.

Many of the Court’s decisions go beyond the law and ask questions of moral import. How to treat immigrants justly is one of those questions. The law that was clarified in this decision is one such example of how Supreme Court decisions have moral implications.

The Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 created the ten-year requirement for applying for legal status. A problem is that illegal immigrants who leave the country after ten years for any reason are not allowed to re-enter, even if an otherwise legal path to citizenship exists.  It leads to people staying in the US unlawfully for long periods of time and risking detection rather than uprooting their lives and being separated from their families (who are legal citizens) permanently.

The Court’s ruling last week can be viewed as a first step toward correcting the limitations of the 1996 law and creating more reasonable sanctions for those staying in the country illegally. Reforming the ten-year requirement for a legal path to citizenship could allow millions of undocumented immigrants to apply using the legal system. Codifying how notices for potential deportation are delivered is crucial. Specifying ways that those who have been here illegally for years can become legal residents levels the playing field in a system that is beyond broken, overworked, understaffed and underfunded.

It’s a small step, but it’s a start. Thanks to the Supreme Court for moving in the right direction. Keep up the good work.

The trial of Derek Chauvin and the courage of the jury to find him guilty on all counts is a step in the right direction. No one can watch that video and think differently. There are several points that bear emphasizing.

It is rare for police officers to cross the thin blue line. By necessity police officers watch out for and protect one another. They have each other’s backs, and it’s a good thing. Bravo to the brave officers who were willing to stand up and say there is a limit. Breaking ranks with fellow officers is a really big deal. Let’s hope there is no blow back to them for their actions.

According to Philip Stinson, a professor criminal justice at Bowling Green State University, there have been 140 law enforcement officers who have been arrested for murder or manslaughter resulting from an on-duty shooting in the U.S. since 2005. And of that number, only 44 have been convicted of any crime—usually a lesser offense.

The Chauvin verdict is the equivalent of the jury “throwing the book at him.” Finding him guilty on all counts is significant. Second degree murder is murder that is not pre-meditated, but is intended to inflict bodily harm and shows reckless disregard for human life. Third degree murder is unintentionally causing another’s death while committing a dangerous act. Minnesota is one of only three states that have a third degree murder statute.  Second degree manslaughter is culpable negligence where a person creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes the chance of causing death or great bodily harm to someone else. Chauvin was found guilty of committing or intentionally aiding in the commission of this crime.

By finding him guilty on all counts, there is no “wiggle” room for his accountability and culpability. His motives and actions are exposed, regardless of his intent. One cannot hold a knee on someone’s neck for over nine minutes and not expect grave bodily injury. The jury made it clear that actions have consequences.

While people are heralding it as a new day in police accountability, it is important to remember that this is one high profile case where one police officer was held accountable. It does nothing to root out systemic racism in police departments. It does nothing to change the techniques and standards of law enforcement when it comes to people of color. The sad truth is that very little will change in policing as a result of this verdict. Indeed, while Chauvin’s trial was underway, a 13 year old black boy was fatally shot by police. Adam Toledo was killed with one shot to the chest when his hands were clearly in the air in a position of surrender. Yes, he may have had a gun, but he had discarded it and was facing the officer with his hands clearly visible.

It takes a lot to change a culture.  First, it needs to be not just a people of color’s problem. It is a problem that belongs to us all. It is important for white people to use our power and influence to stand with Black Lives Matter movements and other efforts to call police to accountability. Sadly, there is evidence that Black Lives Matter protests are primarily drawing people of color. White people are not affected so they don’t participate in significant numbers to create the kind of public pressure needed to effect change. Public outcry to legislators needs to create pressure to change laws and change the current system.

It may be that the greatest improvement in police accountability is the invention of the cell phone video camera. Without the footage shot of Derek Chauvin, which later went viral, there would be no account of what actually happened. It would be a group of people of color against the words of police officers. And we all know how that would turn out.

All this by way of saying, we cannot think for a moment that the reality of police violence against people of color has changed in any significant way. There is still a partisan divide about police violence. Yesterday Democrats and left-leaning social activists celebrated the verdict. The response from Republicans was muted. There were a few who hailed the workings of the legal system and more than a few who claimed ignorance about the trial. The usual suspects, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and a few others called for a mistrial in the aftermath of the comments of Maxine Waters, President Biden and Vice President Harris.

Until there can be agreement about the basics of human decency, dignity and morality, we have little hope of meaningful police reform. Keep those video cameras at the ready.

It’s not every day we watch second degree murder on our TV screen. Over and over every day. This, however, is exactly what we witness every day when we turn on the news. The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minnesota police officer on trial for killing George Floyd, is being followed nationwide. And the video clip is showed over and over.

Second degree murder is defined as “intentional murder that lacks premeditation. It is intended to only cause bodily harm and demonstrates an extreme indifference to human life. At the moment the murder occurs, the killer definitely intends to kill the victim, but up until that moment, the killer had no plan to commit murder (Findlaw.com).” The prosecution and the defense will do their best to prove why THEY are right.

It does not appear that Derek Chauvin intended to commit murder that morning as he got ready for work. Chauvin didn’t start the day with murder on his mind. Sure, it’s easy to be the Monday morning quarterback when a police officer has to make a split second decision. Except this wasn’t a split second decision. Long after George Floyd was subdued and handcuffed, Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck.  Floyd cried out that he could not breathe and eventually cried for his deceased mother. There were plenty of opportunities for Chauvin to make a different decision. But he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck and kept his hand in his pocket. He looked completely nonchalant, as if he were ordering a latte from a street vendor.

It’s the hand in the pocket that tells me everything I need to know. He demonstrated utter disregard for Floyd and showed no emotion at all as Floyd’s life evaporated under the pressure of his knee. Chauvin disregarded Floyd’s pleas for help and kept his hand in his pocket and his knee on Floyd’s neck.

There is a reason a nearly universal ban of this type of move to subdue suspects exists. It has a tendency to kill them. Even Chauvin’s own colleagues stated that the knee on the neck was not an approved action. While prior bad acts are not admissible in court, Chauvin has almost twenty complaints for excessive force. Clearly the guy has an anger management problem and perhaps a few others, too.

The motto of many police departments is “to protect and serve.” There isn’t much about this oft seen video that shows George Floyd being protected or served. Police officers are entrusted with public well-being and keeping the peace. They are responsible for following the law and enforcing it.

The role of police officer carries inherent power and authority. It is entrusted to them for the benefit of those they serve. Police have an ethical and legal responsibility to use their power to protect and serve.

Police always have power over the people they are to protect and serve. Their words carry authority, their actions are to reflect and uphold the law, and their behavior is held to a higher level of scrutiny than other people. Police officers have an utter, and some would say sacred, duty to protect and serve those under their charge. It is a basic mindset. Sure, mistakes are made and sometimes judgment calls can seem a bit “off” to those of us who weren’t there. That is not what we witness on the video of George Floyd being murdered.

The role of race in Floyd’s murder cannot be overlooked. Racism is rampant in many police departments. Racial profiling, driving while black and harsher sentences for people of color vis-a-vis their white counterparts are common.  

It appears George Floyd was not without his faults (just as the rest of us). He is not the one on trial. He may have resisted arrest initially. In this day and age so would I. His actions before the video began filming are irrelevant. He was still due the respect and dignity that should be afforded to all God’s people. George Floyd was a reflection of the face of the Holy One, just as we all are.

What really matters is that Chauvin continued an improper subduing maneuver long after Floyd stopped posing any risk. What matters is that Chauvin demonstrated utter disregard for the unique and unrepeatable human being who was George Floyd. What matters is his attitude of arrogance and superiority reflected by keeping his hand in his pocket the entire time. If Floyd was so unruly, wouldn’t Chauvin have used both hands? Instead, he put his hand in his pocket and acted as if there was not a human being dying underneath his knee.

The hand tells me all I need to know about Derek Chauvin.

We Americans love to make everything about us. When it comes to Easter, we make it about personal survival of death. The idea of personal immortality has always had widespread appeal. We want to know we mattered, that we will continue in some way. Zillions of gallons of ink and more than a little blood have been spilled on the topic.

Easter, however, is a community thing. It is about the survival of a way of life, specifically the way of life revealed in Jesus. The way Jesus lived collided with the powers of his time. Jesus spoke truth to power. The Roman occupation colluded with crooked religious leaders and laid heavy burdens on the poor. That time two thousand years ago is more like today than we may want to admit. Predatory economies have common qualities, regardless of the age in which they exist. Making money, allowing the rich to get richer while the poor get poorer, minimizing social safety net programs and blaming the poor for being poor are consistent features of a predatory economy.

In the United States, as in Rome, there is collusion between socially, politically and religiously prominent people. Faithfulness is less of a concern than having and maintaining power. In our time the white evangelical voting block, the Republican Party and big business work together in promoting white hegemony and male dominance.

It’s little wonder we make Easter about whether or not we live forever.

If we are to faithfully celebrate Easter, something very different is asked of us. Easter is about embodying the values of the gospel. Community Easter means:

• Addressing the anti-immigrant sentiments dominant in our culture. Advocating for those seeking political asylum and common sense immigration policies are the values of Jesus.
• Using our power as consumers to support businesses that embody equality. Supporting Delta Airlines, Coca Cola and Major League Baseball in their protest of Georgia voting suppression laws is one concrete action. Boycotting businesses that do not support our values is another concrete action. Being an informed consumer is a concrete act of faithfulness.
• Learning about the racist history that is woven into the warp and woof of our culture. Becoming good ancestors to subsequent generations by righting historic wrongs and calling out racism when we see and hear it are small actions that begin to change things.
• Caring for the poor. Supporting food pantries year round, donating useable clothing and toys can make a difference in someone’s life if they are struggling to put food on the table.
• Advocating for disenfranchised populations. Assuring that homeless veterans, the LGBTQI population, the homeless and the stranger in our midst are treated fairly and justly.

In other words, all the things that got Jesus killed.

Community Easter means taking the risk to speak up and be unpopular. It means calling out behavior and language at the risk of losing friends or alienating family members. Community Easter means we will gladly take on the same risks Jesus assumed so he could be faithful to his mission. Our mission is the same. The only way the Gospel message survives is through us.

Here is my prayer for you in this season of new life and resurrection:

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in the world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen.

Long before Jesus ever set foot toward the city of Jerusalem for Passover, the most important journey of his life was well underway. And his feet never moved. It was the journey inward, to that place that was not a place but grounded all other places. 

This journey kept Jesus rooted in who he was and what he was supposed to do. It kept him on the outward path even when it ceased to be popular. Before Jesus ever answered the call to do, he answered the call to be. His first pilgrimage was inward.

For Jesus, going to Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover was about remembering who he was and whose he was. Before there was Palm Sunday there was Passover. And Jesus was all about Passover on this trip. It’s hard to say if there were palm fronds and jackets strewn on the street. Who knows if there was one donkey or two? It is unclear if there were twenty people or two hundred people. 

Passover is about freedom from bondage. It is the celebration that marks the Exodus and the end of slavery in Egypt at the hands of Pharaoh. Like all Jews who were physically able to make the trip, Jesus and his friends made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the celebration. Passover was and remains a central celebration for Jews, symbolizing the belief that God set them free. It is an archetypal story that speaks to the human experience: from bondage to freedom, from death to life, from vulnerability to strength and back again, through suffering to new life.  Every great world religion has a feast/festival or celebration that marks the cycle of renewal and refreshment, freedom and new identity.

Much of Jesus’ teaching and ministry was about setting people free from bondage and slavery that came from too much money and too little money, too much power and too little power as well as those who were broken, isolated and shunned for whatever reason.

What mattered was that Jesus was coming into the city for the feast that called all the children home. Passover was the summons to come and share and pray and remember. It was and remains a time to stop doing and be, a time set aside to remember the past.

This is hard for us to grasp. We are so focused on what we accomplish and what we possess and what comes next. When we read this back into the Bible it’s easy to focus on all the cool stuff Jesus did, but this wasn’t about doing, it was about being.

What made Jesus dangerous and powerful was that his heart was undeterred. He knew what was waiting for him in Jerusalem and he went anyway. He was unafraid of the consequences of his faithfulness. His actions embodied his words; his words mirrored his actions. He was of one heart and mind. He walked one path. The only way you get that kind of clarity and resolve is by being faithful to the inner journey. It is not an act of will. It is not a parade you join just because it happens to be going by.  

The celebration of Palm Sunday has nothing to do with whether or not there were palms and cheering crowds. It is about Jesus’ steely resolve to keep on being who he was and keep on doing what he was doing. Jesus’ inner journey is a path for us to follow, but in a way that is uniquely our own. We discover it by reaching in deep and allowing ourselves to listen for God’s whispering presence. 

As we follow this path, we discover it is how our entire lives are best grounded. It is the journey nurtured in silence, a path discovered and uncovered through listening. It keeps us rooted in what we are supposed to do and keeps us doing it even when it ceases to be popular. This journey will give us the fortitude and clarity to remain undeterred. This is what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

“When you have played basketball for a while, you don’t need to look at the basket, when you are in close like this,” he said, throwing it over his shoulder again and right through the hoop. “You develop a sense of where you are.” These words from basketball great William Warren (Bill) Bradley in a 1965 interview with John McPhee chronicled Bradley’s career as a super star basketball player.

Bradley could throw a basketball from just about anywhere on the near side of the half court line and make a basket with just pure net. No bouncing off the rim for him. His skill, talent and discipline took him far in the world of basketball.

His superstardom in basketball was (I confess) not nearly as interesting as his observation that he developed a sense of where he was. To be so intimately related to a space that one has a sense of where one is without needing to look is remarkable. This sense of where Bradley was carried him through a lengthy and diverse career that no doubt put him in situations he could never imagine, both on and off the court.

I wonder how many of us have such a sense of intimacy with our own lives that we know where we are without having to look. This last year has sent many of us out into the weeds in more ways than we can count. We have been knocked off every pin that holds us in place on the bulletin board of life. Not much looks the same as it did a little over a year ago.

Life feels very strange.  Jobs have evaporated, financial security is precarious for many and food insecurity has sent people who were used to donating to the food pantry to that same pantry for help. Rent and mortgage payments are eeked out with little left to spare. The end of the struggle seems nowhere in sight.

Knowing where we are in times like this is the foundation that keeps us standing firm when everything else is shifting around us. We know we are further from the life we lived a year or so ago, but that doesn’t mean we are lost. The stuff around us has moved. We have not. We stand in the same place on the same rock we have built our lives on since we first discovered there was a rock on which to stand. Not everyone has the same rock or calls it the same thing. What’s important is that it’s a place to stand.

It may be family, it may be a community that sustains us or it may be an intimate group of friends who commit to being there for each other. There are as many rocks as there are people who stand on them.  When it seems like everything is shifting it’s worth taking a look at our rock and seeing what it’s all about. Such reminders are grounding, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Most of the rocks I hear people talk about are relationships. We stand on the strength of the relationships around us. They steady us and hold us up when we can’t do it on our own. They may be the people who work at the food pantry, staff the rental assistance office or the utility assistance office. The rocks may be closer to home. And, as Bradley noted, when you’ve been at it for a while “you develop a sense of where you are.”

Take note of your rock. Is it big enough to stand on comfortably? Is it rough or smooth? Is it slimy or clean? Is it flat or round? Does it have any rough edges? Are there other rocks adjacent to it? Is it above the surface of the water or below? Does it sit on a forest bed or in a desert? What else do you notice about your rock, this place where you stand and have a sense of where you are? Is it enough or do you need to change rocks? Only you can decide if your rock is still right for you. If it isn’t, you can change. You will still have a sense of where you are.

Dear Pope Francis,

You really blew it on this one. Your condemnation of gay relationships as “sin” misses the mark of Christian love by a country mile. Love is love. Who are you to judge? Who are you to cherry-pick a few passages of Scripture, take them out of context, and make a sweeping pronouncement about ten percent of the world’s population. I must say, it takes some serious chutzpah.

It seemed to the world that you were the Pope who would bring the Roman Catholic church out of the dark ages. You seemed so progressive and loving to so many. Apparently you draw the line at the LGBTQI community. And, pardon me for saying, such judgement is way above your pay grade.

The Roman Catholic church could take a few lessons from us Protestants. After all, we have been putting the “protest” in Protestant for centuries. Many of us, not all, believe that love is the basis for the covenant of marriage regardless of gender or gender identity. Further, we believe that loving couples of any gender can choose to be parents because love makes a family. By condemning gay relationships as “sin” you exclude thousands of loving couples who desire to be parents to the many foster children in need of loving homes. Talk about above your pay grade.

Even the government of the United States is beginning to get it. On March 16^th  the House of Representatives passed H.R.5-Equality Act which is summarized as follows: “This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation.” Further, “The bill allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.”

It seems you have some remedial learning to do. The issue of human sexuality is complex and many faceted. Granted, the church has a pretty lousy record of promoting a healthy theology of sexuality, so remediation is a big topic. All the while the church has had a stellar record of protecting priests who molest children and obfuscate the issue with misinformation about who abuses children. That’s another letter for another time.

Allow me to start your first lesson. A child has a far greater chance of being abused by a heterosexual male who has access to an age-appropriate partner, than being abused by a gay person. Abusers are a complex category, but suffice it to say in relation to this topic, gay people pose less threat to children than the general male population.

Second, gays do not go out and “recruit” for the lifestyle. Gay people who work with children do not have a secret handshake they teach children to begin inculcating them to the gay life. Gay people are not out recruiting adults either, for that matter. Being gay is not something one chooses, it is how one is born. Gay people are created in the image of God and bear God within them the same way as straight people. Given the homophobia embodied by institutions like the Roman Catholic church, why would anyone choose to be gay?

Third, you would also benefit from a deeper study of biblical texts. Placing them in their larger context yields a different meaning than simple condemnation of a particular group.

Finally, by calling gay relationships “sin” you are alienating a significant percentage of your members. Faithful Catholics who desire the blessing of the church are left with the feeling that their church has abandoned them, that they are not worthy. Roman Catholics who take their faith seriously are devastated by such a definitive pronouncement. Supporters of the LGBTQI community are also disappointed in their church for being so narrow minded.

Those who are abandoned by the Roman Catholic church will find a warm welcome in Open and Affirming congregations in the United Church of Christ. We welcome them with open arms and bless the covenant of love they share. I stand in the full authority of the office of ordained pastor and proclaim that love is love and those who pledge their lives together in covenant relationship deserve to be blessed, married and welcomed into the community of faith.

If you are interested in learning more about this topic, please contact me.

Humbly in Christ’s Unjudging Love I Remain,

Rev. Patricia L. Liberty

The history of voter suppression in the United States is essentially the history of voting in general. From the beginning, voter suppression was about the black vote. After the Civil War when four million slaves were freed, there was fear that black voting would overwhelm the white power brokers of the south.

Despite the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th amendments designed to guarantee equal rights and voting access to blacks, suppression of the black vote continued. As early as 1870 efforts to suppress the black vote were ramping up in earnest. Known collectively as the Jim Crow laws–poll taxes, literacy requirements and “whites only” primaries–were the main ways the black vote was suppressed. The “Grandfather Clause” allowed poor whites to vote, regardless of their literacy, if their grandfathers voted by 1867. Some of these measures were not repealed until the mid- 1960’s.  

This did not mean that voter suppression was over. Gerrymandering, misinformation, tightening the window for absentee voting, banning same day voter registration, providing proof of citizenship and/or a government issued photo ID, closing polling places in minority communities, slowing down the mail and failing to count actual ballots cast in predominantly African American districts (that have already been gerrymandered) are forms of voter suppression. All these tactics were used in the 2016 election.

 Disenfranchisement exists in all fifty states and is a tactic used by both Republicans and Democrats. According to the Brennan Center, thirty-three states have introduced 165 bills to restrict voting access. The bills primarily have to do with stricter voting ID laws, limiting mail-in voting, decreasing voter registration opportunities and enabling more aggressive voter roll purges.

Legislators in 37 states are fighting back with voter expansion bills that address issues like mail- in voting, early voting, increasing access to voter registration and voting rights restoration. Included in this are voting rights restoration that are aimed at felons and other criminals who have served their prison sentences, but are prohibited from voting because of antiquated laws.

The Supreme Court is also taking up bills that will define the future of the country in regard to voting rights. Two cases from Arizona have reached the Supreme Court and are being litigated at the time of this writing. According to the Brennan Center, the cases themselves are less important than the implications of them receiving a fair ruling. The first suit comes from 2016 when voters filed suit in federal court to challenge Arizona policies as racially discriminatory. It is an “out of precinct” rule that any vote cast in the wrong polling place must be excluded even if it is for ballots cast in state wide or national elections. The other is a ban on collecting and turning in mail ballots by anyone other than voter’s immediate family or a caregiver.

Both of these policies were deemed discriminatory, and the ninth circuit court of appeals asked the Supreme Court to take up the matter. This is concerning because this Supreme Court is not friendly to voting rights. Chief Justice John Roberts has a long history of chipping away at voting rights laws (it stretches back to his days as a clerk). This issue is important because it rests on precedents set in the Voting Rights Act, one of the most successful pieces of civil rights legislation in American history.

The Voting Rights Act prevents discrimination and lack of access to voting for people of color. Section 2 prohibits states and localities from imposing any “qualifications or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure…in a manner which results in denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race of color.” It also allows voters to file suit to challenge discriminatory policies.

The upshot of all this is simple. The landslide victory of the Democratic Party in last year’s election is the direct result of increased voter registration, primarily among people of color. These voter suppression proposals are an effort to suppress the black vote. This is a tactic that is as American as apple pie.

In a representative democracy, the right to vote is guaranteed. We have standing laws to prevent voter suppression, but they are coming under strong attack. Part of what is at stake is the limit of state’s rights and the reach of the Federal government to regulate voting. This tension is as old as the country. As long as racism exists, there will be voter suppression. As long as white (primarily) men make the laws there will be voter suppression. It is clear that Republicans cannot win if blacks vote in high numbers. Their solution–make it harder for blacks to vote. In a representative democracy, this is just plain wrong.

Last week at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) a six foot golden statue of the former white house occupant appeared front and center at the entrance. The statue was clad in pants looking like the American flag, a suit jacket (to remind everyone he is a businessman) and a red power tie. A magic wand (to needle President Obama who said he didn’t have a magic wand) completed the ensemble. The golden likeness of Trump defined the meeting.

This monstrosity was the gift of artist Tommy Zegan who apparently spent his entire life savings to construct the likeness. He is hoping to sell it for a million dollars. He would also like to see it displayed at the Trump presidential library, which precludes it being sold. Someone should tell Mr. Zegan he needs better financial advice.

Despite protestation to the contrary, the parallels to the story of the golden calf found in Exodus are unmistakable. You may remember the story. Moses left the Israelites for forty days and forty nights to go up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. The Israelites, fearing Moses would not return, demanded that Aaron make them a “god to go before them.” Aaron gathered up all the gold jewelry of the Israelites and constructed a molten calf which the Israelites declared to be their god. Aaron then built an altar and proclaimed the next day to be a feast day. The Israelites rose early the next morning and made burnt offerings and peace offerings to their new god. God clued Moses in to what the Israelites were up to. Moses headed down the mountain with the two stone tablets and smashed them in a fit of anger. Things went downhill for a while, but eventually the Exodus got back on track.

A few points are worth noting. First, when there was an absence of leadership people got nervous and talked Aaron into his ill-fated action. He was a little insecure about being number two to Moses and was vulnerable to the pressure of the crowd. It was the perfect storm–Aaron’s insecurity and the Israelite’s anxiety. In the absence of real leadership, the Republican Party is willing to settle for a talentless, dishonest, incompetent charlatan whose cult-like powers have persuaded some to check their brains at the door. In the absence of a true statesman and leader for the Republican Party, they have fallen for the glitz and glamor of a common con man whose narcissism and ability to blow smoke up the corporate butt of millions of Americans is second to none.

For over two hundred years our country has depended on a two party political system to function. Each party has a philosophy of government that is different and provides a creative tension that allows government to work. This system goes haywire when political parties are more concerned about staying power and feathering their own nests than serving the needs of the people who elected them. We are seeing this on full display in the cult-like following of the former occupant.

Let us not forget that Trump fulfilled none of his campaign promises, badly mismanaged a pandemic that has cost over 503,000 American lives and artificially inflated the stock market to a dangerous level. Under his mismanagement of American government and politics, the rich have become exponentially richer and the poor have become exponentially poorer. And all the while the former occupant lies through his teeth about just about everything.

Second, everyone in the biblical narrative participated. They willingly gave their gold earrings and rings to make the idol. There were surely those people who didn’t think it was a great idea, but with peer pressure followed along with the crowd. There’s a lot of that going on in the Republican Party these days, too. Many people, not all, are jumping on this hell-bound band wagon that if given another chance, may ruin America forever. There is a herd mentality that has little to do with facts and is willing to follow a cult leader no matter where he leads. It’s enough to make us all lose sleep.  

This great American experiment was designed to be of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not a perfect system to be sure. There is much in our democracy that is broken and everyone has contributed to that. The entrenchment of political parties, the blatant self-interest of our elected servants and the place that big business has in running our government by the rich and for the rich are enough to make our forbearers spin in their graves.

It all amounts to bowing at the wrong altar. Seldom has the symbolism of going in the wrong direction been clearer. Sowing seeds of doubt in the integrity of the election, renewing voter suppression efforts with a vengeance, supporting anarchist and seditious rebels who have consumed massive amounts of the Trump Kool-Aid, and having millions of people follow blindly along are dangerous consequences of bowing at the wrong altar. It’s time for people to get up off their knees and act like Americans who care for their country and work for the good of all the people.

The humanity of any society is measured by how well it treats its poorest and most vulnerable members. We can do better than the failing grades that have come from bowing at the wrong altars.