The January 6th Committee Makes its Case Against Trump

In a systematic, thorough, well-organized, articulate manner, the January 6th committee has made its case against the former President.  Minds have been changed.  I don't expect that those who are loyal to Trump, rather than to America, will acknowledge any of what the committee has laid out, but that's not as large of a constituency as it might seem.  Will it lead to an indictment, a conviction, and the massive relief that would provide as people realize America really is a country based on the rule of law?  If it doesn't, then there's no justice in America.  

The organization of these hearings, the evidence, including witness testimony, corroboration and the identity of most of the witnesses, the soundness of the evidence and the whole presentation defies any kind of accusation that this is a "partisan" witch hunt.  Two Republicans, and Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney are core partisans, along with a host of Trump inner circle loyalists and his own daughter, provided about 90% of the testimony and content.  It would be laughable and ignorant to accuse this committee of being a partisan witch hunt.  

So now we know.  The committee left almost no room for doubt.  

We Are on the Verge of One of the Democratic Party's Finest Hours

The future of American democracy and the Constitution of the United States is now at stake.  It has proven to be one of the strongest political documents in world history up to this point.  It has been challenged, and the challenges have been met with the enforcement of its principles as necessary.  It has held.  That's what needs to happen now.  The Republic and the Constitution need to be defended, and in the process, to be strengthened in order to continue to support the enduring foundational principles that make America a nation.  And doing that is in the hands of the Democratic party's leadership, including President Biden, the justice department and Attorney General Merrick Garland.  

I hope Attorney General Garland makes Mitch McConnell regret derailing his nomination to the Supreme Court.  I hope, when this is over, that they wish he'd been on the court instead of at the justice department. 

The Exposure of Republican Duplicity

Besides the former President, Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy have been exposed as duplicitous frauds.  No surprise there, but now it has been put into a form that makes it very clear.  They actually looked like real patriots following the Trump Insurrection, defending loyalty to country and condemning the kind of loyalty Trump demanded from his followers.  The fact that both of them have withered and backed down under some pressure is evidence that they're more loyal to hanging on to their own power than to the country.  And that should be something that gets picked up and played over and over and over.  An intelligent mind with sixth grade reasoning ability should be able to figure out that it's not a good idea to vote for leaders like that who resemble Jell-o more than solid concrete.  

What's going through the minds of GOP senators and congressmen sitting there, listening, trying to figure out the impact on their re-election chances and how to disassociate themselves from the mountain of negativity without getting Trump angry at them.  I'm sure they're hoping for a Trump indictment and conviction to get him out of their way, though they had the opportunity in their hands during the impeachment and failed to show up for the fireworks.  

Encouragement and Support...

The Signal Press supports the Biden Administration and the Democratic Congressional leadership.  We urge those in positions of influence and responsibility to move quickly and effectively toward justice in this matter with the primary goal of indicting, trying and convicting the former 45th President of the United States.  We will use the means and influence we have in educating people regarding the truth of these matters and to encourage their influence by any effective and legal means.  

We, the people, expect justice.  We've worked hard to achieve it, and we expect our elected leaders to follow through.  Enemies of American democracy have been identified and credibly accused.  We expect the process to obtain justice will be followed.  That's why you received our votes.  We are expressing our confidence that justice will be served.

Send this blog post, if it meets your approval, along to your social media contact list, that's one of the best ways to communicate.  Comments are always welcome too, as long as they are respectful, on topic and not insulting or rude.  

A Pseudo-Christian Cult is Endangering Our Religious Liberty

Newsweek: Pastor Says Trump "Takes Back Over" the Goverment in Four Months

When I see something like this, reported in the national media, it sickens me.  The intersection of right wing politics in a political party bent to the will of the billionaire class, and right wing Christianity, influenced by the sensationalism of end-times false prophets and white Christian nationalism derived from dominion theology, has produced a pseudo-Christian constituency that has the ability to elect politicians to state and national office, and has, in fact, already done so.  And it produces statements like this, which demonstrate a callous ignorance of constitutional democracy.  Is that just ignorance, or wishful thinking, or do they really believe there is an authority somewhere that can make what they talk about actually happen?  

I use the term pseudo-Christian because that's exactly what this is.  It's not the Christian gospel, it is a perversion of it.  I've seen this term used in other places to describe this constituency that has emerged, mainly from the conservative, Evangelical branch of the church, but it has gained followers from across the spectrum, and there's also a parallel political movement in the Catholic church.  

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first.  If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.  Revelation 2:4-5, NRSV

For you say, "I am rich, I have prospered and I need nothing,".  You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.  Revelation 3:17 NRSV

But why would a Christian pastor move away from the Christian gospel, and into public theorizing and pontificating about secular politics.  

Because he has fallen in love with a different kind of power.  

A Little Bit of History Goes a Long Way Toward Understanding

These verses are part of a larger narrative found at the beginning of the New Testament book of Revelation.  They were part of a vision of Jesus, given to the Apostle John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos, just off the coast of Asia Minor, not far from there the seven churches, named in the narrative, were located.  They had all been under his apostolic ministry.  

The first passage is from the message given to the church in Ephesus.  Initially, the church is commended for the good things that it had done, not tolerating "evildoers," and for its testimony as a Christian community in a large, very pagan city.  But, according to the narrative, they had "lost their first love."  Most historical sources say that what had happened was that the church leadership had sold out to the political power in the city, aligning itself with corrupt politics in order to protect its own interests and influence.  

Remaining loyal to the Christian gospel requires consistent practice of the values it produces.  It is not possible to claim to be a testimony to Christian spiritual transformation, but then endorse or support political rulers and leaders who live and conduct their business in a manner that runs completely counter to those values.  

The second verse cited above is from the part of the narrative directed toward the church at Laodicea.  In delivering this message, Jesus tells John that this is a church that is neither hot nor cold, meaning that it was neither passionate about faith, nor inspirational, encouraging and refreshing, like a drink from the cold spring located there.  They were depending on their wealth and prosperity, not on spiritual commitment, and as a result, says Jesus, "I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  

While these words of Christ's revelation to John are specific to the seven churches to which they were addressed, there is a message in them which warns all churches of the infiltration of the influences of the world, including that of politicians who may come bearing a few gifts, ready to make a deal in exchange for their loyalty, and in the case of this country, their votes.  Read the article from Newsweek. That sort of thing is happening in many churches and among many American Christians, particularly among congregations and in denominations made up mostly of relatively prosperous Caucasians, including those in the Charismatic/Pentecostal and Evangelical branches of Protestant Christianity.  

Those who hold this ideology and worldview can no longer be defined as Christian.  They have lost their first love, and they are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.  

Crossing Boundaries and Endangering Religious Liberty  

We have religious liberty in the constitution because America's founding fathers observed that the state-church did not work well for either the state, or for the church.  Both James Madison and Thomas Jefferson came to the conclusion that religious belief was a matter of individual conscience that did not work under state-mandated compulsion.  They had observed religious oppression in America, as many of those who came here for their own religious freedom violently persecuted others who didn't share their convictions or faith practices.  

Observing the persecution of Christians in places like Virginia, where Baptists were arrested and persecuted for not complying with the Anglican church's rules, codified into law by the legislature, and in Connecticut, where an association of Baptist churches wrote a letter to Jefferson to convince him that a state church would be an oppressive burden on them, both Jefferson and Madison concluded that since religious beliefs were a matter of individual conscience, it was wrong to use the power of the state to compel compliance with a state-endorsed or supported church.  Hence, we have the first amendment and the establishment clause which Jefferson himself insisted established a "wall of separation" between church and state.  

But this pseudo-Christian cult that has formed by incorporating extreme right wing political perspectives into church doctrine and theology would completely break down the wall. There are various philosophies at work within that group which claim that God intends to "take back" domains on the earth that have been "usurped" by Satan, starting with the takeover of the United States government as a launching pad for this take-back.  They claim that God's original intention in history was to give the resources of the North American continent for white, Christian European settlers to establish a Christian nation, along the lines of the Old Testament theocracy of Israel, that would be a launching pad to put God back in control of the world he created.  Some groups believe that when this is acheived, it will open the door for the second coming of Christ.   

There are multiple variations of the pseudo-Christian political cult, but all of them are anti-democratic in that they believe that a specific group of people, usually Caucasians, have been predestined and chosen to rule, with everyone else in some sort of subservient role.  So they really have no use for a democratic constitutional republic in which a racially and ethnically diverse population all have an equal voice and representation in government.  Though they wouldn't use the terminology, they believe that their brand of Christian faith should be the state's official religion, and laws would be based on their interpretation of biblical principles and standards.  

True Motives Exposed

The intersection of this pseudo-Christian political movement with the Trump administration has exposed the true motives.  Trump, who has not only never exhibited any behavior or characteristics that would remotely indicate an interest in Christianity, and who has worked very hard to create a personal image of worldly debauchery and a pleasure-seeking lifestyle that is virtually the diametric opposite of Christian faith, realized that in order to have any kind of a shot at winning the Presidency, he would need the support of most white, Evangelical Christian voters.  So he made them a deal.  

Their embrace of an unconverted, unrepentant, still-worldly Trump sends a pretty clear message about their loyalty.  It can be bought, if the price is right.  Trump's actions and words defeat their best efforts to make him sound like one of them.  But if a twice divorced adulterous, lying, cheating, potty-mouthed, God cursing politician, and idol of the rich, will cut a deal to throw a few political bones, like court appointees, their way, then they'll throw Jesus and the Christian faith under the bus to have the political influence they need to advance their agenda.  

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first.  If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.  Revelation 2:4-5, NRSV

This is Tearing Churches and Christian Denominations Apart, Too

Last year, at a Turning Point gathering in Arizona, Trump Junior made a statement that, had it come from him at any time prior to his father's engagement in Republican party politics, would have brought a barrage of criticism and vitriolic spew from most Christian leaders.  Junior advocated for setting aside some of the basic principles taught by Jesus himself in order to develop an aggressive attitude toward getting back into positions of influence in social and political institutions.  He claimed that the Christian practice of showing love to enemies was a hindrance to dominating the public arena by Christians and other conservatives.  

I must admit, I have seen some conservative Christians actually criticize that statement and point it out for the heresy that it represents, regardless of who it comes from.  But that's really a red meat dog whistle for those on the far right in the extremist groups.  What Trump Junior articulated is exactly what many of those on the right believe, that God somehow wants this select group of mostly Caucasian Christians in places of worldly influence, as if that will help them with their mission and purpose.  That's completely contrary to the Christian gospel, and to everything Jesus taught that is recorded in the Bible, along with the Apostles written record.  

There's a massive amount of pressure on pastors, from among those who are members of their own congregations, to give this pseudo-Christian message a platform from the pulpit.  Some members, frustrated at pastors who refuse to cheapen the content of their sermons and defile their pulpits and worship experiences with political conversation, try to use their influence to pressure them into giving this a platform from their pulpit and if they fail, they leave, taking others with them.  In other cases, where the pastor has compromised his message with political rhetoric and is engaging in secular political campaigning from the pulpit, such as this example from Newsweek, those who see it for what it is wind up leaving the church.  Evangelical church membership and attendance is in a rapid decline which corresponds to the continued erosion of church-state separation that got started back in the days of Jerry Falwell's moral majority. 

There are no Christian values or principles in the politics of the pseudo-Christian cult.  They are not relying on the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-11, the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul's words to the Colossian church in 3:12, As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.  These virtues and characteristics are apparently not adequate for gaining worldly power and influence.  

Thom Hartmann: So Where did all this right wing religious nuttery come from? 

We are in for a Rough Ride

I am able to write what I write, believe what I believe and practice my Christian faith as I do because I am an American, and the Constitution of the United States gives me that right.  And as Thomas Jefferson said, "But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god.  It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."  

Those who have been paying attention should have noticed a sharp change in the direction of the Republican party as its agenda becomes more pointed toward obstruction and opposing the extension of rights to citizens they do not deem as worthy to have them than it has focused on agenda that will actually use the resources of government to resolve, as best it can, some of the besetting problems of our society and culture in this day and age.  

White Protestant Christians, and even more specifically, white Protestant Christian men, in the United States of America still have more rights, and are more favorably privileged in this culture, and by the government, than any other of its constituencies.  I don't need to find proof of that, it's observable everywhere and in every social, cultural and political institution.  Trump Junior's assertion that conservatives have been pushed out of their worldly influence and must drop an essential doctrinal principle of Christianity in order to come back to dominance is false.  Any Jewish, Muslim or agnostic American can share multiple examples of glass ceilings they encounter, that Caucasian American males never do. 

But this is a group that is coming on with the attitude that they are on a mission from God, and that it doesn't matter what they do, including whatever means they may deem necessary to grab the government out of the hands of the "godless liberals" because they are more loyal to their cause than they are to the United States Constitution.  And because they believe that their cause is righteous, and they think that God will hold their coattails and cheer them on, they are dangerous.  We saw just a hint of the anarchic violence many of those who are philosophically compatible with this pseudo-Christian movement were willing to commit on January 6th.  If democracy continues to prevail by handing the rule of law over to the "libs" that these people hate, which by the way is also not a Christian value, that will become a common occurrence in state capitals and in Washington, DC. 

The best weapon we have in our hands is our freedom of speech and our freedom of conscience.  After walking out of a church because I got tired of the pastor's political diatribes, and never returning, I also sent a letter to every member of the congregation explaining why I left, and how that was contrary to the biblical principles they claimed to believe.  Apparently, there were others who felt the same way, because the pastor is gone, though so is about a third of the congregation.  I still refuse to go back.  

And freedom of speech and conscience depend on exercising it by voting and casting an informed ballot.  Informed.  If people don't vote, then it won't take an insurrection to overturn democracy and set up an autocratic dictatorship.  It will happen when the democratic process turns in on itself as people vote for leaders who will dissolve it for them. 

People in One of West Virginia's Deepest Red Counties Like Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders Town Hall with Chris Hayes in Welch, WV 2017

McDowell County, West Virginia is the state's southernmost county and sits in the bulge that can be seen on a map of the state at the very bottom.  It has a declining population that has dropped from a peak of 98,000 in 1950 to just a little over 19,000 in 2020.  Population decline has been significant even over the last 40 years, as more than 60% of those who once lived there have gone.  Coal mining was the driving force behind the economy, peaking in the 1950's and as that declined, so did the population.  

The movie October Sky, about the boys who experimented with rockets, took place in Coalwood, a small community in the county.  That's one bright spot in what is an otherwise dismal picture of unemployment, poverty, drug addition and business closures.  The county has been a "food desert," with no major grocery store since its Wal-Mart supercenter closed in 2016, records the highest annual number of drug-induced deaths in the country and is the third poorest in the nation.  

So of course, it makes sense that the voters there have turned increasingly to the GOP, and in 2016 and 2020, to Donald Trump.  That's because, in spite of the overwhelming nature of the real problems in the county, voters were mad about Hillary Clinton's policy toward coal, and don't like the Democrats' perspective on guns.  The coal mining industry isn't coming back, because there's really no market for it, and because most of it in McDowell County has already been mined.  My guess is that nothing has changed with regard to gun ownership in the county at all.  And, expectedly, the drug problem is worse, the poverty is worse and the population continues to decline, because Trump was the least likely politician to care one whit about the people of McDowell County.  

But Senator Bernie Sanders does.  

Sanders dominated the Democratic primary in 2016, and then returned to the state in 2017 with Chris Hayes for a town hall meeting to actually engage in a discussion about what was really wrong and what could be done about it.  And in McDowell County, where 78% of the voters cast ballots for Trump, people showed up to listen.  

I don't think party loyalty goes a long way in a state like West Virginia, which went back and forth in the 20th century between Republicans and Democrats.  It is a state with a unique set of problems, including poverty and drug abuse, isolation, lack of educational opportunity and a host of other things that have never really received the kind of attention they've needed from politicians.  So many of its voters are cynical. And they stay home in large numbers, allowing a smaller electorate in a shrinking population base, because most of the state is declining, allowing the special interests, mainly the coal industry and the pharmaceutical industry, to flood the super PACs with money and elect their advocates to office.   

Sanders' message resonates with voters there because he sides with the marginalized and disenfranchised and against corporate wealth and power. He is exactly the right person to be critical of Senator Manchin's obstructionism.  The political pundits say that if there's a Democrat challenge to Manchin's re-election bid in 2024, the party will lose the seat.  And that's probably the case.  But a true, independent populist, who speaks the language of the people like Sanders does, might just be able to pull it off.  

It will take more than a town hall here and there.  But someone who speaks their language, knows their problems, and actually does something about it might stand a chance.  In a neighboring county, Mingo, the only hospital and emergency room closed in 2021, due to financial problems.  But a local medical provider bought it to keep it a hospital with the intention of re-opening and thanks to help from the Biden Administration, it will re-open this summer.  And look who's taking advantage of it, as a Democrat, claiming some of the credit for it  

Lone Hospital in WV County that Closed will Re-Open This Summer, Thanks to Biden Administration Funding

We need to think creatively.  West Virginia would have benefitted tremendously from both of the signature bills that the Biden Administration has proposed and the people there need to know that.  And they need to know who's standing in their way.

We don't have much time, Democrats.  The GOP is offering nothing.  We should be out in front on this.  

West Virginians get ignored.  It's not a big state, it's now down to just 4 electoral votes and it isn't high on the list of corporate headquarters or big business.  I spent summers trudging up and down rural roads in the mountains, going up and down the "hollers" selling books to earn college money in Mingo and McDowell Counties.  My parents grew up there and had to leave when there was no work to be found.  It's a beautiful place, and yes, while it is remote, isolated and lacks a lot of educational and community resources, the people who live there are Americans who deserve to have the same opportunities as everyone else does.  They want a hand up not a hand out, and that's what they could have had from this most recent bill that the Biden Administration wanted to get passed.  

 

Is It Possible to "Steal" an American Election? Only if Voters Stay Home on Election Day

It depends. 

In the conventional sense, as it applies to the manner in which the 2020 Presidential election was held, and ballots counted and certified, no, it was not possible, and the election was not stolen.  None of the conspiracy theories or wild conjecture in stories about ballot tampering were true, no evidence was ever produced because it didn't exist and we've now arrived at a point where evidence indicates that, among those left within the Trump administration up to January 6th, Trump himself may have been the only person in that group to believe the election was stolen.  Not even those in his inner circle still believed that. 

We're seeing more attempts at doing this now, in the wake of the 2020 election, which, by the way, was not stolen, that we've seen in this country for a long time.  I'm sure there are ways to stuff ballot boxes in local elections in various places, where there's limited supervision and lack of accountability.  But under the current system, it would be virtually impossible to "steal" an election by manipulating the vote count.  It is possible to put legislation in place that allows certain politicians, most likely the secretary of state, to ignore vote counts and let a legislative body or court declare a winner, instead of the top vote-getter.  That's being put in place now, by the way, in case you haven't noticed.  

We've always had to live with the Electoral College, which is nothing more than a means for a minority, within the boundaries of individual states, to elect a President without getting the majority of the votes.  The fact that this has occurred, in larger margins, in this century on two occasions is the best case that can be made for eliminating this antiquated, anti-democratic institution and let the people decide.  And drawing congressional districts needs to be the job of an independent, politically-balanced commission, one commission for the whole country.  No state legislature or judicial body can do this in a democratic, equitable way.  

Other than that, we should be done with election reform.  The things being proposed by Republicans are more ways to cheat the voters out of their voice. 

It Makes for a Good Conspiracy Theory

Some of the conspiracy theories floating around about the 2020 election are so laughable, they are better than some of the top comedy shows in the media.  My favorites all have to do with the "Cyber Ninja" audit that took place in Arizona, after two audits had already found the statewide ballot count, and then the Maricopa County ballot count, to be virtually accurate.  

The fact that members of the state senate hired the group called the "Cyber Ninjas" is reason enough to question both the motives, and the sanity, of those who voted to approve it.  The whole episode has made a national laughing stock out of Senate president Karen Fann, who exhibited gross incompetence and insanity in wasting the taxpayers money on this three ring circus.  They were led by a guy who also exhibited gross incompetence and insanity in publicly expressing the conspiracy theories in which he believed and made outlandish claims about special devices capable of detecting bamboo fibers in ballot paper, which would indicate they were "imported from China."  No bamboo fibers were detected, by the way, though Trump has asserted this in every rally he's had in Arizona.  

The team assembled by the head Cyber Ninja, Doug Logan, resembled the Keystone Cops in their handling of the "audit."  They couldn't figure out how to access the county voter data base, they couldn't figure out how to count the ballots, store the ballots, keep track of what they counted and what they didn't.  Their maps, checking voter addresses, were eight years old, in a county that had added half a million new residents during that time.  But the president of the state senate wanted these guys to do it.  So they did.  Other than parroting complaints, their report showed no evidence of voter fraud, but the data they were paid to collect and then report to the senate never made it there.  Logan claimed that the audit, which collected more than $6 million, including a tidy sum from Arizona taxpayers, caused his firm to go bankrupt, leaving employees unpaid and no report to turn in to the senate.  

I hope there are enough voters in Karen Fann's senate district to hold her accountable for that fiasco.  

Michigan was a comedy act as well, with one on-camera testimony given by a drunk, paid informant, a mock "legislative hearing" for the camera and fingers pointed at cheating in a county that didn't exist.  It made a celebrity of sorts out of Melissa Carone, whose testimony was proven false by evidence.  She has somehow become the face of election deniers, a loud, inarticulate nut case.  There might not be a place in the country where Giuliani and the circus appeared to be more ridiculous and out of touch than Michigan.  

In Nevada, where the election deniers claimed that "dead people voted," there was a miraculous resurrection as all of those who were named showed up at the voter registration office to verify their existence and make sure their ballots counted.   That's quite an event for Sin City, huh?  In Wisconsin, after trying to find evidence of "widespread fraud," and failing, they've been grasping at straws, trying to find even a few fraudulent ballots.  Investigations have led them to several Trump voters who cheated.  Well, what did they expect?  

I'm waiting to see what happens in Georgia, where the Secretary of State was instructed to "find" enough votes to overcome the deficit.  That should be very interesting.  

The most amusing moment of the whole Trump-Giuliani scam came in Pennsylvania, where a hair-dye stained Giuliani held a news conference at the Four Seasons Lanscaping Company, appropriately located next to a sex shop.  In the same state, after several audits found absolutely nothing wrong with the ballot count, it was noted that there were far fewer complaints about malfunctioning machines and issues during elections than in the past, due to the fact that millions of people used the mail-in ballot system.  Most counties reported veritification accuracy of ballots at higher levels than ever before. 

New Ways to Steal Elections

So after some amusing laughter, we need to pay attention to what's going on with election reform, because most of it is aimed at putting up more roadblocks to free and fair elections.  And these reforms are being proposed by the party that has trouble winning a majority of voters.  

Gerrymandering is always good, and the line-drawers have gotten creative in their shenanigans.  It's been good to see Democrats fight back, especially in states where seats were given up to give to another state.  In several of the states that lost seats, lines were drawn eliminating at least one predominantly Republican district.  In most cases, geographically, there was no other way to do it.  So there was some balance.  As it turned out, in every state that lost a district, it was a GOP congressman's seat that was removed.  Well, that's too bad.  But there are still states that are drawing districts which look exactly like the salamander in the examples from which the practice got its name.  

Ranked-choice ballots are another trick of the trade of voter suppression.  Voters cast ballots for more than one candidate, ranking them in order of choice.  It's impossible to determine exactly how many individual votes were received by each candidate.  It is very likely that the Democrats lost the Maine senate seat held by Susan Collins because of ranked-choice voting, which favors incumbents.  

Placing the authority for certifying elections in the hands of partisan politicians who have an almost exclusive right to decide, without real evidence, that a vote count wasn't accurate is probably the biggest new way to steal elections.  A candidate can win a clear majority of the vote, but if an election official declines to certify it, the results are null and void.  I expect a lot of court cases this November in places like Texas and Florida, where the effort will be made to keep any Democrat from getting to the office to which they were elected.  

It was comforting to see the state supreme court in New Mexico order the Otero County commission to certify the results of a primary election which was held back by a conspiracy-theory believing Trumpie nut job because he didn't like the result.  It was also comforting to see the other two commissioners have some common sense and vote to certify.  It would be even more comforting if that nut job commissioner were to be removed from office for his conduct.  What's so troubling about that whole situation is how someone like Couy Griffin got elected to the county commission.  A lot of people there were either not paying attention, didn't vote in the election, or are too stupid to be given the privilege. 

The 2020 Election Was Not Stolen!  And to Protect Future Elections, Turning Out in November of 2022 is Necessary

It was very clear, even before the Trump insurrection of January 6th, that there was absolutely no evidence anywhere of any "massive voter fraud" or that the election results of 2020 did not represent the will of the voter.  In fact, since the hearings began, we've heard that members of Trump's inner circle never bought into his nonsense.  They just went along with it for their own benefit.  That is criminal fraud.  And I devoutly hope that the Department of Justice prosecutes, gets rightful convictions, and sends a message to anyone else who might think about pulling something like this that it would be the wrong thing to do, and very detrimental to health, and personal freedom. 

When I lived in Pennsylvania, I saw a pattern there that was the reason why a state with a million more Democrats than Republicans in the voter registration had such incredibly gerrymandered congressional districts and a state legislature with a veto-proof Republican majority.  State elections are held in mid-term years, and Democratic turnout was always low.  The state's Democratic senator was re-elected in a Presidential election year, while the Republican was narrowly re-elected in a mid-term year.  When the court finally mandated the re-drawing of congressional district lines, the number of Democrats in Congress from the state went from 5 to 10.  And that's still under-representation based on voter registration.  The same needs to happen with their state legislature. 

Given the percentages of unregistered adults, and the percentages of voters who don't cast ballots in any given year, the solution to these kinds of problems is simple.  Turn out on election day, or with a mail-in ballot, but cast one.  That's how Democracy works.  Ballots come from voters who cast them to get the kind of government they want.  If we want to put a stop to all of these Republican shenanigans, then we need to vote in every election and know who it is that we are supporting.

We're Still Backing President Biden

And we will continue to do so as long as he is President of the United States.  

After a long string of achievements and accomplishments, not the least of which was restoring the NATO alliance confidence in America's support and unifying the alliance after Trump's disastrous undermining of it, and his flirting with Vladimir Putin, along with getting a signature infrastructure bill passed, nominating and successfully seating an African-American woman on the Supreme Court, as promised, we are having a bit of a legislative lull.  That's not the President's fault.  

Nor is the inflation and price of gasoline, which are always high on the complaint list, President Biden's fault, or due to his energy policy or economic policy.  It's not like the news media doesn't have something to talk about, with the January 6th hearings moving along, and of course, the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe.  But here we are, with the President's job approval ratings at a low point of his Presidency, with the news media finding Democrats who want to see someone else run in 2024, before the midterm elections in 2022, at a point when Democrats should be rallying around their candidates and working to the best of their ability to make sure Republicans do not win the majority in Congress back.  

This is a critical point for the United States, with the imminent danger of a fascist takeover, and yes, I mean fascist and I'm not just using that word for its shock value, still trying to put the pieces together after a sitting President, for the first time in history, attempted a coup and used the power of his office to try and keep himself in that office after losing a legitimate election.  The response to what has happened should not be to find a way to splinter support away from the party by criticizing a sitting President of the same party, and undermining all of the progress that has been made on top of all of the favorable political gifts that are sitting out there, waiting to be turned into enough votes to keep the house and senate majorities in Congress and make some much needed gains in state houses.  

If people in this country are so politically fickle that they have forgotten, in less than two years, what a complete disaster the Trump administration was, and the incompetence and corruption that flooded out of it on a daily basis, then it's going to be much more difficult to try and hang on to this democracy in the face of an all-out fascist attempt to take it over than I thought it would be.  Focusing on the 2024 presidential race is a distraction that, intentional or not, will take the focus off of the momentum-making issues that have actually made a nice dent in the enthusiasm "gap" Democrats were experiencing.  That's why it's happening.  

Whoever the Democratic nominee will be in 2024 is irrelevant.  What is relevant is winning the mid-terms and keeping the party agenda on the table.  

Starting a discussion about unhappy Democrats and speculation about who needs to run in 2024 is irresponsible journalism.  But then, there might be some motivation on the media's part to try and distract and dent the momentum Democrats have picked up with the overturning of Roe and the gun control legislation, along with job growth reports which now indicate that employment has grown past the place it was in this country prior to COVID.  

The Biden Administration is head and shoulders above any recent Republican administration in terms of achievement and accomplishment and equal to the Clinton and Obama administrations in all categories.  Democrats and Independents who still believe in and support representative democracy better wake up now and see what's going on.  These media attacks are perfectly timed distractions, and appear intended to erase the gains made by Democrats over the issues of the past year.  This is the GOP's M.O. and has been for quite some time now.  Joe Biden is experienced in and seasoned by partisan politics.  He has surrounded himself with some of the best advisors in the Democratic party.  He was legitimately elected and the vote count was accurate, not fraudulent.  Don't allow that to be taken away from you by media speculation and attempts to improve ratings.  

We have to write our own narrative, since we do not have a party propaganda outlet like Fox News.  We need a historic turnout of Democratic voters in November to resolve the issues we face.  You can help by spreading the truth, not lies.  Get on board and elect some more Democrats everywhere.  

 

 

 

What Purpose is Served by a Coach Praying Publicly at Midfield After a Football Game?

Beware of practicing your piety before others to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your father in heaven.  Matthew 6:1 

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners so that they may be seen by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  Matthew 6:5-6

The Supreme Court may have decided that Coach Joe Kennedy's prayers on the public school football field with players and students is protected free speech, but those who are now hollering about this being an example of "religious persecution" need to review what the Bible has to say about the practice of Christian prayer.  These two scripture passages are actually the words of Jesus himself, from the narrative known as the "Sermon on the Mount" recorded by Matthew.  

While prayer is mentioned frequently through the Bible, and specifically the New Testament, this is one of very few references which provides actual instruction about how to pray, which includes the atmosphere and the posture of the individual Christian who is praying.  There isn't any place in the Bible where Jesus or one of his apostles, or one of the writers of the text, outlines something different than is found here.  

The Principle

The question that Jesus is addressing is one of motives.  Why is it that someone would openly pray in public?  I don't want to assign a motive to the coach, since all I know about what happened is what I've read, including his comments.  This was just something he chose to do.  Those in authority over him told him not to do it, and he made the decision to go ahead and do it.  Citing this scripture passage doesn't mean that I am considering him a hypocrite, or overly pious.  But for a Christian who claims to believe the Bible is without error, and is authoritative in all matters of faith and practice, it is a legitimate question to ask what his purpose was in defying authority, and lacking any consistency with the instruction of Jesus about prayer.  

Stepping out onto the field after a game, and kneeling, is not a discreet, "secret" way of praying.  From the information that has been gathered since this case hit the news cycle, the players on the team were all aware of what the coach was doing when he kneeled on the field, and that they were invited to join him.  It was voluntary.  If it wasn't intended as a demonstration of personal piety, then it would be much more consistent with what Jesus says about the posture of personal prayer to step into a more private setting, away from the crowds departing the field, and perhaps even away from the football team, and pray in private.  That way, regardless of personal motives, whatever posture the coach took to pray, kneeling, standing with folded hands, head bowed, or lying face down on the floor, no one else would see it, which is the point Jesus is making. 

Inviting players to join in means that the prayer is not being made in secret.  A football team depends a lot on a spirit of team unity, which is a major responsibility of the coach.  Are there players who might think that while the coach has said this was "voluntary," there may be some nuance of favoritism given to those players who do show up to his time of prayer and go even if they're not necessarily Christian?  And for players who are not Christian, or who may even be of a different religious tradition, won't they feel excluded?  There's a lot more to consider here beyond the coach's right to free speech and expression.  The students should have the same consideration.  

Defiance and Resistance

The fact that this coach defied the instruction of those in authority over him, and decided to go ahead with this practice, is the bigger issue here, from a Christian perspective.  Defiance and resistance are not the manner in which Christians are instructed to deal with what they perceive as a challenge to the practice of their faith.  Approaching adversarial situations, or issues where there's a disagreement with governing authority demands submission, not resistance, according to both Apostles Peter and Paul.  A Christian is an image-bearer for Christ, a testimony of faith and in this case, the testimony was not well received by many of those who were involved.  

I've been in church long enough to know how this works.  In spite of claiming that the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice in the church, people often put their own constrictions and interpretations on those passages that don't support their personal preferences and then they do as they please.  And just because the Supreme Court says Coach Kennedy can pray on the field after a game doesn't mean that he doesn't have to follow what Christ said about the practice of prayer.  

Christianity's Mission and Purpose Cannot be Achieved by the Use of Political Power

The Smithsonian: America's True History of Religious Tolerance

"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries."  James Madison, Fourth President of the United States and The Father of the American Constitution.  

The Most Misquoted Verse in the Bible, 2 Chronicles 7:14

 ...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  

When I hear this verse quoted in a sermon or a conversation, by itself, without any indication of the context in which it is found, it automatically generates a red flag warning that it will be misinterpreted and incorrectly applied.  It does have meaning and purpose, and it can be used as an illustration of a doctrinal point, but it does not have a literal application other than the context in which it was originally given.  

It is most frequently used by those who don't make any distinctions between their Christian faith and their right wing politics, usually conservative Evangelicals, to claim that if all Christians would just believe the same things, and specifically, vote the same way on the issues in their tightly wrapped-up social agenda, then God will "heal our land", meaning the United States, of the problems that keep us from gaining his blessing.  It is treated as a generally applicable commandment that works for all Christians everywhere, but more specifically, in the United States because we are a "Christian nation" so when the Christians of America, or at least, when the right kind of Christians in America, get it all together, the whole nation benefits from it.  

But to interpret this verse in that way is to take it completely out of its historical and theological context.  It's a verse, but the verse divisions and notations in the Bible are not part of the original text, and verses cannot be separated from the passage in which they are written or from any of the circumstances under which they were written.  The words cannot be twisted to mean something different than the author's intended meaning for their original audience. 

This particular verse can't be interpreted as a complete thought, because it is a sentence fragment, not a complete sentence.  Any theological or doctrinal conclusion that rests on this verse by itself is in error and is an incorrect interpretation of the scripture.  Here's the New Revised Standard Translation rendering of the part of the passage in which it appears: 

Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said, "I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice,  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land."

That's from 2 Chronicles 7, starting with verse 12.  It is God's answer to Solomon's prayer following the consecration of the temple in Jerusalem, which had just been completed.  "My people" means the nation of Israel, which was a theocracy, a people according to the Old Testament who were chosen and set aside for the larger purpose of revealing God's existence, power, and his redemption of humanity from its sin through the Messiah promised as far back as Adam and Eve in Genesis.  

The context of "God's people" in the new covenant, for his redemptive purpose, is not a theocratic nation, but the church, drawn from people of all nationalities and ethnicities, a spiritual body, not a political state.  It's "land" is the common ground of spiritual unity that includes belief in Jesus as the Christ, and both a local and universal body made up of all of those who believe.  There's no place in the Bible where any other political unit or nation was ever offered the theocratic rule that Israel claimed through the Abrahamic Covenant.  

Political Conversion is not Christian Conversion

From its early beginnings up to the time of Constantine, even though it endured merciless and severe persecution at the hands of the Roman emperors, the Christian church enjoyed what was one of its greatest periods of evangelism and grew to become the largest, most influential religious group in the Empire.  But, once its influence reached into the political center of Roman rule, and converting to Christianity became a political act rather than an act of spiritual conviction, the whole nature of the church changed. 

Becoming a Christian is a matter of spiritual conviction, recognizing those things in one's life that separate them from God's holiness, repentance, and the acceptance of Jesus' messianic sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin and restoration to God.  A "nation" cannot convert to Christianity.  Only individuals can do this.  And it is the collective group of those who have converted who make up local bodies known as churches, and the universal but invisible spiritual body made up of all individuals who have had a conversion experience, the church.  

It is possible for a nation in which a majority of the population has converted to Christianity to be influenced by the values, morals and principles of the Christian faith, which are those characteristics that result from the conversion experience itself.  There are multiple lists of these characteristics and values in the Bible, the most prominent one being the Beatitudes at the beginning of Matthew 5.  But they do not include promoting the growth of the church by forced conversion, passing laws requiring all citizens to be members of the predominant faith group, burning at the stake people whose confession dissents from the error of the state appointed bishops and church leaders, going to war to subjugate the people of a country that are not Christian, or, in later church history, the bloody wars fought between Catholics and Protestants.  

The law can require citizens to be members of a church, but if they are not genuinely converted to true Christian faith, then you have churches full of members who aren't Christians.   And the fact of the matter is that all of that, throughout history, has been much more detrimental to Christian evangelism than it has been in promoting it.  

A Free Church in a Free State

Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?  But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.  Do not fear what they fear and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.  Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is within you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.  Keep your conscience clear so that when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.  I Peter 3:13-16, NRSV

There is no instruction, mandate, or even guidance, anywhere in the Christian gospel that even suggests that the church be linked to the civil government as a means of converting people to Christian faith.  That produces a pseudo-Christianity, with practice regulated by law, but completely void of the spiritual life that is the essence of the faith.  The Reformation was an attempt, after centuries of institutional emptiness, to restore the church's spiritual life, but it fell short in many ways, though it did open a narrow door to the establishment and existence of confessional groups that benefitted from the influences of the Enlightenment as religious liberty began to develop.  

James Madison, the father of the American Constitution, pointed out that government sanction of religion was a threat to the religion.  His observation included Baptists in Virginia, who were persecuted and arrested for preaching illegal sermons not permitted by the established state church, and he noted that "this religion both existed and flourished, not only without the support of human laws, but in spite of every opposition from them."  

Thomas Jefferson held similar views.  As governor of Virginia, Jefferson drafted a religious liberty bill for all citizens of the state, saying, "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods or no god.  It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."  Jefferson defined American constitutional religious liberty as a "wall of separation" between the church and the state for another group of Baptists, this time from Connecticut, who were on the experiential end of religious persecution in America during its colonial days and beyond. 

American Christianity is in Turmoil 

Under full religious freedom, Protestant Christianity became an all-pervasive influence in America.  The whole idea of America being a "Christian nation" has been rooted in the influence that Protestants have had over cultural institutions including the educational system and the government, over the course of history.  It was so pervasive in public education, quite in violation of the establishment clause, that the Catholic church set up its own parish school system to try and stop their children from being converted to Protestant faiths in their public school classrooms.  

In recent years, courts have pulled back on a lot of the privilege that was extended to Protestant Christians in government and in the public education system.  Many Christians, especially Evangelicals, see this pulling back as an "attack" on their beliefs and their churches when, in fact, it is simply due to the recognition that people of other faiths, including Catholics and Jews, were not being extended the same privileges.  And that has caused some Christians, especially Evangelicals and those in the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement, to claim that they are experiencing discrimination.  

First of all, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support the claim that any white, Protestant Christians anywhere in this country have experienced any kind of discrimination of any kind in any government or public institution.  There is, in fact, still some privilege being accorded to Christians, on an increasing basis, that citizens, institutions and groups which are not Christian, don't receive.  And there is continued erosion of some of the protections that have been put in place in recent years which were the result of increased awareness of church-state separation.  

But the increased involvement of the more conservative branches of Protestant Christianity in right wing politics have had some negative consequences.  I've observed, for decades, going back to the Jerry Falwell, "Moral Majority" days, the difficulty of attempting to reconcile all-out endorsement and support for a political party based on its position on abortion, while it holds positions on many other social issues and especially an economic policy, that runs counter to Christian principles.  And there is the difficulty of supporting politicians who exhibit no understanding of Christian faith at all, and don't know how to articulate a Christian testimony.  

President Carter was an Evangelical, a Southern Baptist who openly spoke of his faith and who lived by it.  He was sometimes criticized for that, but he never attempted to impose his convictions and beliefs on anyone else, and while he prayed for guidance during his Presidency, attended church regularly and didn't let the Presidency interfere with the practice of his faith, he recognized that he was President for all Americans, not just Christians.  Neither of his opponents in elections held the kind of convictions he did, Ford was a member of a liberal, mainline denomination, Reagan didn't have much of a Christian background.  Yet Evangelicals supported the Republicans over one of their own.  

But the support given to a candidate who built his trademark as a debauched, worldly, God-cursing, womanizing, corrupt, degenerate, spiritual reprobate, with an entourage as corrupt and worldly as he is, without an Evangelical among them including his "spiritual advisor," a prophetess, prosperity gospel preacher, Paula White, is beyond me.  It is also beyond many Christians who see this for what it is and are leaving their churches where some members are putting pressure on the leadership to talk about politics and support issues from the pulpit. 

Over the past decade, weekly attendance in self-identified Evangelical churches and denominations in the US has declined by 18%, and the percentage of church members under 30 has also declined precipitously.  The largest Protestant, Evangelical denomination in the United States is the Southern Baptist Convention, which has lost 2.9 million members since its peak in 2006, 2 million of those since 2015 and 800,000 in just the past two years.  People are leaving for a reason, and while COVID accounts for attendance differences, it doesn't account for people leaving the membership of their church.  

I've seen church members attempt to pressure their pastors and church leaders into moving their congregation in a more political direction which also means a less spiritual one.  I've cited examples on this blog where political leaders are critical of core principles and doctrines of the Christian doctrine which they do not consider beneficial to their clause.  Someone might sign a paper or agree to do something based on its legality, but it is not likely that action will prompt spiritual conviction and lead to a conversion experience.  

Don't Paint With a Broad Brush

As a Christian, I am deeply appreciative of the constitution's guarantee of my religious liberty and the freedom I have to live by my faith.  It is a right for which I am willing to fight, if necessary.  And that means I will also fight for the right of anyone else who is an American to have the right to believe according to the dictates of their own conscience.  As Jefferson said, extending that right to other people neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.  

I'm a Democrat because I believe that I have a much better chance holding on to this right, along with most others I have, and because I believe that we have a much better chance of preserving our representative democracy, if Democrats are in the majority.  There are millions out there like me, who express our faith with gentleness and reverence, respecting those who don't see things the same way, and at the same time, working to preserve and defend the representative Democracy that protects our rights and freedoms.