The Long View

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.

-- Archbishop Oscar Romero

A Chance To Do Good

SusanG:

This republic is bigger than this despairing moment. This democracy, as many generations have witnessed, is worth sacrificing for, is worth dying for. It's hard to see it at this dark and humiliating point in our national history, when our Congress has tossed away some of our most fundamental rights, but we are lucky -- yes, I said lucky -- to have been born at a critical time in history, lucky to be participants in the great, unfolding pageant of this nation. Even at this very dark time, we are blessed. Whether we believe in a divinity or not, we have either been chosen - or the times chose us - to be the bearers of the standard for this country's ideals.

Only an evil God would place us in a world where evil exists and not give us the tools we need to overcome it.

God is not evil.

Therefore, the fact that we must deal with evil is a sign that God has confidence in our ability to overcome it.

God believes in us.

Suffering is a pain. But it is also an opportunity. It is an opportunity for us to show that we can rise above evil and do good things.

Thank you God for your vote of confidence. I hope I can live up to it.

Useful Tools

Here's another way of thinking about the question of voting for Dems even when they act spineless, as they did in the "Torture is Great, Habeas Corpus is Bad!" debate.

Q. Are all Democratic Representatives and Senators spineless?

A. No. There are plenty of examples of strong leaders in the party. They just represent the minority at this point in time. That's why we need to elect even more strong, progressive leaders so that they can swing the caucus into action instead of following the old tried and true "keep our powder dry" strategy.

Q. Do you live in a District/State with a strong progressive Dem (either as an incumbent or an up-n-coming challenger)?

A. Great! You are the envy of other Dems who are not so lucky. You should do whatever you can to help get them (re-)elected.

Q. Do we want what few strong progressive leaders we have to have even more power?

A. Of course we do. Which is why increasing their numbers is vital.

Q. Is there another way we can increase their power?

A. Yes! Put their party in the majority. If the Dems get the majority in either or both houses then those strong progressive leaders that we do have will have even more power to enact strong progressive action.

Q. What does that mean for Dems who aren't the lucky ones?

A. It means they have to suck it up and vote for the spineless anyway. In fact, it is your duty to do so if you want the strong progressive leaders we do have to have even more power. If you find it hard to pull the lever for a "torture lover" then just think of a Ned Lamont or a Russ Feingold or whoever is your favorite and pull the lever for them.

Your spineless Dem Rep or Senator is your proxy vote for the people you do want to have more power.

They are tools. Use them.

Amen

bluerevolt:

If your neighbor's mean-ass pit bull comes into your yard and bites you, you don't get mad at your own dog for not protecting you. First order of business is to get rid of the god-damned pit bull. After all, he's the one that's really responsible for your wounds. Once that's done, then you can worry about giving your own sorry pooch some watch-dog training.

Time was a lot of activists would have simply thrown up their hands and gone away when Democrats did things like roll over on the "We Love Torture" bill.

No more.

Things like this just make us work harder.

The Party Of Hope

Kevin Drum, talking about authoritarianism:

[Fear] makes people who only have a little authoritarianism share the preferences of those who have a lot. Appeals to fear move even moderates toward the authoritarian end of the scale. Fear is the conservative's friend, never the liberal's.

Yet some Democrats still advocate adopting the Republican talking points by saying we will do the same things they do only better. This is a self-defeating strategy. Once you validate the "Live In Fear" mantra, the electorate will gravitate towards the Republicans even if it was Democrats who awoke the fear within them.

Democrats have to be the party of Hope. Leave Fear to the Republicans. They are just better at it.

Making Torture Real (How Brave Are You?)

We've all read the descriptions of the kind of torture the Bushies want to make official United States policy. Forcing people into uncomfortable positions for hours at a time. Making them stand in cold rooms, doused by cold water, for 50+ hours at a time. Strapping them to boards, wrapping them in celophane and then dumping water on their faces to induce the feeling of drowning.

Descriptions of these practices don't seem to be persuasive. So maybe we need to go beyond descriptions. Imagine how popular these practices would be if Americans had to actually see what they looked like.

Imagine a 60 second commercial in which we see various people subjected to these tortures, all while the sound of "America The Beautiful" played in the background. Such a commercial would have to be as real as possible. No fakery. No makeup. No digital processing. Just raw video footage of the actual torture as it actually happens.

So where do we get such footage? We would have to film it ourselves. Which means we would have to get people who would volunteer to subject themselves to this kind of treatment. How many of us would volunteer to do this? Do you believe strongly enough in the evil of these practices that would be willing to subject yourselves to them?

I find myself hesitating to volunteer to do this. Even though I believe it would be the right thing to do. I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on this.

BTW, I know the networks would never allow such commercials to be broadcat. But that would be just fine. Because the publicity of refusing to broadcast them would just drive more people to view the footage online.