We have seen this administration pick fights with anyone who disagrees with them. They either outright say, or snidely insinuate, that disagreeing with them is the same as being a commie. On the one hand, I would love to have a talk with Bruce the Boss and Taylor the Queen of Pop and tell them that it isn’t worth it. Growing up, I was told you should never argue with a drunk. The same goes for a narcissist. The other side, of course, is that silence is compliance. If you see a crime in process and say nothing, you have done the deed with that person. Bullies get away with mayhem because nobody stands up to them. They need to be metaphorically punched in their metaphorical foreheads, because they never listen to reason. Dissent – truth – is that metaphorical punch.
This morning, I read that the Trump administration is removing exhibits from the Black History Museum that deal with slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. They are being evaluated to see if they have a “divisive, race-centered ideology.” Of course they are race-centered! Europeans stole, raped, and pillaged for centuries, selling all kinds of people into slavery. The Europeans who are the ancestors of many white Americans decided to commit genocide against the people they found here while they enslaved the people from Africa they brought here. That isn’t an ideology – it’s history! Just because they were racists doesn’t mean their ancestors are – unless they decide to try to bury the truth. I’m sure I have people in my family tree who participated in these atrocities, but that doesn’t make me one of them, unless I try to hide and deny that it happened.
It is well-documented that Mr. Trump’s father was a Nazi-sympathizer; does that mean the president is one too? No. Each of us should be judged for what we do and say, not what our forebearers did and said. Those stories should be told – we should demand the right to teach history and promote peaceful dissent. To do otherwise is unpatriotic.
Prayer – Holy God, the truth will set us free. Give us the courage to speak the truth. Amen.