Of Memories and No Kings

Once upon a time (late 1970s, I think), my parents’ mission in another country shuttered its offices at the request of the national government. I seem to recall other missions also being affected, but maybe not.  

What I do remember about that time—dubbed The Exodus–were the emotions of the missionaries told to leave. The mission family was being ripped apart, people were forced to leave lifelong friends, and despite the relatively organized, respectful manner in which it was done, the whole experience was one of trauma and mourning.

It pales in comparison to the chaos of current events in the U.S.

A cudgel, not a scalpel, is being wielded and it leaves behind broken pieces to be picked through and possibly salvaged – if.

‒ If the person can get a good lawyer.

‒ If they aren’t arrested by ICE as they try to keep court-mandated appearances.

‒ If they aren’t removed beyond the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts.

‒ If they can get someone to recognize their citizenship or resident status.

‒ If their humanitarian visa isn’t among those pulled without warning.

If, if, if. 

And if not, they may be abruptly dumped outside the U.S., sometimes in nations not even their own. They are often refused the basic decencies of a chance to gather personal items, make arrangements for children, or say goodbye. Even the Constitutional protections of due process and habeas corpus are sometimes denied.  

Growing up, that was one thing that set the U.S. apart for me: that we enshrined in our Constitution a respect for legal process such that, regardless of who was in power or who was accused, all would be done according to law and not political expediency. This is woven into our Constitution because of who we aspire to be, not because of who might be the accused.  

To our shame, we have often fallen short. 

To our credit, we keep trying. 

Now, once again, there are those who would try to qualify these guardians of integrity. If they prevail, we all lose. 

Some who I know and love excuse the immigration chaos with the mantra “they should have done it the right way.” (Ignoring those who did, or are, and even so have been snatched up.)

I don’t believe they are evil; I know for a fact that many are lovely people who are angry or afraid. Some have even mistaken fear and anger for virtues, which of course they are not.

I don’t believe those being deported are evil; I know for a fact that many are lovely people who chose the risk of deportation because it was less terrifying than the risk of remaining where they were.

The evil I do see is the one for which we all have the potential: that of viewing any other human being as "less than".

There is no difference in political or religious belief, national or cultural origin, language, legal status, or any other category we may devise, that carries more weight than our shared humanity, all of us equally created and cherished by God.

This is my hill. 

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Once upon a yesterday, our government held a military parade in peacetime.

Where I grew up and when, such parades were only held in times of dictatorship, when there was no daylight between politicians and the military.

That was another thing that set the U.S. apart for me: that we did not flash our military might. Our armed forces served the Constitution, not a president or party. That quiet, looming, non-partisan force was all the more powerful because it had no need to flex its muscle or strut its stuff. And I respected the heck out of that. 

Apparently, I had plenty of company along the way. From a Politico article earlier this month on a previous attempt at such a parade: The notion of a president hosting a peacetime parade was sufficiently unusual that […] South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called such spectacles "a sign of weakness in dubious foreign regimes…" […] "Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud," Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy said back then. "You don’t have to show it off, like Russia does, and North Korea, and China."

Other warning bells ring discordantly in my ear:

The rhetoric of our current administration has often blurred the lines between the executive office and our military.

Federal budgets are under the sledgehammer and people are losing access to healthcare; but money that could have meaningfully honored our veterans by improving their access to medical services has instead been spent on a peacetime military parade.   

The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps also turn 250 this year: will we have two more expensive parades just a few months from now or only the one, because this one coincided with the birthday of a president who likes a bit of flash?

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Once upon an every day it concerns me that the fabric of our nation is being picked apart by short-sighted partisanship and artificially-stoked fears and angers. Intimidation and condescension are not virtues.

But true respect for our fellow man is. Looking at any other human being and yielding to God's love for them, is.

This is the hill on which I'm willing to die. 

Turns out, there are a whole lot of you here already. 

-cs 061525