Towering over the beaches along the Alabaster Coast in France are the awe-inspiring Cliffs of Étretat. Impressionists, such as Claude Monet, captured the cliffs’ beauty and grandeur on canvas, prompting travelers, even today, to discover the cliffs for themselves.

Composed of chalk and flint, the cliffs stand at the edge of the town of Étretat in Normandy. Freshwater springs flowing underneath eroded the cliffs over time, creating three arches and a “needle” formation. The arches are particularly visible during low tide. Once a fishing village, today Étretat is primarily a quaint tourist town that caters to adventurers who wish to climb and hike the cliffs. One can spend a full day or more exploring the cliffs, tunnels, and caves. However, caution must be exercised and the tides must be taken into consideration. Despite signs warning of the dangers, often tourists become stranded along a tunnel when the tide rolls in. What if people just read and heeded the warning signs?

This election cycle has been full of adventure, too, with the last-minute changes in the Democratic ticket for president and vice president. With President Joe Biden’s selfless decision to step down as nominee, the new ticket of VP Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has energized the party.

Harris has stated that, if elected, her top priority on Day 1 of her term will be the middle class. She plans to address, among other issues, the rising costs of housing, groceries, and prescription drugs.

On the other side of the ballot, the Republican candidate, along with his running mate, embraces a burn-down-the-barn, white Christian nationalist agenda. He has stated that on Day 1, he will become a dictator.

Speaking at the Democratic National Convention of a possible second term for the GOP candidate, former President Barack Obama said, “We’ve seen that movie and we all know the sequel’s usually worse!”

On July 26 of this year, the Republican candidate told attendees at the Turning Point Action Believers’ Summit to “[g]et out, you’ve got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.” Chillingly implicit in this statement is there will be no more elections if he wins in November. Earlier this week, he stated on Fox News that he had every right to interfere with the 2020 election. Furthermore, he has never said he will accept the results of this election if he loses.

In 2016, no one expected this candidate to win the presidency and he had no transition plan. Over the course of his term in office, his appointees often deterred him from his worse impulses (like shooting peaceful protesters below the knees). By the end of his presidency, he had eliminated all the “adults in the room.” If he wins a second term, the chaos and craziness of his first term will pale in comparison.

What are his plans if he becomes president again? There are two documents that help us see how disastrous a second term will be. The first is Agenda 47 and the second one, known as Project 2025, has been making a recent media splash. But what is in these two documents and why should we be concerned?

Agenda 47 is his own manifesto of policies for a new term as the 47th president of the United States. Most of these policies would be implemented by executive order without requiring the approval of Congress. The manifesto outlines increasing the powers of the president by reducing power in other parts of the executive branch of government. It has been described as fascist or authoritarian.

Under Agenda 47, presidential powers would be expanded by firing up to two million career civil servants and replacing them with loyalists. Independent regulatory agencies, such as the FCC, FTC, FDA, and EPA, would come under the president’s direct control. He plans to “clean house” in the Pentagon, the State Department, and in the intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI. Experts say this plan will upset the balance of powers between the branches of federal government, usurp the power of Congress, and violate the Constitution.

The policies detailed in Agenda 47 include implementing tariffs on imported goods which will create higher prices for US consumers and increase inflation. He would end US participation in the international treaty on climate change called the Paris Agreement and would roll back all the Biden-Harris administration’s regulations to fight climate change. The Department of Education would be abolished and states would be responsible instead. Federal funds would be terminated to any school that teaches critical race theory or gender ideology (meaning that transgender students will not be protected against discrimination). Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives would be abolished. K-12 teachers would no longer have tenure and would be certified based on their patriotism. Children born of illegal immigrants on US soil would no longer have the right to US citizenship and related benefits.

Not included in Agenda 47 but stated by him repeatedly, is the round up by the military of 11 million illegal immigrants who would be placed into detention camps before being deported. This will become a humanitarian crisis: 80% of illegal immigrants have been in the US for more than a decade; over one million are married to US citizens and many have children who are US citizens. Separating families and destroying their livelihoods is unconscionable. The economy will suffer greatly without these workers and it would cost billions of dollars over more than 20 years to accomplish this horrific policy.

Agenda 47 specifies that journalists, federal agencies, and universities that have called him out for disinformation would be severely punished. Federal officials would be fired and lose their right to vote. Any federal funding would be eliminated. Individuals would be prosecuted. Taking away free speech and the free press is what authoritarian dictators do.

All types of gender-affirming care would be stopped for people of all ages. Hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, or other individuals who participate in gender-affirming care (even suggesting to a child they might be transgender) would be sued and any federal funding (including under Medicaid and Medicare) would be terminated. Agenda 47 recommends passing a federal law that says there are only two genders, male and female, and they are assigned at birth.

And those are just some of the details of Agenda 47!

What is Project 2025 and how does it fit with Agenda 47? Project 2025 is a 900+-page authoritarian handbook crafted by a group of his conservative Christian nationalist allies led by the Heritage Foundation (see footnote 1) that will serve as his transition plan for the first 180 days in office, if he is elected. Although his “official” plan is Agenda 47, his campaign has said it and Project 2025 are aligned.

Like Agenda 47, Project 2025 is essentially the plan for him to take over the entire executive branch of the federal government by consolidating power into the office of the president, dismantling federal agencies, undoing popular policies, and implementing various draconian measures. After details of Project 2025 leaked, he realized these actions and policies are grossly unpopular and has tried to distance himself from Project 2025. However, numerous allies and former staffers have worked on this document and his name is threaded throughout it. It is not possible for him to disavow Project 2025.

Project 2025 contains numerous plans and policies based on four promises found in its foreword:
 
1 – “Restore the family as the centerpiece of American life and protect our children”
2 – “Dismantle the administrative state and return self-governance to the American people”
3 – “Defend our nation’s sovereignty, borders, and bounty against global threats”
4 - “Secure our God-given individual rights to live freely – what our Constitution calls ‘the Blessings of Liberty’.”

According to Project 2025, “restore the family” defines a family as “a married mother, father, and their children” (presumably heterosexual and cisgendered) who are the “ideal” family. “Protect our children” is a dog whistle for banning transgenderism. Project 2025 seeks to eliminate protections and rights of LGBTQIA+ families, including criminally punishing transgenderism as pornography. It stops short of calling for a ban on same-sex marriage. Neither does Project 2025 specify a national abortion ban, but it does severely restrict abortion (and miscarriage care) and contraception access and funding (see footnote 2). The Heritage Foundation opposes in vitro fertilization (IVF) and while Project 2025 does not specifically mention IVF, it does include language that supports fetal personhood, leaving open the possibility of a ban on IVF with simply an executive order. Other provisions include eliminating the federal Head Start program, reducing Medicare benefits by eliminating the new $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket annual prescription drug costs and eliminating government negotiations of drug prices.

Similar to language in Agenda 47, “dismantle the administrative state” means to consolidate the president’s powers from within the executive branch by placing all agencies, even those currently independent, under the president’s direct control. By controlling the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI, he can carry out his vow to seek retribution from his political enemies with impunity. He would force the DOJ to drop his criminal trials. Both prospects are chilling.

As in Agenda 47, as many as two million government workers could be fired and replaced with allies whose sole qualification would be loyalty to him, not job competency or experience. Project 2025 provides a data base of loyalists who would replace current workers. As under Agenda 47, the Department of Education would be completely abolished.

“Defend our nation’s sovereignty” means to promote US isolationism by gutting American involvement in NATO and no longer supporting our allies around the world. Project 2025 also includes funding the construction of the US southern border wall, eliminating visas for victims of crime and human trafficking, and allowing the use of the military against immigrants at the southern border and peaceful protesters anywhere in the US.

The fourth promise of Project 2025 redefines the pursuit of happiness as “blessedness.” It states: "an individual must be free to live as his Creator ordained – to flourish. Our Constitution grants each of us the liberty to do not what we want, but what we ought. This pursuit of the good life is found primarily in family - marriage, children, Thanksgiving dinners, and the like.” This may sound as idyllic as a Normal Rockwell painting, but it is a way to control people in this country and to exclude those who are not white, conservative, Christian, cisgendered, heterosexual, and married with children. Project 2025 includes striking any language related to sexual orientation, gender identity, reproductive rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion out of all government rules, regulations, documents, contracts, and laws. Protections regarding discrimination against LGBTQIA+ would be eliminated.

The word “order” appears numerous times in Project 2025. Under these policies, the government would have the power to control what we do, how we worship, who we love, and when we have children while taking away our rights to free speech and peaceful protest. À la The Handmaid’s Tale.

While it is not possible to delineate all the provisions of Project 2025 here, other key provisions include eliminating federal funds for climate change research as well as eliminating the underpinnings of the US central banking system known as the Federal Reserve System.

Project 2025 reaches into every aspect of American life. Legal experts believe that Project 2025 will undermine the rule of law, blur the lines between church and state, and destroy our civil liberties. Even implementation of just a few of Project 2025’s ideas could have far-reaching and disastrous consequences.

Can this candidate, if elected, legally implement any of Agenda 47 or Project 2025? Most of the changes would be implemented by executive order which does not require congressional approval. Any executive order could be challenged in the courts, but with a conservative majority on the US Supreme Court, it is unlikely they would strike down many of his orders. Congress could possibly serve as a check on the president. (See footnote 3).

The bottom line is both Agenda 47 and Project 2025 lay out plans to consolidate power into his hands and replace the rule of law by making him an authoritarian dictator, just like his idols Viktor Orbán, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un. Both documents call for firing federal employees and replacing them with loyalists. Both documents attack our civil liberties and individual freedoms.

There is a lot riding on this election. While I have previously stated that democracy is on the ballot this year, our rights and freedoms are being threatened by a political party that wants to control us – at the ballot box, in our jobs, in our relationships, and in our doctors’ offices, all in the name of power. Theirs.

A second term will be significantly worse than his first term and inherently dangerous to our country, our democracy, and our individual freedoms. If he wins, Agenda 47 and Project 2025 are what he will do. Fortunately for us, he and the Heritage Foundation have written down their policies in plain sight. I just wonder if we can heed the warning signs.



FOOTNOTES:
1-The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank that opposes “abortion and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrants’ rights, and racial equity” (per the ACLU). The Heritage Foundation published Project 2025 with assistance from other far-right organizations, including Alliance Defending Freedom and Family Research Council. As an aside, Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance wrote the forward to the book entitled Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America, written by Kevin Roberts who is CEO of the Heritage Foundation and a major architect of Project 2025. This book calls for a second American Revolution. It is interesting that suddenly this book’s debut has been delayed until after the election. On an episode of Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Kevin Roberts stated, “we are in the process of a second American Revolution which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” Roberts has also aligned the Heritage Foundation with the Danube Institute, a front for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s far-right policies, which has funded members of the American far right. Roberts has called the Hungarian “democracy” THE model of conservatism as Orbán has rejected immigration and a diverse society and redefined “family” only to mean a heterosexual, cisgendered, married mother, father, and their children. Orbán is also in this candidate's orbit and someone he admires as a dictator in a government that is democratic in name only.

2- Some of Project 2025’s reproductive health policies call for:
-    Banning the drug mifepristone (which is also used in miscarriage care)
-    Eliminating funding of Planned Parenthood (see footnote 4)
-    Surveillance of all miscarriages and abortions by the federal government
-    Enforcing the 1873 Comstock Act that prohibits mailing abortion medications and imprisons violators, including health care providers
-    Eliminating contraception from Medicaid and allowing employers to remove coverage from their health plans.

3- The US Supreme Court’s July 1, 2024 decision giving him immunity from criminal conviction for “official” acts is obviously very concerning. However, that judicial decision would not need to be invoked since issuing executive orders is not typically a criminal offense.

4- Planned Parenthood is the largest reproductive health provider in the US. Eliminating it would mean that many lower-income women will not be able to get health exams, mammograms, and contraception at no cost. Currently, Planned Parenthood provides contraception to 2 million people every year, including vasectomies.


NOTE: If you are interested in reading books on democracy and how easily a democracy can fail, I highly recommend: How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority, both by Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, and Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson. I also recommend Heather Cox Richardson's daily email on Substack.com called Letters from an American.


Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of L’Aiguille (“Needle”) as seen through La Manneporte arch at Étretat, France.



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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland share an idyllic island located in the North Atlantic Ocean. On a recent visit there, I was struck by the breath-taking vistas, the lush green fields with meandering dry-stone walls, and of course, the friendly people with their vibrant culture and collective storied history. Part of that history includes the Great Famine which began in 1845 when potatoes, the main stay of commoners’ diets, became infected with blight. The devastation of this major crop caused the starvation deaths of over one million people and forced another million to emigrate to find a better life. The economy continued to suffer, forcing another million people to emigrate. The population of Ireland has never fully recovered, despite recent tax incentives to draw multinational companies to headquarter there.
 
The economy is a major factor in the quality of life in any country. But how important is the economy as a voting issue? In the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, although there were other issues, it all came down to the economy. The phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” was coined to drive this point home. It seemed that regardless of other political issues and policies, how one’s personal finances were impacted certainly influenced how one voted. Is the most important issue to voters still the economy?
 
In recent polling, the economy is top of mind for many voters, especially if they vote Republican. Inflation and immigration seem to be the top two issues for the GOP, with their presidential candidate at the recent Republican National Convention erroneously stating, “We’ve suffered the worst inflation we’ve ever had.” The current inflation rate of 3% is significantly down from its recent peak in June, 2022, of 9.1%. Contrary to his claim, historically, the inflation rate has often been as much as 9%, and higher, like 18% in 1946 and 13% in 1979.
 
Regardless of party affiliation, there seems to be a real disconnect between the actual economy and voters’ perceptions of it. Historically, political party affiliation influences voter perceptions. In today’s polarized political environment, the distance between reality and perception is even wider than in the past.
 
Where one sits in the economic spectrum obviously plays a major role in perceptions of the economy. What state you live in and the economies of your state and local area will also impact you directly and influence your perceptions. But the reality is, the US economy is doing remarkably well, much better than most people realize. While the public may be pessimistic, the economy is actually very strong.
 
According to the Washington Post on July 22, “[t]he United States has the world’s best economic recovery from the pandemic: consumer spending has been high; more Americans are employed than in half a century; and wages have grown to help keep up with inflation.”
 
Inflation has fallen to a reasonable level of 3% for the last 12 months as of June and fell faster in the US than in other economically developed countries. Unemployment has been trending the lowest in 50 years; it is currently at 4%. Paychecks are also up, with overall wages rising faster than inflation. The stock market, a leading indicator of the economy, is enjoying significant growth, with the S&P 500 Index breaking record highs more than 30 times so far this year. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a barometer of a nation’s productivity, is up for the past three consecutive years under the current administration.
 
The Biden-Harris administration has done much to improve the economy as well as individual lives. It has often not received the credit due for its accomplishments. There are Republican lawmakers who voted against President Biden’s policies who are now taking credit for these policies as if they were their own ideas! Even their leader falsely took credit in the presidential debate in June for capping insulin costs under Medicare at $35, something that President Joe Biden accomplished in 2022 with the Inflation Reduction Act. Obviously, false information abounds in this election season and it behooves each of us to understand the facts.
 
The Biden-Harris administration’s economic plan, often dubbed “Bidenomics,” promotes government investment to repair aging infrastructure, create clean energy, and increase domestic manufacturing jobs. It boosts the middle class by encouraging labor unions, lowering healthcare prices, and forgiving student debt. This economic policy promotes business competition while increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy. It basically builds the economy from the bottom up and the middle out. It is the opposite of Reaganomics which promotes corporations and the wealthy with the hopes that their success will trickle down to the lowest workers. It does not. The past 40 years have proven Reaganomics to be disastrous to the wealth gap with the rich getting richer and the middle class and the poor getting poorer.
 
Bidenomics, on the other hand, has an exceptional track record. Laws promoted by the Biden-Harris administration and passed by Congress have propelled the economy out of a pandemic slog and kept the US from experiencing the much-feared and frequently prophesied recession.
 
For example, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 mitigated effects of the pandemic by providing Covid-19 vaccines and tests, direct payments to struggling families, and funds to state, local, and Tribal governments, among other things.
 
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorized funding to repair aging infrastructure, provide clean drinking water and affordable high-speed internet, and create a network of electric charging stations.
 
Among the many provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is the provision of tax credits for energy efficient home improvements, the creation of millions of new jobs in clean energy, and the negotiation of Medicare drug prices. The law also addresses the budget deficit by creating a minimum corporate tax rate of 15% and providing funds for the Internal Revenue Service to use to collect taxes currently evaded by the wealthy. As of July 11, the IRS collected more than $1 billion in past-due taxes with that additional funding. Note that no Republican in Congress voted to pass this law.
 
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 was passed to provide funding for domestic manufacturing of computer chips which will create new jobs, and funding for artificial intelligence as well as other tech and science endeavors.
 
President Biden has implemented dozens of executive orders, notably one to provide more robust anti-trust law enforcement to encourage economic competition between American companies, thus providing competitive pricing for consumers. Another one provides federal funds to enhance states’ Medicaid programs. Other executive actions have canceled $168 billion in student debt for 4.8 million borrowers.
 
The accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration are staggering. And these achievements should be taken into consideration during this election season. On the campaign trail, the question often asked is whether you were better off economically under the Republican administration from 2017-2020 or the current Biden-Harris administration. While we should consider the past under the GOP candidate and the present under Biden, the question should be reframed to compare each campaign’s economic platform for the future.
 
Sixteen Nobel Prize-winning economists unanimously agree that the Biden-Harris economic plan is “vastly superior” to the Republicans' plan and according to them, the US economy will be significantly worse off under a new GOP administration. They specifically say that the stock market will fall, the economy will destabilize and decline into a recession, and that the tariffs proposed on imports (10% on all imports, 60% on imports from China) will be paid by the American people when purchasing imported goods, with the average middle-class family paying $1,700 per year. It will be another form of taxation. The tax cuts in 2017 added $2.2 trillion to the national debt (over a 10-year period) and will continue to add $4.6 trillion to the debt over the next 10 years if renewed in 2025 when these tax cuts are set to expire.
 
I would add that the Republican candidate's plan to round up over 11 million illegal immigrants and put them into detention camps before deporting them will also devastate the economy, as this will cost billions of dollars and take up to 20 years to accomplish. It will decrease the supply of labor and decrease revenues to Social Security and Medicare, programs to which illegal immigrants pay into but from which they do not receive benefits.  But of course, the human cost is incalculable: 80% of illegal immigrants have been in the US for more than a decade; over one million are married to US citizens and many have children who are US citizens. Separating family members and destroying their lives and livelihoods is unfathomable. Sending them back to the violent circumstances from which many of them fled is unconscionable and in some cases, their native countries will not actually allow them to return.
 
“It’s the economy, stupid” may still be true in that the US economy is an important issue to many voters. In today’s polarized political landscape, perhaps perceptions of the economy are even more important to winning votes. But reality matters. Messaging is key. President Biden and the Harris campaign need to take credit for all the good economic policies their administration has implemented. Their work rivals that of the New Deal under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who took a stand for the American people against big business and put into motion policies that would grow the middle class and provide a safety net for both the poor and retirees. Someday, when we look back in the rear-view mirror, the reality of Bidenomics will be evident. But in the meantime, let’s just hope the fog clears before November.
 
 
 
NOTE: I have written, edited, and updated this post over the course of July as new data has emerged. Today is Monday, Augusts 5. As I schedule this post, stock markets around the world are having a terrible day! Stock markets always go up and down. They are often driven by two emotions: fear and greed. Today we see both in action. Some investors have used the cheaper Japanese yen to buy up tech and AI stocks to increase their gains, but at greater risks. Last week, Japan increased its historically low interest rates to a higher level, causing those investors using the yen to panic. Investors were already getting jittery over mega tech companies’ investments in AI which have not yet started to pay off. So today, we are seeing fear feed on itself and multiply to the greater investment community as these huge tech companies’ drop in value drag down the rest of the markets. The US markets are still up overall for the year. Remember that while markets are driven by fear and greed, the underlying US economy is still strong.

ADDENDUM, 8/22/2024:
The goal of posting my August blog was to combat mis- and disinformation regarding the state of the economy that may be influencing voters’ perceptions. By all traditional measures, the US economy is very strong and it recovered remarkably well (and quickly) from the throes of the pandemic. Yet, I feel like this is not the complete story.

One missing piece is that despite the strong economy, many people are struggling financially. Costs for groceries, housing (both supply issues and higher mortgage rates), and prescription drugs are significantly higher than their pre-pandemic costs. While it is true that prices historically rise over time, the price spikes caused by the pandemic and exacerbated by a supply chain crisis have not reset. They remain high despite the inflation rate returning to a normal level. This higher level of prices feels artificial. Is this unbridled capitalism gone amok? Or is it corporate greed? Or some of both or something else?

I do not know what “normal” prices would look like for groceries, housing, and prescription drugs, but I believe it is possible to lower them. Price gouging at the supermarket could be investigated and perpetrators held accountable and possibly fined for infractions. Local and state governments could remove building restrictions to enable the supply of housing to increase. The Federal Reserve is currently considering an interest rate cut at its next meeting that could lower mortgage rates a bit. The federal government could negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Americans pay 2-4 times more for prescription drugs, especially name-brand drugs, than citizens of other industrialized nations. Why is there such a markup in the US? Is it because there is no single-payer system in the US (except Medicare) like in other wealthy nations with which to negotiate drug prices on behalf of consumers? Private insurers do try to negotiate discounts but individually, they have very little power.

After hearing presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ proposals to address all three of these price issues, I am encouraged that she is listening to the average American. She has stated she will address price gouging (and she did not say “price controls” which Nixon tried to do and failed miserably). She plans to increase housing supply and offer help for first-time home buyers. She and President Biden have already capped out-of-pocket prescription drug costs under Medicare at $2,000 per year, effective in 2025. For Medicare recipients, they also have negotiated a lower prescription drug price for insulin at $35, effective in 2023, and lower prices for the top 10 most used drugs, effective in 2026. Harris hopes to expand these lower drug prices to the rest of Americans.

So, where does that leave us? Yes, the economy is strong. But not everyone is feeling it. Higher costs, particularly in food, housing, and prescription drugs are legitimate complaints. Unbridled capitalism and very little government regulation got us here in the first place; it is not the solution. Perhaps the intervention of government, at all levels, can work for the people, based on this November’s mandate from the people. Your voice and your vote matter.


 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of an old stone house surrounded by dry-stone walls on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands in Ireland.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

Two hundred and forty-eight years ago tomorrow, the members of the Second Continental Congress penned the words of the Declaration of Independence. When one of the 200 printed copies reached King George III, Britain’s monarch denounced the declaration, calling the authors "misguided Americans" with "their extravagant and inadmissible Claim of Independency." Despite however “misguided” or “extravagant” the Founding Fathers were, their words penned in this famous document are now etched into history forever.

As the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Abraham Lincoln called the Declaration of Independence “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.” According to archives.gov, “[I]t continues to inspire people around the world to fight for freedom and equality."

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness undergirded the colonists' claim for the right to be independent of Britain and free to form a government by the people, not a king. They wished to be free from the oppressive rule and taxation forced on them by the Crown. In forging a new country, they were men of differing opinions who came together for the greater good. While there were not yet any political parties in this nascent nation, the Founding Fathers indeed put the good of the country over their own individual political beliefs.

Recently, Republican and Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, expounding on the need to uphold our democratic ideals. Yet, he continues to throw his support to the one candidate who is the biggest threat to our democracy. If only McConnell would put his country over his party instead of capitulating to this candidate and the minority members who wield the power of the GOP for their own benefit and not for the American people. But alas, he does not have the bravery to face the Freedom Caucus of the Republican Party, or perhaps he is driven by his own quest for power. By falling in step with them, his words on democracy ring hollow.

As a former Republican, I feel sad that the Republican Party has moved so far to the right and no longer supports the Constitution, democracy, or the rule of law. Democracy needs two viable parties to survive, both committed to democracy and both committed to the greater good. We no longer have that in the US.

We may disagree on different policies, like reproductive rights, immigration, the economy, taxes, gun control, or foreign policy, but we can all support the Constitution and democracy.

Lawmakers as well as military personnel take oaths to support the Constitution. When they support a candidate like this who, by his own actions, as seen in his recent criminal trial, believes he is above the law and has demonstrated that he believes he does not have to obey the Constitution, these lawmakers have broken their oath of service. When lawmakers say they are for democracy but throw their support behind him, a convicted felon (on 34 counts) who tried to influence the 2016 election in his favor, then these lawmakers have put their party over their country.

By contrast, last week, former Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a military veteran and current member of the Air National Guard, endorsed Biden for president saying, “[W]hile I certainly don’t agree with President Biden on everything, and I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for president, I know that he will always protect the very thing that makes America the best country in the world: our democracy…[he] poses a direct threat to every fundamental American value. He doesn’t care about our country. He doesn’t care about you. He only cares about himself. And he’ll hurt anyone or anything in pursuit of power.” Kinzinger is a clear example of putting the country over his party.

Unlike Kinzinger, those in the Republican party who adhere to their presidential candidate and the Far Right rather than to their oaths of office or any convictions regarding democracy demonstrate their allegiance is not to the flag or to America. They do not have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans in mind - only for themselves. They are no longer the “Grand Old Party,” a nickname from the 1870’s that marked their role in preserving the Union during the Civil War. Republicans who claim they are the party of Lincoln, have become so un-Lincoln as to not carry forth his beliefs in democracy. Lincoln held democracy so dear that he gave his life for it, at the hands of a mad man who was pro-slavery, anti-abolition, and anti-immigration (as a member of the Know Nothings party). Lincoln, the antithesis of Booth, died on the right side of history. Booth is an anathema, forever denounced by history.
 
When leaders and far-right members put the Republican party over the country, they elevate a presidential candidate who promises to consolidate power into his own hands, threatens vengeance against his political enemies, plans to use the military against peaceful protesters, and prepares to arrest, detain, and deport illegal immigrants. Democracy will be lost. Where there is no democracy, there will be no debate on reproductive rights, immigration, the economy, taxes, gun control, or foreign policy, or any other policy issue, because all policies will be at the whim of a dictator. When you vote, vote for democracy, even if that means putting the country over your long-held party. In the long run, when democracy wins, we all win.

John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural speech on January 20, 1961, said that throughout history, there are generations chosen to defend democracy and “freedom in its hour of maximum danger.” He said, “I do not shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it…And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.”

What can we do for our country? We can be that stumbling block to tyranny and oppression to prevent would-be dictators and their allies from ascending to power and destroying democracy. Become informed through trusted resources about the candidates and the issues. Register to vote. Encourage people in your sphere of influence to register to vote. And vote! Like your life, your liberty, and your pursuit of happiness depends upon it. Because it does.




NOTE: Fast forward from 1776 to 1916, to another revolution against the British Crown. On the island of Ireland, Republicans (those for an independent Republic of Ireland) fought the British for their right to self-govern, and finally in 1922 won their independence. The Republic of Ireland was created from the 26 predominately Catholic counties out of the total of 32 Irish counties. The remaining six counties in the northern part of the island who were predominately Protestant became Northern Ireland, a country that would (and still does) remain part of the United Kingdom. The Cliffs of Moher were beautiful to behold on a recent trip to Ireland.


Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved.


Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.



A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me…to set the oppressed free.  Luke 4:18
 
 
The parables of Jesus are often a mystery. Jesus seems to speak in riddles; it is easy to miss the point. Even theological experts disagree among themselves on how a parable is to be interpreted.
 
For years, I have accepted the interpretations by conservative theologians that often claim a “moral” to every parable. Yet, context is key. Placing the stories in the context in which they were told and how they were heard is important. As I seek to do that and as I re-read them with fresh eyes, I have come to a new appreciation for Jesus’ mission and for His storytelling skill of weaving together situations that would have been common to His hearers with a totally different message or ending than they (or I) expected. A closer look at Jesus and His parables demonstrates how His teachings turned society on its head and threatened the prevailing societal order to empower the oppressed in society.
 
One such example is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector found in Luke 18:9-14. Jesus tells the story of a religious leader, a Pharisee, who prays conspicuously in the temple courtyard. Standing inconspicuously off to the side is the tax collector. He prays, too, but it is a short and simple prayer begging God for mercy as he recognizes himself as a sinner. The typical interpretation of this parable is that we are to come before God in prayer with humility.
 
Yet, is that what Jesus is really saying? Is this parable just about humility and prayer? Could there be more to this story?
 
The Pharisee is a member of the elite religious establishment. The tax collector is ostracized from society for his work in collecting taxes; he is part of a much-despised group in society. Interestingly, they have something in common: they BOTH collect taxes. Yes, the temple leaders extracted taxes from the peasants just as Rome did and the amounts were just as onerous. The monies collected from the temple tax enrich the pockets of the religious leaders and other elites. This double-taxation, from the religious leaders and from the Roman rulers, imposes a horrendous financial burden on the peasants in this agrarian society. The poor become poorer while the rich become richer.
 
There is no mercy from the Pharisees and other religious leaders for the poor who cannot afford to pay either the temple tax or the temple sacrifice. When a poor person cannot pay, they are ostracized from the temple and from society. They are deemed “unclean” and a “sinner” because they cannot participate in the temple ritual of cleansing. This stigma creates difficulties in finding work and so the poor are pushed deeper into poverty.
 
In this parable, the tax collector is most likely a toll collector who sits in a toll booth collecting money on behalf of his employer. Unlike the tax collector (think of Zacchaeus) who extracts taxes over and above what is due and keeps the excess, this toll collector does not make a livable wage. He works in a job where he is despised by everyone. As a worker, he is expendable, for there are other out-of-work laborers who would take his place out of financial desperation.
 
The Pharisee in this story dehumanizes the toll collector, slandering him as being a robber, an evildoer, and an adulterer of God’s law. The audience would have expected this; they probably agreed. But they would have expected the toll collector to be humiliated and slink off out of the temple courtyard into oblivion. To their surprise, the toll collector agrees he is a sinner and loudly shouts to God to intervene. He knows he has cheated people (at the behest of his employer) and he expresses remorse. He also knows he does not belong at the temple as he is considered irreversibly unclean. But he is not going away quietly! And how dare he go directly to God?! His very presence challenges the Pharisee’s own claims of righteousness. The toll collector implores God directly for mercy instead of staying enmeshed in the Pharisaic system of clean and unclean. In doing so, the toll collector threatens the very economic system that profits the Pharisee.
 
To the shock of His audience, Jesus says the toll collector, not the religious Pharisee, is the one who receives mercy and justification from God. (Ironically, the Pharisee is everything he accuses the toll collector of being.) Even though the toll collector can never repay who he cheated because he does not know the people from whom he extracted the tolls, he is still forgiven despite the impossibility of reparations. That, too, would have shocked the listeners’ ears.
 
Why does Jesus tell this story? He casts a spotlight on the excesses and corruption of the religious leaders. He zeros in on who the oppressors are. He points the peasants to the problem and helps them name it: oppression. It is only when a problem is named that a solution can be found. Armed with this realization, the peasant population just might try to change this unjust system. And that is what the religious leaders fear: an uprising that would dethrone their power and rob them of their ill-gained riches.
 
The Pharisees understood this parable and its accusations against them. It instilled fear in them, fear that Jesus was turning the crowd against them. While Jesus helped the peasants identify the problem of oppression that was killing them, the religious leaders were plotting their own solution to kill this problem called Jesus.
 
As part of His mission, Jesus came to free the oppressed (Luke 4:18). The Pharisees would have none of that.
 
 
 
NOTE: Unfortunately, oppression is all too common and not just in Bible times. Today, laws that seek to take away our individual rights, such as bodily autonomy and being able to get the medical care we need, are indeed oppressive. Oppressive laws and the underlying attitudes supporting them impact women, people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQA+ community including trans people, pregnant people, as well as other minority groups. Standing up for the oppressed is what Jesus did. We must go and do likewise.
 
 
NOTE: Inspiration for this blog is from Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed by William R. Herzog II.
 
NOTE: June is Pride Month. Check out history.com.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. The two characters in this parable are opposites but they both reflect the corrupt societal system at work. This photo is of the swirling reflection of the mountains with a hint of color from a setting sun, taken on Trollfjord in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 

 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  Matthew 25:40
 
 
Have you ever prayed to God for your favorite sports team to win? I am sure I have. I do wonder if God really takes sides in sports!
 
But what about when the stakes are higher? It is not hyperbole to say that democracy is on the ballot in November. In the last few weeks, even some Republicans have called out their far-right colleagues for repeating Russian president Vladimir Putin’s propaganda that seeks to divide the US and destroy our democracy as well as end our influence in global affairs. Far-right Republicans have become Putin’s puppets and their leader is a dictator-in-waiting. In this war on democracy, which side is God on?
 
The Far Right would have us believe that Jesus is on their side, that Jesus is a warrior-king returning from heaven to exact vengeance on those who do not look like, act like, or who are not white, straight, Republican men. They have co-opted Christianity to promote white Christian nationalism that seeks to dismantle American democracy.
 
I wonder if Jesus were here today and registered to vote, would He be a Republican or a Democrat?
 
A photo of a bearded white man in a red logo cap speaks volumes of how the Far Right sees Jesus. Noticing similar images in my news feeds from the January 6 insurrection and related rallies, I am hard-pressed to believe that Jesus would bless these misuses of His image, let alone stand in solidarity with the Far Right’s proclivity to eviscerate our human and civil rights. This violation of rights will lead to authoritarianism and oppression of those who do not espouse their extremist dogma. When their candidate recently took over the Republican National Committee, more than 60 staffers were immediately fired and new job applicants were asked if they believed the 2020 election was stolen from him. A negative answer denied them a job at the RNC.
 
Perhaps it is easy to say that if Jesus were living in present-day America, He would be whatever political persuasion we want Him to be. Or maybe we would be adamant that Jesus would never take sides. But would He?
 
Obviously, God is for good and not on the side of evil. The Bible has a lot to say about God being on the side of the oppressed, the foreigner (immigrant), and the poor.
 
Jesus' own words put Him squarely in the middle of partisan politics. No two-party political system existed back in Jesus' time because Jesus did not live in a democracy. He lived under a Roman dictatorship headed up by Caesar. This was not a two-party system, but there were two sides: the oppressors made up of the Roman government with lots of help from the religious leaders and the oppressed (everyone else). Clearly, this was not a democracy.
 
Throughout His ministry, Jesus constantly stood up for the oppressed. His anger as seen through overturned temple tables was a display of righteous anger against the oppressive religious powers that forced poor people to buy their way to ceremonial cleansing. If the poor could not afford the temple sacrifice or could not pay the significant temple taxes, they would be ostracized from the temple and society as unclean outcasts who would then have difficulty finding work, driving them deeper into poverty.
 
Many of His parables are stories not just of some moral truth, but speech denouncing oppression. (More on that in future posts.) These words landed Him in hot water with the religious leaders and the Roman dictators who then executed Him as a nonviolent activist/insurrectionist, accusing Him of trying to overthrow the government to be king. He threatened their positions of power by empowering the masses to think about how they were being treated by their oppressors and to embrace new ways to treat other people. He taught a new way of living that ushered in the kingdom of God on earth. This new world order threatened to shake up the power structures where the Roman rulers and religious leaders sat perched on top.
 
Yes, Jesus took sides. He always sided with the powerless, the marginalized, the ostracized, and the outcasts. He cared most for the least of these. He saw in each person their humanity and the image of God.
 
If we truly follow His teachings, we will take sides, too. We will check to see if politicians truly support democracy and fair voting. We will look at politicians' human rights track records and see how they treat others, particularly those who are different from themselves. We will pay attention to candidates' promises and check to see whether the poor and marginalized are prioritized in their proposed policies and check to see who is harmed by their proposals. We will listen to their rhetoric when they refer to others, particularly those different from themselves, being attentive to labels that dehumanize, demonize, and devalue others. And we will vote based on all the above. Because when we stand up for the least of these, we are always on the winning side. For all eternity.
 
 

 
NOTE: You may disagree with some or all the specific policies promoted by Democrats, but the authoritarian and fascist regime promoted by the Republican Party (yes, even those not on the Far Right because their silence is complicity) will destroy democracy and this country. Policies will no longer matter when they are at the whim of a dictator. We will no longer have a voice. If he wins a second term, it will be so much worse that his first one. He has aligned himself with people who are currently making plans to take down the federal government, one agency at a time, so they can be in control (known as Project 2025). Together, though, we can vote them out!
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. The photo above is from my recent trip north of the Arctic Circle to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. Shot on Trollfjord near Svolvær, it depicts a mirror image of the mountains reflecting into the glacial waters. Unlike this photo, the two major US political parties are not mirror images of each other. Instead, they are opposites: one seeks to promote the good of the people as defined by the US Constitution and the other seeks to destroy democracy.
 
NOTE: May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Check out: https://www.asianpacificheritage.gov/
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.  Proverbs 10:12
 
 
My mother is known in our family for her many sayings, often ones she probably learned during the Great Depression, like “waste not, want not.” Some of her quips may have been more obscure or even original, but we all remember her and honor her memory by reminding each other of her many endearing expressions.
 
Lately, one of her sayings plays on repeat in my head: “What is this world coming to?” I wonder, if she were living today, what she would think about how the world has changed over the last decade. I shudder to think what the world, or at least the US, is indeed coming to when there is so much division and polarization.
 
How did we get here? It has not always been this way. What has changed?
 
I have heard it said (not from my mother!) that the US stock market turns on fear and greed. I observe fear and greed at work in the broader society today. Sadly, this mode of operation is not new: white slave owners pitted the poor white class against Black slaves so the two groups would not join forces against these slaveholding plantation owners. Those with power were greedy to hold onto it. They were also afraid of being outnumbered if coalitions formed against them. They instilled fear in the other groups, portraying each group as threatening to the other and themselves as the benevolent savior, all part of a divide-and-conquer scheme for power and control.
 
Today, the extreme polarization we are experiencing is similar: it has its roots based in fear and greed (and often racism). Far-right politicians, greedy for power will instill fear in their followers of some imagined impending danger. And of course, they, like the slaveholding plantation owners, are the ones who can protect their followers, especially when they rally around a far-right “strongman.” Authoritarianism is not the answer.
 
When a political party is afraid of losing their status in society, their fear propels them to double down on their authority. This greed to dominate fueled with fear sees losing in the political arena as an existential threat. They will do anything to avoid losing, even refusing to concede their losses and peacefully transferring their political power to their successor. We have already witnessed this by many in the Republican Party after they lost the presidential election in 2020.
 
What is really driving the fear we see today?
 
Underlying the anger, accusations, and even violence is a deep sense that the world is changing and that change threatens some people.
 
The US is becoming more racially diverse and more pluralistic, particularly in terms of culture and religion. The majority of the US population has historically been white, but demographics are changing. Experts predict that by 2045, whites will no longer be in the majority. This change has been happening gradually for the past 100 years or so. But for many white people, these statistics are frightening. Already today, whites under the age of 18 are in a minority relative to all under 18.
 
Politicians and pundits who play on this anxiety of being relegated to the minority drive many of the divisions in this country. Truth gets lost in the lies designed to induce fear. Conspiracy theories are promoted. For example, the Great Replacement Theory that espouses the idea that immigrants will take over and replace white people is often part of the fear-mongering.
 
Isolationism in our society exacerbates this dynamic. When we hear lies that demonize people who are different from ourselves and if we do not know anyone in the group being singled out, we may believe those lies and become afraid. Our fear turns into anger, an emotion that makes us feel we are in control. Anger turns into hate when we bully, dehumanize, and scapegoat the other group. And hatred leads to violence perpetrated against this marginalized group. (Think of all the hateful rhetoric and violence against trans people, for example.)
 
In vilifying their political enemies, these leaders and politicians lose sight of their opponents’ humanity. Hate becomes the badge of honor and flames the fires of ignorance. No longer does their opponent have a face, or family, or any redeeming qualities; they are instead the “enemy” that is out to get those of the opposing political party. Opponents are deemed “evil” (or “vermin,” a word borrowed from Hitler’s playbook). Forgotten is the fact that these are individuals who live and love in their families, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. No longer human, the adversary is to be eliminated at all costs and by any means. Violence is often seen as the answer. But as Jesus said, those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Or guns, as may be the case today. Violence is never the answer.
 
I wonder if those who feel threatened by this shift in demographics worry about how they will be treated by the soon-to-be majority. In some twisted version of the Golden Rule, are they worried they will be treated as they have treated those historically in the minority?
 
As American society becomes more racially diverse and more pluralistic, the status quo will change. Those who depend on the status quo for their power and do not view a racially diverse and pluralistic society positively will feel afraid and threatened.
 
Fear is a strong emotion. Showing love and compassion to those who disagree with us can change this vicious cycle. Realizing our opponents’ humanity can stop the hateful and destructive rhetoric.
 
Recorded in the Gospels are many instances where Jesus was confronted by religious leaders and by Roman rulers. Not once did He ever dehumanize His opponent. Even when angry, He did not personally attack those who created systems of injustice. His values of loving neighbors as well as enemies allowed Him to value His opponents, to see the image of God in each of them, and to show compassion towards them.
 
What does that look like today? Perhaps we listen to those in our orbits who have differing viewpoints, showing curiosity instead of criticism. Perhaps we debunk the conspiracy theories to reassure others that they need not feel threatened by change. Maybe we acknowledge their fears with compassion and lead with love. May we see the image of God in them and realize we are all created by God and in His image. We are all reflections of the Divine. And in this democracy, we are all created equally.
 
What is this world coming to? With curiosity, compassion, and love, we can overcome fear, anger, and hate by tearing down the walls that divide us, reaching across the aisle, and seeing the image and reflection of God in everyone. For today, maybe the best saying of all is “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” May it be so! Mom would be so proud!
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of reflections in the Königsallee (King’s Alley) canal in Düsseldorf, Germany.

 
 
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Check out these websites:
https://www.nsvrc.org/saam
https://www.whitehouse.gov/gpc/briefing-room/2023/05/01/recognizing-sexual-assault-prevention-and-awareness-month/

 

Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Sometimes keeping up with the news is hard work. Not only are there numerous “breaking” stories, but many are emotionally challenging to hear. It is difficult to read all the “bad” news and not become jaded. Or simply overwhelmed. Sometimes hope in a better world is lost.
 
A recent news story that saddened me to read was that of the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian penal colony in the Arctic. He was only 47. He is survived by his wife, two children, and his mother. My heart goes out to them.
 
Navalny was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal domestic critic. Interestingly, Putin has never mentioned Navalny by name in public, not even after his death. Yet Navalny was obviously viewed as a serious threat to the Kremlin when he was poisoned in 2020 by Russian agents. Recovering in a Berlin hospital, it is a miracle he survived. After treatment and totally undeterred, Navalny fearlessly returned to Russia. He was arrested upon entry, tried on false charges, and sentenced to prison. I wondered why he had returned to Russia where he most certainly would face prison or death. Or both.
 
Alexei Navalny was an anti-corruption, pro-democracy political activist who believed in the rights and freedoms of all Russians. He longed for a better Russia. He was a proponent of a parliamentary republic and fought for the establishment of democracy in his beloved country. As Putin’s adversary, Navalny was not simply an enemy of the Kremlin. He was the face and voice of democracy. This is not just a case of Putin v. Navalny, but rather it is authoritarianism v. democracy. With the death of Navalny at the behest of the Russian government, it seems authoritarianism has taken the upper hand. But as one Navalny supporter observed, men can be killed but their ideas cannot; they will live on.
 
Perhaps in snuffing out the life of Alexei Navalny, Putin has inadvertently galvanized Navalny’s supporters in carrying on his mission, one that was so dear to him that he was not afraid to die for it. Navalny is a beacon of hope, a lighthouse showing the way to a better world amidst a sea of troubles. Yet, we must choose hope. Unlike optimism, hope is a decision and one that demands action.
 
In one of his last letters to a friend, Navalny, in mentioning Taiwan and South Korea, said that if they could transition from authoritarianism to democracy, then there was hope that Russia could, too. “Hope,” he said, “I’ve got no problem with it.”* Hope for a better future for his country propelled Navalny forward and compelled him to return to Russia and certain death.
 
This forceful removal of a political opponent reminds me that democracy is indeed on the US ballot this November. Authoritarianism is globally on the rise and democracy proponents must win against strongmen who advocate authoritarianism. The Republican candidate has a history of praising and enabling Vladimir Putin. His intent to emulate Putin is clear when he said he will become a dictator on Day 1 if elected and that he plans to go after his political opponents. Unlike his previous term as president, he has a new set of advisors who have been plotting for four years to destroy American democracy. We must take him at his word and defeat him at the ballot box.
 
To live by your values is indeed risky in a polarized world. Navalny, as a Christian, envisioned the Russian people hungering and thirsting after righteousness and ultimately being satisfied when their country will see justice for all. Navalny loved his country and stuck by his values. Even when it killed him. He was a nonviolent activist standing up to power.
 
Jesus was also a nonviolent activist who stood up to power. His mission included freeing the oppressed and calling out the religious leaders and Roman rulers who oppressed. He never wavered. And they killed him.
 
While I am heartbroken over Navalny’s tragic death, I take comfort in the fact that even when activists are killed, their ideas live on in their followers. Even now, his wife is preparing to step into his shoes. May Alexei Navalny’s hope in democracy live on and ultimately change his beloved country into one “full of dignity, justice, and love.”** May his ideals and tenacity live on in his followers. May his death not be in vain. Hope is a powerful force.
 
 
 
*Alexei Navalny as quoted in the 2/19/24 New York Times article Inside Aleksei Navalny’s Final Months, in His Own Words
**Yulia Navalyana, Navalny’s wife, as quoted in a video from the 2/19/24 Washington Post article Navalnaya steps up to lead fight vs. Putin as morgue retains her husband’s body
 
 
 
 
ALSO IN THE NEWS: Two other recent news stories caught my attention.
1 - On February 10th, the Washington Post reported the Republican candidate as saying that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” with NATO member countries who did not pay their fair share of dues. He apparently does not understand NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 as a defense against Russian aggression. Member states include the US, Canada, and 29 European nations. Sweden is set to join soon to bring the total member count to 32.  NATO stipulates that an attack on one member country is an attack on all NATO countries. So, for him to invite his favorite dictator and mentor to launch a war against a NATO country is treasonous, for it encourages a foreign power to effectively attack the US. Our national security, as well as that of all NATO countries, has been unnecessarily put at risk.

2 – Also in the news is the Alabama State Supreme Court’s ruling that frozen embryos created during in vitro fertilization (IVF) are people and anyone who destroys them is liable under the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. This caused Alabama clinics to halt IVF for patients in the middle of the process and turn new patients away. In issuing the ruling, the Alabama State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker, as quoted in the Washington Post on February 19, said, “Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself.” By invoking his own religious interpretation of when human life begins, Justice Parker overstepped the boundary between church and state and has imposed his personal view on all citizens in Alabama. The Alabama state legislature disagreed with this ruling and passed a bill protecting IVF. Supporting IVF is popular with the American people where 1-2% of all births are conceived using IVF. It is a vital solution to the heartbreak of infertility. But interestingly, support for IVF backs anti-abortion GOP legislators into a corner in two ways. When they say they support IVF, how does that square with their anti-abortion stance based on their definition of when life begins (at conception)? Is contraception their next target? And secondly, if they say they support IVF, why did GOP senators strike down a US Senate bill in 2022 that would have protected IVF nationally and on February 28, block the bill from being reintroduced in the Senate? The fall of Roe v. Wade has far-reaching tentacles into the personal lives and medical treatments of many Americans. Blurring the lines between church and state is something the Founder Fathers rightly tried to avoid.  This is just the beginning of the slippery slope in a post-Roe world and an example of what can happen when a minority of white Christian nationalists try to impose their views on the majority.
 
Whew! February was a busy month! Thanks for reading!
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse built in 1871 near Pescadero, CA. It is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast.
 
 
March is Women’s History Month. Check out these websites to learn more:
https://womenshistorymonth.gov/
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/womens-history-month.
 
                                                                                                         
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

Traveling is a privilege that I do not take for granted. While I love taking photos and learning about the culture where I visit, I have observed that customs and languages vary significantly, even between neighboring countries. Among democratic nations, citizens’ rights and freedoms are vastly different.
 
Hungary is a beautiful country, but it is democratic in name only. All three branches of government are controlled by the Hungarian prime minister who rules as an autocrat. In countries like Chile, an authoritarian dictatorship is seen through the rear window; Chile’s climb back to democracy is a testament to its citizens’ fortitude and persistence.

2024 will be an inflection point in US democracy. The upcoming elections will determine this nation’s future course. The ballot contains not just the choice between two candidates for the office of president. But rather, it is ostensibly a referendum between democracy and authoritarianism. The US is already sliding into authoritarianism. Will we be able to stop this movement toward a far-right autocratic regime?
 
One of the main reasons that democracies fail is the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, both of which involve the spreading of false information. Disinformation, however, is spread intentionally to create harm. Since 2017, the US tumbled from the 17th ranked democratic nation to #23 as evaluated by V-Dem Institute* at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Since even before 2017, both misinformation and disinformation have increased significantly.
 
One example is at the start of the presidential campaign in 2015, without evidence, the Republican candidate started calling national news outlets “fake news” and continued his rhetoric against mainstream media. As a result, from 2015 to 2021, the percent of Republicans who trusted in national news outlets fell from 70% to just 35%.
 
When information is distrusted, no one knows what or who to believe. Citizens become vulnerable to the influence of those peddling lies, typically by those seeking political power by any means regardless of the consequences to the nation.
 
One key issue during this current election cycle will be the narrative of January 6, 2021. Any politician or candidate who spins the events of that day to gloss over the seriousness of the threat to democracy is not interested in truth and should not be entrusted with the responsibility to govern. Related to this is the “stolen election” lie from 2020 by this candidate and his allies.
 
To know whether a candidate has denied that President Biden won the office of the presidency fairly, check out electiondeniers.org, a website by a non-profit that details these candidates and those who continue to promote election falsehoods. Note that almost one-third (172) of all members of Congress are election deniers. In the House of Representatives alone, 153 members are election deniers. This is significant because in the event that no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral college votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president with the 435 members having one vote each.
 
Not only do far-right Republican politicians promote election falsehoods, but they also promote Christian nationalism and the shadow network spearheaded by the Council for National Policy. Please see my previous posts on the existential threat posed by Christian nationalism and its leaders entitled A Slippery Slope (Oct 2023) and Monsters, Inc. (Nov 2023).
 
While it is easy to lose hope, there are things that ordinary citizens can do to strengthen democracy and stop the far right and their would-be dictator.
 
The obvious tool to use is our right to vote. Above all else, voters need to coalesce around candidates who support democracy in all the rights and freedoms it gives to its citizens. Policies on climate change, reproductive rights, immigration, gun safety, and the economy are totally irrelevant if we do not have a functioning democracy in which to debate these issues. Without democracy, an authoritarian regime will make policy decisions based on its whim, not based on scientific evidence nor the will of the people. Democracy must be made a priority over individual policy issues. New coalitions need to form to keep the far right from taking power. That means that more centric voters may have to cross the aisle to vote for a more left of center candidate.
 
What else can an ordinary citizen do?
 
Become informed of events and politics. Do not rely on social media as a news outlet. Seek the truth from reputable media. Read content from more than one source. Independent news outlets like NPR and the BBC are nonprofits that have less incentive to sensationalize and offer free email newsletters. Other reliable news sources include the New York Times, the Washington Post, Axios, and ProPublica. AllSides News (allsides.com) is a unique resource that shows the same news story from the left, center, and right perspectives.
 
Become informed about specific candidates on the federal, state, and local levels. Educate yourself and do not be afraid to share that information with friends and family to promote the truth. Push back on conspiracy theories. Be civil in your interactions and actively listen to those who disagree with you. Reject violence as the means to a political end.
 
Democracy is protected by free and fair elections. It is important that the people involved are nonpartisan and have integrity. States oversee elections, even for federal offices. State governors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state have key roles in ensuring elections are carried out fairly. Know who you are voting for in these positions. Consider working as a poll worker. Volunteer to work in the campaign of a candidate who promotes truth and democracy. Maybe even run for local office yourself!
 
Support organizations that promote democracy and fair elections like Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, Campaign Legal Center, FairVote, the League of Women Voters, and Protect Democracy.
 
Democracy is not a given. It takes work to keep it strong and help it survive. Bad actors greedy for power can destroy it. But complacency is complicity. Democracy matters and it depends upon ordinary citizens like you and me to keep it strong and make it work for everyone.
 
Perhaps tourists to the US will be impressed someday with the strength of our democracy! We can only hope…and do our part in making it happen.
 
 
 
 
*V-Dem Institute is an independent organization that measures hundreds of attributes of democracy in countries around the globe. Click here for their 2023 report.
 
For more information on democracy, how governments slide towards authoritarianism, and possible solutions, I highly recommend Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zimblatt’s books, How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.
 
 
Consider watching a PBS documentary entitled “A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy” based on Dr. Richard Haass’ book with the same title. Click here to watch.
 
 
DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the League of Women Voters. Views expressed are my own.
 
 
NOTE: February is Black History Month. Check out here.
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.  Matthew 2:9-12
 
 
The golden casket sits in repose at the rear of the cathedral. The iron bars guard the content within. A young man asks me via Google Translate who is buried here. My explanation leaves him perplexed. The story obviously gets lost in translation.
 
In the 12th century, the Bishop of Cologne (Köln in German) acquired the remains of the Three Wise Men. Construction began in 1248 on building the grandest cathedral that would house the holy remains. When it was completed in 1880, the Cathedral of Cologne was the tallest building in the world until the Washington Monument was built four years later. Today, Cologne’s cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world and Germany’s most visited landmark.
 
January 6th marks the Christian tradition of Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men followed a star to the Christ Child. Unfortunately, January 6th in the US marks another epiphany: the realization that an insurrection at the US Capitol nearly ended democracy as we know it.
 
On the surface, these two events appear to have nothing in common other than the date. One commemorates the worship of the Christ Child by three foreign sages and the other event marks a failed coup. But perhaps these two events have more in common than meets the eye.
 
The Wise Men search the heavens and find a star so significant that they leave home, traveling a great distance, to follow the celestial light to a foreign country. When it stops over the place where Jesus is, they worship Him and shower Him with expensive gifts. After finding the Christ Child, the Wise Men choose to disobey Herod’s request for them to return to him and divulge Jesus’ location. They defy empire as they seek a different route back to their home.
 
Perhaps there are parallels between the Wise Men’s quest and the insurrectionists at the Capitol. Those who descended on the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, followed their own star, a president who refused the peaceable transfer of power after he lost re-election. Many traveled long distances to attend his rally to show their devotion to him. When the insurrectionists followed his instructions to invade the Capitol, they may have thought they were defying empire; yet, they played into the hands of one who would use empire for his own power as an authoritarian leader of an attempted coup.
 
Both the Wise Men and the insurrectionists bowed to worship one who would be king. Both, in their own way, defied empire. However, the Wise Men refused to allow the state to eradicate religion. The insurrectionists, on the other hand, blurred the line between church and state as they brandished crosses and other Christian symbols to lend legitimacy to their cause.
 
The conflation of church and state is foundational to Christian nationalism. As discussed in previous posts, Christian nationalism is a political movement that co-opts Christianity for legitimacy. The end game is destruction of democracy and the installation of an authoritarian dictatorship. A virtual shadow network led by the Council for National Policy is a consortium of Far-Right members of the Republican Party, evangelical Christian leaders, and ultra conservative donors. Their concerted efforts are alarming. Democracy in the US is hanging in the balance.
 
The US has been described as the Great Experiment in democracy. Other counties have modeled their governments on the institutions and principles in American democratic government. Surprisingly, the US is not the most democratic country in the world. According to V-Dem Institute* at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, the US is not even in the top 10% of democratic countries. In fact, it is ranked 23rd, down from 17th in 2017. V-Dem Institute lists several actions that are prevalent in countries where democracy, as in the US, is slipping into authoritarianism: the censorship of media, the repression of civil society organizations (like advocacy groups, nonprofits, civil rights organizations), the spread of disinformation, and the increase in polarization in society. One of the best ways to combat this slide toward authoritarianism is to fight disinformation by supporting responsible media and by calling out lies and misinformation.
 
Another way to support democracy is to work to heal the cracks of society’s foundation. Addressing racial injustice and economic inequality is at the crux of the problem. Social policies aimed at benefits for all, rather than stigmatizing the poorest and marginalized, will go a long way to heal our nation. Universal health care, a robust minimum wage, preschool for all children, paid parental leave, subsidized day care, and universal basic income are all concepts that other wealthy, democratic nations employ that reduce economic inequalities and therefore reduce resentment and polarization. Policies like these are more than just social justice issues; they help create a healthy democracy.
 
One major difference between the US and other modern democracies is how other countries have become more democratic as they strive to keep their institutions relevant for the times. George Washington believed that he and the Founding Fathers could not create a constitution that would foresee and address all future issues. He expected the Constitution to change as society changed. Unfortunately, today’s reality has not aligned with his expectations.
 
What keeps democracy in the US from changing with the times? Why are governmental institutions inflexible? To change the Constitution, two-thirds of Congress and 38 states must ratify any amendments. This almost impossible bar to clear keeps the Constitution static and archaic. In comparison, Norway has a lower threshold for approval of constitutional amendments and therefore can be nimbler in changing with the times. Between 1814 and 2014, Norway’s constitution was amended 316 times, placing the country as the 3rd most democratic nation by most measures. By contrast, the US Constitution has only been amended 27 times since 1791, with only 15 ratified during the same 200 years as Norway’s 316 amendments.
 
Certain rules in the US allow politics to be governed, not by the majority, but by a minority. The Electoral College allows a president to be elected without the support of the popular vote (like what happened in 2000 and in 2016). Because of the Senate’s structure of having two senators per state regardless of population, the Senate can be ruled by a majority of states that together represent a minority of the population. Not only does that mean that laws can be passed by representatives of the minority, it also allows US Supreme Court Justice appointees to be confirmed by the Senate with less than the majority representation of the people.
 
This rule by a minority creates polarization in Congress where extremists wield undue power. As we have witnessed recently within the House of Representatives, government becomes dysfunctional when extremists thwart the majority.
 
Changing the structure of the US Senate to allow representation based on population would go far to ensure majority rule. Likewise, increasing the number of members in the US House of Representatives to align more with population growth would better represent voters. The last time any seats were added was in 1912. On average, each representative today represents 700,000 people; a century ago, there was one member for every 200,000 people.
 
By having life-time appointments for US Supreme Court Justices, the Court is ruled by those who have been on the bench so long that they are out of touch with today’s society. No other democracy has life-time appointments to their highest court. By imposing staggered term limits, each President would appoint the same number of Justices and each Justice would serve a limited time. Not only would term limits decrease the Court’s polarization by political party affiliation, the Court would better function as the checks and balances on the Executive and Legislative branches that it was designed to be.
 
Democracy is fragile. The soft, unspoken guard rails of mutual tolerance and institutional restraint have been ridden roughshod and are no longer capable of protecting democratic institutions. Deep divisions and polarization in our society threaten American democracy. How do we keep democracy from running off the rails? How can we keep it from dying an untimely death?
 
These longer-term solutions of abolishing the Electoral College, increasing representation in Congress, and imposing term-limits on US Supreme Court Justices may at first glance seem impossible to accomplish in today’s divisive environment. While these solutions are currently improbable, they must be pursued. Ultimately, they will become possible. Like other political changes that were initially deemed impossible, such as the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage, we must begin by promoting the possibility of changing the Constitution, Congress, and the US Supreme Court. Only then can actual change happen.
 
When we reimagine our democracy as a nimble, living institution, change will happen. Promoting these concepts of change and voting for candidates who also hold these ideals will go a long way toward creating the change needed to strengthen democracy so that Christian nationalism and other destructive forces cannot destroy it.
 
For what good will it do to build the “grandest” country in the world only to house the dead relics of democracy within?
 
 
 
 
*V-Dem Institute is an independent organization that measures hundreds of attributes of democracy in countries around the globe. Click here for their 2023 report:
https://v-dem.net/documents/29/V-dem_democracyreport2023_lowres.pdf
 
For more information on democracy, how governments slide towards authoritarianism, and possible solutions, I highly recommend Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zimblatt’s books, How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Cologne, Germany.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”  Isaiah 12:2
 
 
Tilting my head to get a better view out of the window, I marvel at the setting sun, luminescent against the expanse of fluffy cotton clouds. Suspended above the clouds as my flight glides seemingly effortlessly through the “feather canyons” toward the evanescent sun, I cannot help but be amazed at God’s celestial handiwork.
 
From below, clouds can be menacing and threatening as they cover and darken the sky. Yet above the clouds, the sun shines and the sea of clouds curl and swirl their fluffy waves across the elusive horizon. Joni Mitchell’s timeless song, From Both Sides, Now, alludes to these two sides of the clouds as the refrain “I’ve looked at clouds from both sides, now” dances through my mind. What can we learn from this heavenly creation?
 
We are living in times of uncertainty and fear. Climate change poses an existential threat. White Christian nationalism endangers our democracy here in the US and around the globe. Gun violence snuffs out life every day. Divisiveness and vitriol roil the spheres of our politics and our relationships.
 
Fear is a normal emotional response to a real or perceived threat of impending danger. Fear’s purpose is to warn us of danger. But when the nightly news instills fear in us repeatedly, fear becomes the norm. This hyped, exaggerated fear threatens to dominate our thoughts and emotions.
 
At this time of year, we celebrate the birth of the Infant Jesus. It is easy to lose sight of Jesus’ mission and purpose among all the glitter and gifts. It is also easy to imagine the Baby Jesus lying in a manger and ignore His purpose in being born of human flesh.
 
Jesus, in all His glorious divinity, steps out of the heavenly clouds and into the manger of earthly humanity to show us how to love and how to overcome fear. Many times, Jesus tells His followers not to fear. He is empathetic to their plight in a world of Roman oppression. His love compels him to first enter this fearful and difficult world as a baby in a stable and ultimately to teach how to fear less and love more.
 
As the prophet Isaiah hints, salvation is the opposite of fear. When we trust in and live by God’s love, we are saved from fear. We can live unafraid. His perfect love casts out all fear. Fear does not have the final say in our lives.
 
Jesus’ concept of salvation includes wholeness in the present. Wholeness implies a lack of irrational fear.  When He heals the sick, the blind, the lame, and the leper, He restores people to physical health. But more importantly, He restores their soul, making them whole and allowing them to be part of society again, no longer afraid of being shunned or ignored.
 
We are saved from fear by trusting that His way of love and healing will ultimately win. He is in the business of saving lives in the present as well as souls for all eternity.
 
In a time of horrendous Roman oppression, He taught His disciples how to live a new way, one of love, and one that ushers in the kingdom of heaven on earth. When Jesus says the kingdom of God is within them, He means that His kingdom is possible in the here and now. He shows His followers how to be free from living in fear, free from the fear of oppression, and free from injustice, where all live together in perfect harmony. Although there were times when His disciples were rightly afraid, they learned to live out of love. They shared what they had; they took care of each other. When we love like Jesus did, love and peace reign. This is the kingdom of heaven on earth.
 
The religious ruling class and the Roman government were threatened by this new and better way to live that upset their apple carts of power, greed, and control. As a result, they lynched Him. But they could not squelch the power of love.
 
Perhaps both sides of love are at work here: one side that provides salvation and wholeness and the other side that casts out fear. And maybe if we truly believe in the power of love by loving our enemies as well as our neighbors, we can bring about the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
 
It might mean deciding not to vilify our political enemies and instead, showing them love and empathy. Choosing love over hate breaks down fear and barriers.
 
Maybe love will spur us on to action, to stand up for the marginalized, to rectify injustices, to reverse climate change, and to seek civic actions that support our fragile democracy. By doing so, we can work out of love to bring about changes to the very things of which we are afraid.
 
From the manger to the cross, Jesus teaches us how to love one another and how to live out our lives in love. We do not need to fear.
 
Perhaps the clouds do teach us another tune. Perhaps they are indeed both sides, now. Maybe it is not just an illusion, as the song goes, but we really can know clouds, love, and life. Without fear.
 
 
Lord Jesus, You humbled Yourself to be born as a helpless infant in a smelly stable. But You did not stay there. Your teachings changed the world and continue transforming it into Your heaven on earth, through love. May we love You with all our being, love our neighbors as ourselves, and love even our enemies. For Your sake, as Love personified. Amen.
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo from above the clouds with the setting sun.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.