"Binge-watching" is becoming a popular term, but most people would not use it in the same sentence with "the news". The past few weeks I did, because the political drama unfolding before us is more interesting, more suspenseful and more emotionally triggering than anything that a fiction screen-writer could possibly come up with. The addiction to watching the news, or what I now refer to as "the Trump show", brought forth all kinds of thoughts and feelings and trying to put them all down on paper was like trying to catch Niagara Falls in a bucket.
In 1989 a pop song came out called "I like It" by Dino. It's opening lyrics were, "That's the way it has to be cause that's the way I like it...". I thought of that last week as masses of federal workers were fired, Trump accused Ukraine of starting the war in Russia, reporters were banned from the Oval Office for not calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, and peace talks were planned without including the president of the country in question. The sprinkles on top of the sundae were Trump humiliating the Governor of Maine for not complying with an order about transgender athletes and Vance saying that he was so emotional that he felt more "like a woman" that he ever did or ever would. He probably never even realized that he was saying something sexist. I went from feeling very angry to questioning Trump's sanity to ending up almost laughing because the whole thing seemed so bizarre. I could handle having a leader doing things I thought were crazy. What I couldn't handle was hearing all of the Republican senators just going along with whatever he did, not only failing to question any of it, but in fact applauding it. I couldn't handle seeing that 88% of Republicans polled said that they still approved of the job he was doing.
People began to say that they felt like they were living in Nazi Germany. I began to think more about 16th century England, as Trump began to seem more and more like King Henry VIII. Henry VIII wanted what he wanted when he wanted it and he eliminated anything - or anyone - who got in his way. He had most of his consecutive wives executed for not giving him a male child. Everyone was afraid of him and quickly learned to stay out of his way. Trump won't even let a climate crisis stop him. If one gets in the way, he just convinces the people that it doesn't really exist. I began to worry about things that I never worried about before. Would the United States continue to exist? Would it collapse like the Roman Empire? What would the world be like without it? Or would we just end up having a Civil War? I remembered a song I learned in grade school about a person preparing for a double funeral during the Civil War. The person did not know how to dress for the funeral because two brothers had died, each on opposite sides of the conflict. "One brother wore blue, one brother wore gray..."
By the end of the week, I was excited about attending my first protest called the "Save Our Constitution" rally. I drove to the corner where it was scheduled to occur. A woman got out of the car next to mine and said that she was a registered Republican but she felt she had to stand up for common sense. We walked to the corner where there were only a few other protestors gathered. Standing there with them, I felt something I didn't expect to feel. I suddenly felt very vulnerable. People passing by would see our signs. Not everyone would agree with us. The emotions attached to the issues were very intense on both sides. Someone might yell something nasty at us, and that was going to hurt. We realized that the rally was actually a few blocks away. As we began walking down to it, carrying our signs, I became very self-conscious, having no idea how the people we passed were going to view what we were doing.
Conflict, controversy and confrontation have never been strong points of mine. My instant knee jerk reaction is to run as fast and as far as I can from them. I generally clam up when someone with different views starts talking. Actually, that is not always a bad thing. One of the most important lessons that I have learned throughout life is to choose my battles. I've learned that winning arguments is less important than preserving relationships. I actually tell clients not to argue with friends or relatives who have different political views because the only thing that will come out of it is a strained relationship. However, there is a time and a place when it is not only one's right to "rock the boat", but it is our responsibility to do so. The last thing that Pope Francis did before he became ill was to speak out against the Trump Administration's way of handling deportations. The administration said that he should stick to doing his job and let them do theirs. The church responded by saying that as the head of the church of Jesus Christ, it was his job to tell them what they should and shouldn't be doing. I actually think that it goes beyond the pope or any other Christian leader. Anyone who follows Jesus has a responsibility to speak out against things that are opposed to his teachings.
In 16th century England, one brave man who was actually a member of King Henry's cabinet felt the same way. King Henry had broken with the church when it would not approve of his divorcing his first wife. The king made everyone serving in public office sign the "Oath of Supremacy" that proclaimed him to be the supreme head of the Church. Sir Thomas More, the Lord High Chancellor of England, refused to sign this oath. He did so knowing that as a result he would be thrown into the Tower of London and eventually executed for treason. His story is detailed in an old movie called, "A Man for All Seasons". The church later proclaimed him to be a saint, and today there are universities and churches named after him. Recent popes declared him the patron saint of lawyers, politicians and statesmen. However, the movie shows that he was alone when he stood trial. Where were the members of the church who he was speaking out for? Why were they not protesting his execution?
I no longer felt vulnerable when we got down to the rally where there were nearly one hundred people standing around the intersection. It was also affirming when a number of cars passing by honked in support of us. I had to notice, however, that one lonely woman was standing across the street from us, alone, holding a sign that read, "Support our president". We talked about her but some of us found ourselves unable to say anything negative. "You have to give her credit in a way.." the lady next to me said. "Yes", I replied. "It has to take a tremendous amount of courage for her to stand there alone across from a gang of people opposed to what she is saying". In a way, she was doing the exact same thing that we were. She was speaking out for what she believed in. That brief moment of bi-partisanship reminded me of the saying, "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." As we stood there we chanted a number of different things. The one I remember the most was about democracy. One person would yell out, "Show me what democracy is!" and the rest of us would yell back, "This is what democracy is!" I looked at the woman across the street protesting on Trump's behalf. I realized at that moment that her presence there did not detract from anything we were saying or fighting for. It actually supported it.
When I look at what St. Thomas More had to face for standing by his convictions, the nasty things that people may say, or anything else that may realistically happen to us, doesn't seem like much of a threat. In a way, the ordinary people are a little more fortunate than their senators in that they have less to lose. It is very important that we continue to make our voices heard. Our friends and relatives don't need to know how we feel, but our leaders do. That is a battle that is worth choosing!
I didn't realize how bad I felt about how Trump and Vance treated Zelensky this week until I saw the European countries rallying around him, agreeing to take over with the peace talks about Ukraine. "Good for them!" I found myself saying. I felt some hope then, seeing that there are still people in the world willing to do what Jesus would have done. I felt some hope realizing that even if the United States would cease to exist, love would remain. I like it!
Dear St. Thomas More, you spent your
whole earthly life preparing for the life to
come. Everything you endured prepared
you not only for the glory God wished to
bestow upon you in heaven, but for your
work as the patron of lawyers, judges and
statesmen, and steadfast friend to all who
call upon you. Through your prayers and
intercession, obtain for us aid in all our
necessities, both corporal and spiritual, and
the grace to follow in your footsteps, until
at last we are safely home with you in the
mansions our Father has prepared for us in
heaven. Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory
Be... Glorious St. Thomas More..
(Day 9 of St. Thomas More novena - thomasmorestudies.org)
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