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Our underground group this morning starts with a reference to John Lewis: “It’s time for more good trouble.”
We spend some tome exploring the difference in the words libertarian, liberal, Neo-liberal and conservative, especially in terms of trying to understand the current moment. For me, it’s hard to have the word libertarian used to define the dark money behind Trump, namely the path defined by James McGill Buchanan in Nancy McLean’s Democracy in Chains. In my younger days, libertarians were the kind of quirky folks at the edge of the movement smoking pot and against government authority of any kind. Sort of the Arlo Guthries of politics. Likewise, in South America, and historically in Europe the word liberal also had a meaning very different than it does here today, also demanding the freest markets possible. And democratic decison making. (Thus the followers of Milton Friedman defining themselves as neoliberals.) Historically, liberals were the opposite of conservatives, who were royalists, believers in monarchy. Words have a way of morphing on us as circumstances change.
Steve P reminds us that liberal religion, by tradition, rejected all authority.
Joel speaks of having grown up evangementalist (his word) where scripture was inerrant. Steve P reminds us that Calvin said, "Unless the Holy Spirit starts to the reading of scripture, it is a demonic letter.”
Norm recalls that his Baptist tradition historically affirmed that my interpretation alway takes place within the congregation, the community. They were also historically champions of the separation of church and state. Their turn to the right was not dictated by their history or theology.
It’s all leading up to what we’ve been avoiding, the topic of the day which is where are we now? In light of the current state of division, as one of us says, we are either in conversation or a place of war.
Steve P has started a “100 day journal” to note where we are each day on the way to election day, Novemeber 3rd. We have been reading pundits who question whether the President will actually accept defeat. We are not being overreactive in these fears. Former President Obama has said the idea keeps him up at night. And the President himself has planted the seeds, refusing to say he would accept the outcome, floating the idea of postponing the election.
Campaigns of voter suppression are underway. The US Postal Service is beige destroyed as “mail in ballots” are being treated with disdain.
Dre says that he is simply afraid. Is character revealed in ideas or actions?
Is Portland an example of a dying empire, or something worse? As I look at the President’s deployment of his private federal forces in Portland and now threatened in almost any democratic run city, I feel I am in late Weimar. Noticing each step.
Historian Joe says, “This is the way it happens.”
De wonders whether we need a new strategy. We recall Vaclav Havel said in “The Power of the Powerless” that once the people stop surrenduring, power ceases to exist.
Joel sees the President as a shape shifter, the Britney Spears ( no offense Britney) of politics.
Steve P recalls how Nixon and Regan won through racism and a dash of miscogeny. (Maybe more than a dash). Trump is working the same angle. We’ve also have his camouflage wearing arms bearing “volunteers” on the US-Mexico border and storming legislatures. Meanwhile armed and organized black groups like NFAC (Not Fuckimg Around Coalition) have appeared in Stone Mountain Georgia.
Joel says, “We can never see past the chaos we can’t understand…” and Dre wonders what a “family therapy” approach might look like.
We end up whee we began, with John Lewis who said simply, "get in the way…”
My walk in the park today doesn’t calm me much.
I meet with board of the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing. We are still seeing record numbers of homeless people, street vulnerable to covid19. And an eviction crisis looms as the rent moratorium (and that’s all it was, not forgiveness) expires…
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