Continuing Commitment

The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent a letter to the 1.3 million men and women that comprise our active-duty armed services and the 811,000 more that are serving in the National Guard condemning the action of January 6 and reminding them of their sworn duty to the constitution. NPR reported part of the text:

“The violent riot in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 was a direct assault on the U.S. Congress, the Capitol building, and our Constitutional process,” the memorandum said. “We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law. The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection.”

This is good news. The coup has clearly failed and Trump’s support for his spurious contention of a stolen election has splintered. Though a small number of right-wing extremist groups have been roused to a white heat by his ongoing rhetoric, many of Trumps former supporters, both on Capital Hill and throughout the country are finally stepping out of his self-justifying and fear mongering toxic bubble. There is still real danger of sporadic acts of violence but the military and the FBI now seem to be taking this threat quite seriously and making preparations.

The Republican Party seems to be in the middle of extricating itself from its four-year love affair with a genius narcissist. This will not be an easy parting.   The reckoning between the Trumpists and those who would hope to reclaim the name and genuine meaning of conservative will be bitter and fierce. Then there will be the accounting for the lying and misdeeds on both sides. It will not be pretty or smooth, but for many of us it has been a long four years (or more) in the coming and the marginalization of Trump and all he stands for cannot come soon enough.

There will also be specific charges against Trump and those who have done his bidding. I suspect today’s impeachment proceedings in the House are just the first of many public trials for Trump and some of his most ardent followers. Trump has spent five years egging crowds on with ‘Lock her up.’ chants about his former Presidential opponent. Many of us were shocked with the idea of locking up one’s political opponents, but Trump’s behavior as President has been immoral and, I believe, illegal and he himself may end up with the fate he has so fervently wished for his opponents.

We should all continue to be nervous, but we should all resist the temptation to while away our days glued to our media sources. The wish for revenge is near to the wish to scapegoat. Though they rouse our passion, they do not lead toward lasting solutions to the very real problems we face as a nation and a world. As MLK Jr. said

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Let us not fall into the world Trump has created around us. Let us not fall into the facile escape of dividing the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’. We must acknowledge our common ground as human beings even as we stand firm for accountability and a reckoning with the truth. Reconciliation must be our goal but we must not forget.

Our democracy appears to be coming back from the brink of dissolution, but there is much work to be done. The inner work for all of us is to deal with the personal fear, anger and even hate that arises. Returning again to the words of MLK Jr.:

‘Hating someone will destroy you, not the people you are hating. If you‘re in a place of hating someone, you need to let go. Choose love over hate.’

Choosing love, as MLK Jr. demonstrated with his life, is not about inaction, weakness or sweeping things under the rug. It requires a fierce confrontation with the realities of institutional racism, classism, sexism that are woven into our better intentions for justice, equality and fairness.

So let us proceed together in facing the truth and re-weaving the fabric of this grand experiment in democracy in which we find ourselves.