Saturday, August 2, 2014
The month of August has arrived. It's time for our Congress to take their summer recess for approximately five weeks. The question I have to ask, however, is what is our Congress taking a recess from? Our current Congress has been setting records for the lowest approval ratings ever. Want to see documentation of that? Here is an excellent article in the Huffington Post. Congress is now less popular than polygamy and pornography! Yes, you did read that correctly. These 'bottom of the bucket' ratings indeed say something sadly profound about the state of affairs in the United States of America. People would apparently rather watch porn that listen to members of Congress speak...about anything!!!
I personally can say I have had my fill of our inept Congress. Two years ago I lived in Washington, D.C. At the time I worked as an intern for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I wasn't paid for my work so I worked a second job as well. At the time I was hoping to get a job in government. In my second job I worked as a fundraiser for a third party organization that was sub-contracted out by a number of progressive causes. I would sit in a basement office space among a number of unmotivated and under-motivated people and call people all over the country and ask for monetary contributions to groups such as the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Sierra Club, political campaigns and public television stations located in places like North Carolina and Chicago. On occasion I would call to ask money to help install a better Congress for the autumn of 2012. I now look back on that time and almost laugh. I don't have some grand vision of how to fix our broken political system but I am quite sure of one element that is corrupting the whole system. That element is money.
Hypocrisy is also corrupting our system. And this is the focus of my piece today. Here in Minnesota anyone who has the slightest bit of political awareness and a mind that actually functions above and beyond what you would expect of a comatose person knows all too well about the all too often chuckle worthy statements of one Michelle Bachmann. Bachmann serves as fodder for our local pool of stand up comics. Just when you think you have heard it all Bachmann sinks to new lows (or new highs depending on your perspective) in her capacity to share grand delusions and paranoia. Consider what she recently said in regards to the border crisis regarding unaccompanied minors:
If you want to see more Bachmann whoppers click here.
The very idea that someone with the questionable grasp on reality that Bachmann regularly portrays can actually be taken seriously and seen as a legitimate, functional, contributing member of Congress is exceedingly breathtaking and alarming. But she isn't alone. The GOP has come to specialize in vetting individuals whose ideas regarding compassion, efficiency and the value of government are as warped as the circumstances of these unaccompanied children are desperate. If you don't believe that the federal government has any intrinsic value to serving the needs of the American people then please do not seek out careers in government! If you do not believe in certain policy principles such as equity, efficiency, accessibility and accountability then please step out of the way and allow people who actually want to create a functional society to take your place. If you believe compassion means depriving the most marginalized among us of the most basic resources required for mere survival then I do believe you need a teach-in with Jesus himself. Too bad Jesus hasn't penciled in any time (to my knowledge) in his schedule to make a showing here on Earth. I guess Jesus will wait until human induced climate change becomes very, very, very bad before appearing on Earth once again to rescue his devoted followers. Talk about your cosmic gambles!
I bring up Jesus, Christianity, politics and hypocrisy because I want to make this singular point today. The actions of many self-proclaimed Christians (whether they be members of Congress or mere average American citizens) in this nation could hardly be more counter to the teachings of Jesus. One story and one story alone is sufficient to make my point. Read the 25th Chapter of Matthew beginning at verse thirty-one. To read the story look here. Jesus is reputed as saying that those who have provided for the least among us have, in a sense, honored and cared for him. Likewise, those who have ignored, marginalized, deprived or harmed the least in society have ignored, marginalized, deprived or harmed him.
Having read this story from the Bible now consider the news that the House Republicans passed legislation yesterday to address the border crisis by "sending migrant youths back home without hearings". The legislation could also "prevent the more than 700,000 people (my emphasis) who've already gotten work permits under the program from renewing them, ultimately making them subject to deportation." So essentially the United States could deport a population of people the size of the population of the city of San Francisco as a solution. What breathtaking creativity and compassion!
The long simmering issue of immigration exemplifies just how dysfunctional and uncreative our current Congress is. The Republican solution is to send these children back to their countries of origin. Given the xenophobia and racism within the GOP it's any wonder that there isn't a similar uproar unfolding regarding allowing a handful of people infected with Ebola to be treated within the borders of the United States.
Whenever I write in this blog I always attempt to connect the daily topic to my core focus on trauma and trauma recovery. So in regards to the border crisis issue I would think it to be very wise to consider the following questions when pondering this pressing policy issue:
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that people who are already highly marginalized and vulnerable would be at a higher risk of experiencing additional hardship and trauma. And traumatized people are less likely to make well discerned choices. It is thus in the interests not just of the United States but of the broader security and stability of the Americas that this issue be dealt with in a thoughtful, probing way. Instead we have the type of legislation I profiled above being proposed as a 'solution' to the problem. Congress is essentially going to be on recess the whole month of August. Meanwhile children on our southern border are going hungry and worse.
I think the GOP could learn a lesson from those doctors who serve in Doctors Without Borders. If you are truly compassionate then your compassion does not stop at your own borders. Your compassion would encircle the planet.
The month of August has arrived. It's time for our Congress to take their summer recess for approximately five weeks. The question I have to ask, however, is what is our Congress taking a recess from? Our current Congress has been setting records for the lowest approval ratings ever. Want to see documentation of that? Here is an excellent article in the Huffington Post. Congress is now less popular than polygamy and pornography! Yes, you did read that correctly. These 'bottom of the bucket' ratings indeed say something sadly profound about the state of affairs in the United States of America. People would apparently rather watch porn that listen to members of Congress speak...about anything!!!
I personally can say I have had my fill of our inept Congress. Two years ago I lived in Washington, D.C. At the time I worked as an intern for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I wasn't paid for my work so I worked a second job as well. At the time I was hoping to get a job in government. In my second job I worked as a fundraiser for a third party organization that was sub-contracted out by a number of progressive causes. I would sit in a basement office space among a number of unmotivated and under-motivated people and call people all over the country and ask for monetary contributions to groups such as the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Sierra Club, political campaigns and public television stations located in places like North Carolina and Chicago. On occasion I would call to ask money to help install a better Congress for the autumn of 2012. I now look back on that time and almost laugh. I don't have some grand vision of how to fix our broken political system but I am quite sure of one element that is corrupting the whole system. That element is money.
Hypocrisy is also corrupting our system. And this is the focus of my piece today. Here in Minnesota anyone who has the slightest bit of political awareness and a mind that actually functions above and beyond what you would expect of a comatose person knows all too well about the all too often chuckle worthy statements of one Michelle Bachmann. Bachmann serves as fodder for our local pool of stand up comics. Just when you think you have heard it all Bachmann sinks to new lows (or new highs depending on your perspective) in her capacity to share grand delusions and paranoia. Consider what she recently said in regards to the border crisis regarding unaccompanied minors:
“People from Yemen, Iran, Iraq and other terrorist nations are making their way up through America’s southern border because they see that it’s a green light, they can easily get in. Not only people with potentially terrorist activities, but also very dangerous weapons are going to cross our border in addition to very dangerous drugs, and also life-threatening diseases, potentially including Ebola and other diseases like that.”
The very idea that someone with the questionable grasp on reality that Bachmann regularly portrays can actually be taken seriously and seen as a legitimate, functional, contributing member of Congress is exceedingly breathtaking and alarming. But she isn't alone. The GOP has come to specialize in vetting individuals whose ideas regarding compassion, efficiency and the value of government are as warped as the circumstances of these unaccompanied children are desperate. If you don't believe that the federal government has any intrinsic value to serving the needs of the American people then please do not seek out careers in government! If you do not believe in certain policy principles such as equity, efficiency, accessibility and accountability then please step out of the way and allow people who actually want to create a functional society to take your place. If you believe compassion means depriving the most marginalized among us of the most basic resources required for mere survival then I do believe you need a teach-in with Jesus himself. Too bad Jesus hasn't penciled in any time (to my knowledge) in his schedule to make a showing here on Earth. I guess Jesus will wait until human induced climate change becomes very, very, very bad before appearing on Earth once again to rescue his devoted followers. Talk about your cosmic gambles!
I bring up Jesus, Christianity, politics and hypocrisy because I want to make this singular point today. The actions of many self-proclaimed Christians (whether they be members of Congress or mere average American citizens) in this nation could hardly be more counter to the teachings of Jesus. One story and one story alone is sufficient to make my point. Read the 25th Chapter of Matthew beginning at verse thirty-one. To read the story look here. Jesus is reputed as saying that those who have provided for the least among us have, in a sense, honored and cared for him. Likewise, those who have ignored, marginalized, deprived or harmed the least in society have ignored, marginalized, deprived or harmed him.
Having read this story from the Bible now consider the news that the House Republicans passed legislation yesterday to address the border crisis by "sending migrant youths back home without hearings". The legislation could also "prevent the more than 700,000 people (my emphasis) who've already gotten work permits under the program from renewing them, ultimately making them subject to deportation." So essentially the United States could deport a population of people the size of the population of the city of San Francisco as a solution. What breathtaking creativity and compassion!
The long simmering issue of immigration exemplifies just how dysfunctional and uncreative our current Congress is. The Republican solution is to send these children back to their countries of origin. Given the xenophobia and racism within the GOP it's any wonder that there isn't a similar uproar unfolding regarding allowing a handful of people infected with Ebola to be treated within the borders of the United States.
Whenever I write in this blog I always attempt to connect the daily topic to my core focus on trauma and trauma recovery. So in regards to the border crisis issue I would think it to be very wise to consider the following questions when pondering this pressing policy issue:
- What are the primary reasons these people are fleeing their countries of origin? What are the major current issues in their states of origin?
- What percentage of those attempting to cross the border are children?
- What percentage of the children are unaccompanied minors?
- How many of the children are lacking consistent fulfillment of their most basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter?
- Have a lot of the people attempting to cross the border been unwitting victims of violence? If so, what are the common factors at play?
- What significant role, if any, does human trafficking have in this policy problem?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that people who are already highly marginalized and vulnerable would be at a higher risk of experiencing additional hardship and trauma. And traumatized people are less likely to make well discerned choices. It is thus in the interests not just of the United States but of the broader security and stability of the Americas that this issue be dealt with in a thoughtful, probing way. Instead we have the type of legislation I profiled above being proposed as a 'solution' to the problem. Congress is essentially going to be on recess the whole month of August. Meanwhile children on our southern border are going hungry and worse.
I think the GOP could learn a lesson from those doctors who serve in Doctors Without Borders. If you are truly compassionate then your compassion does not stop at your own borders. Your compassion would encircle the planet.
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