The fuller quote from the Prologue to the Gospel of John is this –
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. (John 1:9-10)
Recently, some powerful events converged in my life and consciousness. I need to write. That’s how I process. Maybe someone else can benefit.
On January 3 – The US kidnapped the leader of a sovereign nation, Venezuela and brought him to the US to stand trial. Venezuela is twice the geographic size of California in the northeast portion of South America.
On Tuesday, January 6, I buried the last WWII vet in my congregation. He had been an enlisted man, reenlisted three times and was highly decorated. He had served in Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, earned five combat stars, a Purple Heart, and at least a dozen more medal-worthy honors. He had marched past concentration camps and was told to ignore them, “the Red Cross is taking care of them.” He helped liberate countries and camps!
Yesterday, January 8, ICE (Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement) shot and killed a 37 year old citizen. She was a mother of a six-year old. She was a college graduate with a degree in English. The national leadership spin blames the woman. The “Secretary of State” called her a domestic terrorist. The local and state leadership in Minnesota, and the numerous videos taken in live-time, beg to differ.
In a similar light, I realize that most of my passport stamps in the last 25 years have come from El Salvador. The Lutheran Christians I know and share a devotion to the ways of Jesus, were strongly influenced by the life and ministry of Oscar Romero. It is within my own lifetime that Oscar Romero, priest, Archbishop, and now Saint, was called a communist subversive, a left-wing guerrilla and was murdered while leading worship. Here’s a quick quote.
When Saint Oscar Romero was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador, he could not have known how radically his life, his heart, and his involvement with the people of El Salvador would change, placing him at the forefront of a lived theology of liberation. The people of El Salvador were living under an oppressive and violent military government that sought to silence, through torture and death, anyone who spoke out against its corruption. Saint Oscar was one who spoke out. He did this through his homilies which articulated his support and commitment for peace, non-violence, and human rights.
It was the US that trained the Salvadoran death squads and supported the regime that vilified and assassinated Romero. Our national media was not kind to him. The current world powers would not tell the truth at that time.
History will remember our generation
Bringing it all together . . .
My husband was an American Studies major in college – he knows about history, constitution, and powers that our THREE BRANCHES of government have and don’t have. His experiences and mine, combined – well, sometimes it feels like, as they used to say, like we “know too much about how they make the sausage.”
- Corporate media is owned by wealthy individuals and their corporations. If you don’t believe it, track the companies that advertise. Research them, their profits, their stocks, and you will see how they must present “the news” in the best interests of their stockholders and advertisers. When they appear to give a balanced report, it is often skewed toward their corporate interests. The recent Minnesota stories are a classic example. Video evidence shows ICE shooting through the windshield first, and then the driver’s side window – three shots in all. Video oevidence and training manuels are cleara that law enforcement training teaches that if a vehicle is moving toward you – get out of the way. It also teaches NEVER to shoot into a moving vehicle. Audio reveals that the women received shouted instructions to both get out of the way and get out of the vehicle. She was shot through the windshield while a masked agent tried to open her door. Our Secretary of State calls her a domestic terrorist. The feds won’t allow Minnesota authorities to have access to any of the evidence (that isn’t already on social media). Without cell phones, the federal narrative would have stood. Unchallenged. Think about that for a minute. This is all why it was so critical for them to do their best to defund and try to destroy Public Radio and Television. They are not corporately owned. CPB is no longer. Same with VOA. Voice of America which was established in 1942 to broadcast to places where news was censored. The executive branch has managed to shut it down. I work to help our local public media. I also listen to international news and how they report stories about us.
2. The 100 year old that we buried this week and all the other veterans and support people who stood with the Allies during WWII, fought against the Nazis and Fascism. They liberated concentration camps and occupied cities and whole countries that Germany annexed. Everyday German citizens were terrified of getting in trouble, and most of them stayed silent. In that day, far too many stayed silent. In our own day, far too many stay silent. History tells us that silence only helps the oppressors. History also gets to the bottom of the issues. That’s why the folks on the “right” don’t want us teaching history in a way that looks like anyone was oppressed (certainly not by our elites).
3. Our Executive Branch is trying to “take over” Venezuela and has kidnapped its president who was by any stretch – not a great guy – but what we did is against our own Constitution and any international agreements we have. They are also threatening to take over Greenland which is part of the kingdom of Denmark. In the first place, Greenland doesn’t want us. They too have their own sovereign form of government. What do we look like when we start trying to “annex” other countries at the whim of a wannna-be-dictator? Yep! We look like the folks my 100 year old veteran friend and his buddies were willing to die to stop! Millions of innocent people were murdered in the name of law and order. To answer my own rhetorical question, we look like a special kind of something.
History will remember our time. It will have nothing to do with the spin our national leadership is trying to superimpose upon our nation’s executive actions. It will remember January 6, 2021. It will remember January 2026. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be hearing the truth about our generation. What side of the truth will you be on in their recollections? Our country has similarly destabilized nations all over the world in the way it did El Salvador. Our federal government is even now, doing its best to destabilize cities that traditionally vote blue. They are trying to stir up a violent response so they can feed their own narrative that the “left is so violent.” (Remember ANTIFA?) If the federal actions are met with violence, they will claim more justification for more violence, and we will be heading toward Marshall Law. We are not there YET, but the threat is knocking at the door. Anyone who remembers the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s, knows that it was only nonviolent protest, response, and education that brought our country new rights for minorities and women.
History will remember our time.
For my part, I will continue to preach about the One who brings light and love to the world. It doesn’t mean closing my eyes to the facts and remaining silent. It means bearing witness to hard truths. The God that I worship and serve is the Great Liberator of the Oppressed, and through Jesus, experienced the violent evil of the world – and rose above it.
RDP WRITES 