The divisions in America reached a climax this week, and they are not going to go away. Donald Trump has now said he will assure a peaceful transition of power, but what next? He’s also said, “This is just the beginning.” Is this more grandstanding and bragging from the braggart in chief or is he planning to start his own media empire, his own political party or just return to making lots of money?
My political stance has always been non-partisan…pretty much a “plague of both your houses.” Nevertheless, my vote went for Trump in November, but I wrote at the time that I was holding my nose and that I wasn’t so much voting for Trump as voting for the policies of the Republican party which were the closest I could get to my own beliefs. Trump and his supporters say the event on Wednesday was “mostly peaceful”. The pictures and videos of crowds storming the Capitol looked pretty violent. Apparently Trump told his people to remain peaceful and law abiding and condemned the violence. OK, but what was he thinking when he called his huge fan base to come to Washington on January 6? That in itself was a recipe for trouble and an invitation to foment civil unrest.
Here are the grim facts facing the United States: Millions of Americans believe Donald Trump is not only a fraud, a bully and a cheat, but that he has also been a disastrous president. For them, Donald Trump (if not a dictator) is just about to become one. They believe he is a psychopath, a malignant narcissist, a criminal, that he locks children in cages, that he is a racist, misogynist gangster. They believed he was in the pocket of the Russians and that he should have been impeached. Some believe he should be removed from office because of insanity. Others that he should be tried and executed for treason. They dismiss out of hand all allegations of fraud and cheating in the election as so much paranoia, and are completely unconcerned about alleged irregularities in the 2020 election. If the 2020 election was rigged, that’s okay because Trump cheated Hillary in 2016 by getting the electoral college, but not the popular vote, and besides the man had to be got rid of in order to restore sanity and the rule of law to America. If some extra aggressive politics helped to do that, no problem. They despise, vilify and sneer at Trump supporters as a bunch of naive, Bible thumping, rubes–dangerous fools for having supported such an idiot. Furthermore, they regard the Trump Train as a dangerous, seditious force–angry, hungry and heavily armed and ready to launch a military coup to put Trump back into power. They regard the huge crowds for Trump not as enthusiastic patriots but as a wild group of crazy fundamentalist Christians who “cling to their religion and guns.”
However, millions of other Americans believe Donald Trump was America’s last chance. They believe a globalist elite have been maneuvering into power for the last few decades. This globalist elite consist of the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, the big bankers, big media, big tech, big pharma and the military industrial complex. They believe the real power in America shifted from elected officials to the deep state–the unelected power brokers behind the scenes–the FBI, the FDA, the TSA and the CIA and all the super rich globalists. They believe Obama was a secret communist and his croney Joe Biden is a corrupt, money grabbing hypocritical puppet of the globalist regime. They loathe and fear this gigantic monolithic potentially totalitarian mammoth. They see this totalitarian power structure already using censorship, already tracking and using surveillance on ordinary citizens. For them Donald Trump was the savior. Although he was a flawed character he was their man–an outsider like them. He was going to stand up for them and for their country. He was going to make America great again. He was going to pull the plug on the globalist socialists. They truly believe the 2020 election was rigged by these globalist forces. For them it is obvious. They saw the size of Trump’s crowds while Biden sat at home in his basement. They can’t believe anybody actually likes Biden. They find it totally incredible that he sat at home, didn’t campaign but he received more votes than Barack Obama. Already inclined to paranoia and conspiracy theories, this has poured gas on the fire.
Now, if you find yourself agreeing with with one of these perspectives, your natural inclination will be to call the other side “Crazy, deluded, naive, and ‘drinking the Kool Aid.” If you take the first point of view you write off the Trump supporters as idiot believers in stupid conspiracy theories. If you take the second position you will view the Trump haters as idiot believers in the mass media lies and fake news. Whatever side you are on you will say, “But those other people are seriously crazy! Why can’t they see that they are believing a pack of lies?” Furthermore, whatever side you are on, you will really, honestly believe your version of events. If you’re a Trump hater you really do believe and trust the mainstream media. You really honestly believe that is the truth. If you are on the Trump Train you also really do, honestly and sincerely believe your version is correct. You trust your dedicated news websites, blogs and social media feeds.
Stop for a moment.
The people on the other side believe their version just as totally and sincerely as you believe your version, and guess what? Just like you think you and your people are the ones who are sane and full of common sense…just like you believe you and your people are good citizens and honest, hard working, law abiding folk…the other side think that about themselves. They really do.
In the heightened emotions people are saying terrible things. “Those people should be taken out and shot.” “Those people should silenced.” I hear this from both sides. The other day on Facebook someone who assumed I was a Trump supporter said, “These priests should not have a platform.” What does this mean? It means the person who wrote it thinks I should be silenced. If you really believe the other side is so very evil and dangerous, then it makes sense that you want them silenced. That’s how censorship starts, and what is the ultimate way of silencing “those people”? First censorship, then isolation, the they are taken away, then they are silenced permanently.
And this kind of horrible talk is going on from both sides. More frighteningly it is increasing and it is coming not from the lunatic fringe of guys dressed in furs with face paint and a buffalo hat. It’s coming from “nice” people who are enraged, frightened and vindictive.
What we are witnessing I have outlined in my book Immortal Combat-Confronting the Heart of Darkness. This is the classic scapegoat cycle. It goes like this:
- I am right. I must be right.
- The other guy is wrong. He must be wrong.
- I will join with other people like me who are right
- We will only ever read material that supports our bias
- We will get stronger
- Those other people? They are wrong, and if wrong, then bad, and if bad then dangerous
- We must silence those other people. We must block them out.
- They must be removed. Take them away
- We are right to take them away. We are good people. They are bad people
- Because we are good people God loves us. We are doing God’s work
- God is happy that we have taken those people away.
- What? They are still there? They are still wrong?
- We must silence them for good. God will be even more happy when we silence them for good.
Do you think this cannot happen here? Do not be foolish. Do you think you are not caught up in this cycle of violence? Do not be so proud and foolish. We are all caught up in it. It is the default setting. It is always there–always there just beneath the surface. All it takes to set it all aflame is stress, tension, fear and anxiety. What we are seeing in America in 2020 is classic, and do not be naive. It will not get better on its own.
This kind of problem does not get better by itself.
So stop and think again. Let us imagine the worst case scenario from each side. Let us imagine that Donald Trump or someone else who is able to lead the Trump Train emerges as the first American emperor. Let us say he takes over the military and brings about a fascist dictatorship and begins a military-economic campaign for world domination. What will you be able to do about it? Very little.
Or let us suppose that the vastly powerful global players bring about the United States Socialist Republic…a one party state with the illusion of a two party system with “free and fair” elections that are totally rigged from here on out. Let’s imagine that they bring in a socialistic, atheistic, communist style totalitarianism with the media as their propaganda outlet and some abominable antichrist at its head. What will you be able to do about it? Very little.
So what’s the answer? The answer is what is has always been:
- Listen to the other side. You’re not always right
- Do not demonize the other side.
- Be aware of the limitations of your power
- Be concerned about what you can do
- Build up what is good. Turn away from evil of all kinds
- Say your prayers. That will help you discern good from evil.
- Cast your vote carefully and prayerfully and hope for the best.
- Pray for the courage to stand for what is right when the opportunity comes to you
- Love God and Love your neighbor
- Live local. Love local. Work local. Local is real
- Do what you can with what you have where you are
- Be at peace.
If bad times come and your worst fears are realized, then do not be afraid. Bad times have come to many people in many places in the past. They have found courage when they needed it.
Remember Frodo and Gandalf: “I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.” Gandalf: “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
Father Longenecker,
I agree with you that both sides need to talk but one side does not want to talk. Why is Parler being banned by Google Play and Apple is on the verge of removing it?
Why is it I have to listen to inclusion at the Air Force when there is nothing inclusive about it.
One side is constantly being deceived. In fact that side is also being deceived by it’s own who claim to be on that side when it seems that all they are are infiltrators, spies and traitors.
My vote was stolen during this election. One side wanted an investigation one side did not. And now it’s coming from Leonardo in Italy that the votes were switched? Why are the votes from the US going overseas? This is a breach of my right to vote. Our votes should not be sent overseas and should be done manually. There is too much evidence of tampering and manipulation. We now have a fake Congress and President. If Biden would of won fair and square then I could live with it.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn roughly said, “to live in the Soviet Union was to live a lie”. Welcome to the USSA. United Soviet States of America. Though it’s not United anymore.
And how am I supposed to work at the Air Force now? Now I now how people felt when Hitler came to power.
Thanks for your comment. First, we’re not sure yet to what extent Parler is being banned. I think some people can’t access it because so many people are going there at once and it is getting flooded. My post was not saying that both sides are equal or that one side is right or wrong. It was about what people PERCEIVE to be true and how both sides think they’re right. I’m on your side, but the debate about what is actually true or false is a different one. You must serve in the Air Force now as we must all live: with quiet observation of what is going on–keeping quiet but also asking for discernment and courage to do the right thing when we are called to do so.
Well, not only did Parler get removed as an App, Amazon took their web services down.
GK Chesterton was right about the press. “We don’t need a censorship on the press, we have a censorship by the press.” And now it applies to Bug Tech because they “know better”. They are “enlightened”. Welcome to the new dark ages.
Yep. The elimination of Parler is scary. We’ll see what happens. Market forces are pretty powerful. Maybe Amazon will get hit in response. However, they are so big and so powerful and so many people rely on them that I doubt if anything would phase them.
One of my favorite lines from the movie Gladiator is when the politicians were asking Maximus about politics. He says to them “A soldier has the advantage of being able to look his enemy in the eye, Senator“. I’m a 20-year Marine. Don’t let this political stuff worry you. If all the moral people exit the military, where would that leave the Armed Forces? You pledged an oath to the Constitution and not any President or Congress. If it gets too bad, like Father Dwight said, we will have to make the choice to stand for what is right. That’s why I have a picture of St. Thomas More on my desk at work. It reminds me that although I’ve been promoted many times, I need to be willing to give that up if God calls me to it, just like St. Thomas More did.
Dear Michael,
First of all, thank you for your service. I have always been in awe of the marines. And just to clarify, I am a civilian.
I want to thank you for your comments. They give me encouragement.
But what you say is where I am troubled. I did take an oath to the Constitution to defend it from foreign and DOMESTIC enemies. So, when a person becomes President under lies and breaking laws, how am I supposed to “stay out of politics”?
I guess for now I pray and if push come to shove, I will be like St Thomas Moore. I am the king’s good servant but God’s first.
Thank you Father. Local is real. I try to remember to look up from my ipad and remember what Local and Real are for me that day. What the Lord has given me to do today, To know Him, love Him and Serve HIM. God bless you for helping to keep it real.
I agree with Darren. So many on the “other” side are busy trying to cancel half or more of the nation, for our beliefs. That side does NOT play by the rules, though we generally do. That does not make for a level playing field.
I have always thought I would live through the end times, and my prayer has been that I would stand strong. Now that I am Catholic, I am more assured that I can stay strong, as I have all the saints as examples. Plus, the Sacraments.
God is in Control and His Will be Done.
I agree with Darren too, but the post was not about who was actually right and wrong, but each sides’ perception that they are right. In fact, you are correct, the devil plays dirty, but we can’t. That is why our victory will always be in the cross.
Father’s ending 12 step program is excellent. The order could be better. Start with 6, 8, 9, and 12.
Darren, I am a retired CMSgt. 62-86. Be proud to serve the USAF today. Remain Mission oriented. Keep politics out of conversations as much as possible. Inclusion is important. Everyone is needed. I remember a number of non-white men – women, Blacks, others – whom I admired and was pleased to work with them. Superiors need our support. Subordinates need constant skill development we can provide. The first step in communication is to listen well. Ask for details, to increase your understanding of the other’s concern. Then explain the USAF way. Then be sure to show them the written authority so they can better accept your guidance. Maintain the dignity of others. Praise in public when deserved. Criticize in private.
Wow!
Frederick, what you wrote is almost exactly how I conducted my nursing classes (clinicals in various healthcare facilities, mostly).
I would add encourage, encourage, encourage. Be available. Take time with each student. Show care and concern for them, as people.
Well Done!!!
I have a comment about the article from Asia Times. My computer and accounts are very secure; therefore, I always block as many cookies as possible. Asia Times shows the links to do this, but the links don’t work. Thought you should know.