Friends of Padre Steve’s World,
President Trump has done something that no President has managed to tap into the hidden shadow that permeates American history. Over the past few weeks it seems if the man is devolving into a completely unhinged, paranoid, and unstable man whose worst character traits are coming to the fore in ways that if they were not happening before our eyes, we would consider them unimaginable.
That dark shadow side includes significant racism, and distrust of immigrants, persecution, violence, discrimination, and laws specifically targeting non-western European Protestant Christians. The first people to experience this were African Slaves, the first of who arrived Four Hundred Years ago this month at the Jamestown settlement. Of course the attempts to exterminate and relocate the Native American tribes that were in the way of White westward expansion.
Then Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Germany began to arrive. The were met with persecution, violence, and accusations of divided loyalties, because the Vatican and its small states were, and still are an actual country with full diplomatic status. The groups that rose up against them were known by their self -proclaimed title The Know Nothings. By the late 1840s they had formed a political party. Abraham Lincoln noted of them:
“I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor or degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that “all men are created equal.” We now practically read it “all men are created equal, except negroes” When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read “all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.” When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty — to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy [sic].”
The President has consistently referred to Mexican and other Latin American immigrants as invaders, criminals, and murderers, and he is now imprisoning thousands of them, breaking up families for indefinite lengths of time, quite often , facilities that look like they would be found in a third world dictatorship. He frequently disparages African Americans, and the cities where they live. He dissolves offices of the Justice Department charged with enforcing laws that deal with equal rights, civil rights, and voting rights. Most recently he has used oft-repeated anti-Semitic racial tropes to attack American Jews, mainly Democrats in order to rile up the support of Evangelical Christian supporters of the State Of Israel. He even retweeted the comments of a Right Wing radio host that he is The King Of Israel and like a second coming of God. Whether one is Jewish or Christian, such comparisons are outright blasphemy, but there is not a bit of criticism from his Christian Cult supporters. He is not smart enough to realize the depth of his blasphemy and his followers do not care.
In the past several weeks a number of mass murders, including by those who claim Trump’s inspiration for their heinous acts, as well as the breaking up of several more who had written or posted manifestos of their anti-immigrant and anti-Jewish agendas and their praise for the President.
And the President shows no empathy and little remorse. He will make an official statement one day and within hours at a rally will incite his followers to oppose the opponents that he demonizes, political, journalists, immigrants, minorities, and others.
Meanwhile the economy teeters on the brink of recession, he attacks long time loyal allies, and supports despotic rulers from Russia, to the Philippines.
I could keep going but honestly I am tired. This week has been hard. I got a bacterial infection on my face, we got hit by a microburst storm which tore up our large backyard tree, which will cost a significant amount of money to fix, even as we try to get our home ready to sell or rent so we can move into a ranch house without all the steps and levels. At work I stay busy doing counseling and fighting for our programs in the face of budget cuts even as the military budget continues to rise to levels never seen before.
On the positive side I have lost over 18 pounds since the beginning of June and over 4% body fat. I can walk again, swim and work out. But I’m tired, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are facing a major transition, at the age of 60 going from a thirty-eight year military career to civilian life, moving, and getting ready to start a new phase of life.
So anyway, until tomorrow,
Peace,
Padre Steve+
The Inglorius Padre Steve's World 