Shout! Shout! Let it all out. These are the things I can do without. Come on…

 

In an era where some demand access to every nook and cranny of democracy, we risk railroading moderation and compromise. So quick, find me a chair! I want to climb up and applaud the Unicameral for keeping leadership votes secret. The courage of these legislators to act in the best long term interests of all Nebraskans is to be applauded.

Debate and compromise is why, historically, the American model of self-governance worked. And as we all know from our private and professional lives, sometimes privacy matters.

The American model of self-governance was designed to be slow, inefficient, and force compromise, especially in our institutions. While modern political parties push for winner-take-all outcomes, our system of checks and balances pits political ideas against each other to force debate. By engaging reasonable but opposing ideas, we learn about the needs and wants of fellow Americans. This process teaches that neither Democrats nor Republicans have a monopoly on good or bad ideas, and although there is no moral equivalency between the right and the left at this moment, all groups suffer from bad actors. Through compromise, we get better policies and moderation, that legitimizes the outcome and dignifies the opposition.

But there are those who want to muzzle our democracy. Whether it is by legislation or intimidation, wittingly or otherwise, some will stop at nothing to take away our sense of security and freedom by attacking our model of self-governance.

This is done by undermining voter trust and confidence in free and fair elections.

Without trust, voters question the legitimacy of those elected.

Republican Senator Romney pays $5,000 a day to ward off threats to his family. An assailant’s hammer blows to Speaker Pelosi’s husband in their home was an assault on him and on democracy. Reuters’ report, Campaign of Fear, details an increasing number of assaults and threats on American poll workers.  Last year, of those who left their job in Election Offices, 1 in 10 cited threat and intimidation as the cause. In the aftermath of electing a House Speaker, threats against elected officials, their spouses, and children, were ghastly and sexually perverted. As the January 6^th Committee documented, this barrage on American Democracy is orchestrated and intentional. Nothing justifies or excuses this behavior.

During the 20s & 30s Germany was reeling in the aftermath of WW1 and suffering an economic tailspin. Pastor Martin Niemoller was an early supporter of German right wing authoritarianism. But when Niemoller spoke out against Germany leadership in 1937, he was branded a political enemy and sent to a concentration camp. We are reminded of Reverend Niemoller’s words…

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

Martin Luther King’s 1965 march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge demonstrated the importance of speaking out and voting. By voting we exercise our Constitutional right to choose, empower, and legitimize those who govern. As political parties move further to extremes, many increasingly vote AGAINST candidates, in favor of the “lesser of two evils.” As populism and extremism spread across Western Democracies, 2024 promises to be an inflection point in the Founding Father’s vision of America as a city on the hill and a beacon of democracy to the world. Let’s pray, or whatever you do, that the American voter understand exactly what they are voting on in November because it is so much more than a partisan nod to President Biden or Mr. Trump.

In these times, you shouldn't have to sell your soul. In black and white, they really, really ought to know.

Blow Wind Blow: Language and the Culture Wars

 

Pick a pronoun – any pronoun.  It’s interesting that among a generation raised expecting to “have it your way,” some are bothered by today’s variety of pronouns. For some, the paradox of choice in pronouns means tacit endorsement of a “LGBTQIA+ agenda.” For others, it’s an affront to their politics or inconvenience. Still others fear being ridiculed for using the wrong pronoun. And then there’s laziness and disregard for others.  The attention to Pronouns points to how, amid the culture wars, evolving language impacts our perception of the world.

The older I get, my occasionally stodgy self recalls Jefferson’s reply when asked about the complexity of religious plurality, “it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” Upon reflection, some issues don’t really affect us. Most people just want a life that includes happiness, dignity, affirmation, and freedom from harm.  

How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man? (Blowing in the Wind, Bob Dylan) 

On the other hand, few things are as important, or as anxiety laden as societal change. Whether it’s due to advancements in technology, evolving demographics, climate change, or pop culture, Western society is changing rapidly and, understandably, many find this concerning.  How we respond defines who we are.

An important element of change is evolving language. Years ago, a senior member of the Bush administration made an obvious but simple comment, “These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

Buried within our language, inferred or explicit are the ideas, images, and accepted norms of American society.  Most think in their native language. This means reality is defined by one’s vocabulary of words and ideas. In other words, you can only comprehend the unknown by using words and ideas that are known.  By changing language, we change ourselves.

And how many years can some people exist, before they're allowed to be free? 

When asked, I venture most would happily do what they could to end discrimination. Science confirms that humans experience mental and physical damage to their health caused by the stress associated with continued exposure to ideas or actions that deny dignity, one’s legitimate membership in society, or signals possible threats including a loss of freedom. This phenomenon has been well documented among Black women. The language you and I use, the way we act, intentionally or unknowingly, can contribute to other’s stress.

Yes and how many times can a man turn his head, and pretend that he just doesn't see? 

Like you, I am no saint. But I try to remember that no one wakes up hoping I make their life more difficult.  More than once I have learned that a plumber is as important as a pediatrician, that a mechanic is as essential as a Mayor. With age comes wisdom. 

And how many ears must one man have, before he can hear people cry?

As we adjust to the inevitability of a changing world, is it too much to ask that we modify our language to accommodate those who struggle for legitimacy, safety, and acknowledgment?  Whether it’s due to ethnicity, religion, age, education, socioeconomics, race, or sexuality, are those who simply want what we all want, a happy life, such a threat that we tolerate scapegoating by office seekers and malcontents?

Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows, that too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind