The following is my opinion as a private citizen. Saturday’s Times ministries page article addressed a very timely subject: The United States Constitution’s guarantee of what President Thomas Jefferson called the “wall of separation” between government and religion. Several politicians are once more reverting to religious statements and innuendo, attempting to ingratiate themselves with voters. Life and history teach that labeling oneself a “Christian” or member of any other sect does not make a person good nor better than another. Religiosity is conveyed through charitable, considerate, and pious actions, not loose words.
Recent whole-page advertisements from a Republican gubernatorial primary candidate labels her a “Christian businesswoman.” One mailout portrays a local Democrat as instrumental in placing “In God We Trust” on Texas license plates, reminiscent of 1940s World War II Nazi German Wehrmacht regiments having “God is With Us” embossed on their belt buckles. Such assertions are vacuous and have no place in politics.
Some commend practicing piety or appealing to the supernatural. However, politicians making such statements give impressions of exclusivism, ostracizing my colleagues and students who are Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, or Non-believing American citizens guaranteed freedom of conscience by our Constitution. Our Constitution, the Law of the Land that established this country and allows citizens and residents to follow their consciences freely and without fear, is a secular document. It’s perfectly fine to have religious belief, or non at all, as long as it’s not part of political propaganda. Religion is part of humanity for many and some find it difficult to separate it from political thought. American government cannot impose religious belief on citizens just as religious ideology should not be used to legislate. Many politicians use religion as propaganda, like the Bible-toting hypocrite posing in front of a Washington, DC church. Just as relevant today as twenty centuries ago, Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca stated, “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the politicians as useful.”
Laredo Republicans’ guest, Oath Keeper founder and insurrection conspirator Stewart Rhodes has been arrested and indicted. Laredoans should remember how Rhodes, extreme reactionary gubernatorial primary contender Allen West, and Christian Nationalist zealot “Pastor” Jorge Tovar carried on at a Laredo city park. Cherry picking from the Bible, the latter brazenly stated that religious people should govern. This is blatant Christian Nationalism, a perverted and highly absurd sectarian view that people labeling themselves religious qualifies them for public office. Tovar exhibited religious and educational fissure. Be alert, recall “Reverend Jim Jones’ Peoples’ Temple, then David Koresh’s Branch Davidians and their hundreds of suicides. Similar cultic fanaticism helped elect a highly inept, immoral, and unqualified scam artist president in 2016.
True democracy is government by majority vote. Our democratic republic enables citizens to elect representatives in government. Our nation’s sovereign authority is its citizenry. Politicians serve the people, not the other way around. The fairest form of government is a democracy and the authority of the majority guides society. Laws are created by our elected Congress. The Executive applies laws enacted by Congress. The Judicial Branch interprets law. Laws are created to ensure society’s safety, security, and well-being. A majority of citizens (by approximately seven million) elected Joe Biden President. He is President of ALL American citizens, regardless of party affiliation. These are facts substantiated by evidence.
The whole world witnessed many Americans acting out against democracy, the sovereign will of the majority, with vehemence and violence. To deny this criminality is falsehood. However, I urge fellow citizens to not refer to such naysayers as “dumb” or “stupid,” since those terms are insulting. However, those who continue to stubbornly project threatening attitudes, language, and violence are wrong; some are criminal in my estimation. Misguided by lack of information, incredibly false demagoguery, and a stubborn form of harmful wishful thinking, they seem impervious to evidence that permeates current realities. We are all American citizens. Our nation is a living entity that requires lawful adherence to human ethics and common decency, not vile attacks.
Judiciously applied law enforcement must be respected and well-funded through properly representative taxation. Officers risk their lives to “protect and serve” and deserve citizens’ support. On the personal level, I resent another mailout this week where an incumbent Democrat accuses a primary competitor of not supporting law enforcement. I view such statements as unadulterated propaganda. Attempting to paint an opponent in a bad light cheapens the accuser’s image. I suggest meaningful debate, not mudslinging. Many view politics as a blood sport, but a proper prescription is for human beings to treat one another with civility. Wishful thinking?
A democratic republic like the United States is unique in the world. Few countries enjoy our kind of freedoms. It appears some desire a “Big Brother” authoritarian leadership where citizens are told how to behave and don’t have to think. In 1980 a Chilean tourist told me “You North Americans have too many freedoms.” He might be right, but we need to protect those freedoms. Laredoans daily witness migrants risking their wellbeing to seek a better life in the United States. The people who attacked our national Capitol last year abused their rights to commit violence. That is not the way to resolve national issues. These insurrectionists used wearisome terms and lies to rile fellow travelers to violence, hiding behind fatiguing words now devoid of positive meaning, like “patriots” and “Christians”.
Democracy, government by the majority, requires vigilance (ojo) and participation by voting. Unfortunately, Laredo has historically extremely low voter turnout. It is essential to participate in self-governance. I remind fellow voters to consider relevant social, legal and security issues during the elective process, not personal attacks. In Yugoslavia the campesinos have a saying about deceitful leadership, “Play with pigs and you are going to get dirty.”
Please vote!
Forcefully argued and well put, Carlos.
Well said. I hope more people will take it to heart.