Time to Grow Up!

Gun violence prevention needs to move forward. The rate of gun violence in the United States compared to other Western developed countries, as well as the statistical human cost are beyond well documented. I urge you to look at the following sites and be overwhelmed by the statistics:

americans for responsible solutions.org

BradyCampaign.org

engageelca.org

everytown.org

momsdemandaction.org

protectmn.org

thetrace.org

Yes, we can argue over statistics, but the above are among the best and most accurate as they coldly reveal the carnage of gun violence on steroids in our nation. Oh, now toss in stats from Harvard University, Johns Hopkins, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Center for Disease Control. Then open your newspaper. Facts and truth abound! What is a way forward?

RESPECT THE NUMBERS. Sure, bring on opposing numbers, put them and all on the table, talk and listen to all the numbers. The bottom line is that 32,000 people die of gun violence each year, with about 2/3 being suicides and the other by homicide with a small number by accident. These figures are not debatable. The USA is Number One in gun deaths among Western developed nations.

BE REAL ABOUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT. The Second Amendment was included in the Bill of Rights because we had no real standing army, the people were afraid of an army, and the cost of an army was prohibitive. We were a young country that had struggled to fight its way to independence. There was a strong focus on individual rights.  We were a frontier nation. We needed a militia to be at the ready. Besides, forgive me, Indians were a threat, as were rebellious slaves. Guns in the possession of the people were necessary for protection and securing food. Read the first words of the Amendment: "A well regulated militia, being necessary for the security of a free state...." Yes, there is also the second half: "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Why is it that the NRA includes only the second half of the Amendment on their entryway in front of their office in Washington, DC? Let's be intellectually and Constitutionally honest.

Today, the Second Amendment has been used abused to justify free-wheeling gun possession and economic freedom for the gun manufacturers. Gone are the legitimate reasons as stated above. Now the reasons are profit, crime and paranoia. 

LET GO OF THE PARANOIA THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO COME AND TAKE AWAY YOUR FREEDOM. As fervent as many militia groups, the NRA leadership and Gun Owners of America folks stoke this paranoia on Constitutional grounds, the government also dwells in the Constitutional house. The government respects the Second Amendment as well as ALL of the Amendments. The Second Amendment is not the only Amendment which guides our democracy. How about the Preamble which states: "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare...." This is the governments main charge. Protection not persecution.

How about Amendment IX: "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." ALL people have rights, not just the gun owners and gun manufacturers. We need to remember that the Declaration of Independence speaks of the "right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." This is for ALL citizens. Are we prepared to denigrate these hallowed words from our most sacred documents?

How about Amendment XIV which proclaims that "...any state deprive any person of life, liberty and property, without the due process of law, nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Again, ALL PEOPLE are the subject of these rights, not just the gun owners and gun manufacturers.

The Constitution permits and constrains what government and the people can and cannot do. The purpose of our government is in the entire Constitution. Government is about life, ensuring life, liberty and happiness and domestic tranquility. Government is not spelled GUN. Fealty to only the Second Amendment leads to tyranny by gun!

COMMON SENSE GUN LAWS PROTECT LIFE AND OUR DEMOCRACY. Common sense gun laws allow gun ownership for responsible gun owners. Felons, the mentally ill, domestic abusers, the under aged do not qualify. Universal background checks for licensed and private sales as well as Internet sales are reasonable, plus they dramatically lower gun deaths. It is reasonable to prevent those on the Terrorist Watch List from purchasing a weapon. Similarly, an assault weapons ban seems reasonable. Assault weapons are designed for the military, for rapid and efficient killing. Reasonable regulation ensure every one's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No regulation opens the floodgates for anarchy and narcissistic chaos!

RESPECT THE FIRST AMENDMENT. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The free-wheeling flood of unregulated guns stifles the First Amendment. Unregulated guns create fear and deny freedom, life and happiness. Where fear dominates, death too frequently follows. Guns+fear=tyranny by gun!

The United States was founded for the purpose of FREEDOM TO LIVE, LOVE AND THRIVE! It is time to grow up, imagine life-giving honesty, and choose the ways of life for ALL.

Peace!

Hearing and Lobbying

I attended the hearing of two gun violence prevention (GVP) bills today. The room was packed with gun support folks wearing their maroon T-shirts and many GVP folks wearing orange.  One difference this year was there were no pro-gun supporters brandishing firearms.  They had gotten bad press so they toned it down. The hearing was billed as "informational," meaning no votes were to be taken.

The hearing was chaired by Senator Ron Latz who had introduced two bills: S.F. 2493 which advocated requiring criminal background checks for all gun purchases, including private sales. Presently, Minnesota requires BGCs only for guns purchased from a licensed dealer. Guns sold person to person, on line or from out of a car trunk are not regulated. This is the "gun show loophole." 

The other bill was S.F. 2980, legalizing a gun violence protective order. This bill would legalize a temporary restraint on a person undergoing stress from purchasing a weapon. It is a "petition for relief that the respondent poses a significant danger of bodily injury to self or other person by possessing a firearm."

Both sides of each bill were given equal time to present their case.  Several speakers addressed the senators and audience.  In addition, speakers pro and con were selected at random to also speak. The conversation was civil.  Fairness was observed. It was "respectful conversation." 

Gun bills bring out the people! It was clear that the pro-gun folks were defensive about protecting their right to bear arms because they needed to protect themselves from the possibility the government (Obama) would come and take their guns. This is another step towards tyranny. One speaker spoke of Hitler confiscating guns. They opposed both bills and shared statistics that proved in their minds the bills were not necessary. They adhered to the NRA mantra of "never give and inch" because to do so is to allow the government to creep closer to confiscating their weapons and becoming dictatorial. Suspicion and fear were dominant underlying influences for the pro-gun folks. Their arguments were ideological and statistical.

On the other hand, the GVP folks were articulate story tellers as well as statistical hounds. Their message was more personal and tragic, each relating the circumstances which resulted in the gun deaths of family or parishioners. Fear surfaced because of the threat of being shot rather than of the government or Obama coming to tyrannize. The issue was one of personal protection. 

There were contrasting views of government: birther of tyranny vs. protector, fear vs. safety, enemy vs. friend. 

I was chosen to speak in favor of the bills. I said the bills were "pro-life" in the good sense. I related the bills as being consistent with the Biblical witness of creation as God creating humankind in God's Image, that the foundational ethic of Jesus was nonviolence, and the Holy Spirit yielded the fruits of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity and self-control." I spoke of the Columbine and Charleston shooters as probably not being able to access guns if they had been required to undergo a background check. They got their guns through straw purchases.

The next step for the bills is to get them to committees for vote and then to the floor for debate and vote. This will be next year, hopefully.  I say hopefully because it depends on who controls the Senate and House.  Now the power is split and little gets done.  The Republicans will certainly prevent any of these bills from seeing the floor this year. Republicans are the most protective of gun rights, whereas the Dems tend to be considerably more open to GVP laws. I do believe GVP forces are growing in Minnesota and throughout the country.  Too many deaths.  The facts are too brazen to ignore. Also, more GVP people are showing up and speaking up. The pro-gun folks are not intimidating anymore. Not wearing their guns is a signal that they are facing strong opposition. Hope is in the air!

This GVP debate surfaces the purpose of government.  Indeed, government does have a legitimate purpose. I studied Romans 13:1-7 to understand the duty of government: to insure good conduct, to be a servant for the good of the people, and to punish the wrongdoer. Furthermore, these verses are book ended by the injunction to "love." The Preamble ot the Constitution speaks of the government "insuring domestic tranquility." The permission and call for government to do its duty is clear. Can we do it? We must for the sake of obedience to God and the care for human life.

Let the lobbying begin!

Peace!

Just War Principles

and 

Gun Violence Prevention

Do the historical JUST WAR PRINCIPLES (JWP) contribute to the epidemic of gun violence in our nation? We usually consider JWP when addressing military actions of nation against nation. But is there a correlation between the JWP and civilian gun violence? Let's take a look.

A JUST WAR (JW) CAN BE INITIATED ONLY AS A LAST RESORT.

ALL NONVIOLENT OPTIONS MUST BE EXHAUSTED BEFORE THE

USE OF FORCE IS JUSTIFIED.

Homicide is a last resort. The shooter believes there is no other way forward. Talk will get you nowhere. The shooter feels the other person wants to do him/her harm. Act now before the other can kill you. Kill or be killed. Similarly, I feel there is no hope, no positive reason for living so I will kill myself to relieve myself of my pain.

THE JW CAN BE INITIATED ONLY BY A LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY

I am the legitimate authority. I make the rules. My gang gives me permission. I/We am/are power to myself/ourselves. I have the gun. I make the decision to kill myself. 

THE JW MUST REDRESS A WRONG OR BE IN SELF-DEFENSE

The shooter believes the other person has violated and injured them. The other has encroached on his/her rights and poses a threat to his/her personal way of life or to their territory. My "wrong" is that I have been created. I must rid myself so others can feel at peace. 

THE JW HAS A REASONABLE CHANCE OF SUCCESS

I can eliminate the other person or group through surprise, good tactics and adequate firepower. I know how the other person or group moves and where they occupy. I can win. A gun insures me of a 95% success rate in killing myself.

THE GOAL IS TO RE-ESTABLISH PEACE

My space, my home, my turf will be peaceful when I eliminate the outside threat. The other person or group is disturbing my peace. I will cancel their menacing presence. The world, my family will be better off with me gone. I cause too much grief and unhappiness.

A JW IS PROPORTIONAL TO INJURY SUFFERED

The other person or group wants to destroy me. They have guns or can easily gain access to a weapon. All types of weapons are available to the other person or gang. Others have done violence to me so I am going to make them pay.

WEAPONS USED MUST DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN THE INNOCENT

AND THE RIGHTFUL TARGET

It is too bad if the innocent are in the wrong place at the wrong time. I must take action when the other is vulnerable. In this way there is less chance of me being hurt. Do the action and get out. People should not hang out with the "wrong" people. I will only hurt myself.  I will not take another's life.

Do the historical JWP contribute to the epidemic of gun violence? Yes. Each principle can provide justification for gun violence. Violence occurs when reasons justify violence. Reasons are easy to create. 

I believe JWP have contributed to a culture of justified violence in all facets of life: personal, community and national, homicidal as well as suicidal. JWP have provided convenient moral reasons for violence. Hence, the entire scope of JWP needs to be called into question. The JWP are "green lights" for carnage.

PEACE!

Guns and Non-Conformity

Guns and Non-Conformity

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters....

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by

the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern

what is the will of God-what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

Brothers and sisters, we have a problem. Each year in the United States, over 30,000 people die of gun violence. The United States has the highest rate of gun homicides, the highest number of guns per capita and the highest rate of deaths in high income countries. Americans murder themselves with guns at a rate 20x higher than people of other high income countries. Of those 30,000 deaths, 2/3 are suicides. In Minnesota, each year about 350 people die of gun violence, with 2/3 dying by suicide. David Hemenway of Harvard University, says that an American child is 13x more likely to be killed by a gun than in Japan, Italy or other industrialized countries. 

Abused women are 5x more likely to be killed by their abusers if there is a gun in the house. A gun in the home increases the chance of being killed by firearms by 72% or 3 times more. A gun is 22x more likely to be used in a homicide, suicide or accident than to be used in self defense. A gun in the home triples the suicide risk. Brothers and sisters, the United States, Minnesota have a problem.

Thankfully, by the grace of God, we are not powerless to address these problems. God has called us, God has transformed us, God has renewed our minds so that we may understand good, acceptable and perfect actions to work towards gun violence prevention. We are transformed in three ways: personally, theologically and politically.

PERSONALLY, my life was transformed from a gun loving kid in the 1950s to an active pacifist by the end of the 1960s. I loved guns.  I played cowboys and Indians, I was a cavalry officer, I had toy machine guns, burp guns, rubber guns. I shot birds with a Daisy Defender BB gun, and learned how to shoot a 410 shotgun and semi-automatic .22. Guns meant strength, power and authority. But then I shot my first sparrow and went home and cried. My step-father came home from a hunting trip with a deer tied to his car and announced that his hunting days were over.  He couldn't kill another beautiful animal. He sold his brand new 30-30 Winchester rifle. And then came the 60s. Civil Rights and the Vietnam War, coupled with the assassinations of JFK, Medgar Evers, MLK, Jr. and RFK tore open my soul and transformed my gun attitude.

My guess is that each of us has a gun story. Some of us hunt. Some of us sport shoot.  Some of us have a gun in our homes for protection. Some of us do not own a gun. As with Paul, I believe each of us is called and transformed to act responsibly out of honoring the safety of our families, friends, neighbors and strangers. We are called and transformed by the grace of God to be nonconformists for gun safety, for gun violence prevention. Guns can enhance life, but we must also be honest about its dangers. It is helpful for us to share our gun stories, because in the sharing we gain perspective about our true attitudes. Our stories are signs of our common humanity which bind us together and help us understand how guns factor into our relationships. Sharing our gun stories is like confession, and when there is confession there is repentance and forgiveness. There is change. There is gtransformation. We can ask ourselves: does my gun story lead me to work towards gun violence prevention? How does my story lead me to a transformed action? If not, why not?

THEOLOGICALLY, my early acceptance of the fun of guns was fueled by my learning that God loved me and forgave me.  Therefore, I was free to do what I wanted with guns. God made me feel good about myself and guns were only for play anyway. At least at first.

Amidst the chaos of the 60s, I began to read Bonhoeffer. From LIFE TOGETHER I learned that God created us to live within loving community, with disciplines of prayer, singing, study and fun. Guns were not part of the equation! Like with God was nonviolent.

From THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP I learned that "When God calls a person, God calls them to come and die." We are not called to kill each other, but to serve. Like is not about me but about WE. Then came the zinger: "We Lutherans have gathered like eagles around the carcass of cheap grace, and thereby we have drunk of the poison which has killed the life of following Christ." Cheap grace was living within ourselves, knowing we are loved and thereby free to do anything that makes us feel good about ourselves. Costly grace is living as if the ethic of love is implied within God's grace. God's grace is knowing we are loved so we can love, we can serve, we can live for others. 

From Bonhoeffer's ETHICS I learned that "We cannot experience the reality of God without the reality of the world, nor the reality of the world without the reality of God." As God engaged the world in Christ, so we are called and free to engage the world's realities by the reality of Christ. We cannot escape from the world.  To be faithful is to live in the world, to transform it that the world may reflect the Reign of God. 

I was theologically transformed from a grace-filled Sunday School faith to a faith which expanded God's grace to include responsibility for the world. As Bonhoeffer said: "We must take our share of responsibility for the shaping of the future." We must ask ourselves: Does my theology empower me to address gun violence prevention? Does my theology drive me "beyond the walls" of the congregation to address gun violence within the home and community? Is my faith broadened and transformed from a Sunday School faith to a community faith?

POLITICALLY, I was transformed from the world of ME to that of WE. My world was expanded to figure ways to unite people to work for peace, and now for gun violence prevention. Really, this is what Church is about. It is about the communion of saints, the priesthood of all believers and the Body of Christ. Ayn Rand would probably not feel very comfortable in a church. Individualism is transformed within the community of faith. We find ourselves among the fellowship. As clergy we are called to minister with the People of God, which means we must know and listen and struggle to seek together to do what is pleasing to God. This is Christian politics: the skill of uniting people to take action to accomplish the will of God. 

What can we do politically? 1) Sponsor a home gun safety course; 2) Support the Latz-Schoen criminal background check bill in the Minnesota Legislature; 3) Support the Latz Bill that legalizes a time out to prevent a person or family member from purchasing a weapon during a time of stress;

4) Attend the Protect Minnesota Lobby Day on 14 April and lobby your senators and representatives to support these bills; 5) Sponsor an ENGAGE event in your congregation to promote conversation on gun violence prevention; 6) Work within your church body to urge congregations to take specific actions. We must ask ourselves: How committed am I to take the time to be God's instrument to transform the People of God to take action to accomplish the will of God in our congregations and in the outside political world?

The ELCA has skin in this GVP game. Dylan Klebold, one of the Columbine shooters, was a baptized and confirmed ELCA youth.  Similarly, Dylan Root, the Charleston-Mother Imanuel AME Church shooter was an ELCA kid. The ELCA is not immune from responsibility to ponder what we as a church body, a congregation can do to lessen GVP and keep our kids from murder.

From MLK, Jr I learned: "We must put an end to violence or violence will put an end to us." From RFK I learned a quote from the poet Aeschylus: "Let us tame the savageness of man, and make gentle life in the world." From Bonhoeffer I learned: "Peace must be dared." And from Jesus I learned: "Enough!", "No more of this!" "Blessed are the peacemakers!"

God has come in Christ to transform us, to renew us, to not conform ourselves to the world, but instead to conform to Jesus and work for gun violence prevention. It is time!

The Reign of Fear-The Triumph of Christ!

In his sermon on 15 January 1933, Dietrich Bonhoeffer preached

on Matthew 8:23-27, saying:

"...the Bible, the gospel, Christ, the church, the faith-

all are one great battle cry against fear in the lives

of human beings....Learn to recognize and understand

the hour of the storm, when you are perishing. This is the 

time when God is incredibly close to you....God wants to

be our only support."

Fifteen days later, Adolf Hitler assumed ultimate power.

Fear has risen in America and throughout the world. The causes? ISIL (Daesh), Mexicans, Syrians, Al Qaeda, African Americans, Muslims, anyone non-White, unemployment, trade deals that ship jobs overseas, the Federal Government, President Obama,  lead-filled water, police,  Black people wearing "hoodies",  and....

What are our responses? Buying guns: semi-automatics and automatics, pistols for our night stands. We live in gated communities. We demand our government spend more on the military even though we spend more than most countries in the world combined. We limit voting rights to insure that only White people can vote. We incarcerate an increasing number of people for non-violent crimes. We want to build walls to keep the poor out. We protect police actions in spite of evidence to the contrary that some are too trigger happy and cause the unjust deaths of many each year. 

We fight to not allow gay marriage. We discriminate against Muslims, calling them names and isolating them from regular social events. We damage their mosques. In Black America we burn down their churches. We create urban ghettos. We entertain ourselves with television, movie and musical violence which offers scapegoats and emotional release. We find ways to exclude those different from  Christian Whites. Narcissism is fear's black bloom. Four letter words flow as carrion crows freely fly.

Too often our theology focuses primarily on personal edification, forgiveness of sins and easy love. It is feel good, success focused and protective. Too often our church walls are fortresses for the right people, like Medieval castles surrounded by moats. Amos' words fall on deaf ears: "I take no delight in the noise of your solemn assemblies."

Thankfully, however, Bonhoeffer has it right! The Holy Bible is God's victory over fear: "Fear not for I bring you news of great joy! For to you this day is born...." Psalm 91:5 says "You will not fear the terror of the night." Christ said to one whose daughter was dead, "Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved." "There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear" says 1 John 4:18.  Giving encouragement to early Christians, the writer of Revelation writes: "Do not fear what you are about to suffer" (2:10). In Holy Baptism we are held by God, cleansed by God, graced by God, forgiven by God, welcomed into God's fellowship of faith.  No fear. welcome in!  In the Lord's Supper, ALL are welcome!  Come, receive the forgiveness of sin!  Be in fellowship! In Church we eat and drink together.  We study together.  We worship together.  We retreat together.  We serve together.  We live and work for others together.  We are not alone.  In Church we have conversations about all of life.  We debate, we pray, we argue, we seek the truth, we decide for life. We are justified by grace through faith. "...for we walk by faith, not by sight."(2 Cor. 5:7). "...you are all children of God through faith." (Gal. 3:26)

Christ has triumphed!

A bulwark never failing!

The Church's one foundation....

Have no fear, little flock!

Jarring Truth

And [Jesus] said, "No prophet is accepted in

the prophet's home town."

....When they heard this, all in the synagogue

were filled with rage.  They got up, drove him 

out of the town, and led him to the brow

of the hill on which their town was built,

so that they might throw him off the cliff.

But he passed through the midst of them

and went on his way.

Luke 4:24, 28-30

Prophets of love often speak the JARRING TRUTH to their "homeys." Why? Because love "jars" the status quo. Love plows new rows, opens unexpected paths and surprises us with the unexpected. 

So it is with gun violence prevention. We hear of prophetic actions which can water the flowers of peace, but which may cause discomfort, a reorientation of thinking, risk unpopularity, affect profits, and advance disfavored laws that will equate love with safety. What are these prophetic actions?

FIRST: Insist on universal background checks for licensed dealers and private sellers, including

                        sellers who are passing guns to family members.

SECOND: Require ALL gun sellers to be licensed.

THIRD: Register ALL guns, keeping serial numbers, make and model and buyers' names on file.

                       This would allow for tracing of weapons used in crimes.

FOURTH: Require ALL gun purchasers to enroll and pass a gun safety course.

FIFTH: Prohibit sales of assault rifles.  Make them available at gun clubs.

SIXTH: Develop and market smart gun technology.

SEVENTH: Prohibit straw purchasing of weapons. A person who passes a background check

                         cannot then pass the gun on to someone who has not passed a BGCheck.

EIGHTH: Prohibit inter-state trafficking.

NINTH: Hold gun dealers accountable for the illegal sale of guns. Fine them, shut them down,

                          or send them to prison.

TENTH: Prevent those on the Terrorist Watch List from purchasing guns.

ELEVEN: Hold gun manufacturers accountable for failure to develop safe guns and for

                          illegal marketing.

TWELVE: Require that guns in home be locked up and bullets kept in a separate locked site.

THIRTEEN: Prohibit the significantly mentally ill from purchasing and owning guns.

FOURTEEN: Allow for temporary restraining orders to be filled by family or professional

                          counselors to prevent a stressed person from purchasing a weapon until

                          the time of crisis has passed. 

FIFTEEN: Disallow open-carry in public places including schools, courthouses and commercial

                          businesses. 

For many, passage of the above laws will be a "jarring" awakening, repulsed and rejected. Many will insist that their Constitutional rights are being violated. But they will create a safer gun environment.  Furthermore, hunters, sport shooters, those who want to protect home and family can still own guns. The only people affected will be the criminal, the terrorist, the significantly mentally ill, and the temporarily over-stressed person.

Who will speak the prophetic word and move to pass these safety laws? Who will insist on greater safety from guns? Who will provide gun owners with a greater level of acceptance by demanding safety laws? 

Who are the prophets? Who will risk being thrown off the cliff? Who will speak JARRING TRUTH?Is it I?

Peace!

Ron Letnes

Leadership for Our Time

Psalm 72:1-4, 12-13

Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King

Give the king your justice, O God,

and your righteousness to a king's son.

May [he/she] judge your people with righteousness,

and your poor with justice.

May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,

and the hills, in righteousness.

May [he/she] defend the cause of the poor of the people,

give deliverance to the needy,

and crush the oppressor....

For [he/she] delivers the needy when they call,

the poor and those who have no helper.

[He/She] has pity on the needy,

and saves the lives of the needy.

From oppression and violence [he/she] redeems their life,

and precious is their blood in [their] sight.

Who are the RIGHTEOUS leaders for our time? RIGHTEOUSNESS can be defined as right action, fair action, life-giving, benevolence, compassion and justice.

I am committed to addressing gun violence prevention (GVP) in the nonviolent Spirit of Jesus Christ. Righteous leadership is crucial to create safety for all.

In the United States are the Constitution and other Founding Documents which guide us towards RIGHTEOUS actions on behalf of ALL. the Declaration of Independence speaks of ALL citizens having the rigtht to LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.  The Constitution speaks of ESTABLISHING JUSTICE, INSURING DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY...PROMOTING THE GENERAL WELFARE.... 

I see a correlation between the prayer of the Psalmist and phrases within our Founding Documents when it comes to helpful guidance in addressing GVP. The focus of the Psalmist and the Founding Documents is RIGHTEOUSNESS for the sake of ALL THE PEOPLE. The Psalmist focused on the People of God and the Founding Documents on the citizens of the United States. ALL! Including the most needy, the poor, oppressed, those who have no helper and vulnerable. The Psalmist wanted to ensure these were INCLUDED in the grand design of the Kingdom. Similarly, the Founding Documents sought to include ALL in the national design. 

I heard the uniting of the Psalmist and the Founding Documents expressed by President Obama last week as he spoke of executive actions he would take to address gun violence. He demonstrated RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP in this time consistent with the Psalmist and Founding Documents:

1. Hiring 200 new ATF agents to do background checks and inspections.
2. Increase mental health treatment resources by $500 million, as well as reporting to be
              included in background check system.
3. Stir research on smart gun technology.
4. Tighten up background checks of you want to do gun business.
5. FBI is to overhaul background check system to insure 24/7 availability.
6. FBI to hire 230 more examiners.
7. Tighten-up arms shipping to notify ATF if guns are lost or stolen.
8. Require background checks on people trying to acquire the most dangerous guns through
             trusts, corporations and other legal entities.
9. Renew domestic violence outreach to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from
            purchasing weapons.

These actions are positive steps forward.  They will save lives. They are also limited. Stronger actions are possible only with state and national legislative action. But they are RIGHTEOUS because they seek to protect the vulnerable, the poor, the oppressed, the most needy. They also protect the rights of those who should legitimately possess firearms. These actions demonstrate RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP for our time.

Peace!

Ron Letnes

Forward!

What words can drive us forward, into the future, engaging the new year? I share three:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light....

For the yoke of their burden...you have broken....

For a child has been born FOR US....

His authority shall grow continually,

 and there shall be endless peace....

He will establish and uphold it with justice

and Righteousness....

Isaiah 9:2-7 (portions)

"If we want to participate in this Advent and Christmas event,

we cannot simply sit there like spectators in a theater 

and enjoy all the family pictures. Rather, we must

join in the action that is taking place and be drawn into

this reversal of all things ourselves. 

Here we too must act on the stage, 

for here the spectator is always a person acting in the drama.

We cannot remove ourselves from the action."

Bonhoeffer

"Good news to some will almost inevitably be bad

news to others....When Jesus came...it was to proclaim

the end of things as they are and the breaking in of things

that are to be: the status quo is not to be criticized, 

it is to be destroyed."

Peter Gomes

I share these words in the context of gun violence prevention. It is easy to be despairing when engaging this cause. The list of names and places are all too familiar moments of tragedy. It is a sad commonplace: "O, no! Another one! Enough!" So hammers the litany. Nothing seems to make a difference in lessening gun violence, or so it seems. Congress is fearful of losing their seats and funding for re-election, so they share "thoughts and prayers" instead of committing to legislative action, clinging to a doctored and historically dishonest interpretation of the Second Amendment, paying fealty to the NRA leadership while being deaf to the vast NRA member majority. 

There is hope if we seize it, if we allow it to move us forward in the Spirit of the above words drawn from the deep well of faith active in love. If we act!

Facts prove, statistics support that UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS save lives. States with UBChecks have 46% fewer women being shot to death by an intimate partner and have 48% fewer suicides. FBI data shows that in states that require UBChecks for all handgun sales, blocking criminals from buying guns or owning guns in unlicensed sales online or at gun shows, there are 48% fewer police officers killed. 

It is heartening that many polls including polls of NRA rank and file members, asking people's feelings about UBChecks, indicate a 70%-80% support for this common sense law. Why? Because most people believe it is smarter and safer to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, those who should be watched due to stress, and the mentally ill. Most people believe gun safety is a public health issue that demands common sense laws. Most people realize that with UBChecks the hunter can still hunt, the home protector can still protect, the sportsman can still shoot. But the others cannot. A UBC law can be passed. It is possible. This is a way forward!

Forward action is also possible by passing a law preventing those 800,000 people on the Terrorist Watch List from purchasing guns. Since 2004, over 2000 people on the TWL have purchased guns. ISIL and Al Qaeda have told people that it is easy to buy a gun in the USA! Do it! Jihad! Allah Akbar! Martyr yourself! Men, remember you will have the pleasure of 70 virgins as your reward! 

Yet, there is hope that action will be taken to prevent this irresponsible purchasing. 

The Church is ideally placed to insist upon action. We have a Biblical witness, church statements, theological urgings from wise leaders and the blood of the many to guide and empower action. We have a bold way forward. It is time! We can do it!  Enough!

This is what Advent is about: anticipating hope and deliverance as real. This is what Christmas is about: God coming in Christ to transform the status quo, change hearts and minds from violence to peacemaking, and insist upon justice for all. In Christ we are given the way forward.

Let's do it! It is WE who bring hope to life! It is WE who are the voices, hands and legs to go FORWARD. It is WE who provide the ACTION. It is WE who DESTROY THE STATUS QUO.

It is WE who BREAK THE YOKE OF BURDEN, CREATE PEACE and ESTABLISH AND UPHOLD JUSTICE!

It is WE!

Peace!

Ron

  

Well-Being of the City

Seek the well-being of the city to which I have sent you;

pray for it to the Lord,

for in seeking its well-being you shall find your own.

Jeremiah 29:7

Linda and I participated in a solidarity march following the Paris massacre. It was sponsored by Alliance Francois, the local French-American community. Outside their building hangs two flags, one American and the other French. On the march down Hennepin Avenue to The Basilica of Saint Mary and at the gathering, one heard the French National Anthem and shouts of Je Suis Paris (I Am Paris). Inside the basilica we celebrated the "Solemn Vespers for Peace and Justice." The text from Jeremiah was the foundation.

The occasion was precipitated by the violence done by guns. Yes, we can and should address the issue of terrorism by studying the "whys" and origins of Daesh, Al Quaeda, Boko Haram and many other terrorist groups. As in America we should and are engaging reasons for our own terrorist reality. As of this date there have been approximately 250 mass shootings this year alone. Each year in the United States we suffer over 12,000 homicides of which many are mass shootings. I call this American Terrorism. There would be no AT without guns. So, in the conversation about what to do about our reality, it is also necessary to talk about gun violence prevention.

Let us begin by addressing the issue of how to keep guns out of the hands of potential terrorists. One of the most urgent needs is to prevent those on the FBI's Terrorist Watch List from purchasing guns. Common sense, right? Presently, the FBI is watching about 420,000 people, of which 2,043 are on the TWL. However, and as an affront to common sense, the NRA and other gun rights groups are opposing a bill introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein of California which would begin to address this gap in our security. 

Senator Feinstein's bill was introduced in February 2015. It prevents Federally licensed gun dealers from selling firearms to those on the TWL. The legislation would not, however, prevent private sellers or online sale of weapons to them. Call this the gun show loop hole. Says Jennifer Baker, spokeswoman of the NRA, the NRA opposes this bill, "pointing to past instances where innocent people were added to the TWL either in error or as the result of tenuous ties to others involved in suspicious activities" (Huffingtonpost). She says:

It is appalling that the anti-gun politicians are

exploiting the Paris terrorist attacks to push

their gun control agenda and distract from

President Obama's failed foreign policy.

I call this obfuscation and distraction. The immediate issue is the safety of the American people. One needs to suspend belief to believe that we are protecting our people by allowing those on the TWL to purchase guns! As to some who believe it makes sense for the House of Representatives to vote to put a "pause" on accepting Syrian refugees who are fleeing for their lives, wouldn't it be prudent to also act to keep guns out of the possession of possible terrorists? This is a no brainer! Yet, our elected leaders and leaders of the leaders refuse to bring the bill to a vote. 

I would guess that nearly all of our elected leaders are or profess to be members of Christian churches. Perhaps they have heard the verse from Jeremiah in a sermon or at least read as one of the prescribed texts. I think the text provides the Biblical foundation for faithful action within the scope of our Constitution to pass this law for the protection of our citizens and members of our congregations. I would urge all people to write your elected leaders and urge them to support the passage of this bill "for the sake of the well-being of the city."

Peace!

Ron Letnes

Republican Party Epitaph

I remember wearing my "I Like Ike" button. It was a new fangled type that had both the words and the picture of a smiling Ike if you tilted the button. Pretty neat! The 1960's changed my party affiliation. Not that the Democrats made all the right decisions (Vietnam tarnished illusions), but there was an imperfect balance of values that tilted towards justice and a passion for peace in the Democratic Party. 

I say tilted because this action describes the honesty of balance in decision-making. No decision is pure. Honesty births nuance and honors complexity. Only bigoted legalists trumpet moral absolutes. This is why Christians find their perfection only in Christ, not in themselves. Even then we are humbled by our moment by moment sinfulness and are driven to our knees in confession, only to receive absolution by the grace and mercy of God.

So it was that I turned away from the Republican Party. Today, the scale of justice and peace tilt ever more away from the party. Our nation, our Constitution need both Republicans and Democrats to provide balance. Now, all that can be written about the Republican Party is their epitaph. Consider these nails in the coffin:

1. Elimination of abortion rights for women

2. Efforts to shut down Planned Parenthood which provide reasonably priced contraception

             and reproductive care for women

3. Elimination of Obamacare which provides affordable health care for millions

4. Increasing age qualification for Social Security and wanting to privatize its finances

5. Increasing military spending even though we spend more than nearly all nations combined

6. Elimination of labor unions, collective bargaining and encouraging right to work legislation which  

             lowers wages and lessens pension possibilities

7. Restrictions on voting rights making it more difficult for the poor and minorities to vote

8. Promoting unlimited anonymous campaign contributions which gives unrivaled

             power and influence to the very wealthy and corporate elite

9. Opposition to LGBT rights

10.  Roadblock to comprehensive immigration reform until the borders are tight and a wall

             is constructed

11. Meager support at best for increased minimum wage

12. Opposition to Consumer Protection Agency, wanting to give power to a partisan committee 

             controlled by Republicans which will limit its ability to protect consumers

13. Opposition to Dodd-Frank Bill which regulates banks and Wall Street

14. Cutting back on food programs and welfare for the needy

15. Support for off-shore and foreign tax havens for the wealthy

16. Blind support for the National Rifle Association

17. Opposition to Black Lives Matter and blind support for police

18. Eagerness to once again support large scale troop commitment in the Middle East

19. Blind support for Israel at the expense of justice for Palestinians

20. Attacks upon fact-based science and acknowledgement of the reality of climate change

21. Narrow and blind interpretation of the Second Amendment which leads to increased

               proliferation of gun availability and stifling of gun safety legislation

22. Refusal to fund the study of gun violence 

23. Obsession with cutting taxes at the expense of funding education and providing 

               poverty programs

24. Obsession with saying "No!" to job creation programs and funding of infrastructure

               programs

25. Cutting back of Medicaid availability

26. Unquestioned bias towards the very wealthy and corporate elite leading to unprecedented

               income inequality

And on and on! Again, I make these observations on the basis of "balance and tilt". There are Republicans who would disagree with these positions and Democrats who would agree with some of them. I look at the balance. 

The balance, the tilt points towards a Republican Party Epitaph. And further, with the increased metastasizing of these cancerous positions, the Epitaph of America. Democracy is being decimated.

An arrogant hubris rises amidst the ruins. The next monument on the Washington Mall is of a fat middle finger pointing towards a polluted sky.

As a Christian, I am alarmed at the injustice and violence of this imbalance. Isaiah's call to be "repairers of the breach", Micah's call to "Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God", and Mary's Magnificat in Luke: "He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and he sent the rich away empty....", and Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you." provide a transformative counterpoint to the Republican Party Epitaph.

It is the time to hear John the Baptist: "You brood of vipers....Bear fruits worthy of repentance!" Through repentance there is renewal. God's grace frees us to repent! Republicans, Democrats, People of God. And then: 

Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Luke 3:5-6

Arise! 

My Gun Story

I grew up in small town Climax, Minnesota. I loved playing guns. I had six shooters, cavalry holsters with a six shooter cap gun, an army "burp" gun, a plastic Thompson sub machine gun. The creme-de-la-creme was a rubber gun constructed of laths and clothes pins. The idea was to cut up an old car tire to create 1/2 inch wide strips which you attached to the front of the laths, stretch them back to the rear handle, fit an end of the rubber into the clothes pin (trigger) and go shoot someone!  You could make a machine gun lath rubber gun by cutting notches into the laths and running a string down the barrel, putting several rubbers along the laths and activate the machine gun by pulling up the string. Fun!

I loved John Wayne movies!  I watched "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Fort Apache." Television brought "Bonanza", "The Rifleman", "Rin Tin Tin" and "Paladin" into our home and my heart.  

Then came the B-B gun. I still remember the tears I shed after killing my first sparrow. However, the next weekend I shot 11 more.  Then, I was done. I went hunting a couple of times with my step-dad but never got a shot off. I took a gun safety course, learning to shoot a .22. I recall him hunting rabbits with it. He was a good shot.

My love affair with guns started to change when my step-dad purchased a Winchester 30-30 and went deer hunting. He came home with a deer strapped to the fender of his car and said he was done.  No more. He sold his 30-30. He felt the deer was too beautiful of an animal to kill. Perhaps he had some recurring PTSD from his service in Europe in WWII.

Then came the 1960s. My love affair with guns ended. The assassinations, Civil Rights struggles and the Vietnam War led me to say "Enough!" Guns meant death. No more fun. Guns were not innocent games anymore. I gave away my .22. The only gun I have today is an 80 year old rusty shotgun owned by my dad, broken stock, a memento in the museum of my memory. I became a committed pacifist, committed to nonviolence.

While serving congregations I taught and preached about nonviolence. I upset people with my anti-gun screed. I wrote anti-war resolutions for district conventions. Linda and I participated in several anti-war marches. We marched in Washington, DC on the 20th Anniversary of MLK, Jr's "March on Washington." 

I designed "The Gun Game" while executive director at Sky Ranch in Colorado. Each week we played this variation on "capture the flag." It was a three-phased game. Phase I was everyone playing the standard capture the flag for about 20 minutes. Phase II involved everyone being given a squirt gun (pistols, super soakers). The idea was to play the game, and when you were shot with water you had to adjust accordingly. That is, if you were shot in the arm or leg you couldn't use that appendage. If you were shot in the head or torso you were out of the game and sat down. Phase III had one side getting all of the squirt guns. Naturally, this phase was short-lived!

We processed the game following the three phases. All enjoyed the first phase!  Great fun! The second and third phases brought responses like: "It wasn't fun anymore." "We became angry." I asked, "What would it be like if you came to camp and were given a loaded Uzzie or pistol upon arrival?" The responses were: "It wouldn't be camp anymore." And "We'd kill each other." I then asked, "Would Jesus carry an AK-47?" Overwhelmingly the response was shouted "No!" Youth saw the truth.

Now, I am on the Protect Minnesota Board of Directors. Our purpose is to work for gun violence prevention. I have led conversations in our church and taken action at synod assemblies. I am organizing a synodical committee to address gun violence prevention in churches, believing that the People of God, the Church, are the moral conscience of our communities, state and nation. A friend and I have developed a course called ENGAGE which is a guided conversation on many gun violence prevention facets: Biblical, Church statements, Second Amendment, NRA, and specific possible actions.

Frankly, finding an audience in the church has been a difficult slog. I am frequently disappointed at the lack of interest, lack of will, and lack of clergy courage to address the issue. This in spite of unprecedented mass shootings and 34,000 deaths a year. It is incomprehensible to me how the Church  can be so hesitant to reject this scourge and seek solutions. 

What keeps me going? Statements from our ELCA, Holy Scripture, Jesus and Paul's ethics, love of Linda, family and people, and the truth. "Enough!"  "No more of this!" "Blessed are the peacemakers!"

What's your story?

Peace!

Ron

The Pope of Hope!

Listening to Pope Francis almost swayed me to join the Catholic Church! The ethics and pastoral spirit he embodied shone the Spirit of Christ in profound and refreshingly grace-filled and faith-filled ways. The rigor of Catholicism and spiritual arrogance accompanied with the accoutrements of ecclesiastical power were significantly lessened, though not completely absent, by his words and actions. What shone brightly were his many words and actions of hope. Here are a few memorables, along with personal comments.

INCARCERATION IS NOT EXCLUSION: When addressing prisoners and speaking of Jesus washing the feet of the poor, Pope Francis emphasized the grace of God still including the prisoners within God's sphere of grace and redemption. Being INCLUDED in God's grace empowers re-entry into society and positive reconciling lives. Never give up on the possibility of hope and rehabilitation. Abolish the global death penalty. ALL of life must be honored.

4-DOOR FIAT 500: Pope Francis was driven around in a small, average looking, non-descript, middle class, gasoline skimpy Fiat.  There was no Lincoln, Mercedes, Continental, up-armored modified Hum-Vee for transport. The message: Moderation is adequate. Spend money on helping others. Being church is not to be extravagant. I am like you. Care for our natural resources because they are finite.

LOVING THE CHILDREN: There were many times when Pope Francis took the time to touch children, smile at children, talk with children. His affection for children was heart-warming. His visit to the school was an education in the value of education. The family is essential for the building of this country. 

POLITICS IS AN EXPRESSION OF OUR NEED TO LIVE AS ONE: Politics is a gift from God to order and make real national comity, justice and opportunity. Politics writes the laws which direct structures and guarantee civil liberties. We must confront every type of polarization in order to confront violence. Good political leaders initiate and minimize armed conflicts.  Politics involves the effective distribution of power for the sake of ALL.  No group can consider itself absolute.

CONGRESS: YOU ARE THE FACE OF THE PEOPLE: The people elected you to guide and provide for the common good, to satisfy the common needs.  The people reflect and expect the common good. The task of Congress is to reflect the will of the people for the common good. The elected officials are to work for the benefit of all people. You are not elected to live within the perks of the office and neglect doing the responsible good for the people. Insure the human dignity of all people. Real human beings take precedence over partisan ambition. A nation can be considered great that fosters liberty. If you fight among yourselves you will be devoured by those outside.

FOUR EXAMPLES OF AMERICA'S GUARDIANS OF LIBERTY: Abraham Lincoln: Liberty for all; Martin Luther King, Jr.: The call to dream and create a good life for all. Dreams awaken the future of freedom. America is a land of dreams; Dorothy Day: Social justice for all; Thomas Merton: Capacity for dialog and contemplation.

REFUGEES AND IMMIGRATION: Most of us were once foreigners. We must not be taken aback by the sheer numbers.  We must see refugees as persons. Remember the Golden Rule. If we want security, let us give security.  If we want opportunity, let us give opportunity. We must allow refugees to be dignified persons of their own destiny. Refugees must have the right to an education. Governments must provide for a minimum of lodging, labor and land, as well as civil rights and religious freedom.

ENVIRONMENT: The earth is our common home. We need dialog about environmental degradation caused by human activity.  Nature must be protected. Our human survival depends upon environmental care. The environment is a fundamental good. We have a culture of waste. Waste excludes others from life. Exclusiveness focuses on ourselves at the expense of others. When we see only ourselves we abuse creation. Creation is to be used for ALL of God's creation. There are ethical limits which humans must acknowledge.

ECONOMIC JUSTICE: There needs to be international equity, sustainable development, and elimination of oppressive lending systems which generate more oppression. Justice is essential for development. Opportunities must be open for all people. We must pool our resources, foster fraternity and solidarity for the common good. Business is a noble vocation if it creates jobs for the common good. Wealth and power are only the products of man. Religious freedom is a pillar of development.

WAR AND WEAPONS: Why are deadly weapons being sold? We must stop the arms trade. War is the negation of all rights. The real danger comes from man.

SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION: The spiritual supports ands sheds light.  Know that we attain God when we love. Our future rests in affirming the sacredness of all of life.  This leads to the creation of our common home. The voice of faith is that of fraternity and love. We are to care for one another, have respect for one another and be close to one another. Full meaning in life is found in selflessness and service.

PEACE!

Ron Letnes

America: Waning Democracy-Rising Fascism

Part II

A Theological-Political Response

Part I presented a description of fascism. Part II presents a theological-political response. Why unite theology and politics? Because a grace-centered, faith-filled theology is naturally political. Theology leads to action in the world, action that challenges personal decisions and structural realities. Theology always calls for renewal and change. Politics is about action, renewal and change. 

The characteristics of fascism in Part I contain many touch stones which are contrary to the Biblical witness. That's what scripture does! The Word is always focused on a contrary transformation of the world! What is the contrary Biblical witness to fascism?

TRADITIONALISM: Sitting for dinner at Levi's house, the scribes of the Pharisees asked, "Why does he[Jesus] eat with sinners and tax collectors?" Jesus was breaking with the traditional religionists, the conservative status quo, the rigid keepers of the Law, the righteous. Jesus' response: "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." Fascist traditionalists do not see themselves as "sinners." They are the "righteous." Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, everything old has passed away...." Fascists protect the old, the established powers.

NATIONALISM: "You are the light of the world" says Jesus in Matthew 5:14. "God has established the world"-Psalm 93:1. "For God so loved the world...." - John 3:16. There are over 300 references to "world" in scripture. The Biblical witness gives testimony to God's creative affection for the entire world! God is global! No boundaries! Fascism urges an isolated native nationalism as the center of values.

INTOLERANCE: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." - Matthew 25:35. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God." - Ephesians 2:19. Fascists are part of the "in group" which blames the "outsiders" for problems. Fascists look for scape goats. Intolerance is tolerated for the sake of control and profit.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: "If there is among you anyone in need...open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need." - Deuteronomy 15: 7-8. The Parable of the Good Samaritan stresses compassion for the wounded stranger. - Luke 10:25ff. Fascists nurture corporate power whose purpose is to support the dictatorial power of the state. All are expendable at the state's powerful mercilessness.

PASSION OVER REASON: "A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot." - Proverbs 14:30. "For the grace of God trains us to renounce worldly passions...to live lives that are self controlled." - Titus 2:11-12. "While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the Law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death." - Romans 7:5. Fascists do not want people to think deeply, to contemplate the nuances and consequences. Fascists want only to tickle the emotions of entertainment, to keep us laughing while the mind sleeps.

XENOPHOBIA: "You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice...." - Deuteronomy 24:17. "I was a father to the needy, and I championed the cause of the stranger." - Job 29:16. "There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear." - I John 4:18. Fascists create a fear-filled environment in order to maintain a powerful, militaristic control.

CORPORATION: Leviticus 25 declares a Jubilee Year in order to level the economic playing field and stir economic equality and equal opportunity. Luke 6:24-26 declares "Woes" to the wealthy and powerful because of their injustice and lack of kindness for all. Fascists control and cooperate with corporate elites for financial control and employment control of the people. People are tools of the corporation and state functionaries. The state and corporations control the levers of power and expression. The corporate boardrooms and government departments crush democracy.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION: Genesis 1:28 calls us to have "dominion" over creation meaning to care for, to be good stewards of the environment. Creation is an inter-relationship between people and the earth, each to nurture the other for life! Romans 8:21 - "...that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." "...for in Him all things in heaven and on earth were created...." - Colossians 1:16. Fascists are the "gods" of creation. Fascists use creation, degrade creation, destroy creation for the sake of profit.  The environment exists at the mercy and purpose of the corporate state, for profit, for control of the people. 

AUTHORITARIANISM: I Corinthians 13 speaks of love in gentle terms, of humility, of listening to each other. I Corinthians 12 speaks of the various gifts within the Body of Christ.  All are valuable. There is a collegiality and equality, an interdependence. In Romans 13, love brackets the injunctions of the state. The state is to function out of love, towards a love that nurtures, demonstrates justice and creates peace. Fascism is not concerned with people love, but only corporate profit and control for the sake of goals established by corporate and state rulers. Ruling trumps love.

Holy Scripture is contrary to fascism. The Biblical witness is about God's grace alive in love, justice and mercy; whereas fascism demands obedience and controls the levers of life for the sake of corporate dominance and profit. Scripture is anathema to fascism!

The essence of American democracy is nurtured by a faithful following of the Biblical ethic of love, justice and mercy. The trend of our government is away from this Biblical theological-political ethic and towards a demonic fascism which exists for its power and profit controlling self. Democracy is waning.

The way forward is for Christians to be Christians, to insist and give witness to its Truth. The Biblical witness is clearly contrary to fascism. Before it is too late it is time to be contrary and nurture democracy.

Peace!

Ron Letnes

America: 

Waning Democracy - Rising Fascism

Part I 

I recall an early Pilgrim clergy calling America a "Light on the Hill." I nod affirmatively reading the words "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" from the Declaration of Independence. I smile reading the Preamble of our Constitution and the words"We the people..., in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity...."

Alas, I feel these democratic commitments waning, being blown way in the hurricane of rising fascism. I am fearful and saddened, because the good, the spark of liberty, the energy of creativity, the standards within our Bill of Rights are being flushed.  Yet, I believe the way of hope and healing lies in seeing the truth of what is happening, acknowledging its cancerous negativity, and deciding on correctives. 

PART I in moving us towards the sunrise of hope and healing will focus on an analysis of fascism. I will use the fascist portrait within an article in SALON, 26 July 2015. PART II will be a theological response to each portrait color because I see the Biblical witness as possessing a socio-political way forward. 

PART I

What is Fascism?

TRADITIONALISM: Fascism is an appeal to traditionalism.  Look to the past, look to the original meanings, look to the literal intent, look to fundamental truths. There is a negation of change unless change is deemed consistent with what has always been. Supreme Court Justice Anton Scalia hangs his hat on "originalism" when voicing an opinion, asking "What was the original intent of the Founding Fathers within their context as if to deny that contexts change.

NATIONALISM: "My country right or wrong, but right or wrong my country" can be the fascist nationalist mantra. The fascist believes their nation can do anything it wants as long as it is in their national interest. International, global thinking is secondary to national will. Our thinking, our actions are dictated by whatever we understand WE need to do from our understanding to achieve OUR goals. We are supreme! Our gaze is narrow. Nationalism is all about US. Respect for other nations is secondary to our will for ourselves. War is always an easy possibility.

INTOLERANCE OF IMMIGRANTS: The fascist is protective of its power elite, its culture, its color, its religion. Any people who would want into the country due to economic necessity or asylum for fear of death, are not welcome unless their presence will enhance our national interest. Compassion and justice are sacrificed in the cauldron of fear. Walls are constructed to keep the foreigner out. The immigrant is blamed. Only those who nurture the established powerful status quo are welcome.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: The poor and vulnerable, the unproductive be damned. Only the strong and well connected survive. Citizenship becomes an extension of "The Hunger Games." Watch your back, stick your fork into the other person, slice and dice if necessary. "God is on the side of the biggest battalions." Competition is the norm for advancement. The other person is a potential enemy, a threat to your survival. All is fair because your own survival is paramount. Violence is as common as a latte'.

PASSION OVER REASON: Think Donald Trump. Think Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Mao Tse Dung, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Idi Amin, Osama Bin Laden and.... Living by passion means living by what makes me feel good, feel right, what justifies my sense of righteousness. Passion is the drug of hubris, the grandiose ego eruption.  Passion is the quick fix, the feel good answer to challenges, the narcissistic triumph of the will! Consideration of the other is blackened out.  The nuances of relationships are annoyances. The complexity of connections are nullified.  Education is restricted and becomes propaganda. Thinking is group think. The Internet is controlled to allow only ideas that support the corporate-political elite. Only the "now" and what justifies the passionate desire is acceptable. Unchecked passion leads to justifiable violence.

XENOPHOBIA: Fear of the foreigner or stranger is paramount. They are the enemy. Justice and compassion, a welcoming spirit are squelched because of the need to protect, to survive. Violence is justified to preserve the corporate-political estate.

CORPORATISM: The political operatives and corporate CEOs run the country.  What is good for the bottom line, for the powerful elite is what is good for the nation. The political decisions are captive to what will assist and protect the profit of the corporation.  The workers are tools of the corporation for the good of the wealthy political leadership and corporate CEOs. The worker is slave to the profit makers. Political decision are made to further corporate profiteering interests nationally and globally.  Justice is defined by what is good for profit and obscene salaries for the political and corporate elite.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION:  The environment is a tool to be used and abused for the benefit of the corporate state.  Whatever it takes to generate profit is justified: deny climate change, prevent development of solar and renewable energy sources, poison our water with chemicals, over fish the oceans, encourage use of coal and fossil fuels, clear cut the rain forests, drill for oil in the Arctic, all are justified for the sake of profit.

AUTHORITARIANISM: (This is my personal addition) Democracy is denied.  decisions are made by the corporate and political elite. National will is decided by a select few.  The people are victims of the few. War is on the table as long as it fits the national goals of the corporate-political cabal. The people are the cannon fodder, the expendable. Militarization is paramount and takes the majority of the budget.

Democracy is dead.

Ron Letnes

Lack of Shared Humanity?

Following the recent shooting of two journalists in Virginia, I wrote the following on my Facebook:

Not the time? "The host of the NRA radio show reacted to the fatal

shooting of two journalists in Virginia County by attacking gun activists

for using the tragedy to call for stronger gun laws, claiming they 

'politicized' it and demonstrated a lack of shared humanity."

(Media Matters)

I am speechless.  But not for long. One can assume that this is the 

position of NRA leadership. O, they will lay low for a few days. 

This is their MO. Let emotions settle. Then will come the justifications

for needing more guns. This time the call to arm the journalists. 

Equipment: cameras, AR-15, microphones, Glock 9mm and....

Lack of shared humanity? O, yes, let's comfort the gun manufacturers,

the gutless politicians, the sellers of death, the NRA leadership. Surely

we must weep over their misfortunate publicity.

It is time to enact gun safety laws that will protect more people, 

perhaps your daughter or son, spouse and friends, the stranger and

yourself.

Yes, let us affirm the dignity of a "shared humanity" and say as one: 

"Enough." 

I also wrote on Facebook:

We have spent too much time fretting over the government wanting

to take our guns away and insisting on our right to own guns.

Show me the data that proves the big bad government is coming to take

guns away. The truth is the politicians, fueled by gun nuts

are so afraid of offending the gun nuts that they do nothing

to pass gun safety laws. Don't worry about the government

as they are chickens in pants and dresses.  Worry instead about

the gun in your home and the 300 million in public circulation.

That ought to give us serious pause.  We are hemorrhaging in

guns and the 34,000 deaths a year are the result.

Sleep well.

And another post:

Consider this all you gun lovers.  Nearly 2/3 of all gun

deaths are suicide by gun.  By my calculation those 2/3 would

still be alive if they had chosen their "right" to NOT buy

a gun. So much for how much guns "protect" us.

Indeed they enable us to kill each other and ourselves

with sad regularity. Hello!

The organization Everytown for Gun Safety recently published a chart titled "Gun Murders Per 100,000 Residents" which compared the murder rates of several countries. Yup, the United States is #1 again! Per 100,000: U.S.A., 3.7; Italy (#2) 0.68; Luxembourg (#3) 0.59; Finland 0.57; Canada 0.50; Norway (#14) 0.04. 

When will we affirm the sanctity of life? When will we take action beyond "My thoughts and prayers are with you." When will we respond with actions to Jesus' injunctions of "Enough", "No more of this", "They who live by the sword shall die by the sword" and "Blessed are the peacemakers"? 

"How many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have died?" Bob Dylan

Peace!

Ron Letnes

Fear and Rights: a Lethal Mix

FEAR and insistence upon the freedom to exercise one's perceived RIGHTS are the lethal mix that prevent significant action in gun violence prevention. 

It matters little that a gun in the home increases the chance of being killed by 72%, is responsible for the vast majority of children being killed by guns, is 22 times more likely to be used in a suicide or homicide or accident than to be used in self defense, triples the risk of homicide, increases likelihood of suicide by five times, means an abused woman is six times more likely to be murdered.

It matters little that more guns equals more unnatural deaths (CBS News), that more guns in homes increases the chance of homicide by two times and suicide by three times according to the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY.

It matters little that victims of property crimes use guns in self defense 1/10 of 1% of the time according to the Violence Policy Center.

It matters little that in 2013 there were 33,636 people who died from gun violence, that states with higher rates of gun ownership have greater rates of gun suicide, that a gun buy-back program in Australia took 1/5 of the guns off the streets and wound up reducing firearm suicide by 74%, that when Israeli Defense Forces stopped letting soldiers bring their guns home over the weekend, suicides declined 40%, that 90% of people who have survived suicide do not end up dying by suicide, that the Center for Disease Control says that 85% of suicide attempts by gun resulted in death, compared to 6.7% via cutting and 6.5% by poisoning. The above from VOX and the article "America's Biggest Gun Problem is the One We Never Talk About" by Dylan Matthews and Estelle Caswell.

It matters little that the Public Policy Polling survey between June 19-20, 2015, reported that 82% of Americans support preventing domestic abusers from buying guns, that 80% of gun owners think this is a good idea, that 87% of women support the idea, as well as 92% of Hispanics and 89% of African Americans. This poll is used to support the Dingell-Dold Bill (HR-3130 and S-1520). Debbie Dingel is a Democrat from Michigan and Bob Dold a Republican from Illinois.

What does matter is that I have the right to protect myself from threat, the right to be shielded by a narrow reading of the Second Amendment, the right to allow fear to trigger violent-deadly response against anyone or anything that threatens the well-being of me or my family or my team or my group or my gang or whatever I value with few if any restraints. 

FEAR and RIGHTS trample on any notion of gun violence prevention such as universal background checks, safe storage, denial of right to purchase if family or police deem a person at risk for committing violence, requiring trigger locks on all guns, requiring a gun safety course for all gun purchasers, registration of all guns (we register automobiles which kill 40,000 a year), requiring permits for conceal and carry, banning sale of assault weapons and large ammunition magazines.

Trumpeting FEAR and RIGHTS have trumped LOVE. Fear and rights have turned us into ourselves and voided love for the other.  Fear and rights focus our being on ME.  We choose to cocoon ourselves behind a wall of weapons which isolate and insulate us from connection. The tragic outcome is more violence, more death, more grief. Battlefields are littered with the the millions of dead who marched to the drums and bugles of FEAR and RIGHTS. Streets, homes, schools, public squares, worship centers and places of business are the new battlefields.

I am moved by the words within the Declaration of Independence which state we are all entitled to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  I am moved by the words in the Preamble of our Constitution that the words contained exist for the purpose of insuring "domestic tranquility." 

I have learned from Jesus that perfect love casts out fear. That it is time to say "Enough!" and "No more of this!" That God's response to Cain's question after he killed his brother, Abel, "Am I my brother's keeper?" is an unqualified "Yes you are!"

Peace!