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!