Adapting for a Long-Haul Pandemic

The latest reports on NPR's "Fresh Air" predict that the present status of pandemic (disruptions, masks, social distancing) are likely to persist into 2022 (18-24 more months); and that the psychological, biological, and economic distress from this time are likely with us another 3-5 years after that. (More details and my thoughts after the link)

https://www.npr.org/.../the-enduring-impact-of-covid-19

There was also some discussion on how longer term, after most of us have been exposed to it or vaccinated, it may end up being like chicken pox is now--if you are exposed to it with vaccine or direct exposure as a young, healthy child, it will be relatively mild and some level of immunity developed; but with chicken pox, if you don't get it/ get vaccinated as a child, it can be deadly in adulthood.

While the latter prediction is not particularly rosy, it is the first prediction that leaves me feeling rather forlorn. Granted, it was much more troublesome news when I first heard it about two weeks ago--at that point, the prospect was the moment when I realized how exhausted I was and could do no more. After a few days' intentional rest, I was able to carry on as much as could be expected.

Most of my passion for ministry and community organizing is in gathering people together (especially around food).

Most of what our family enjoys are activities with others out in the community.

Most of our family holidays are celebrated with extended families.

So, I'm grieving that today--and the realization it's going to be 2-3 years before we really start to see an external return to 'normal.' Perhaps that's why so many of us are trying to carry on like 'normal,' (without any real precautions), even if we don't have to (for example, socializing and going to community events, rather than going to work in a risky atmosphere as a matter of survival).

I do worry that without significant adaptation, most of our community organizations, congregations, and other places of culture and recreation, may not survive.  We have one such organization in town, whose survival plan was to become a conference center--but from what reports like this say, in-person conferences may not be realistic or popular for several years to come. Without conferences and concerts and mass community events, hotels may not be able to remain viable. The historic Palmer House Chicago, which I have enjoyed immensely for several conferences, is apparently boarded up and in foreclosure. Right here in River City, Music Man Square may have to adapt significantly to survive--until such time as its present survival plan would make sense again.

For today, though, and our home, I am also looking to adapt--how to continue working from home or in a pandemic-responsible environment; how to ensure the kids are learning something this year despite their boredom; how to celebrate the holidays apart from one another. So far, we have been healthy, and lucky. I realize with rapidly rising numbers and full hospitals in our area, that could change at any time.

However, I do believe we have some cause for hope, both short-term and long-term. In March, when the pandemic first started, a person who contracted COVID had a 1 in 4 chance of dying from the disease. Now, in late October, people who contract COVID have, if I heard correctly, a 1 in 5 chance of dying. Those may still seem like bad odds, but it is a move in the right direction--and what happens as health care workers learn what doesn't work, and what does, toward helping people have better outcomes.

The other part that does bring me hope is that we have largely learned --at least some segment in each field--how to socially adapt. Churches have learned to embrace technology almost overnight--something which had been happening at a snail's pace over the past generation. Right now I am figuring out how to do a 3.0 rewrite/ update to Family Welcome Centers International and We Parent Together International to reflect the next 5 years of pandemic and post-pandemic realities (all while being prevented from launching 2.0 for FCWI or even a full rollout of 1.0 for WPT). The rest of my ministries and organizing projects are in various stages back on the drawing board. I do actually think each of them might be better for it, in time.

On Authoritarianism, and Have We Reached Our 'Bonhoeffer Moment?'

Friends, I want to share a particularly poignant resource, and also add my thoughts on the question that has been circulating among clergy and people of faith: Where is Bonhoeffer in all of this, and/or, have we arrived at the Bonhoeffer moment?

This was an excellent discussion on authoritarianism this morning on NPR's "On Point." I highly recommend it. It's about an hour, and I believe a transcript will be available within the next day or so.

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/10/29/america-authoritarian-threat-government-democracy

I do feel, after hearing this, and looking at the other readily available signs (Trump's own words in his speeches; policies of his staff; reports from NPR, NY Times, and similarly reputable news sources on the activities of the militias, supporters, police, ICE, etc.), that we are plausibly headed into some form of a civil war following this election--even if there were a landslide for Biden. The question I raise for voters is: do you want Trump to have the full force command of the military, police, intelligence services, ICE, and militias behind him--where we will have to rely on people in these forces to conscientiously object or abandon their posts; or do we want Trump to no longer have access to that firepower, except for the militias and the loyalists he has in the military and police? 

I do not put it past Trump to try to harm Biden if he wins; based on the statements he has made about Biden 'being shot three weeks into his term and Kamala taking over.' While Trump has since walked back his statement to say that 'being shot' means Biden wouldn't have the stamina--a recurrent theme; it could also be seen as a dog whistle or invitation to the same kinds of folks who were plotting to kidnap Governor Whitmer in Michigan.

I do not put it past Trump to enact as many human rights violations as he can against as many marginalized groups as he can, including the deportation blitz recently referenced in the news from a White House leak, immediately following the election--perhaps regardless of whether he wins. I also expect Trump will pardon each of his associates who have been convicted of crimes in the process of aiding his rise to power or corruption since taking office. I do believe it is plausible that Trump is using the pandemic as a means of passively eliminating the groups he believes are 'undesirables:' the poor, immigrants, racial-ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and chronic health conditions, the elderly, those living in institutionalized settings. As it became clear that the virus was largely sparing those who could afford to self-isolate by not having to work and being able to have all needs delivered; and that those who had access to high-quality healthcare are more likely to survive; Trump's response to the pandemic shifted. Life-saving aid to benefit the most vulnerable has been stopped, such as unemployment supplements that raised many impoverished workers to a living wage, food assistance supplements, and direct stimulus aid to every household. Activities known to spread the pandemic are being promoted: unmasked large social gatherings such as rallies and church, in particular. While the people boldly participating in these activities. I do even believe that the impeachment at the beginning of this year was a type of 'trial run' for holding on to power this fall: in the end, even though there seemed to be little disagreement on the facts of the case itself, Congress declined to convict. I believe that there was at least some realization among Congress that there were enough white nationalist sympathizers among the police and military, along with growing white militia activity, that any attempt to force Trump from office involuntarily would lead to significant armed resistance. Far better, perhaps, to pass the buck until the election in the fall. And now here we are, with the threat of violence on the horizon once again, as evidenced in Trump's own speeches.

One of the statements that did give me bleak encouragement was that if Trump did hold on to power and do his worst, that perhaps Canada would re-open the border so people could escape; please, friends--update your passports and other essential papers. Not only may some of us need to be prepared to move from our homes to safer neighborhoods, communities, states, or countries; we may indeed need to help others get to safety with our vehicles, fundraising, and networks.

So many folks have asked already, "Are we at the Bonhoeffer moment?" or "Where is Bonhoeffer in all of this?" We remember that Bonhoeffer was not a famous, powerful church leader in life; but a simple pastor and professor whose work was relatively unknown until after his death. We also remember that Bonhoeffer was arrested and executed for his part in a plot to assassinate Hitler. So, while we have so many good everyday pastors and professors, faithful and true, who have resisted the lies of Nationalism and the Christian Nationalist movement; who are speaking up from their pulpits and writing to their audiences about the need to realize what is happening and who is suffering; no friends--that Bonhoeffer moment is not yet here.

The Bonhoeffer moment arrived when there were no more options available to German people of good conscience; when Hitler could no longer be stopped from within; and most importantly--when the seemingly random and rare occurrences of daily oppression moved into the Final Solution: systematic, mass deportation, concentration, and extermination of the groups of people deemed enemies of the State: Jews; foreigners, racial-ethnic minorities; Roma (Gypsies); LGBTQIA+ people; people with disabilities; people who were too sick to labor in the camps; dissidents, and anyone who resisted. This was after the removal of dissidents from the universities and government; after the silencing of the major media to the crimes of the State; after all borders and routes to escape incarceration and death were closed; and after all of the everyday German citizenry were too worn down themselves by the war, the decade of economic collapse that preceded it, and the all-consuming everyday struggles brought by both, to realize or process fully what was going on--or to separate the benefits they believed the State was bringing them from the horrors enacted against the Others. We are quite plausibly on the road to that end, if unabated; but no, we are not yet at the point where it would be morally reasonable for us as clergy to participate in an effort to assassinate our Head of State.

Rather, the moment that is here, now, is for all of us, and everyone around us, to vote. We are to vote; to encourage calm and reason to prevail in these next weeks around the election and ballot counting; to preach and teach the fundamental human worth and dignity of all people; and to attend to the needs of our communities--shepherding our people who despair, who are lonely, who are hungry, who are cold. We are also to be watchful for signs and declarations that our nation intends to engage in mass concentration, incarceration, deportation, and execution of marginalized groups of people, which could plausibly happen within the next six months.

These times may seem bleak. The most recent reports tell us that these present hardships and disruptions of the pandemic are likely with us for another two years, into 2022. Our society will be coming to terms with the psychological stress and trauma and the biological and economic impact as well) from this experience for a solid 3-5 years after the pandemic begins to wane. It may remain with us in a less lethal form for the foreseeable future thereafter. This will consume an enormous amount of our energies. Neither will our political troubles be over within the next few months, regardless of the outcome of the election; even if we are able to attain a peaceable outcome to the election, we still have the long, difficult work ahead of us of undoing systems of historic injustice. This, too, will consume a good deal of our energies, as it ought.

And yet, friends, despite these present challenges, I do not give up hope; I believe that while each person may not be held accountable in court or custody, that somehow yet justice may prevail; that somehow yet children in cages will be freed and reunited with their families; that somehow yet we could begin taking common sense measures to contain the pandemic; and that somehow yet, we will walk back from the brink of fascism in this country. At least while we have so many people who do deeply desire the common good, for all people, we have hope.

What Does It Mean to be a Christian Voter?

Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)

+Make sure your neighbors have enough food to eat.

+Make sure your neighbors have a safe place to live.

+Make sure your neighbors have the healthcare they need.

+Make sure your neighbors have clean water to drink.

+Make sure your neighbors have clean air to breathe.

+Make sure your neighbors are included and welcome in your community.

This includes:

+Your neighbors of another race

+Your neighbors of another religion

+Your neighbors from another country

+Your neighbors who are sick or have a disability

+Your neighbors who are LGBTQ+

+Your neighbors who are in poverty

+Your neighbors who are lonely

+Your neighbors who are in prison

These days, a plethora of politicians tell Christians that a "Christian voter" votes for the person who will "ban abortion." I also believe churches and clergy who crave political power repeat this lie to the people in their pews. However, abortion is largely a product of poverty, sexual / domestic violence, and lack of adequate healthcare. We cannot neglect the roots of this problem and trade the well-being of our neighbors and communities for a politician's potentially empty promises. We are called to care for the whole person of our neighbor; for their wellbeing and human dignity; we are called to care all of creation as well as humankind.

RBG's Death, and the Anguish of the Targeted

I read through my Facebook feed last night, and since we all have different FB feeds based on our social circles, I want to let you know what I am seeing. These are the people who are in anguish, especially now after RBG's passing:

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color)

People who are here as immigrants, even those who are now citizens

LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender people

People who are part of interracial and/or intercultural families

People who belong to marginalized religious communities, such as Muslims and Jews

People with disabilities

Journalists, scientists, and academics

Women of all ages

Men (particularly clergy) who understand the level of peril these above groups are now in at this point in time in our country.

Friends, I'll say it again. it's not about Democrat or Republican anymore. It's about the rise of neo-Fascism, and that we've got about six weeks to prevent it from completely taking over.

It has already co-opted a large portion of Christians and Christian churches; a large portion of our Legislature; a large portion of our Executive branch at the state and federal level; and now there is a reasonable threat to our Supreme Court as well.

Straight, white, middle-class and wealthy people might end up being ok, but the rest of us who aren't these things will not be. And those we love who are these things, will not be.

So for those of us who love our neighbors--get out the vote, and help our neighbors get to the polls safely. Encourage early voting.

For those of us who seek to pastor our people--preach love of neighbor and our duty to seek the wellbeing of foreigners, the sick, the poor, the hungry. Teach about our country's history of ethnic cleansing and genocide, and Christian complicity in the Holocaust.

For those of us who are healthy enough to do so--volunteer as poll workers and election observers.

And pray, folks. Pray that we as a nation will come to our senses and realize that our true strength is in our diversity, welcome, and inclusion. Not in our suppression of civil rights and human dignity.

We Need to Talk About Neo-Fascism

Friends, we need to talk about Neo-Fascism.

We need to understand Neo-Fascism. We need to study how it emerged in other societies in the past, and understand how it has emerged in our own society.  We need to be writing about it and talking about it. Our love of neighbor compels us not to be silent:

Historically, Fascism is characterized by ultra-nationalism; the violent suppression of dissent or criticism (by journalists, academics/ scientists, and activists); and by a forcible segregation of society along racial, ethnic, religious, economic, gender/orientation, and ability/ disability lines. It is most commonly associated with WW2-era Italy (Mussolini) and Nazi Germany, but it has spread in other places and times as well.

Fascism seeks to remove (through concentration, detention, deportation/ expulsion, deprivation of basic needs, and death) any group seen to be weak, vulnerable, or a 'drain on society.' This is often justified through rhetoric appealing to 'law and order,' or by economic necessity.

A fascist leader may rise to power through a constitutional election process, but the leader often has authoritarian ambitions--a one party government; the leader may refuse to yield power to a democratically-elected opposition candidate, thereby becoming a dictator. They may be an autocrat--seeking to make and enforce policy without checks and balances on their authority. They slander, discredit, and sometimes forcibly remove or silence anyone who disagrees with them. They may be a charismatic leader who instills a deeply loyal following by emphasizing an 'us vs. them' rhetoric that gives a sense of belonging and a common enemy.

A fascist leader may be able to enforce their power through state-sponsored violence (co-opting the military and/or police); and/or through the use of non-state sponsored militia or paramilitary forces. These militias may terrorize targeted populations through their open display of weapons; shooting or beating up unarmed persons belonging to targeted groups; 'patrolling' and harassing neighborhoods where targeted populations live; burning down or otherwise attacking homes, businesses, houses of worship, or other civic structures of targeted populations; and/ or destroy property or attack people and blame the targeted groups for the destruction.

(We saw a lot of this over the summer in Minneapolis and other cities, where the majority of large-scale arson and other serious vandalism was committed by white persons, as court records and surveillance footage have later shown). By and large, Black people were blamed in the immediate aftermath for the actions of these white people).

A fascist leader may also co-opt large segments of the majority religion (historically Christianity), and the wealthy classes, by promising policies favorable to them. They may appeal to the working and middle classes by promising economic benefits, a return to 'traditional values,' or a return to 'law and order.'

Fascism invokes fear of anarchy, 'Marxism,' and liberal thought as the major threats to an orderly society. It is the complete opposite of egalitarianism. It can be incredibly misogynist--pushing for the return of women to stereotypical gender roles and out of the workforce. This has less of an impact on upper-income and/or right-wing Christian households, where women are less likely to have a full-time, needs-supporting income outside the home. Universities permitting dissent may be closed; public school curriculum may be altered to be more favorable to the fascist agenda; and pastors who speak out against human rights abuses may be forced out of their churches by supporters of the fascist leader. Mayors and governors who seek to preserve their citizens' civil rights may face retaliatory action as well until they comply with orders or are forced out of office.

We need to recognize, study, speak out against, and work to prevent neo-Fascism from overtaking our society this fall. I will be doing what I can to educate others, and I invite you to do the same.

If you would like to learn more about Fascism and don't know where to start, Wikipedia actually is a good starting point. It has dozens of scholarly resources to read cited there, for further study. Here's a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

We Are Each Others' Keepers

Good grief. I was listening to the BBC today covering a report of the UN Human Rights Commissioner on the excessive use of force against protestors, the incarceration of women and children, the abuses in police custody and the arrests of people by officials in unmarked cars, and the concern for additional violence related to the elections--and I honestly couldn't tell whether they were talking about our own United States or somewhere else until they finally said, "reporting from Minsk."

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, folks. It's possible you could have surrounded yourself with a white enough social circle and be financially comfortable enough not to realize what's going on, but I do believe unless people are hiding under a rock and intentionally tuning out all standard reputable news sources, it's getting almost impossible to deny we have a major civil rights crisis in our country--affecting not only Black people, but also citizens of Latinx, Indigenous, Arab and Asian descent; immigrants (documented or undocumented) LGBTQ+ people, religious minorities, people who are poor, people who have disabilities. 

And increasingly, dissidents and protestors--even those who are peacefully expressing their concerns within their constitutional rights.

These times increasingly remind me of the famous quote from Pastor Martin Niemoeller, during the Holocaust:

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists

We are each others' keepers, friends. When harm comes to our neighbors (even the neighbors we may choose not to see), harm comes to us as well.

Remembering: September 11, 2001

I was on home leave/ speaking tour from Palestine/ Israel for the month; and I'd had a layover at Newark a few days earlier, looking across the water at the Twin Towers. I considered going for a quick visit; then owing to jet lag and being unsure if I'd be back in time for my next flight, I decided to wait until my way back. I've never been through that way since. I would end up spending a full year in Iraq, before and after the war; appalled at the destruction and the suffering of the people; and eventually becoming one of the first to document what would later become known as the Abu Ghraib scandal. It often seems like yesterday. Such tremendous suffering; not only for us and the 3,000 people our country lost; but so much more so for the 1.5 million Iraqis who were killed for something they didn't do.

Housing Trouble, Right Here in River City

I'd like to share my 'big, big' dream for Mason City, (I have so many dreams for my hometown, but this will likely take the longest and most work). I'd like to rejuvenate the near-central 'donut' of housing stock encircling downtown with affordable, efficient family homes--allowing our current residents with working-class wages to have stable long-term housing.  The 'circle' neighborhoods are filled with large older derelict homes that may appear cheap to purchase, but are beyond the capacity of most of our wage-earners to rehabilitate or maintain. They may have asbestos or other major issues that make selling or renovating them impractical. As a result, they rot--and often, the families living in these homes are trapped with utility bills that are an enormous burden.  However, with such a beautiful downtown, into which so much has been invested, it would be a shame to allow this situation to continue.

Don't get me wrong--every home that could be restored and preserved, especially in a historic district, should be. I love old homes. However, I realize that some are simply beyond repair, or may not have been built quite so well in the first place. Our community has quite a few 'white-tagged' buildings--ones that are no longer deemed habitable. Fairly often, people still inhabit them regardless. One of them is across the street. The owner is desperate to get enough to pay off her debt on it, but it's more than the house is worth.

I would like to form a coalition to replace these homes with efficient, easy to maintain homes that allow for reasonable urban density as well as home ownership. I think in some places, it might make the most sense to introduce a small (3-4) row of 3 bedroom townhomes, with garages, front porches, and a bit of backyard privacy.

I think a mix of allowing people to purchase these townhomes via traditional means (i.e., a mortgage) and a graduated ownership program for those with a good rental payment history but unable to qualify for traditional mortgages would be wise. I would like a way to offer families who would like the option to buy out their crumbling homes and re-house them in these new homes, and then putting those homes or land back into the program. I would like to offer shared home maintenance.

I've seen similar programs at work in other communities where I have served, and I think we could bring this to Mason City as well.

I know we'll need to build a coalition representing multiple sectors within our community--families, faith leaders, local government, social service agencies, civic groups and other non-profit organizations, builders, businesses, etc. However, I am hopeful that as other communities have learned to do this, we might be able to do this, too.

Rugged Individualism, Systemic Injustice, and Sharing Resources for a Better World

A thought for this morning: our nation has an almost cult-like devotion to 'rugged individualism,' in which we have learned to reject systemic understandings of doing good and doing harm.

This ripples out in many painful ways. We denigrate ideas of forming systems to ensure that all people in our nation have access to adequate food, shelter, healthcare, education, meaningful, constructive vocation, and caregiving support. If a person lacks any of these, then we assume it must be a personal moral failing. If there is racism or sexism, then it is a matter of individual personal choices or 'bad apples,' rather than systems designed to discriminate. If we have relatively few struggles for survival in our personal lives, we attribute it to our personal merit.

In these pandemic times, rather than creating systems to ensure the largest umber of people survive, we leave those who already carry the greatest burdens in our society to wrestle with more impossible choices. The countries which have come through this time most successfully were the ones who ensured their people could afford life's basic needs even if they couldn't work.  In this country, we heaped shame on people who were already suffering.

I often think of the enormous human potential we waste because we are so certain our neighbor does not deserve what we have; and that fulfilling our own wants are more important than ensuring everyone's basic needs are met. We could do so much better; we could be so much more, if we weren't constantly tearing others down for trying to survive in a system that is so fragmented and broken. Our systems are designed for a few to benefit, and for most to struggle until their dying breath.

Save the Children (No, Not Those Children)

Close the Camps, an advocacy organization for child immigrants in detention camps, posted on Facebook  about the Save Our Children hashtag (I'm not connecting the hashtag here, because that was an awful mess and I don't want to add to their popularity count). The meme said:  "Save Our Children," followed by a montage of photos of immigrant children in our detention camps, cages packed to the gills with them, all looking utterly miserable.  

The final statement?  "No, Not Those Children."  Ouch.  

You can find the image here:

https://www.facebook.com/CloseCamps/posts/2722954831326631

I'm going to be blunt about this: I find it crazy that up here in Iowa, we shut down businesses for lack of workers, schools for lack of students, main street services and towns for lack of taxpayers--and yet, due to their country of origin and the color of their skin, someone on the southern border decides we don't need these people here. 

I'm radical enough to say that anyone who wants to come here and work hard and start their own business and contribute, who isn't going to harm anyone else, ought to be able to come. Or at least, shouldn't be on a 20 year waitlist for family reunification. 

And certainly never caged up like this, worse than animals.