On a Veterans' Day in the Midst of Yet Another War

So very often,

Those who make decisions about waging war

Do not pay the consequences of war

And what I want for you

Although I know you are strong,

and brave,

Is to come home with all your fingers and toes

your arms and legs, yes

your beautiful faces, yes, and

your Whole soul.

I know pieces of my soul

are scattered

across Iraq, Afghanistan,

Syria and Lebanon

Palestine and Israel

and Central America

I saw a lot of war, after all,

and death

even though I never held a gun

I met a lot of young soldiers

who were alive, yet

something in them had died

or was slowly dying

I think about all who left

chunks of their souls

and perhaps also

chunks of their bodies

In Viet Nam, Korea, Germany

All over the earth

In ways most of us can only begin to fathom

And so we might say,

'Thank you for your service' today

It's harder to say,

'How are you...really?'

and to listen

It's painful to say,

'Here we are again...'

Heal your children, O Lord

Inside and out

Set aside the egos of the powerful

so no more of our young must die

or be destroyed

Bring forth among us healers,

so that we may work together

to heal our broken world

Because You have made this world

Beautiful,

O God,

And You

have created it

for Peace.

(c)2023 LCdM

Unholy War in a Land We Call 'Holy'

Perhaps, like myself, you are following the news from the land we call 'Holy,' with a mixture of grief, horror, and dread.

So many dead, in just a few brief days.

Even though twenty years have now passed since the years I lived there (2000-2003), I still think of my friends--both Palestinian and Israeli--every time I hear the news, which is nearly every day.

I am ever more firmly rooted in my belief that there is no military solution to this crisis. Every death, every killing, merely prolongs the conflict.

Killing civilians is wrong.

Targeting civilians is wrong.

'Civilians' is not a religion, a nationality, nor an ethnic group; but rather the people who choose not to be armed combatants-- they are children, mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities. And yet so often, they pay the heaviest price in times of armed conflict.

There is no human life that is more valuable or precious than any other human being's life on this planet, regardless of religion, race, age, disability or ability, language, nationality, ethnicity, wealth or poverty, or any other human factor.

And even the mothers and families of armed combatants--whether those in an officially recognized military, or an unofficially-recognized 'militant group'--mourn their dead. And so often the ones who are sent to fight are not the ones who made the decisions to go to war.

The only path forward is one that recognizes the full humanity of each human person; full human and civil rights; a path that provides for each human being's need for food, shelter, water, clean air, an education and vocation; and the ability to live next to each other as neighbors in a civil society.

I believe such a path is possible, and I lament that so much time has been wasted pursuing so many other dead ends.

First They Came for the Drag Queens

September 2023

First they came for the drag queens

And I didn’t speak up

Because I didn’t understand their ‘lifestyle.’

Then they came for the transgender kids

And I didn’t speak up

Because I didn’t understand their medical needs.

Then they came for the books

And the librarians and teachers who taught them

And I didn’t speak up

Because I wasn’t really into reading anyway

Then they came for the universities

And the public school boards

And tried to make them exclude anyone

Who wasn’t straight, wasn’t White, 

Or wasn’t their ‘brand’ of Christian.

But I didn’t speak up

Because I never liked school anyway.

Then they came for the journalists

They bought up all the newspapers

And closed them

And replaced them

With their own channels and websites

With their own ‘commentary’

And I didn’t speak up

Because I never paid much attention to news anyway

Then they came for the churches

And any pastor who dared to preach

‘Love your neighbor’

And fired them

And replaced them

With preachers 

Who would say whatever was needed

To keep a comfortable paycheck

And I didn’t speak up

Because these new celebrity preachers

Had higher production values

They came for the Immigrants

And I didn’t speak up

Because they told us welcoming them

Would take something away from us

Instead of adding more to who we are

They came for the Muslims

And I didn’t speak up

Because I believed them 

When they said these were the enemy

They came for the Jews

And I didn’t speak up

Because I believed them

When they said the Holocaust wasn’t real

They came for the Black people

They called them criminals, dangerous

Even the ones in preschool

Hauling them away in police cars

Beating them on the side of the road

Leaving them to die in the alleys

And I believed them

Because police are always here to help, right?

They came for the Native Americans

And I didn’t speak up

Because they told me they had

Plenty of money from the casinos and 

Nobody else to blame for their problems anymore.

They came for the women

Denied us our futures

Denied us protection from our abusers

Denied us accountability for our rapists

Denied us the ability to keep our children safe

While we worked to pursue our own talents and dreams

And so we slowly began to disappear again

Silenced like everyone else

Just like they always wanted.

Authoritarianism and the Politics of Exclusion

Authoritarian systems will employ a 'politics of exclusion,' and begin by targeting populations who do not have a lot of popular support in society. As they become successful in isolating these groups, they move in on groups that have a bit more popular support and compassion, but are still vulnerable. They continue in this manner until society is heavily striated, the bonds of community are weakened, and few folks if any have the ability to fight back anymore. Then they can do whatever they want.

Look at which groups are being targeted now and in recent years. Think about the calm rationale, along with the stereotypes, being employed for why we should fear them, not allow them around our children, and not welcome them into our neighborhoods or 'polite society.'

People needing abortions

Transgender youth and adults

Drag performers

People with substance use disorders

People with mental health disorders

Undocumented immigrants

Muslims

Black and Brown people, especially young men

People experiencing hunger, poverty, and/or insecure housing

People who were formerly incarcerated

Pay attention to the laws being passed in your state against these groups of people, which limit their freedom to live their lives and participate in society.

Pay attention to laws being passed that impose significant penalties on anyone who may try to help them.

Pay attention to laws being passed banning books representing diverse groups of people and their experiences or perspectives on historical events.

Pay attention to laws and policies and funding decisions that limit access to higher education for groups of people who are not currently privileged within a society, and may reduce the quality of education for students in public education systems.

Pay attention to praise being given and recommendations to emulate religious leaders who uphold authoritarian views, and disdain for religious leaders who challenge authoritarian views.

Pay attention.

If the list above reminds you of a famous quote, you may be thinking of Martin Niemoeller, a pastor who risked his own safety to speak up against the Nazi regime. There are several variations on the poem, which you can read from the link here: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/.../martin-niemoeller...

A Letter of (Enthusiastic) Consent

A Letter of Enthusiastic Consent

(In response to current proposed measures in the Iowa State Legislature).

I wholeheartedly give my consent for my children to read any book they wish that teachers and librarians find in their expertise as educators to have educational value and put in their classrooms, school libraries, and public libraries. I especially want my children to be able to read any book written by a person of color, a person of a different religious background or nationality, a person with a disability, or an LGBTQIA+ person.

I absolutely DO NOT GIVE CONSENT for a small group of bigoted religious extremists to ban any book from the public schools and libraries in my community, especially those which are first-person narratives or historical accounts from people of a different racial, ethnic, gender identity, religious, or disability background.

I wholeheartedly give my consent for any teacher, counselor, staff, or administrator to listen to my child and offer support and affirmation if my child needs a trusted adult to discuss gender identity, orientation or other concerns with them.

I absolutely DO NOT GIVE CONSENT for a small group of bigoted religious extremists to censor public school teachers, staff, and administrators from ever acknowledging racial, gender and orientation differences in the classroom, especially if it is acknowledging and supporting the identities of students in the classroom or students' family and loved ones.

I wholeheartedly give my consent for any teacher, counselor, staff, or administrator to use the name and pronouns my child may wish to be called, even if my child is not ready to tell me yet. I also affirm that I am fully accepting of my child for whoever they may be and will not engage in any form of verbal, physical, or psychological abuse towards them, nor will I kick them out of my home or threaten them with religious consequences if they identify as LGBTQ+. I am even willing to provide a safe home for any friend or classmate of my child who suddenly finds themselves in danger at their own home because they have come out, or been outed, as LGBTQ+.

I absolutely DO NOT GIVE CONSENT for a small group of religious extremists to put other students in potential danger in their own homes, nor to terrorize teachers, administrators, and staff with threats of heavy penalties, if they need to act or speak up to support the safety and wellbeing of a student in their classroom.

Our public schools need to be safe places for ALL students, and not just the students who belong to one racial, ethnic, or religious group at the expense of all others. Religious extremists are certainly free in this country to form their own private schools. Our state government has given them plenty of tax credits and financial incentives to do so, at the expense of our public schools already. They are even free to send a letter of their own to their child's teachers, staff, and administrators regarding which materials or curriculum from which they would like their child excluded. However, they do not have the right to obstruct other students' right to learn in a safe and diverse environment with adequate social supports.

I DO NOT CONSENT to have my public tax dollars used in any way to further the goals of a small, bigoted group of religious extremists to enforce their agenda on public institutions and put members of other religious, ethnic, racial, gender, disability, or any other demographic group in harm's way.