Msgr. Paul V. Garrity
If someone calls you a “deplorable”, you will probably dismiss the insult because you know that you are not deplorable and you may wonder who actually is deplorable. It is not a moniker that anyone would enjoy. Nor does anyone want to be called an “elite”. These terms have made their way into our political jargon. Another way of classifying people based on when they shower (before or after work) is also creeping into political discourse. Presumably, there is some kind of political correlation here that needs to be explored
In our complex age, pundits and prognosticators never tire of seizing on terms that mask and simplify differences while masquerading as social wisdom. Rather than clarity, they produce anger, resentment and frustration. These terms may make good copy but contribute to the polarization that is growing like a cancer in our body politic. One result is that serious conversations among people of different political persuasions rarely take place. Avoiding the possibility of such conversations becomes good etiquette. Ignoring the elephant in the living room, however, is not a healthy way to live.
As our American political landscape undergoes enormous change, approval and disapproval seem to be evenly split. Some only see an existential danger that has not been seen since the days of Joe McCarthy and his anti-communist crusade. Others are pleased with the gatling gun pace of change that is reshaping the federal bureaucracy. As a consequence, the middle-ground upon which political stability is based, is being battered and eroded.
If ever there was a time for all Americans to go back to the civics classes of high school, that time is now. Renewing the common ground upon which our democracy is built may very well be the antidote to the divisiveness that continues to spread like wildfire. Our three levels of national government are meant to exist in a healthy tension. They reflect the wisdom of our forebears. When George Washington retired from the presidency, he gave a living witness to a fledgling democracy that relegated royalty to Europe alone. Marbury v Madison was the Supreme Court case in 1803, establishing the principle of judicial review, that solidified the Supreme Court’s role as an equal branch of government. Today, the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial branches of our government need to function respectfully and harmoniously for the benefit of the citizens of our land.
Agreeing that this basic structure is foundational to our democracy can be a beginning point for serious discussion about what is taking place before our eyes. Civics lessons by themselves can be quite boring. Their snooze factor disappears, however, if we see civic lessons being lived in the headlines of the day. Executive Orders are not laws. When used to trump the actual laws that have been passed by Congress and signed into law, a serious problem is created. Courts necessarily get involved, as they should, but the old adage that justice delayed is justice denied is very applicable. After an arm of government has been shuttered by Executive Order, it is very difficult to put the pieces back together if the Courts find that the initial order was unconstitutional. Sadly, Congress is complicit!
The rule of law sounds like a high-minded principle that creates an honest playing field for all citizens, without exception. The Constitution is our bedrock law that spells out basic freedoms like free speech and free press. The Bill of Rights and other Amendments also extend basic rights to all people regardless of their legal status. Things like due process, unreasonable search and seizure, probable cause are all basic concepts that should create a sense of security for all US residents.
When a woman can be arrested for no crime, handcuffed and whisked away to a detention center that is 1500 miles away from her home in a matter of hours, there is something seriously going wrong in our nation. When a man can be similarly arrested, effectively disappearing without a trace over a weekend, with no charges and no due process, this should concern everyone who showers before work and who showers after work, alike. When a high-ranking government official uses caged human beings as a backdrop for a photo op, not only are the basic tenants of the Geneva Conventions being violated, human dignity is being dealt a serious blow along with the reputation of the united States throughout the rest of the world.
In the 1930s, Martin Niemoller was a Lutheran pastor who was slow to recognize the evil of Nazism and Hitler. After 8 years in a Nazi concentration camp he famously observed: “When they came for the socialists, I did not speak out because I was not a socialist; When they came for the trade-unionists, I did not speak out because I was not a trade-unionist; When they came for the Jews, I did not speak out because I was not a Jew; When they came for me, there was no one left to speak for me.”
Deplorable, Elites and everyone in between should be alarmed and sobered by Niemoller’s words. Evil triumphs when good people do nothing.
Msgr. Garrity is a Senior Priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and former pastor of St. Mary’s Parish and School in Lynn.