The Iran War, Unjust

 

              I’m catching a bit of flack from all sides regarding this post, which was also my formal pastoral response to the invasion of Iran for my congregation. On one side, I have had my patriotism called into question, which is par for the course. On the other side, I am being admonished for being too coy, not explicitly laying out if the Iran War is just or not. My method tends toward the task of equipping people to do their own discernment, because reaching a faithful conclusion tends to be more meaningful than simply being told what a faithful conclusion is… but, now that the President finally gave his justification for why we went to war, let’s pull the strings I offered you and tighten the argument.

 

“Any decision for war must be a mournful one." 

That was literally the title of the post. And it is decidedly not how we’ve gone to war. It feels like we’ve done the opposite, that going to war with Iran was a gleeful decision, one made to burnish a legacy, not a thing of last resort. There have been no tears shed by the architects of this war, instead boasts and bravado. We’ve went in as if it is an exhibition game or magician’s distraction.

              As for the seven questions that ought to be asked before going to war, it almost feels like the planners of this war were incurious and unwilling to ask the most basic of questions when assessing if attacking Iran was just?

              So, let’s engage with those seven questions Christians have been asking about war for a good long time:

 

Have we given all non-violent options a try before going to war?

              I have heard that the negotiations were stuck, that Iran wasn’t backing down on their demands. But, our response was to, at least on two occasions, use negotiations as a way to track leaders within the regime and then kills them. Part of why Iran is a little skeptical about going to Pakistan to settle for peace is that they don’t want the finalizing phone calls to lead to the death of still more high up leaders in their government.

 

By what authority are we going to war?

              American Presidents are given leeway to respond to attacks on this country and our interests abroad. Declaring war, however, is a decision to be made by congress. This widens the net of accountability, as well as focuses the country’s minds and hearts on the action at hand. For that matter, only one ally, Israel, has joined us in either the deliberation or the doing of this war. No international body has put its stamp on stamping out the Iranian regime and its weapons of war.

The President has, on occasion, couched this conflict as a response to Iran. A response to Iran’s hardline negotiations, as well as a response to attacks on America in the 1970s, the 1990s and the 2010s.

 

What is the reason, the justification, for this military action?

              Just watch the video, or compare tweets by the President. There is a shifting rationale. We were attacking to: stop Iran from having a short break out time for nuclear weapons, protect and/or avenge the Iranian protestors who were murdered, push Iran to concessions at the negotiation table, remove the threat posed by missile programs, dismantle missiles that could make it to America, dismantle Iranian proxies by cutting off the head, or simply doing what Jimmy Carter was unable to do so that America is winning again.

 

What does success look like in this war? Is that outcome likely?

              My guess is that the President had hoped for a repeat of Venezuela, a decapitating strike followed by replacing the Ayatollah with two Iranian leaders who were more modern and moderate in their outlook. Those two leaders were both assassinated (from reporting by our ally Israel), and the Ayatollah’s son—whose whole family we’ve killed, whose body we’ve scarred… this is a comic book origin story if I’ve ever seen one—is now at least the figurehead of Iran.

              Other examples of success include: degrading missiles, degrading capacity to produce WMDs, and removing nuclear material out of Iran.

              How likely are each of these outcomes? I mean, I remember day 2 we claimed we’d taken out 80% of Iran’s missiles, and now over a month later we still seem to be after the remaining 20%, which suggests to me that getting to these outcomes is more complicated than it initially looked. That is, unless an Iran with 80% fewer missiles was the goal, in which case what are we up to now?

             

Will it all be worth it? Will the peace on the other side of this action be better than the peace that existed before the action?

              What will peace look like on the other end?
-Pessimistically, either Iran “bombed back to the Stone Age” (or as of today eliminating the Persian civilization completely… which sounds sort of Genocidal) or Iran receiving sanctions relief, collecting billions in tolls from the Straight of Hormuz each year that experts say could make Iran the 5^th most powerful military force within a couple of years, and the new Ayatollah will use the peace to prepare for revenge against those who killed his family.
-Optimistically, Iran’s imperial ambitions are stymied and their proxies become non-entities, because they are too busy rebuilding. Maybe when the bombs stop falling reformers can take the streets and the repressive Basij will be too diminished to respond with movement crushing force.

I am decidedly a pessimist.

 

Will we use more violence against Iran than they have used against us or those we are protecting?

              It was suggested to me that I’ve misread Just War theory on this point. The question is not about equal use of violence, but sufficient use of violence. That is, does the attacking force only use as much violence as necessary to reach their goal?

 

What are we doing to ensure that we aren’t hurting or killing civilians?

              At the outset of this war, the Secretary of Defense/War announced that this war is showcasing our new doctrine of lethality. We’re moving from professionalism and protocols to a warriors ethos that prioritizes death and destruction.

 We hit a girls school by accident and killed students. We destroyed a civilian bridge, killing 80 some civilians in the process. Our ally has targeted desalination plants. The president has announced that we will target civilian infrastructure, like Russia does in Ukraine, if there isn’t a satisfactory offer of surrender by 8pm tonight.

 

So, a Just War?

              We did not pick up the sword with sorrow in our hearts, but instead have done so with glee or, at best, shrugging ambivalence. We tore up our nuclear agreement and then negotiated in bad faith. The only authorization for this war is absence—congress refused to do their job. Our justifications for entering this war are so many that it feels like we’re Adam trying to cover a multitude of sins with a forest instead of a fig leaf. It has been reported that even the people planning this war called the rosy outcomes we’ve been fed unlikely; the Secretary of State even called them “bullshit,” while still going along with the plan. The peace to come will likely be sorrow and suffering for the Iranian people and the US a spent superpower. If the bluster on Twitter coming out of the Oval Office is policy, we intend to hurt and kill civilians. God have mercy.

              I believe this war is unjust through and through.

Life is Fragile: A Reflection on Moving Quickly and Breaking Things

 Chesterton’s Fence

              G. K. Chesterton famously described good reform as a long period of reflection prior to action. If you come to a fence that is of no use to you, don’t break it down, instead figure out why it is there in the first place, and only then make a decision about whether it should be torn down or not.

              A pretty simple concept, but one that is the backstop for most conservativism. “Conserve the fence, you fast paced and foolish liberals! Understand the fence’s function, before you start doing something new with it. Make sure you know the root of the thing before you root it out.”

              Chesterton’s idea is why I would encourage any pastor at a new call to listen for about a year, before making substantial changes to how the congregation functions. Write down every “new” idea you have for the community but go a full liturgical year and see if that new thing is done in some other way, so that you don’t accidently replace a good and functional thing with a half thought out change. Your mere presence as the new pastor will likely be enough change for the congregation without imposing a bunch of new stuff right out of the gate.

              I bring all this up, because it seems like in our political life today, the traditionally conservative party is not taking a beat, in order to see how our country’s fences function; they are not being conservative.

 

The Fence is Already Trampled

              Now, to be fair to the so-called conservatives, they maintain that the fence has already been trampled down, and they have to do radical atypical things to right the ship. Essentially, in a crisis actions, not reflection, is the priority.

              So, to use the pastor new to a congregation example again. A global health crisis occurred as I became the pastor at my current call. That meant I had to move fast and make decisions without the level of reflection or deference to history that I would have sans crisis. The fence was already toppled by external pressures, and I simply did what I could to restore and maintain some sort of equilibrium.

              The Republicans are making the same claim: there is a crisis that require action without reflection to restore and maintain an equilibrium. My concern about this is two-fold: 1. What is the actual crisis? 2. What is the equilibrium we are shooting for?

Multitudinous crises:

For some the crisis is abortion; Roe v. Wade has normalized a “genocide state” and extreme measures are required to end the slaughter of the unborn, even if it means a bunch of women will be denied healthcare—abortion and not—and some of them will die or become disabled by childbirth.

For others the crisis is immigration; illegal immigration is too high, asylum laws are too loose, and the countries of origin of legal immigrants are "undesirable." Often times, attached to this are worries about the flow of illegal drugs.

For still others, the crisis is DEI; in some ways, concerns about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are parallel to the first two crises. Women having full bodily autonomy, including access to abortion, and immigrants coming from non-European countries, shifts culture; it changes how things get done in our country. For some Republicans that shift is a grave threat, instead of a vitalizing dynamic; cultural discomfort is an existential threat.

For others, the crisis is one of lost dynamism; America has lost “The Hop.” We don’t manufacture things here and a country centered around service and government jobs stifles adaptation and innovation. Red tape makes building new houses complicated and unaffordable, and there are fewer paths for working class folk to get ahead.

What is the preferred equilibrium? When is “Again”?

              The big unanswered question of Trumpism is when is the “Again” in “Make America Great Again.” Personally, I think that’s the point, it is open ended. It is a Rorschach test of the same caliber as Obama’s progressive, “Yes We Can” … can what? The “Again” is the spot we project all our hopes and dreams.

              Now, my own “Again” would be the immediate post-Cold War period up until 9-11. It was the time when the whole world celebrated the triumph of capitalism, and every culture and idea was welcome to join the marketplace of ideas. It was a period of time when anything was possible, the entire world could address major problems without the fracturing ideological lens of the Cold War, likewise, America could make geopolitical decisions that were right, instead of decisions that would simply counter communist activity… America was great then: we defeated and redeemed the Evil Empire through culturally adept soft power and Saddam through technologically sophisticated hard power, the president played a saxophone, we took concrete steps to protect the environment, the personal computer and internet were popularized, the stock market did nothing but go up, and even Russia wanted to join Nato!

To be clear, this is my incredibly rose-colored glasses version of the 90s and early 2000s, but that’s the vibes I’d project onto Trump’s “Again” if my politics was primarily backwards looking instead of forward looking.

              So, I wonder, what is the equilibrium point Trump voters are hoping for? Perhaps…
-For the anti-abortionists it is the Pre-Roe 1970s?
-Or for the anti-immigration folks the pre-Immigration and Nationality Act 1960s?
-Or the people who miss “The Hop” the post-World War 2 boom times of the 1950s?
-Or judging by the tariffs and a policy of annexing Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal, the 1890s?

              That said, I’ve heard some pretty out there and ahistorical “Agains” from my fellow millennials, not to mention people younger than me:
-We’re going back to the 1050s, before the great Schism between Eastern and Western Christianity; an Evangelical-Russian Orthodox cultural alliance will return us to greatness, that’s why we are siding with Putin!
-We’re going back to the 1450s, before the fall of Constantinople and along with it the “Roman” cultural ideal: hierarchy, agrarianism, and family!
-We’re going back to the 1550s, say the “Theo-bros” who hope to restore that brief period when John Calvin set up a Theocracy in Geneva.

              For that matter, and in the most extreme, you have folks like Steve Bannon, looking to a Europe oriented toward a traditionalist Vatican and a “Christian” Emperor. Bannon is publicly feuding with another end of the "conservative" spectrum, Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, who hope to build a “techno-feudalist” future. And then we have Richard Spencer of Unite the Right who, in his podcasts, cite Far Future Science Fiction as his “Again,” particularly the tabletop game Warhammer 40K and the Dune books, both of which are centered around a “God-Emperor.”

The Fences we’ve Destroyed

And all of this brings me to the fences being trampled. There are, of course, all the big ones making headlines: the Department of Education and USAID shoved in a corner to be ignored, intentionally cruel mass firings of federal employees, overturning world trade without a plan, attacks on judges and the rule of law, non-profits being insulted, defunded, and undermined, and hairdressers and students being snatched up off the streets, bound for God help them. But those might seem a little abstract, and a little too far off. So, here are three examples I’ve personally come across recently that highlight how fragile life is, and how tearing down fences have real consequences and costs to them.

I have peers doing the squish generation thing—caring for both their kids and their elderly parents—who have lost their jobs as part of the firing of federal employees. This isn’t just devastating for them, but for their extended family! Sure, they will likely get their job back in 6 months to a year, along with backpay, once everything works its way through the courts, but you can’t pay mortgages or medical expenses with IOUs!

              Due to severe cuts in funding of the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation, as well as the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, our local pantry will lose access to low-cost meats and cheeses, and in a few months’ time fresh produce as well. We make sure 30 families, 25+ kids, a little over 100 people all told, make it to the end of the month without going hungry. These cuts make our mission all the harder, and our offerings all the more meager.

              I have a colleague who had discerned it was time to retire. He’d put in his paperwork and he and his wife were starting to make plans for their next phase of life. Then the stock market bottomed out. He’s back in and plans to stick things out for the foreseeable future.

              Life is fragile enough without someone taking a metaphorical baseball bat to it.
It is hard enough to discern that God is calling you to a retired life, having that taken away…
Being food insecure, and then having your source of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and cheese for your kids, reduced or eliminated…
Being simultaneously pulled and sandwiched by your parents and your child, and faithfully making it all work, then to lose your ability to provide for any of them…

 

Ends and Means

              I wonder, if the goal is ending abortion, why is the administration going out of their way to attack Lutheran and Catholic institutions that care for orphans and walk families through adoptions? I wonder, if the goal is tightly regulating immigration, why did candidate Trump and then Senator Marco Rubio torpedo bi-partisan immigration reform over and over again, since at least 2013?

I wonder if we really want to go back to the 1960s? As much as corporate DEI stuff can be ham fisted, wasn’t segregation and women not being allowed to have credit cards of their own legitimately awful in retrospect? I wonder, wasn’t the CHIPS Act and the Infrastructure Bill an attempt to re-create the manufacturing dynamism of the 1950s for the 2020s?

My worry is that we’re not asking retirees to suffer for a bit, so that the traditional family can flourish. My worry is that we’re not hurting federal employees and their families, so that we secure our border and limit DEI. My worry is that we’re not asking the poor to tighten their belts even more, so that good jobs and plenty are on the way.

              My worry is that the odder “Agains”: theocracy or techno feudalism, God Emperors or European style monarchy, are the ends for which this fence breaking is occurring. We’re hurting people in the name of speculative fiction! The passing fancies of the rich and the violent are being masked with more mundane concerns.

My worry is that we’re hurting people as an end unto itself. We’re hurting people to assert power.

My worry, ultimately, is that singularly beautiful and fragile lives are being damaged for no good reason, and we’re justifying means for mean ends.

That fence is someone’s golden years, that fence makes a family whole, that fence keeps poor folks fed. Take a moment to consider the fence, it is worthy of our time and our care.

DOGE v. ELCA, DOGE v. DATA

DOGE v. ELCA

              One of the things I noted in my previous post about DOGE going after the Lutheran religious tradition was laziness on the part of Michael Flynn and Elon Musk’s interns. As I pointed out, all they needed to do to understand the numbers was to do a quick google search and they would have been able to read all the Lutheran Social Ministry Organization’s 990s. Instead, they jumped straight to libel about money laundering and false accusations of illegal activity, all leveled at 2am on a Sunday morning.

              And, the more you look at their data, the lazier they seem.

-On one hand, they lump several Lutheran Universities in with their spreadsheet about Lutheran Social Ministry Organizations, making no distinction between them. The only reason I can think that someone would do this is to inflate the numbers.

-On the other hand, and more damning, they are making the claim that this 600-million-dollar figure is 3 months of payments. In the instances I’ve looked into, these figures account for 7 years of federal payments to Lutherans for everything from running orphanages and senior housing to resettling refugees and helping people out after natural disasters.

              There are consequences for this lazy and reckless behavior.

-To my knowledge at least 20 people have been laid off from Lutheran Social Services because of this tweet.

-Additionally, services provided by these organizations are being disrupted. Here in New Jersey the first place this has hit is hospice care.

DOGE v. DATA

              And that would be enough—people losing their jobs and the dying not receiving dignity in their most vulnerable moments, all on account of interns not being able to understand (or purposefully fudging) the difference between 3 months and 7 years, as well as the difference between colleges and social ministry organizations—That. Would. Be. Enough.

But this kind of sloppiness isn’t confined to attacks on the ELCA. In a bunch of different ways, it seems like DOGE is getting their data wrong.

-The DOGE website was put together so poorly that it is editable by anyone and has leaked classified information.

-These interns were so reckless with how and who they fired, that we’re finding out that some of the people they fired were essential for US nuclear safety, and now DOGE can’t get ahold of them to fix major problems.

-Perhaps most alarmingly, as DOGE has started to mess with social security accounts, they are confusing a data entry error code with fraud.

So, I imagine that means a bunch of people on social security will start to get the same treatment as the Lutherans. Out of the blue they’ll be accused of illegal activity and fraud and suffer the consequences, when in fact the only dodgy thing going on is that DOGE interns were too lazy to understand the data they were looking at.

A Defense of Lutheran Social Ministries

                 Did you ever wonder why, in the movie Gran Torino, Walt Kowalski blames the Lutherans for settling the Hmong in Michigan? Isn’t it curious that one of the subplots of the book Silence of the Lambs is that Clarice Starling was raised in a Lutheran orphanage in Montana? Why would these works of fiction both single out Lutherans as do-gooders in American society? Because it was good writing, it, even in such small details, points to realities about America. In America when refugees need to be resettled, the Lutherans will be there; when orphans need to be cared for, the Lutherans will be there.

                You see, there are nearly 300 Lutheran Social Ministry Organizations scattered throughout the United States doing good. 1 out of every 50 Americas are helped by these organizations. Think of it, it is as if the entire state of Missouri or Indiana have been assisted by Lutherans.

One of the neat things about Lutheran Social Ministry Organizations is that they are one of the few places where the conservative LC-MS and the liberal ELCA still work together. We may disagree about: Bishops, women in ministry, gay marriage, ecumenical relationships, and a bunch of other things, but we sure as hell are going to help the least, last, and lost, even when it means working together.

                The previous congregation I served partnered with Lutheran Social Ministries New Jersey (LSM-NJ) to create affordable housing for seniors. At my current congregation we have a long history of collecting school supplies for poor children through LSM-NJ. I have friends who have adopted their children through Lutheran adoption agencies, I once knew a security guard who had been a “lost boy” in Somalia and was transformed into a productive tax paying American citizen, thanks to Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (now Global Refugee).

                I bring all this up, because the good and faithful work of Lutheran Social Ministry Organizations are currently under attack.

                Now, I am not surprised that Musk, an heir to a South African emerald mine, and Flynn, a registered agent of Turkey and Russia who has an eight-figure bank account, don’t regularly rub shoulders with people who have had their lives made whole by Lutheran Social Ministry Organizations.

                I’m also not surprised that they are trying to make good on their promise of cutting two trillion dollars from the US budget through the process of creative destruction. They’re essentially borrowing a playbook from Richard Gere’s character at the start of Pretty Woman. The only difference is, instead of grabbing US businesses and throwing them against the wall until money falls out, they’re smashing US institutions to see if they’re piggy banks.

                What I am surprised about, is how lazy they are. It is obvious to anyone with eyes that some intern was reading through a spreadsheet, noticed a payment to Lutherans and didn’t understand it. Then someone pressed Ctrl+F and found that there were other payments to Lutheran Organizations. From there they went directly onto social media at 2am and picked a fight. They scare quoted these good and faithful organizations as “Lutheran” and “religious”, they falsely accused Lutherans of money laundering, and declared the payments the federal government makes to these organizations to be illegal.

                All they needed to do was google the organizations. Every one of them publicly publishes their budgets and tax information (they are all required to post their 990s). The payments are for grants the organizations have applied for and received, the payments are for services rendered, the payments are for contracts state and federal governments have entered into with these organizations.

                Or you know what, Musk is rather well off, I bet he has a plane; he could get out of his smelly DOGE office and go and see what these organizations do. He could go to New Orleans, step beyond the tourist areas, and talk to folk about Katrina—Lutheran Disaster Relief was the last organization out. Or go to communities along the Red River and ask them who had their back; he could go to Red Bank, NJ and they’ll tell him a thing or two—might even be less polite than the Midwesterners about it. Go to a food bank, after care or elder care—they know the score.

                Here is the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA’s response:

                And I would ask for a secondary response from all of my readers. Call your Representative and Senators. Tell them this libelous and knee jerk attack shows that Elon Musk does not have the wherewithal to be involved in DOGE, or any other aspect of the US government. Ask them to defend these vital organizations and stand with the 2% of their constituents who are most in need. Lutheran Social Ministry Organizations are part of the fabric of America, tearing them out at a whim will damage our country.

The Case for Warren/Yang 2020

            I’ve been thinkin’ some about the 2020 Democratic Primary. I’ve read Mayor Pete’s book, Sander’s book, Warren’s book, and Yang’s book. I’ve looked at some of the candidate’s ideas and I’ve listened to folk talk up their favorite candidates.

            I’m personally drawn to Mayor Pete, he’s about my age and, as I keep telling people, he makes my Wyoming feel safe. What I mean by that is that he’s been in the military so he understands discipline and I could see him cultivating Aristotelian virtues and handling himself well in a pre-industrial world. This is a gut thing that I am aware is not particularly rational or good, but it is a thing. I also am drawn to Booker, he makes me hopeful, I like how he talks about faith, I like his Baby Bonds idea, and I see some of my own character traits in him. Booker/Buttigieg would probably be the team for me, but I’m one voter. For that matter, Inslee's laser focus on Climate Change is something I wish we still had in the race.

            With that said, I think there is a good case to be made for a Warren/Yang ticket. Their candidacies have clearly stated goals, they would make an interesting electoral alliance, and a Warren/Yang administration would re-center America’s politics in some really good ways.

Clear Solutions for Actual Problems.

            Warren is running a campaign against corruption and for expanded healthcare. Yang intends for America to be ready for the inevitable consequences of automation. These are fairly concrete goals and, I think, goals most Americans can get behind. 

            Everyone should be accountable, even if they have billions of dollars. No one should be able to buy a Senator or an election. Lobbyists should not wear two hats and should not swim in and out of corporate and governmental streams, without some recognition that pollution may occur. In fact, just look at the current administration (and the two billionaires currently attempting to buy a spot on the Democratic ticket) if you need to know what unchecked oligarchy looks like.

            If you’ve ever been without good insurance or any insurance, if you’ve had insurance companies discriminate against you based on a pre-existing condition, if you’ve spent a little time with elderly people and seen how miserable the last few years of life can get on account of our current healthcare system, then you know we need a change. As long as profits are a primary concern in healthcare, the system will rarely care for our health.

            Then there is the coming robot invasion. If 20% of jobs are going to disappear in the next couple of years, and another 40% will be transformed beyond recognition by 2030 (which, as strange as it sounds, is only a decade away)… we need to figure out what to do about that. Yes, there will be new jobs that show up on account of these old jobs going away—robot maintenance, human coordinators… who knows, but I also know everyone’s life will be changed. I think of my dad’s hometown, International Falls, where my cousin Harley is mayor. There was a paper mill, which provided good paying jobs for thousands of people. Now it is automated and it provides good paying jobs for a hundred people or so. Everyone else had to hustle, hang on, or leave. 

            We need to recognize that this challenge is real, and be ready to meet it with concrete proposals, but ones that are freeing to those whose lives are most directly shaped by these changes… yes, freeing. Imagine telling all the truck drivers in the US to become nurses, giving them training to do so even (this was the Clinton solution to NAFTA job displacement). That’s good, but some of their sensibilities are going to be ruffled. Alternatively, if you give them (and everyone else, so it isn’t an act of benevolence, but our inheritance as Americans) $1,000 a month, some financial stability, they can tool around and explore, and find a vocation they find acceptable. You know, they might even all become nurses, but they’ll have chosen it, they will have made that decision. It might be a little messier and take a little longer than a White House economist incentivizing training for particular tasks that are needed—but human inefficiency is a small price to pay for human dignity.

            So, in sum, Warren and Yang are both focused on a few concrete problems facing our country. They are problems the average American sees as a problem. We can imagine what the next four to eight years would look like, where we are headed as a nation, by voting Warren/Yang.

An Interesting Alliance

            I’ve found something interesting; people who like Yang tend to be turned off by Warren and her entitled schoolmarm act, and people who like Warren tend to find Yang to be a pompous know-it-all Silicon Valley no neck. Now, that might not sound like a ringing endorsement—but then again think of Obama/Biden or even the current Trump/Pence coalitions. Obama, the too young, jumping the line, senator and Biden, the old, gaff prone, has been—together, became Barockstar and Uncle Joe with the Trans-Am invited to the cook-out. Similarly, Trump and Pence should be oil and water to one another, a slimy philandering “Greed is Good” reality TV star from New York City and an anti-gay Governor who always looks like the Senator in the X-men comics who is trying to outlaw Mutants. Together Trump is getting Pence to loosen up and Pence can tell Evangelicals that Trump is a “Baby Christian” and try to convince Trump that pets are good (this combination doesn’t appeal to me… but if I squint real hard I can see how such a combination could be appealing—sort of a perverse Green Acres/Odd Couple kind of thing). Perhaps Warren becomes the best version of Kate McKinnon’s Warren/Hillary character on SNL and Yang becomes an entrepreneur-making-android who advocates for special needs children.

            And that’s the candidates—imagine the voters! If the Yang Gang gets together with the Warren Klatch they can energize the Democratic Party and welcome in some new folk. Simply put, Yang’s supporters are mainly young and male, whereas Warren’s “Nevertheless she persisted” is now a rallying cry for female voters of all ages. If Democrats mobilize women and hold their own among men by winning more young men than last time around, they’ll win!

            Warren worked with the Obama Whitehouse Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a nod to the Obama Coalition. Warren has some populist, anti-corporate, positions that should energize the working class. In fact, some Silicon Valley folk are uncomfortable with her Teddy Roosevelt leanings. 

            That’s where Yang comes in, he can corral the Start-up class, he has the relationships, and I think, he can restate some of Warren’s positions in a way “normal people” can hear them more clearly. Finally, some members of the Yang Gang are super savvy on social media, something the Democrats had an edge over the Republicans with until 2016. A young VP who understands the interwebs could be a real plus!

A Sideways Coalition for America

            The tension and synergy between Warren and Yang, and their supporters, could be good for America.  A Warren/Yang administration would re-define America in some interesting ways.

            Firstly, there is the thrust of their policies! Fight corruption, fix health care, and get ahead of innovation before it cripples the majority of our citizens. This team would concretely care about people! Imagine Americans caring for one another again!

            Secondly, there is the tension between entrepreneurship and trust busting that Warren/Yang could make into a partnership. Both of those vocations are needed in America now. The creation of new businesses and application for new patents are down in this country. At the same time, giant companies and the rich are gaining more and more influence over our society—the golden rule is becoming “he with the gold makes the rules.” Policies that nurture new small businesses and restrain monopolies can go hand in hand and will be good for America. 

            Similarly, the ways these two think about problems are opposite, but good for each other, they balance one another out. Warren envisions government’s role as restraining bad behavior and rooting out corruption, making all actors in our society more responsible to one another. Yang recognizes the responsibility of government is to defend the freedom of the populace. When facing the problem of mass automation it is important that the solution encourages human flourishing, instead of treating humans like the very robots that are the cause of the difficulty. Imagine an America that embraces responsibility AND liberty!

            Thirdly, there is the joy of electing America’s first female president and first Asia American Vice President—this would be no small thing, especially coming on the heels of an openly misogynistic and racist president. It would be the first time a white male wasn’t on the ticket; I imagine there would be some backlash, but representation matters, and there are plenty of women and Asian Americans who deserve to feel represented in the highest offices in our land. America is mine too! Ain’t that cool!

            Diversity, responsibility and liberty, innovation, and kindness. What’s not to love?

            A Warren/Yang administration clearly articulates concrete solutions to real life problems, builds a unique election coalition, and would govern and lead America in a good direction.

Nunes didn't recuse, but should have.

            Last time I had jury duty I was potentially going to be on a jury for a case where a Cardiologist was being sued by the family of a person who died because of what they saw as the doctor’s negligence. I had to disclose if there was any reason I could not be impartial. My heart condition precluded me from participating in the trial.

            It is alleged that Devin Nunes participated in the bribery scandal that he is currently holding impeachment hearings on as the ranking Republican on the intelligence committee. To me that calls his impartiality into question. He ought to have recused himself, just as Jeff Sessions recused himself in the Russia Investigation and Judge Kagan recused herself based on once filing a friend of the court brief on a case that came up to the Supreme Court. I will remind you President Trump insisted Nunes’ fellow Californian, Judge Gonzalo Curiel, could not be impartial based on his ethnicity (remember, he was born in Indiana).

            There are a lot of horrible things this administration and its enablers have done. From sending people I know into harms way to face persecution based on their Christian faith to baby jails, encouraging and defending Nazis, and on and on and on. So, this shouldn’t shock me, but the idea that Nunes spent a week up there grilling witnesses to a crime that he may have actively participated in is horrible!

            It would be the equivalent of the Cardiologist in question being on the jury, or even being the judge.

My initial "hot take" on the transcripts of Donald and Volodymyr

Anti-tank Missiles for Hillary’s Server & Discrediting Mueller’s Testimony the Day Before

VOLODYMYR: Ukraine’s President: We are almost. ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes.

DONALD: I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say Crowdstrike ... I guess you have one of your wealthy people... The server, they say Ukraine has it. There are a lot of things that went on, the whole situation… I think you are surrounding yourself with some of the same people. I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it. As you saw yesterday, that whole nonsense ended with a very poor performance by a man named Robert Mueller, an incompetent performance, but they say a lot of it started with Ukraine. Whatever you can do, it's very important that you do it if that's possible.

Personal Relationship with Donald Trump for Information on a Political Opponent’s Son

VOLODYMYR: I would also like and hope to see him having your trust and your confidence and have personal relations with you so we can cooperate even more so I will personally tell you that one of my assistants spoke with Mr. Giuliani just recently and we are hoping very much that Mr. Giuliani will be able to travel to Ukraine and we will meet once he comes to Ukraine. I just wanted to assure you once again that you have nobody but friends around us.

DONALD: The other thing. There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great.

Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it ... It sounds horrible to me.

The Investigation will be Done by Yes Men, You’ll Get the Result You Want
Pass on the Direction You Want the Investigation to Go

VOLODYMYR: I wanted to tell you about the prosecutor First of all I understand and I'm knowledgeable about the situation. Since we have won the absolute majority in our Parliament; the next prosecutor general will be 100% my person, my candidate, who will be approved, by the parliament and will start as a new prosecutor in September. He or she will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned is this issue. The issue of the investigation of the case is actually the issue of making sure to restore the honesty so we will take care of that and will work on the investigation of the case. On top of that, I would kindly ask you if you have any additional information that you can provide to μs, it would be very helpful for the investigation

The Prosecutor Removed from Office for Corruption is the Kind of Prosecutor I Want You to Use

ALSO

I’ll Bribe You with Economic Incentive for the Results I Want

DONALD: I will have Mr. Giuliani give you a call and I am also going to have. Attorney General Barr call and we will get to the bottom of it. I'm sure you will figure it out. I heard the prosecutor was treated very badly and he was a very fair prosecutor so good luck with everything. Your economy is going to get better and better I predict.

Emoluments Clause OR The Tower of Babel is So Beautiful!

VOLODYMYR: I stayed at the Trump Tower. I will talk to them and I hope to see them again in the future. I also wanted to thank you for your invitation to visit the United States, specifically Washington DC. On the other hand, I also wanted to assure you that we will be very serious about the case and will work on the investigation. As to the economy, there is much potential for our two countries and one of the issues that is very important for Ukraine is energy independence.

Mueller Report in Meme form

So, if you watched the 7 hour grilling of Mueller you know he's super frustrated that no one read his report (other than me... apparently).

To help everyone out I posted a summary. I also posted highlights.
Here is my final attempt to make sure people know what happened... inspired by this slate article:

The Mueller Report in Meme form

Intro:

Shared Campaign Info:

Lied to Investigators:

Tampered with Evidence:

Russia Used Social Media to Influence 126,000,000 Americans... it had real world consequences:

The Russians also Hacked Democrats:

Trump's Request to Hack the DNC and Hillary were Taken Seriously:

The Trump Campaign Coordinated with Wikileaks, who Coordinated with Russia:

Trump's Son was Given the Password to an Anti-Trump PAC Website: 

Wikileaks Used Trump Jr. as a Puppet:

A Summary of the Hacking:

Trump's Campaign was Initially a Real Estate Infomercial:

Everyone Pretended to be More Important Than They Were, and that Made them More Important:

The Trump Campaign Freely Shared Information with the Russians, because they were Compromised:

But Her EMAILS!!!

So Incurious:

They Knew the Meeting was About Dirt on Clinton:

Many Trump Folk Lie, for Example:

Trump is NOT not Guilt of Obstruction of Justice:

Trump Lies:

People in Trump's Orbit Refuse to Follow Presidential Orders:

The President's Team Lied about Trump Editing his Son's Press Statements:

The Scope of the President's Actions:

Congress Needs to Hold the President Accountable because No One is Above the Law:

The President Would Not Answer Questions about Obstruction of Justice:

The President Acted in a Two-Faced Manner:

The President Refused to be Interviewed:

Either the President has a Memory Problem, or He's Lying:

They are Home: The Commander in Chief must not act like this!

            Donald Trump’s latest tweet, telling four congresswomen of color to go home, just hit me so hard. I’m in tears… and I’m a white guy, I can only imagine how this feels to folk who have regularly been told, “go back to where you came from.” 

            I am struck that the Commander in Chief would speak like this, that the president would say such a thing about members of congress. 

            For whatever reason, his actions take me back to my childhood as a NATO brat. We occasionally had drills about getting nuked or overran by the Communists. We were told to find our parents, or failing that, to find adults we trusted. The two adults I decided on were Dr. Omar and Rob. 

            The Commander in Chief of the United States Military was not only attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Ilhan Omar—he is also saying Rob and Dr. Omar aren’t really Americans. They would die for this country! For that matter, “The Squad”represents and serves nearly three million Americans… that’s 5 of my home state of Wyoming… that’s a lot of Americans!

            What kind of President uses his bully pulpit as a bullhorn for the worst impulses of our country? What kind of President injects that kind of hate into our nation’s veins? What kind of President holds millions of citizens in such low disregard, and states it publically?

            What kind of Commander in Chief insults 40%of the troops he commands?

A prayer for “The Squad”:

            Lord God, our President’s words are endangering the lives of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, please shield them and protect them, please keep them safe. Do not let them be demonized, do not let them be used to scare people, and do not let the evil done to them have its intended effect. 

            Instead Lord, take “The Squad” and use them to do good for this nation and prosper all who live herein. Strengthen them daily for their vocation as Congresswomen. 

            Dear Lord, be kind to them. In Jesus name. Amen.

A prayer for everyone who has been told to “Go Home”:

            There is no rest, until we rest in you, and yet… and yet Lord, this nation can be a place to be and be safe for a time. Lord, it is not so. Millions of your children are insulted, denigrated, hated. Please heal the wounds inflicted upon them. Please make it so such hatred may never again be used against them.

            Also, please turn the hearts of those who have attacked them, turn them from their sin that they might be transformed. 

            Make of our imperfect nation a home. In Jesus name. Amen.