I Can’t Come Up With A Headline – The News Is Too Distressing

So, yesterday there were protests and counter-protests over Jewish owned businesses in Philadelphia.  Some would analogize it to Kristallnacht.  If you do not know from Kristallnacht, shame on you – time for a history lesson.  Thank goodness the counter-protesters prevented damage.  I think the Kristallnacht imagery is overblown given the physical reality of the situation, but not in the intent.  The protesters claim they are anti-Zionist, not anti-Jew – a distinction without a difference. I just can’t believe this is where the country is – history should teach us better.  But even if you are ignorant of history, decency should teach you better.

My social media was full later last week of memes about how despite being trounced in the elections, Republicans did not take to the streets in protest or derision.  Such is an interesting observation, but I ignored it because it does not appeal to our higher nature.  And yet here we find that even in electoral victory, lefties feel compelled to take to the streets.  And they take to the streets with hatred on their hearts – their claims regarding their motivation notwithstanding.  At least this, thankfully fairly small, group of people in Philadelphia were unsatisfied with voting in a Congress that would likely act according to their will and had to take to the streets.  Doesn’t that strike you as how democracy dies?

Over the weekend I heard some friends claim that Trump was executing the same playbook that Hitler established in Mein Kampf.  I let it slide for the sake of keeping the social event congenial, but after this situation in Philly, I probably should not have.  This event, abortive as it ended up, should be deeply chilling to any decent American.

That same group of friends discussed their concern with a burgeoning “anti-intellectualism” in the nation.  Such is a reasonable concern, as we increasingly act based on impression and feeling as opposed to fact and reason.  I was thinking this morning about all the buzz around removing Pete Hegseth from office.  I have not seen mention of any specific failure on Hegseth’s part to warrant his removal – just that he should be removed.  One is forced to conclude that the issue is based; therefore, in personal distaste, and a politically motivated desire to hurt the Trump administration.  Now such is indeed anti-intellectual, it is base and crude.

For the United States of America to have come to a place where events with even the most remote resemblance to Kristallnacht can occur should be unthinkable.  This is true not only because we fought a world war to extinguish such things.  We also endured our own version of it in so much of the ugliness that followed the Civil War and during the Civil Rights movement.

What we are witnessing is a leadership failure.  Our political leadership is capitalizing on our prejudices and hatreds for their own gain.  Our educational leadership is dividing us by telling us we are about our race, or creed or color or gender rather than about our country and our commonality.  Our religious leadership is failing us by making religion some sort of self-help thing, or imbuing us with a sense of self-righteousness instead of the humility exhibited by Christ.

In Philly, it was the citizenry that stood up and opposed.  That’s frightening.  Citizen group confrontation with other citizen groups is generally a formula for chaos.  But one must wonder if it is all we have left in the cause of decency.

I pray not.