To a few of us here today this is a
solemn and most momentous occasion. And, yet, in the history of our nation it
is a commonplace occurrence. The orderly transfer of authority as called for in
the Constitution routinely takes place as it has for almost two centuries and
few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the
world, this every-four-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a
miracle.... Ronald Reagan, 1981
While January 20, 2017
not the day for which I had hoped, not the inauguration of America’s first
woman President, it was, as is every Inauguration, an important moment in
history.
How that history plays
out over the next four or eight years, what impact & changes it will bring
to our country, will be for subsequent generations to analyze & interpret.
For me watching the transition of power was,
as always, overwhelming.
I wept. Not just for my disappointment & a dream
shattered, not just because I am wary of a man whose words & actions &
promises cause me to fear the future of the country & the world.
I wept at the wonder
of a peaceful transition of power that has occurred since George Washington
turned over the Presidency to John Adams.
And a sincere hope
that we never forget to appreciate that wonder.
But I was not so overwhelmed
that I did not listen carefully to the 45th President’s Inaugural
address.
It was, for me, a
strange speech. But its content not
unexpected.
Although I wanted to
believe that #45 would use this day to extend an olive branch to those of us
who did not support him & call for the nation to come together &
embrace difference, DJT spoke to his base, reassuring him of his commitment to
their dreams, their needs, their demands.
Demands that he
described as those of a “righteous people & righteous public.”
Americans want great
schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families and good jobs
for themselves.
Nothing about access
to affordable healthcare. Nothing about
protecting the threats to women’s right to choose & control their bodies,
nothing about protecting those of difference.
Nothing about protecting the voice & religious choice of millions of
Americans who did not vote for him.
But he will listen to
a “righteous people & righteous public.”
I so wish someone who
ask him his definition of righteous.
Invoking the Bible
offended me as a believer. I have major
issues with people who profess to love God & to listen to Her using the
Bible as a political tool or an excuse for behavior that is the antithesis of
Judeo-Christian teaching. While I have
no access to DJT’s heart or soul, it was an invocation designed for his base,
not for all Americans.
At the bedrock of our politics will be a total
allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our
country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your heart
to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when God's people live
together in unity.
The Biblical reference
Trump’s writers used is Psalm 133:1, one
of the Song of Ascents.
Attributed to David,
Psalm 133 consists of three verses:
1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live
together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down
on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his
robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
Scholars differ on the
history of the title of Song of Ascents
given to fifteen psalms – but one thing prevails in the various
explanations. The psalms of Ascents are
believed to have been sung as pilgrims made their way to religious festivals.
I am certain that the
Bible was not talking about politics or the government of the United States of
America or the 2017 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump.
While I admire the
veiled subtlety of the use of a Song of
Ascents – invoking an upward, rising movement – in this particular moment,
it does not resonate with me.
It is so easy to pluck
a verse out of a book revered around the world as the Word of God. I see no upward movement. I see no one anointing of oil, no dew falling
on Mount Zion.
Especially not in an
Inaugural Address that channeled “America First” as a mantra.
“America First” is not
an original slogan. The AFC, America
First Committee, was established prior to World War II. Its 800,000 members included familiar
names: future President
Ford; Sargent Shriver, who went on to lead the Peace Corps; & Potter
Stewart, the future U.S. Supreme Court justice. It was funded by the families
who owned Sears-Roebuck & the Chicago Tribune, & counted
among its ranks prominent anti-Semites of the day,
including Henry Ford & Charles Lindbergh.
Lindbergh,
& many other anti-Semites, suggested that Jews were advocating the U.S. to
enter a war that was not in the national interest.
It
was a war in the world’s interest. And most
certainly in our nation’s interest.
On January 20, 2017, I
did not hear a unifying or hopeful beginning to the 45th Presidency. I felt no reassurance, no hope for positive
change. No call for inclusion of ALL
Americans regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender or status. Instead, I was overcome by dismay, sadness
& uncertainty.
As I told my friend
Marianna Steele, writing about my reaction to the day is a way to expunge the
day from my soul, if not my memory.
Of course, Dan Rather
summed it up best – as he always does:
We now have a new and untested captain. His
power is immense, but it is not bestowed from a divinity on high. It is
derived, as the saying goes, from the consent of the governed. That means
President Trump now works for us - all of us. And if he forgets that, it will
be our duty to remind him.
Today, millions around
the world are reminding him. All of us.
W
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