Chapter 2 - Squeezing Out the Least of These - Who really owns our democracy? Is it secretly for sale to the Highest Bidder?

 

Who are the Least of These?

Matthew 25:40 New Living Translation

 

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Many years ago when I was failing to understand the King James Version of the Bible which had been presented to me when I was baptized, I learned about a different, newer translation called The Living Bible. It was then that I began to easily understand what Jesus was saying... In this case, "the least of these," was those like me... My mother was a recent widow when I was born. She had three other children for which she received a minimum amount of government support. What I remember most of all was that my Mom seemed to be working all the time... to ensure there was money to feed, clothe, and shelter us. We were considered poor for many years. It was only when each of the children were old enough to begin work to be able to contribute to the household that our lives became a little easier. For me, the youngest, my memory was of hand-me-down clothes as a major part of my younger years... Yet, we had family to help us through those times. Were we the least of these?

Today, my mind immediately goes to those in Ukraine, Gaza, Iraq, Iran, and so many other countries which have been bombed/attacked by others who destroy the homes of those who had nothing to do with the actions of those in charge and with money to seek vengeance or retribution... Those women, children, old people who I see walking on the roads moving away from a crumbled land where once they had lived. They have nothing except what they can carry on their backs or carts. They depend upon anybody who has the heart to give them, at least, food to eat... These, then, are the least of these...

And those who have destroyed their lives? They are those who squeeze out many for some obscure reason, decide to attack one or more people... No matter in what part of the world we live in, this goes on daily... But right now, we look at what was once the United States of America. Land of the Free...  Right???

It was before I was born when a new song was presented:

At that time, we were a country who sang of praising God for our new land of freedom... But even then, the world was at war, either in the past, or in the future... WWI, WWII, et.al. There has always been somewhere where some men had chosen to raise arms against another group of people... 

In the meantime, nearly all of those people also believed that it was "their" god that was the real god and that they were working to bless them through battle... For many, however, it was even worse. They believed that their god had sent his son to die for us--to save us from all anger, pain and fear... Somewhere along the line called those people were called christians. But then those individuals started breaking off from each other, even going to war to force their religion, their christianity on others--whether they wanted it or not... And so, thousands of years went by...some living in peace with their god; some fighting to have their god higher...Who really owns the democracy that is now called the United States? It is OUR TIME to ask the right questions...

You know folks, I'm opposed to having AI being used uncontrolled, for surely it will be used to create videos such as the one above, which clearly is not real... Yet it tells the story, doesn't it? We know from his own actions that this president is striving to be king over as much of the world as he can get. We also know that while during that, religion is being used as a tool in that process, to attempt to gain support from people in a religion which he can barely speak of... This, then, is where America is right now... Wondering, is it secretly being stolen from we who believe it is our country, land of the free?

Senator Warnock takes readers exactly where we need to be. Pointing out how the evolution of the government has been slowly moving toward where power and money is the most important part of the United States.

If you didn't know about the following, know that I didn't know either. I've revealed that before 2015, I was mostly involved in daily living--at work and at church. As long as things were moving forward, I wasn't paying much attention. Even in 2010, the highest court acted on a case: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which upended campaign finance reforms that restricted the amount of money that corporations and other outside groups could spend on political campaigns! It was a 5-4 decision which reveals that at that time, there was not a majority of one party on the Supreme Court. As we now know that has changed, to the detriment of the country. Soon money was flooding into campaigns for any party who was supporting candidates. And various groups were formed so that the amounts of moneys and the sources were kept secret... But there are always those watching and soon what was happening was revealed in the first book.

You know folks, my family background was with the republican party. When they talked about conservative, the first thing they mentioned was not believing in abortion. When you begin to really pay attention, you begin to see that even with this subject, there is a contradictory point of view... That is, how can you support pro-life, when at the same time you, as a party, oppose social programs for food, schools, the poor... Get the idea that conservative may well mean that those who are in that party want the government out of their businesses and money-making? Because that is exactly what was approved in 2010 by a conservative-leaning Supreme Court... And it's gotten worse since then! And it is the republican party that has led the conservative manner in which money has come to control political planning... Rather than the other way around...

This has dramatically altered the political and legal landscape to suit the self-serving conservative agenda.  "As the prophet Isaiah warned during Israel's dark days long ago, when a nation's leaders are corrupt, society's most vulnerable suffer. Your rules are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them. (Isaiah 1:23, NIV)."

The question then becomes: Who will defend those who are called the Least of These? Who will help those without power and influence? You know, those of us who our God gave His Son so that we in turn would Love and Care for our neighbors??? 

Reverend Warnock shares the work of his church Ebenezer Baptist in these efforts... As a young girl who also joined a Baptist church, I am aware of all that can be done through the efforts of church members. But Warnock points out that both the church AND the political part of our lives are called upon to respond to the needs of all those within the sphere of our reach. In the political world, that means the entire nation is responsible for all those who dwell within our land...

And we have responded to that call until the changes that began and are now being implemented against those who are the least! And, let's face it, we are now in a position where we can only be divided between the Have's and the Have Not's... That has become especially true during the years in which the republican party had a majority control. We have seen the devastation. We have seen people pulled out of their homes to be placed into detention facilities who, without any type of legal support, are left to those who can profiteer from the least of these, while at the same time, those individuals suffer from poor food, sickness, and loss of freedom for no reason other than that those in the government want to punish, to lord over those who are different in some way, and, especially, with the fact that they are poor... Or in need of sanctuary...

Warnock shares how a federal program, Head Start, was the first support his family was given so that he could have the chance to move forward... We now see that, as one who received, he is now working to ensure that that gift is passed on to others who also need a start to a life, that can only be found by the support of those who are able...and willing...to pass on support that was once given to them...

So, how did we get to this point in America where only those with so much money that they could feed the entire nation, still want to keep those in need from any type of support... A few claim it is about race and some not being "like them..." How do YOU justify not helping as you are able?

And, yet, that is just what is happening. The rich who have gotten into the political world now work to ensure that the rich get more and better tax breaks. That the rich can gain power through donating large amounts in order to gain favor from those in politics.  Instead of We the People, Of the People, and For the People... We must ask! Who really owns our democracy? And...if it really a democracy as it is now being run by the rich? Certainly with there being no longer a congressional separation, that there is no longer a separation of the Justice area of government... And that lies are being used to create a reality that serves only those who are already rich and who do not want for anything.  A specific example was used as it relates to the DeVoe family, one of whom became Secretary of Education in the 2016 term of office. We watched as an individual who gave major contributions to the candidate was then given a position for which she was not qualified, and who strived to create public funded private schools for the rich while never even being willing to visit public schools and support them financially...

Matthew 19:23-26 KJV (King James Version)Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Raphael Warnock reports that his life in public service is a testament to what is possible when the government lifts up hardworking Americans whose incomes fall short of meeting the substantive needs of their families. 

That, unfortunately is no longer the case...

He notes that, increasingly, "I’ve seen our government tilt away from caring for society’s most vulnerable and toward the interests of the financiers who have leveraged their wealth to tear down the protections put in place over time to level the playing field, to give every child a fighting chance. The legal restrictions on campaign finance were aimed at keeping those with money from gaining outsize influence over our elected officials." We now know the tragedy of that case won by the republican party.

But with the Project 2025 and so much more, things have gotten even worse as the government's historical advancements are being torn down and destroyed, while the people who need some level of income to even keep going is being squeezed out... They are being fired from their jobs. They are losing family benefits that were awarded through previous non-partisan congressional actions... And the country has surely been taken over by white male supremacists who are working to squeeze out and even remove individuals they believe are inferior if they, too, are not of the rich-and-famous top level of America's citizens.

One of the highlights noted of the impact on tossing out the limits of campaign money was a movie regarding Hillary Clinton... These days, we see this type of activity by both parties; however, the amount of money being spent by the republicans clearly reveal where the real money is being provided to thwart unwanted candidates... My guess, since I have little desire to research the past, is to merely suppose that it was Hillary's being a woman which really threw the republicans into an emergency situation since a woman president had yet to be accomplished. Some of you may remember that there was a Women's March on the day of the inauguration of the 2016 election... Clearly women had a different opinion about just how Hillary would be as the president...

It should be noted that the founder of Citizens United, Floyd Brown, was well-known in right-wing circles as a political consultant—some might call him a campaign hit man—who specializes in digging up dirt on political opponents, or at least exploiting a sensitive issue in hopes of destroying the opposition’s election chances. So I have to ask just why the republican party would choose this type of man to pull together a group called Citizens United... As we have seen since 2016, this type of dirt flinging was to be a main method of campaign destruction for that party and is now so bad that even some republicans are beginning to speak out against this president's actions.

The Tillman Act in 1907 was the first recognition that there was a problem in having money become a major issue during campaigns. That Act lasted for about 100 years. And we are surely feeling the difference in so many, many ways! Corporations are not part of We The People!

Nor are lobbyists, and any other methodology that places finances above the will of the people... If a hundred years could pass without this type of meddling, then, don't you think it is time to stop the evolution that has occurred so much that the needs of our own country are not now being fulfilled?!

This book names names of those who are pushing for more and more methods by which money can be used for corrupting our election system. They are in The Crooked Places needing to be straightened.

Reverend Warnock met with his church members as he felt led to run for the Senate... One woman after another stood to support him and ultimately the members sang this song... For surely, since God is being used as a tool by one of our political parties, we must ensure that God our Father is guiding our actions at this important time in history... May God continue to touch those who are finally seeing God's Truth and Love. Knowing that He seeks our participation in Providing for the Least of These, no matter who that may be at any given time...

Watch for

Chapter 3    Two Thousands Verses

Gabby

Chapter 1 - A Spark of the Divine - The Crooked Places Made Straight

 

When we consider having a Spark of the Divine within each human, it boggles the imagination, doesn't it? And yet, I believe this is true. This morning when I began to wonder how to open this post, I was, of course, thinking of a song. One came to mind and almost immediately it was replaced with the one that you've now listened to. A God Incident? Yes, I think so, because this song is so old that it comes way back from my childhood days of singing in church and I don't think I've used it before... and yet once it came into my mind, I was able to sing the words of the first stanza as I got up and began my morning tasks... Over and over...

Breathe on me Breath of God... Fill me with life anew... Crossing my mind was the issue of my having a heart procedure next week, but I'd already decided that God will decide when my life here on earth will end, and I'm alright with that plan of action... Still, having God Breathe on me surely is a blessing that we would all cherish, right? Or would we? If we say yes, then we surely must go on to the next phrase... That I may live as Thou Wouldst Live... And Do What Thou Wouldst Do...

One God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all...

 That's from the pledge of allegiance that, hopefully, is still used in our schools across the land... At least I hope it is? Because it includes very important words and phrases which don't seem to be acceptable in our divided country at this time... But how did it become so divided?

Certainly I still believe in one country, under God... And, to me, that means one country with all of its citizens. Yes, All... My life has been a fairly simple one... Living in a small community in a small rural area. Attending school with those who lived in the surrounding areas... Then graduating and looking to the nearest employment available, which happened to be West Virginia University within driving distance of my home... Although I never moved from this area, on that land-grant campus I met people from all over the world. I met them as they were hired and began working, or I met them as students as they came and went to classes or events with which I was involved... Not once did I think those individuals didn't belong here in the United States...

I had memorized the first words of a symbol of liberty that another country, France, had recognized about the United States. "Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry masses yearning to be free..." And I knew that I was a member of that mass of people who had either been born here or had come from somewhere else to find the freedom that everybody yearns for...

Bible Hub

When I started reading this chapter again, I discovered that I'd already referred to some issues yesterday. I'm not quite sure, but it seemed to me that I was to spend more time on the Spark of the Divine than on the politics of all that's happening... Some of you may remember as I do what occurred in Georgia when the Black Pastor Raphael Warnock decided to and was running for the Senate. Thankfully for our country, he won... For the majority of we who live in the United States, never could have anticipated exactly what began as this term of office for the president started. Many are still disbelieving that this could have happened in America. Yet it has... 

And, sadly, religion has become a major factor in the center of it all...

Raphael Warnock, himself, could not have planned on facing the attack on the Black History--and, indeed, the attack on anything that was to be selected by one party with the aim for elimination--for destruction... Having the first major attack be on USAID as a main source of support from America to the world was immediately catastrophic as children and people began to die from not having the stability of food and medicines that were in storage but were burned instead.

Where was the words from those in the government who spouted scripture but didn't remember those that Jesus had clearly stated

World Relief

The New Senator, one of the two new Georgia representatives was excited as he began his new activities, being invited to speak on news programs and even to talk with Whoopie and others on the View! But his new life was drastically changed when, on January 6th, he watched as the attack began on the Capitol and the people there to certify the election were held captive... Warnock refers to those there as the "other sides of our complicated American Family's story which was being presented to the world... He then notes that it was being "goaded" by the president, and that it resulted in the death of nine people... More importantly, he notes that, afterward, he would hear statements like, "That's not who we are as a country..." And, as both a pastor and a new senator who had been a witness, Warnock promptly proclaimed, "but I disagree. If we’re honest, January 6 is exactly who we are, and who we have always been. Here’s the thing. Like all families, our America is complicated. Our beloved country is both the hope of January 5 and the horror of January 6. Both the miracle of democracy and the oppression that runs counter to democracy are right there in our charter documents. Our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights are all evidence of the enormous possibilities we represent, as well as of our brutal human flaws and failures. Both days are at the very core of who we are, and who we might yet become.

For me, and perhaps many who read this, we have not experienced the reality of the United States in toto. Our relationship with others has been within a certain area of the country and our experience does not include the type of heartbreaking episodes for those who are the least bit different from who our neighbors think we are... It is only through my reading that I have learned of the reality of those who are...not... white... Many of you may have learned of discrimination on the job, as I have, or even in our religious environment... But nothing prepared us for what is now taking place... Warnock, as well as those of his race, had been prepared. I've talked with Jewish people and they have written or shared how they've had to be prepared... But, no matter how we've lived, I don't think any of us were prepared to see the United States return to the time of the feudal period when the rich did whatever they wanted...

Know your history? You may not want to listen to the entire video above, but the first few minutes will ensure you begin to feel that what it speaks of is, more or less, exactly what is going on right now as the U.S. government attempts to work within this exact framework of identification of classes of people by income! And, even worse, to continue to fire people or place non-white people in illegal prisons where owners care nothing about their care, including babies who are dying in these facilities...

Warnock points out that the line is clear--that we allow this country to be controlled by the rich who, like recently, create wars so that they can seek power and recognition while resulting in further loss of use of OUR taxes for what is really needed by our citizens... And he is willing to point out to us that, if we are honest and do our research, that our government is working against us, pulling control further and further into the hands of those who are not only incompetent, but who do not care, as long as their pockets are enriched further!

"The very idea of diversity, equity, and inclusion" is being cruelly advertised as radical, controversial, and in some cases illegal. We the people must wake up from the illogic pretense that on one day we were fine and the next a high number of our citizens are worthy of being fired, imprisoned, sent to other countries, or denied food, health care and more that were previously approved by Congressional action. Let's face it, when Congress is being bypassed, when actions are being approved by the Supreme Court by those who are working for one party, claiming to be conservative, while knowingly accepting financial payments which are against the law, we must stop and question what is going on!

Warnock as a pastor has shared that he feels we each have a spark of the divine which is being used through a democracy that gives us a right to vote and a voice to work toward our future. I say to you, that, in my opinion, that spark has been diverted, on purpose, and is being used to manipulate many of us as we hear lies and the use of religion to speak against people who were once just members of another political party, but who are now being used to spread unspeakable statements for the sake of hoping you believe their lies...

I just stopped for a little breakfast and listened to what was being done to a man running for election in Texas... His opponent hits darkly on this man's religion, using AI to run ads so ridiculous that it's not even worth talking about it... Yet, millions are being spent by groups who are funded by rich billionaires... So why have they chosen to call democrats demons? Why have they used religion to attack their opponents? And why has an entire new group, Christian Nationalism, use violence as a main way to ensure compliance and support for their beliefs. Surely this is not the God of Truth and Love who created such a "spark" within some U.S. political activists?

Senator Warnock points out that "The rank authoritarianism that created so much repression, destruction, and devastation in the twentieth century has come raging back like a mutant strain of a deadly virus in the twenty-first. The story of that fight is being written in real time, ironically as our nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of this grand experiment. The outcome cannot be taken for granted."

And, we cannot overlook the fact that during those 250 years, much has been changed to the original document that some claim to be the only one to pay attention to... Americans had saw what was needed and worked to keep on moving forward. Warnock points out that those who pray will often also be those who use their feet to keep walking to add daily, if necessary, to what needs to occur... Right now, we have already lost much from actions implemented illegally through the executive branch as opposed to Congress. 

Civil Rights, Women's right to vote, and so much more have been added to the specifics of what rights we are to be afforded as members of a democracy. And, may, our feet keep moving forward on the day, July 5th, 2026, to ensure that we never allow a few people to manipulate the system to the degree that has been happening since the beginning of this presidential term.

Violence against those who walk to move forward in successfully winning our rights has often been quickly ignored. Or as mentioned yesterday, had been "disappeared" by illegal actions, such as was tried at the Smithsonian within the last two years...  You can be sure that this type of interference in attempting to hide truth is based upon a drive for power, rather than a walk to move freedom forward...

It was the legendary Ruth Bader Ginsberg who wrote a strong vote of dissent when actions by the Supreme Court began to move to restrain voting rights... And These Fights are Even Worse Right Now with Gerrymandering being permitted... And more, happening...

...opened the floodgates for a torrent of voter suppression measures. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in a powerful dissent that “throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.”

The book covers a case in Quitman, Georgia, that gives us another example of just how ridiculous--but scary--life can be... The results of a group of Black women who saw that things weren't getting done at the local level, chose to act. The end result was not only preventing what they tried, but placing these women in jail! They were facing 120 felon counts, for simply having the audacity to question what the all-white group was doing to meet the needs of their children...

Readers, when you reach the point in a supposed democracy that anybody and everybody can be charged with a crime and have it acted on by politically appointed individuals... That's when we all should know that we are in a mess of Trouble... Let's fight back with Good Trouble!

So we leave this chapter with a message from Senator Warnock when he quotes Ben Franklin, when asked about the Constitution that had just been signed. He responded:

I’m reminded of Ben Franklin’s warning about the fragility of our democracy. If you can keep it.

Can the United States recover from all the damage that has been done during the last decade? I include the full decade because of all that was accomplished by President Biden has been mostly been cancelled, or the credit of accomplishment has been usurped by today's president... Who has done so very much worse... Will we survive? Will we keep on praying but ensure our feet, and fingers, keep on working to move past what has once again been destroyed? Do we have the courage and strength to do so? I believe we do... We have seen the millions of protestors out ensuring that what they know is wrong, is declared as wrong... We have also seen young politicians that are working to speak truth across the room and work together rather than obeying the demand that only one individual can make final decisions... Especially when the entire world has seen what has happened to the United States at this politically charged time.

One final point... When more of the voting shenanigans occurred in George related to his being elected to the Senate, Raphael Warnock chose to sue through the courts and won... What does that tell us? That this administration has cut off all methods by which the average person can find support for their concerns in the United States. Most of us don't have the funds to sue through the courts. I found that out when I attempted to find support for what was happening to me on my job. My lawyer admitted that I probably couldn't afford her to be able to learn all of the history of what had happened to me and be able to represent me in a professional fashion...

In the meantime, we are watching every single action that should be routinely addressed by government action, being held up in court case after course case. Often just in order to stall any kind of progress from occurring on the people's behalf... When we lose control of our legal system, we lose control of what makes America what we once were...

Every vote matters. Voting is such a sacred, noble right. One person. One vote.

...we must not allow it to discourage us or dissuade us from the fight. That fight is sacred. So I have continued to fight, introducing the bill again in July 2025. I refuse to give up. The stakes are too high. The vote is the call-and-response of citizens gathered together in the grand cathedral of our democracy. It is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and our children. We must continue praying with our lips and our legs, our hands and our feet, because progress is hard-fought, and in America it has always come in fits and starts. There are times when democracy’s promise of “justice for all” expands and times when it contracts. Contractions are painful, but they create the conditions for new birth. May we learn the lessons of the last few years and find the strength to dig deep and push toward a brighter and more inclusive America. In our movement is a spark of the divine. May we find it, and may it strengthen us to push and press on...

 

 

Watch for Chapter 2

Squeezing Out the Least of These

Gabby

Reverend Senator Raphael G. Warnock Presents The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America - The Introduction Discussion

 A decade earlier, I had stood there delivering the closing prayer for the ecumenical service at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration.

The Introduction

America - The Grand Cathedral

See Also - 

Rick Rigsby on Juneteenth: ‘This Is a Holiday for All American Citizens’

Reverend Warnock had stood in the Washington Cathedral to provide the closing prayer for the Second Inauguration of  our First Black President Barack Obama and now he had been once again called there to address a large group of folks of all ethnic and religious people as the First Black Senator from Georgia... to celebrate Emancipation Day - the end of Slavery as our shared American history! Juneteenth was to be declared a National Federal Holiday!

I had watched as Senator Warnock had been sworn in along with Senator Ossoff. But I must acknowledge that their wonderful successes was downplayed for me, and many, aswe were appalled as the attempts by the republican party to call for a review for election fraud...

And, of course, the extreme personal drama of black poll workers who were pulled in to the lies about counting ballots... For me, I was so shocked at what was being attempted that it took time to realize and settle down to the fact that a new president had been elected. One that I had supported and was so proud when he announced his cabinet which, in all ways, was meant to bring in the faces of ALL Americans...

But that didn't mean that I also didn't begin to watch Senator Warnock as he began to serve America. Because, for me, his being a pastor had placed a special awareness for the future... Would he, also, like the evangelicals support or spotlight what the republican party was doing to our country...

But no, Warnock as spotlighted in his new book, clearly saw the reality of what was going on in America. While spotlighting what he called a paradox - which I had to promptly confirm exactly what that word could mean... I discovered it was the one word that I had not thought of to describe the "mess" that's been happening this past decade...

a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

Indeed, America has been living a paradox from the very first when the country was being founded and those moving to these new lands chose to leave a place where they had been denied their rights as humans, yet chose to begin those same actions against, first, the indigenous people and then those who were "different" in some way as they also chose to make the United States their home.

Pointing out what some may already know, Thomas Jefferson worked to provide freedom, but also continued to own slaves in his personal life... The paradox of that reality actually set the stage for what has been attempted throughout the next 250 years, and which is now facing the most devastating attempts to return to the time of Thomas Jefferson. For, I and many others have realized that today's president - along with Project 2025 which Warnock includes - understands that, perhaps,  when the words were written at that time, they were being written for White Men only... Why else was there a mention of the quoted value for Black servants at less than a whole human? 

And as we face our 250th birthday, we must accept that all of the actions that has moved America forward to the way it was seen as recently as in 2014, We The People have allowed those white men who especially choose to seek power over others, have gained sufficient financial gain in order to attempt to create a nation not under God, but under a King or whatever word describes the few who think they are above all, including God Above... We call those who attempt to deride others as white supremacists... A negative and unacceptable statement for us still to be fighting over this after 250 years!

In sharing his thoughts, readers will discover that Reverent Senator Warnock speaks in a sure and commanding way that elicits attention from listeners. We know--yes, we know--that we can be sure that this man of God speaks truth... And, we also know that, in becoming a Senator, that he wants to, can, and MUST speak for those of us he has chosen to serve as a member of the United States Congress... For surely, we who really listen can tell the difference for those who, paradoxically, as we have learned from history, speak with forked tongue...

Warnock has chosen to speak on what he considers the most important issues that we must address, right now, at a minimum. These are moral issues, not, policy issues, in my opinion... There is a major difference between what we need to have done to our country versus what we have seen as, even from the beginning, white men chose to use to makee deals with our indigenous people to become owners of lands while pushing them further and further away into places they had never lived before... And in their minds think that they, as white men, had the right to steal and lie their way into their future country...

Warnock challenges us to begin to make choices of consequence for the future of America. Will we condone the loss of our history? Will we allow all remnants of those memories to be deleted through banning of books which provide that history?

Will we allow the deletion of laws by earlier congressional members from whom we could trust that they've acted in good faith for our citizens?

During the coming days, we will be looking chapter by chapter at Reverend Senator Warnock's issues... Please plan to comment early or pass on these posts to those you believe will be interested... The Political Issues are voting rights and voter suppression, the growing influence of dark money, the persistence of poverty, mass incarceration, gun violence, and the climate emergency.

               

Chapter 1    A Spark of the Divine

Chapter 2    Squeezing Out the Least of These

Chapter 3    Two Thousands Verses

Chapter 4    Scar on the Soul of America

Chapter 5    Guns Everywhere

Chapter 6    Humble Ourselves; Heal the Land

Standing in the grand pulpit of the National Cathedral that morning, I reflected that America is like a glorious cathedral, 250 years in the making. Yet, after all these years, we’re still wrestling and toiling to build this grand cathedral of freedom and democracy. Words from the poet Langston Hughes come to mind: 

“America never was America to me,

  And yet I swear this oath— 

 America will be!” 

For my message on that glorious Juneteenth weekend, I found inspiration in the ancient wisdom of the biblical prophet Isaiah, whose words I have been preaching in sermons across the length and breadth of our nation for many years. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 40, God speaks a word of hope to a people physically and politically exiled, a people spiritually and emotionally exhausted. It’s such a tough time that God tells the prophet, “Comfort my people” and “speak tenderly” to them. Isaiah responds to the call with a kind of moral topography. A justice-centered geography. God’s great vision for the land. The words are familiar to Jews and Christians alike, and to anyone who has ever heard the spectacular sounds of George Frederic Handel’s Messiah.

Isaiah imagines a future with hope: Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth; And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. (Isaiah 40:4–5, NKJV) The ethical import of this ancient text and its continuing relevance for our times captured the imagination of the preacher. I told the congregation that in God’s vision for the land, first of all valleys are exalted, and mountains and hills are made low. We live in a time when increasingly the high sit very high and the low sit very low. Vast wealth inequality seems intractable, and it is getting worse, with tragic implications not only for the poor and working class but for the future of the whole land! But in God’s vision for the land, there is equity. The low places are enabled to come up a little higher, and the high places come down a little lower. It is a message of hope at the end of a long, dark night. After a period of deep suffering and exile, the prophet speaks not merely of a return to the land but a bold reimagining of the land. As we return once again to the meaning of America, on the occasion of the nation’s 250th anniversary of its independence, I ask, what might it mean to imagine a future where valleys are exalted and mountains and hills are made low? Indeed, Isaiah’s words are so beautiful, so sublime, that they cut right through the hopelessness of a people awash in despair. How we need this kind of bold vision in a moment like our own! The truth is that the partisan and petty rhetoric of politics today is simply too puny a language for the magnitude of the problems we face. Instead, I urge us to look to Isaiah as a lens through which to view the problems that confront us and the possibilities within and around us. The goal of this book is to lay out that vision clearly so that we can work together to build the America that we want to see. In sharp contrast to the narrow, individualistic obsession that characterizes so much of American preaching, the eighth-century prophets of the Bible addressed their preachments to the social order. In God’s vision, as expressed through Isaiah, not only is there equity, but there is integrity, possibility, and inclusivity. There is a shared commitment to a social vision that honors the humanity of all. I offer “the crooked places…made straight” as a way of talking about the integrity so badly needed in our politics and nation today. “The rough places smooth” reminds us that there is also possibility. The prophet is saying: I know it’s dark right now, but the light shines through the darkness, transforming dismal conditions and making rough places smooth. The last part, “and all flesh shall see it together,” is about inclusivity, the inextricable connection we have with one another. Isaiah is helpful in our context because his poetic language calls upon us to anchor ourselves in the best of our moral traditions and reimagine the future. In that sense, his moral topography is a bold, countervailing vision about how to live and relate to one another in the land and how we relate to the land itself. It is a geopolitics that reverences creation and centers love and justice. No wonder Isaiah’s words have been remixed by every Gospel writer of the Christian New Testament and sampled across the centuries! In the way of prophets and poets, he helps us to see ourselves through a moral prism and, with his feet firmly on the ground, he imagines new possibilities. I used to read this text and think that what it meant was that the glory of God is so grand, so overwhelming, so extraordinary, that when God’s glory is revealed, all flesh cannot help but to see it. Nowadays, I read it in the reverse. In fact, I think the prophet is teaching us how to see the glory of God. In order to see God, we must first behold one another in our rich and variegated human beauty. In the eyes of the other, we get a glimpse of the glory of God. “All flesh shall see it together.” Yet there is despair and doubt that it will ever come. 

Isaiah sees it, and I feel it. He asks, “How long, O Lord?” A question I, too, find myself asking, over and over again. Our country needs moral leadership and a renewed vision like Isaiah’s, one that invites us to reach out to one another, to pray for one another rather than prey on one another, and to reach toward our highest and noblest ideals rather than sink in our basest fears. To turn to what Abraham Lincoln called at another time of deep division “the better angels of our nature.” I so deeply believe in Isaiah’s vision for a reimagined moral topography that I use his principles and teachings as my guidepost. They provide for me a gut check for my public work. I commend them for our collective consideration. Isaiah’s prophetic utterances come against the backdrop of one of the lowest points in ancient Israel’s history—a time that is a far cry from the height of the nation’s power. In fact, the nation has been weakened. The people have been ejected from familiar places and signposts that provide certainty and meaning. It was a time much like the America we see today. We have found ourselves living in a strange land. Although the book of Isaiah bears the name of one individual—whose name literally means “the Lord saves”—these passages cover a longer period, beyond the span of a single life, to include the reigns of several kings and Israel’s subjugation to several succeeding empires. And the book is not written by just one person. Writings by several authors together form what Bible scholars call “the Isaiah tradition.” This tradition addressed a people in exile, cast out to a foreign and unfamiliar land. Theirs is a political crisis with psychic and emotional implications. All the landmarks that gave them a sense of security, including the Temple, are in flux. There is a vacuum in leadership. The future seems uncertain, and the people are desperately insecure, wondering if they will ever find their way back home. But through Isaiah, we see that these moments are also opportunities for new leadership and new possibilities. Given the prominence of the theme of justice (mispat) in the Hebrew prophetic tradition, it is not surprising to see this theme emerge over and again in Isaiah’s writings. He provides spiritual and social commentary on his times through the lens of faith. His is not a spooky spirituality, disembodied and disconnected from the real world. Rather, it is rooted in lived experience and the physical world, fully engaged with its geopolitical complexity, ecological perils, and social problems. His words are not easy. In fact, his message is often quite harsh, administering the bitter medicine and tough love that prophets provide. But ultimately, it leans into hope. Isaiah is no stranger to frustration with institutional leadership. He knows well the perils of public corruption, sophisticated legalized bribery, and a political class more interested in preserving its own power than in serving the people. We feel the turmoil in Isaiah’s words as he criticizes his people, who should have known better, and done better. He’s fed up with political leaders who are focused on their own gain at the expense of the people. “Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves,” he says in Isaiah 1:22–24 (NRSVA). “Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the orphan, and the widow’s cause does not come before them,” he continues, referring to the most downtrodden, weak, and forgotten members of society. When I consider the overwhelming influence of dark money and big monied interests and corporations in our politics, I think Isaiah might well have been speaking of twenty-first-century American politicians. Isaiah’s voice emerges at a time of tectonic changes, much like our own. We, too, live in a kind of exile; that is, we are increasingly disconnected from one another in a sea of technological hyper-connectivity. This has deeply impacted our children, who too often live in lonely silos curated by the algorithms of big technology companies that have left them depressed, disconnected from authentic, human relationships, and sometimes suicidal. Moreover, all of this is happening within the larger context of an American crisis of cynicism and despair in which the American people are understandably frustrated, and many have lost faith, confidence, and trust in the major institutions of society: the government, police, the Supreme Court, media, banking, and houses of faith. But Isaiah is not only frustrated with unprincipled political leadership. He also chastises religious leaders and institutions whose outward piety and worship show no mercy to the most marginalized members of the human family. He avers, “I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity…. Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood…. Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” The Hebrew prophetic tradition is a prominent part of Scripture that challenges the excesses and machinations of power among the Israelites. 

But unlike so many of today’s ministers whose messages to the people center on personal piety, the Hebrew prophets focused on systemic injustice. This challenge and call to center the humanity of the weak was central to their work. But you wouldn’t know that listening to the loudest and most well-financed Christian voices in our country today. Rather than hating the condition of poverty, as in Isaiah’s prophetic tradition, they choose to hate poor people and blame them for their condition. Not only is such a stance unjust, but it is also unwise. Public policy that leaves so many behind can only leave our nation poorer, sicker, and weaker. Somebody say, “Amen!!!”

 

The Washington Post after Donald Trump’s first election showed that Christians, particularly white Evangelicals, were much more likely than non-Christians to blame poverty on individual failings rather than on difficult circumstances beyond their control. According to the poll, 53 percent of white Evangelicals, more than any other religious group, blamed lack of effort for a person’s poverty. The poll also showed that 63 percent of Republicans held this viewpoint, compared with 26 percent of Democrats. 

White Evangelicals have overwhelmingly supported Trump and used their voices and votes to lift him to the highest office in the land twice. Now, with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress and Trump in his second term, the poorest of the poor and the most marginalized members of the human family are again the least protected and the most vulnerable to his heartless policies and practices. I can hear the voices, shouting far and wide, “Hammercy!” 

Over these past months, Trump and his administration have been doing all they can to reshape government based on the vision of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, the ultraconservative blueprint that calls for vastly expanding presidential power, shrinking government, and getting rid of some tried-and-true programs that give poor people a boost. That includes the venerable Head Start, which provides poor children early access to education. I know firsthand the value of Head Start, because I attended the program as a poor kid, growing up with two hardworking parents in Savannah, Georgia. Head Start sparked my intellectual curiosity and put me on a path to a prosperous and productive life, as it has done for millions of children over the past six decades. Deep in my spirit, I hear the God of Isaiah ask, “What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” I can hear Jesus saying, “I came to preach good news to the poor.” 

In God’s vision for the land, valleys are exalted, mountains and hills are made low. In God’s vision, there is equity. To get more equity in the land, however, we desperately need more integrity. More leaders committed to truth, regardless of party politics. Leaders with their feet firmly planted in a vision of America signified by the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the nation’s highest ideals. Leaders like my late mentor and parishioner, U.S. Representative John R. Lewis, who stood for truth and justice, walked out his faith, and put his body on the line to help smooth the rough places at a critical moment in the sculpting of our great land of the free.

 

Will you speak out? Explain your position?

Listen to those from our neighbors?

Can we renew our speech to be Truthful because we are not afraid anymore?

If you missed the first post...re this book, check it out... and watch for Chapter 1 next...

GABixlerReviews

What's Happening at Book Readers Heaven - Beginning to Read Senator Raphel G. Warnock's New Book - The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections On The Moral Meaning of America

 

This song now begins my mornings... It's a way to remind myself that I am now experiencing what is called AFib. I'll be having a procedure next Thursday which may resolve the issue--or may not... I've been told I'll be taking medication for this for the rest of my life... The procedure is outpatient, though, so that's good, at least. Even better, I'll be asleep through it all... YES! I'm someone who has no desire, or need, to know what happens once I've placed myself in my doctor's care... After I've had a full explanation of what will be happening, that is...

What is atrial fibrillation (AFib)?

AFib is a type of irregular heartbeat that may cause the heart to beat faster than usual. It is projected that by 2030, approximately 12 million people in the U.S. will have AFib. It is important to know that AFib increases the risk of stroke by about 5 times. Talk to a doctor today.

I've mentioned this before but things have been, not frantic, but more confusing for me since around February, when I fell here at home... Since then, I've been in the emergency room. Had a 14 day monitor on my chest which has told my doctor everything she needs to know... And I've become much more actively involved when I take Each Step these days than before. I don't really know whether, since I had no sign of heart problems before my fall, whether that was the cause (most people--or doctors--don't know why or when it begins) but when they discovered in the hospital that I had cracked ribs which were never identified - Yes, it's true that many women don't immediately think of heading for medical care for everything - I have to wonder whether it was also at that time that my heart was jolted into what is called AFib... Oh well, no matter the how...it's now here to stay in one way or another. This time I'm paying attention.

So each morning, after doing a few bedside stretching exercises, I feed may cats... And, in doing so, I have to go outside and I sing Each Step I Take as my form of prayer to have Him help me...

Especially when that 'coon comes around... but that's another story...

~~~

Today I want to highlight a just-out new book I learned about on the news...

We are in a rough place right now, fighting to save our fragile democracy. As a man of faith, I often say that I believe democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea. It is the notion that each of us has within us a spark of the divine. Therefore, we ought to have a vote and a voice in the direction of our country and our destiny within it. One person, one vote. This revolutionary idea of self-governance is rare, precious, more the exception than the rule throughout world history.

...despite our differences, we would be all right, communing with one another and with God for a short while in this grand cathedral. In fact, this diverse gathering of humanity affirming our faith and imagining a future big enough to embrace all of us was a small glimpse of God’s dream for the world! That work is and always will be a group project.

Most of you are aware that the bridge between Politics and Religion has been destroyed at this point in the United States. If you disagree with that statement, I urge you to begin doing some serious research. It can easily be done through TV news groups such as MSNOW, or on YouTube. The latter, however, posts videos that have questionable origin, so be careful and use multiple sources. All of the videos above are different in content, but contain important truths that must be studied and supported. There are so many books available that I've had to pick and choose from the nonfiction book proliferation. There was no doubt in my mind, however, when I chose to immediately purchase Reverend Warnock's latest...

Why was it so important to me? Of course, many of you already know that I am convinced that, in addition to seeking power and riches, there is a major effort to change/destroy the Constitution upon which the United States was formed. More concern, however, is the attacks that have reached extreme actions which are affecting every non-white race, as well as, white women. Male white supremacists are using every type of criminal action that they can dream of, and immediately acting, no matter what it does in harm to all those who now live in our country.

And lying to do so by using religion as a manipulation tool...

So, when a pastor who is also a politician speaks of his Truth and it matches my thoughts and opinions, then it confirms to me that I am speaking Truth. Hopefully, for the majority of time, meaning God's Truth... And most importantly, Senator Warnock is Black. He knows the history of our Black neighbors and easily sees what politicians are doing to stop Freedom for ALL of God's children... Personally, I believe that the Black people, have a significant lead of we white people who were working merely to deal with our own lives... It was those who had been enslaved who began to and continue to fight back... That knowledge and experience helps me and others to learn and confirm what "really" happened in our country's history...

The book is based on scripture: Isiah 40:4

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Folks, I'm not ashamed that I have little ability to understand what is in the Bible Old Testament especially. By the time I had read the Introduction to Warnock's non-fiction book, I knew exactly what was being said by Isiah ... Sooo, hopefully as planned (now, at least) I want to dedicate my time reading this entire book. The publisher strictly controls copyright to use excerpts without permission. I've used a few sentences to write this first post, but what I plan on doing is taking each part of the book, read and digest, and write about the major points in my own words. Of course, after reading just the Introduction and listening to the news interviews with the author, I feel confident in saying that I recommend this book as a must-read and highly recommend that if you have to choose carefully what books to buy, I recommend you proceed to buy this one. Dealing with politics and religion and race, three of the major issues in our headlines makes this book perfect for those who are dealing with the religious manipulation issue, like I have been, a worthy study guide and, as the author claims, a sermon to be heard!

I did not purposely start to read this book last night. In fact, I was about a fourth of my way through The Violinist's Revenge and felt I needed to stop for awhile. I knew it was set during WWII, but was looking forward to adding violin music to a book with such a title... Reading this book, right now, is difficult for me. It deals with the Holocaust and all the hatred and violence of that time... because, of course, reading sections also reminded me of exactly how people are being abused, threatened, and facing violence, even leading to death on our streets, right now with no way, it seems, to stop it... Without going to court...!!!

Then too, I've been disheartened by the fact that right now religion is part of a war that should never have started, based upon violent leaders being willing to maintain or increase control through discrimination and violence. I will continue to read this book concurrently with Senator Warnock's nonfiction. We'll see how it goes as these goals are fitted around health and personal issues such as needing to repair my car because it won't pass inspection...Sigh...

And maybe I'll take a break and share my 'coon adventures... 

Or need to share about another stupid and distressful issue that this administration is forcing on the world... such of these:

Of course, Trump had to put his hand into the major bridge now open. Built by Canada, but we cannot use... Why? Because a billionaire gave Trump $1M to ensure that there will be delays on opening a bridge that would help our citizens interacting or working with Canadians... Yes, power of the rich guys stops another good event for US, and instead money crosses hands...

AND ICE CONTINUES TO ACT VIOLENTLY TOWARD LEGAL PROTESTORS...

Isn't it about time to realize that NONE of us are safe from those who speak lies... No matter what party you choose, it's irrelevant, isn't it... because with the Supreme Court's republican-placed members who have protected him from almost the very beginning, even after the January 6th insurrection incited by this president and his big-money supporters... there is a constant battle to keep on top of all the illegal acts taking place...

May God Be With Us All

Gabby