Because I Said So" And Christian Nationalism

 

Many of us remember having heard the, “Because I said so,” explanation used to tell us something was a fact and that no further discussion was necessary or wise.  It generally came from a parent and was used to demand obedience.  You knew not to question the directive.  When we became adults, we could decide what was to be accepted as factual.

As America heads toward a new period influenced by theocracy, it is time to question those who would mandate that their religious beliefs are the law of the land. Those of this opinion think they should not be questioned because "it is written."  Many on the more radical fringes of Christianity believe their faith is that of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the authors of the US Constitution.  All of that is true, but only if you ignore the facts.

While it is true that many of our founders participated in Christian functions, several tempered their beliefs with another philosophical form of religious interpretation, Deism.  In the 17th and 18th centuries, Deism was the belief that accepted a supernatural creator but did not believe in a supernatural deity who interacted with humans.  They believed in the possibility that God created the universe based on rational thought but that none of this relied on or revealed any religion or religious authority.  In Deism, God’s existence is revealed through nature and not by mystical revelations to man.

During our country’s foundation, many theologians rejected religious texts and accepted only what could be revealed through nature.  The Deism accepted by many of our founding fathers therefore rejected orthodox Christianity.  The fact that many were baptized and attended church services proves only that their parents wanted them baptized and takes into account that the church also functioned as a center of social life in colonial America.

If you read the US Constitution, there is not a single reference to Christianity or any other religion for that matter.  The Declaration of Independence specifies that our rights come from a “Creator” while not specifying who that is.  It would seem that our founders went to great lengths to avoid specificity in religious philosophy and expressed only a desire for religious freedom that would allow various belief systems.  Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech coincided with an acceptance of personal freedoms and not one of conscription to a Christian philosophy.

Our founders believed that we have free will and a right to use rational thought to decide where we stand on other matters.  These beliefs should not be mandated by any governing body.  We should never again accept, “Because I said so,” as a foundation for acceptance of someone else’s ideas or mandates.  Claims of some a priori theoretical deduction that excludes empirical observation should be reserved for parental guidance not laws for adults.

 

 

 

 

NO, THE OTHER AI

Artificial intelligence is all the rage. The big companies are all tripping over themselves to be the first to implement the next big AI functionality. They will do this once they figure out what AI actually is and how it works. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an ad for Cheerios, now with AI. Many of the developers of AI are predicting a science fiction doom and gloom zombie robot takeover of the planet. Let’s hope they are wrong.

Meanwhile, we have the other AI to worry about. In this latter case, the A and I stand for Abortion and Immigration; topics that may decide a presidential election. On the first of the two, abortion, a slow but methodical plan was implemented and the decades-long established law outlined in Roe v. Wade was overturned by a Supreme Court created with questionable motives, corrupt financial incentives, and a sinister presidential appointment strategy.

Even though the vast majority of Americans favor the right to privacy guaranteed under Roe and its legal position that makes using a woman’s body to grow a new human a personal matter, a group of men disagreed. These were not even members of the Supreme Court but male politicians including a male president who appointed members of that court to assure the unfavorable outcome. That same president who, with the assistance of Mitch McConnell and others, selected one-third of the Supreme Court to tip the scales.

That same individual has vowed to continue his assault on privacy and promote the morality guidelines of the 1873 Comstock Act. This was an anti-obscenity bill and the plan is to use it to attack contraceptives and other fertility-related drugs being sent across state lines by classifying them as “lewd material.”

The front runner for the Republican Party in this upcoming election has sided with the Heritage Foundation to expand the fight that started with the overturning of Roe. In the crosshairs are abortion, contraception, invitro fertilization (IVF), access to reproductive healthcare, equal protection in cases of sexual and gender-based violence, and workplace discrimination. An authoritarian theocracy is the goal. To that I would say, “Roe, Roe, Roe, your vote.”

The “I” in AI here is immigration. While immigration is both desirable and necessary, a series of global events has forced mass migration of people fleeing poverty, famine, violence, and authoritarian rule toward countries seen to hold greater promise. This is a complex global problem requiring comprehensive action. Band-aid solutions like building a wall are not the answer. Abandoning democracy in favor of authoritarian rule as an answer to this crisis would be like recommending euthanasia as a cure for cancer.

For those with simple minds, simple solutions are a panacea. If your only tool is a hammer all your problems look like nails. Separating children from their families and other draconian tactics don’t solve the problem. They create obstacles, not solutions. If almost certain death and misery await your return to your place of birth your desire to survive is your motivation.

We can increase the number of judges to process asylum applications, streamline the application process to provide more opportunities for legal immigration and disincentivize illegal immigration with speedy deportations. We could work with other countries to provide alternatives to the United States as a sole opportunity. We could also work with other world leaders to isolate those countries that are making life so miserable for their citizens that their only alternative is to leave and seek a better life elsewhere.

Strengthening border security, fighting transnational crime, improving relationships with border communities and law enforcement, deporting criminals, and prosecuting those who facilitate illegal entry are but some of the things that need to be addressed with a comprehensive plan.

There are solutions to the immigration problem but the kneejerk proposals coming from the radical right are not the correct ones. Somewhere between the ultra-conservative and the ultra-liberal ideologies lies a workable compromise. We just need to elect enough rational individuals who will work together to find a meaningful compromise. We need immigration but we need a system that works, and the current one is broken.

The sad part in all of this is that much of this dictatorial takeover is being done out in the open. The ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation has published its plan to replace democracy with authoritarian rule. The plan is called Project 2025 and it calls for a dictatorial take-over of our federal government on January 21, 2025. Their 900-page dossier outlines how they plan to fire thousands of current civil service employees only to replace them with human robots. These will be people who will do their bidding; no intelligence, AI, or otherwise is required. They only need to follow the commands of Mein Fuhrer, I mean the president. The plan further calls for the dismantling of the Department of Education and the crippling of other regulatory agencies with budget cuts mandated by sweeping tax cuts.

According to one analysis, “Project 2025 is more than an idea, it's a dystopian plot that’s already in motion to dismantle our democratic institutions, abolish checks and balances, chip away at church-state separation, and impose a far-right agenda that infringes on basic liberties and violates public will.” Abortion and immigration are but two rungs on the ladder to dictatorial rule. Trump’s claim that he only plans to be a dictator on “day one,” would be almost laughable if it wasn’t a diabolical plot coming from a man who idolizes the presidents of North Korea and Russia.

Abortion and Immigration are the A & I that we need to prioritize with our vote in this all-important presidential election. If crime in your neighborhood is an issue, perhaps the best solution would not be to buy a pit bull that will also attack its owner.

President or Mob Boss; Your Choice

The other comparison that might be made of the Trump Organization (not the company of the same name), is to organized crime. This Trump Organization, like the Mafia, has a name, MAGA. It has as its head its own Don, alias Donald Trump, also known as The Don, or The Donald. The don is the boss who may not be challenged. Each don has an underboss like a deputy director and a consigliere who acts as a counselor with considerable power. In the MAGA family, both of these positions are “acting” and tenuous, and these individuals can be abandoned and replaced at the whim of the don.

The Mafia’s Five Families are of Italian descent and were founded in New York. The Trump Organization also began in New York. A recent New York Times article titled, Donald Trump’s Mob Rule, recently described Peter Navarro, currently serving a four-month prison sentence, as spending his time in jail as a “made man.” Prison guards and inmates like him because he didn’t bow to the government. It is this sense of lawlessness that seems prevalent within the MAGA world.

Going back to the days of Al Capone, Americans have been fascinated with their organized crime figures. Donald Trump is no exception. In the movie, The Godfather, Marlon Brando uses cotton balls in his cheeks to accentuate his mush-mouth inflection. IRL, the Trump character needs no assistance to ramble with incoherence to delight his crowds of MAGA soldiers. His comedic appeal as a buffoon is perhaps a relief from the normal stilted political nonsense.

Trump has embraced the Dark Side. From Nazi brown shirts marching in Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us,” to rappers Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow, to Chuck Zito of the New York Hells Angles, Trump has provided them a platform. The two rappers were brought on stage at a rally in the Bronx and both were facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder and weapons possession. Chuck Zito served six years for drug conspiracy and has ties to the Gambino crime family. It may be assumed by these associations, all pretext of the Republican Party standing for law and order is as outdated as your old Blackberry phone.

Trump has long both bragged about and denied his associations with organized crime. When Trump was operating gambling casinos in Atlantic City, he had ties to Robert LiButti who was tied to Mafia boss John Gotti. Trump has denied that he knew LiButti. This is contradicted by LiButti’s daughter who has flown in the Trump helicopter with Ivanka and “the kids” and Trump attended her 35th birthday party at Trump Plaza. After the party, they continued the festivities aboard the Trump yacht.

Trump boasted in his book, The Art of the Deal, about pushing his casino projects through with a background check of just six months. This would avoid scrutiny of his Trump Plaza and Trump Tower use of mob-connected firms and overpriced concrete from mafia chieftains Fat Tony Salerno and Paul Castellano.

Trump’s longtime family lawyer and personal mentor, Roy Cohn, also represented Fat Tony Salerno, Carmine Galante, and John Gotti. In 1976, the mob had approached Trump to be a straw buyer for the Fontainebleau on Miami Beach. That hotel had a long mob history where the CIA and Sam Giancana had plotted to assassinate Fidel Castro. [Aside: From personal experience, I knew a kid in high school, Joe Vidi, whose dad was “mobbed up” and ran the front door operation at the Fontainebleau.]

Trump learned a great deal from his associations with mobsters. Their use of loyalty and fear are regular items in his toolbox. This MAGA father figure inspires a cult-like loyalty among the faithful and fulfills a sense of belonging missing from many of their lives. For current politicians who should know better, he represents a means of survival when all of politics is seen with disdain.

The mere fact that Trump is now a convicted felon awaiting sentencing, is a badge of honor in our new dystopian universe. Twenty years ago, the likes of Donald Trump would never have survived the revelations in the Access Hollywood tapes. But, in this Orwellian world, shame is now fame. His conviction is but another jewel in his authoritarian crown as he seeks to reinvent his 2016 surprise.

Our nation hasn’t seen such a corrupt president since the days of Warren G. Harding whose vices involved hush-money payments to his seven mistresses, payments for an out-of-wedlock child, and the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal of 1921. That last event involved oil reserves, no-bid contracts, drilling rights on federal land, an interest-free loan of $100,000, another $300,000 in bonds and cash, and a livestock herd. Harding’s child support payments were delivered by Secret Service agents.

Donald, meet Warren. The two of you will be historical figures sharing nearby rungs on the American Presidential Ladder of Infamy.

Footnote: Warren Harding once told the press about his active libido with the quote, “It’s a good thing I’m not a woman, I would always be pregnant. I can’t say no.”

Bad Boy Mentality

History has lauded the anti-hero. From Robin Hood to Butch and Sundance to Al Capone, robbers and thieves have been elevated to stardom and fame. They somehow can “go after the man” and strike a blow for “the little guy.” The man in this case is any authority figure and the little guy is any commoner who might be within that figure’s span of control. Crime bosses like Lucky Luciano, Carlo Gambino, John Gotti, and Pablo Escobar could be both idolized and feared.

The bad boy archetype is of fascination for some people. They appear confident, independent, and self-sufficient. Their rebellious nature promises excitement. This character trait is often a mask for insecurity rooted in narcissism. The tough-guy armor hides the fragile narcissist within. Psychologists find that those most susceptible to the bad boy charm are those who constantly seek validation and fulfillment of some unmet need.

Bad boys provide a level of chaos that may be seen as exciting for those with boring lives. These harbingers of turmoil can break the monotony of mundane lives and offer meaning and purpose. Bad boys are both captivating and manipulative, often masters of emotional dialogue. Candidate Donald Trump told a loyal crowd in Waco, Texas, “I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

Theologians have long analyzed the biblical Satan whose malignant narcissism is central to his nature. Satan is self-centered, cruel, vindictive, and devoid of compassion and empathy. Some would say that Trump matches Satan trait for trait. Satan is the ultimate bad boy with superhuman powers whose lack of empathy allows his evil to flourish. Trump claims that he is a “stable genius” who never makes mistakes. He can never admit failure. He must always claim victory even while standing in the ashes of defeat.

Above all, Donald Trump is a media character and not a person in the true sense of accepted humanity. He is but an actor strutting through life and following a script he authored for himself. While he writes his own material, he does have his influencers. The Two Steves I call them. In Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, he has his Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler to guide him. Trump’s Two Steves are right out of Central Casting. Miller provides his racist draconian immigration policies, and Bannon is his Thomas Cromwell on all things in the realm of white nationalism. With their help, Trump has become the Übermensch of his dreams.

It would seem that even those claiming a strong Christian identity, they like their bad boys too. In 2019 a Fox News poll found that a quarter of Americans believed “God wanted Trump to become president.” He has been likened to Jehu from the Old Testament who led ancient Israel away from idolatry. Who better to lead modern Christianity than a narcissistic self-centered adulterer?

This religious adoption of their very own bad boy can be seen in the twisted rationalization of Peggy Young Nance. She is the president of Concerned Women of America who was questioned about her support for a convicted sexual predator who brags about his privileged status that allows him to grab women by their privates. Her reply was, “We weren’t looking for a husband. We were looking for a bodyguard.” With logic like that, who needs a conscience?

The ultra-religious right would have you denounce Satan and claim that the terrors of Hell await those who do not. As champions of their faith they espouse the teachings of Jesus Christ. What little I know about the leader of the Christian faith tells me he was a good person. His values and teachings stressed helping people who were in trouble and suffering. He taught that we should support the poor, feed the hungry, welcome strangers, and provide shelter for the homeless. He was a man of charity and humility. Which of these traits describe Donald J. Trump?

Satan, on the other hand, tempted Jesus on a mountaintop and promised Him the kingdoms of the world if he would only bow down and worship him. Trump too demands fealty and will cast out dissenters. Where Jesus taught love, Trump teaches hate. Is Trump the “Second Coming” or is he the promised antichrist? I am reminded of the Charles Baudelaire (and others) quote made famous in the movie The Usual Suspects, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”

The bad boy anger and excitement are always present at MAGA rallies. Trump sets up the recipients of their hate in the build-up against the “libs,” immigrants, racial minorities, sexual identity minorities, and “the establishment.” In traditional authoritarian fashion, Trump creates his us versus them camaraderie and promises that he is their champion against the perceived evildoers. The cheering cult is ecstatic in their delirium.

Billy the Kid was very popular in New Mexico. He was loyal to his friends and partied with the best of them. He liked pretty girls and enjoyed dancing. He was also a cow thief, and he was charged with the murder of a sheriff. Sentenced to be hanged he escaped custody by killing two deputies. Sheriff Pat Garrett tracked him down and killed him. Billy the Kid became more popular after his death when he was immortalized in a book describing his legend.

We can only hope that Trump is once again thwarted in this, his third run for the presidency and that he will become but a footnote to this terrible period in American history. A time when we were almost tricked into abandoning our 248-year-old experiment in democracy for the chicanery of an authoritarian bad boy.