Some Thoughts about flag-burning

There was about a 1-second clip on the news the other day, after an allegedly armed teenager was killed by a police officer, that showed an American Flag being set alight by a group of angry people.  I had a problem with that.

The only time a flag should be burned is "when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display".  This is what the US Flag Code prescribes.  When a flag has aged, faded, been worn out by a long life of proudly flying above government buildings, schools, even private homes, it becomes time to lay it to rest.  The preferable means of destruction is burning.

Before President Obama was elected for a second term, some Syrian rebels who had aligned themselves with Al-Qaeda, burned an American flag.  They did it to enrage us.  And it worked.

There've been disgraceful flag incidents in this country too, long before Ferguson MO erupted.  In 1943 some Jehovah's Witnesses refused to salute the US flag in school -- they were found to be exercising free speech.  In 1969, some Vietnam War protesters burned a US flag in New York -- they too were found to be exercising free speech.  (They burned their draft cards too.)

There've been numerous lawsuits against people allegedly desecrating the US flag in various ways.  But the US Supreme Court in numerous decisions, including two in 1989 and 1990, has shown it considers burning the American Flag something that is protected under the Constitution.  It's free speech.  As is corporate campaign spending.  Some of that enrages people too.  But as the Court has said, "If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."

The society of Ferguson MO apparently did not find burning the flag offensive or disagreeable, even though most of us did.

But why did they do it?  According to USA Today, one protester said, "It's not our flag.  Our children are being killed in the street. This flag doesn't cover black or brown people."

It's hard for me to get inside that person's head, as I'm sure it is for most Americans.  I served in Viet Nam, put my life on the line, to defend that flag and what it stands for -- for me, that is.  Does it stand for the same things for all folks?  Ask around, and not just your friends.  Ask strangers too.  Ask Native Americans.  Ask black people.  Ask Muslims, Catholics, evangelicals, Hindus, young people, old people, rich people, poor people, smart people, simple people.  See if there's a pattern.

I remember the 60s when students were burning flags in protest of the war in Viet Nam.  And when I came back from Viet Nam, I didn't advertise where I'd been.  No one welcomed me back.  Except my family.  Yet, years later, when I heard on NPR a story about a flag burning, I wrote a letter to them.

May 30, 1990

Dear All Things Considered:

The story yesterday on the Louisiana flag desecration/assault law left the bad taste of words like "red neck" and "racist" in my mouth.  Yet I, too, get emotionally wrenched when I see an issue of the American flag being burned, ripped or trodden upon.  I thought much about this dichotomous reaction.  Finally, I think I've resolved it.

Old Glory is like a soldier.  Of my contemporaries, a vast number, myself among them, went to Viet Nam.  Of those, a great number were maimed: physically, psychologically, or both.  A smaller percentage give their lives.

Now, it's the same with flags.  The overwhelming majority fly their entire lives on flagpoles until they wear out and are given decent burials.  Some fall into the hands of unpatriotic, or merely unconscientious, citizens who neglect them.  They become dirty and wrinkled.  Some are called upon to give their lives in free speech demonstrations.

I believe the issues of the Stars and Stripes that "die" in this way should be honored just as our fallen servicemen are honored.  Perhaps the remains of flags thus burned could be buried in a National Cemetery.  Maybe there could be a monument erected: the "Tomb of the Unknown Flag".

The perpetrators, the flag-burners, should be ignored.  Just ignored.  If we do anything else to them, we cause the flags they burn to have died in vain.  Those flags should be honored as fallen heroes who gave their lives in defense of Freedom!

Very, very sincerely,

Randolph B. Jones

Illegal Immigrants -- What to do?

WHY do so many Mexicans risk death to cross the border into this country illegally (see http://catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=37429)?  I’ll tell you why.  NAFTA*.  The lifting of tariffs on imports of agricultural products to Mexico means that Iowa-grown corn, for example, is cheaper than Mexican-grown corn in Mexico.  Mexican farmers can no longer support their families by selling their produce in the local marketplace.  The foreign imports are cheaper!  (When’s the last time you visited Wal*Mart?)

So, out of work, with their families starving, they risk dying in the desert to find work in America, so they can send the money back to their wives and kids in Mexico... so they can buy AMERICAN corn to eat.

 

What happens when your company lays you off because its product is undersold by China?  Will you try to sneak into China to find work so that YOUR FAMILY WON’T STARVE?  No, you won’t because THIS government takes care of you with unemployment benefits, helps you find another job, gives you food stamps.  Mexico doesn’t.

When I hear anti-illegal immigrant rhetoric, it makes me think of Stalinist Russia, where dissenters were exiled to Siberia.  I am an American and a patriot and I would really dearly love to see this country return to the principles upon which it was founded.  That ALL people are created equal and have certain inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Our Constitution doesn’t limit rights to citizens.  It extends them to ALL people.  Notice the inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty, our symbol of democracy: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

What happened?  What changed?  Why have we become so selfish that we cannot share our wealth with the tired, the poor, the huddled masses... those that labor and are heavy laden, the starving, the sick, the destitute...?  Besides an American patriot, I am a Christian... one who follows Christ and believes in the principles He taught. 

Salvation through Jesus Christ isn’t limited to citizens either.  It’s extended to all peoples.  Didn’t Jesus say, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11.28)?  Sounds a little like that Statue of Liberty inscription, doesn’t it? 

Turn to Luke, chapter 6.  Read verse 31
[31] And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

And here’s something that shows how our behavior on earth affects our life in Eternity...  from Matthew, chapter 25...
[31] When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
[32] And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
[33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
...
[41] Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
[42] For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
[43] I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
[44] Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
[45] Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

We need immigration reform.  A change in the laws that WELCOMES the STRANGER with compassion.  Why should we give our business to the “Made in China” folks?  Let’s build up this country with hard working immigrants... which we ALL are!  Unless you’re a pure blood Native American, you and your ancestors are.. European, Asian, Hispanic, African, Polynesian, or some variation or mix of the above.  Let’s bring this country back to its CHRISTIAN principles and welcome the stranger, the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.  Feed them, clothe them, house them, heal them, forgive them... welcome them.  There’s plenty here to share.

Respectfully and compassionately submitted.

Randy Jones

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement#cite_note-37
Impact on Mexican farmers

In 2000, U.S. government subsidies to the corn sector totaled $10.1 billion. These subsidies have led to charges of dumping which jeopardizes Mexican farms and the country's food self-sufficiency.

Other studies reject NAFTA as the force responsible for depressing the incomes of poor corn farmers, citing the trend's existence more than a decade before NAFTA's existence, an increase in maize production after NAFTA went into effect in 1994, and the lack of a measurable impact on the price of Mexican corn due to subsidized corn coming into Mexico from the United States, though they agree that the abolition of U.S. agricultural subsidies would benefit Mexican farmers.^[37] According to Graham Purchase in Anarchism and Environmental Survival, NAFTA could cause "the destruction of the ejidos (peasant cooperative village holdings) by corporate interests, and threatens to completely reverse the gains made by rural peoples in the Mexican Revolution."

Prayer Changes Things

The homes of two members of my singing group, the Song Spinners, which were endangered by the Black Forest wildfire in Colorado Springs, have been spared... at least for this time around.  We had our first performance in ten days last night and it was a welcome release of tension, almost cathartic.

But the home of one of the instrumentalists who plays with my choir at Holy Apostles Church was destroyed.

And in California, a dear friend of mine said good-by to her husband, who passed away yesterday morning.

Some live some die.  Some are happy, some are sad.  Were the two Song Spinners' homes saved because we all prayed?  Or maybe because there was so much positive energy "out on the ether"?  Or was it all just chance?

I believe the God of the Universe cares, or people wouldn't care.  I believe prayer changes things, but is it because God is moved by our fervent requests or because the human spirit is upheld by common agreement?

How can we ever know?  And why does it matter?

When we make First Contact with an intelligent race from another star system, maybe we'll get a clue.

Stop [fill in the blank] NOW

Last Sunday, January 13, a man name Joseph (I didn't catch his last name, but he is well-known in our Parish -- my wife and I are fairly new), carrying a sign that says "Stop Abortion NOW", addressed the congregation at the end of Mass.  He told of his civil disobedience in trespassing at a women's health clinic.  He was demonstrating against the clinic because it provides abortions.  He said that he had a court date where he could be sentenced to up to 8 days in jail if he refused to pay his fine, which he does not intend to pay.  The congregation applauded him twice during his speech.

Civil disobedience is a time-honored way to make a point.  We are reminded, this week leading up to Martin Luther King Jr Day, that non-violent civil disobedience is one of the few ways in which people without power can make their voice heard.  Jesus was maybe the first example of non-violent civil disobedience.  Now I am by no means a supporter of abortion on demand, but I am "pro-choice"; I just believe fervently that the choice should be made before intercourse.

No, this piece is not about abortion.  It is in fact about life.

I wonder if a man carried a sign that said "Stop Guns NOW" and "trespassed" at a gun show or in front of Wal*Mart, if he would gain the same support from my fellow parishioners as Joseph does?  I don't think he would.

I find it difficult to believe in the integrity (I'm not referring to Joseph here) of people who claim to be "pro-life" and want to Stop Abortion NOW, but who don't seem to care about the lives of people after they're born. 

It is said that 85% of all children who die by gunfire, die in the United States.  We seem to be the most heavily armed public in the world, including places like Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Why?  Why do Americans worship guns?  I really, really hope our President can get enough sensible people behind him in Congress to make some changes to our gun laws.  And enforce them.

Obama Is Re-elected. Now What?

One of my brothers sent me an article with some references to some things said by Charles Colson after the first time Barack Obama was elected President.  The article was by Eric Metaxas and can be found at http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/20716.  Basically, Mr Metaxas quoted Charles Colson to support his view that "America is in danger of forgetting God".  I don't think there is much of a danger of that, but Mr Metaxas's other point was that we need to pray for our leaders.  And I heartily agree with that.  The article begins:

Whether you voted for Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, whether you’re recovering from your all-night celebration or drying the tears from your pillow, today’s a good day, as Chuck Colson reminded us, to heed these words of the Apostle Paul: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

This is good advice even if America is not in danger of forgetting God.

The problem is, not everyone believes the same way about God.  Some Americans call God Allah or الله.  Some Americans refer to God as Jehovah or יהוה .  Then again some Americans worship a God who is not like Allah or Jehovah at all. 

And this is a problem with the fundamentalist evangelical Christians. 

But… we live in a democracy, not a fundamentalist evangelical Christian theocracy.  And contrary to the belief that is popular among fundamentalist evangelical Christians, this country is not a Christian nation.  It was founded on principles often called "Christian" and they are, but they are not exclusively Christian.  Here's the preamble of the U S Constitution… many of you, I'm sure, have it memorized:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The principles are:
1.     Union.  Community, cooperation, mutual respect.
2.     Justice.  Fairness, equality, no discrimination.
3.     Domestic tranquility.  Deference to the rule of law, work together, "play nice".
4.     Common defense.  Have each other's back, look out for one another.
5.     General Welfare.  Take care of each other.
6.     Blessings of Liberty.  Let us and our kids and their kids, etc, have freedom, safety, enough to eat, a place to live and grow in peace.

These are Christian principles, and they are principles of other religions too.

This is why I don't think the United States of America is in danger of forgetting God.  Maybe the 1% is.  They seem to almost worship money.  But the 99% generally doesn't want to see others banished, treated unfairly, left to die, or made to live without the blessings of liberty.

We should pray for our leaders, and we should also pray for 100% of Americans.  And you know? it wouldn't hurt to pray for 100% of the people of Earth.  God loves the entire world, his entire creation.  We could even pray for the animals, from our pets to the whales, and everything in between.

Another of my brothers said in an email to me that "we have the weapon of prayer".  I really don't think of prayer as a weapon.  I don't see prayer as something to be used against someone.  Even if the someone in question is quite nasty.

Prayer is more of a parachute, a life-saver.  I was trying really hard not to ask God to "let Obama win".  I prayed for his will to be done.  On Earth as it is in Heaven.  And then, I always added, "And if the ice breaks, help us be tall enough to reach the bottom."  Our focus has been on ourselves, and this country, but we need God's blessing as a species.  God bless this planet.  And if the ice melts help us all to be tall enough to reach the bottom. 

I do feel good about us as a species.  We are pretty danged smart, on the whole, and I believe we're going to make it.  I see God holding back a little to see if we can manage it ourselves, like a little 6-year-old on a bicycle for the first time.  As a parent you want to help and protect him, but you gotta let him learn to ride, and he won't if you don't let him fall once or twice.  Then, you run to pick him up, tell him he did good, encourage him to try again.

The dinosaurs didn't make it, and they got wiped out.  If we don't make it, we'll get wiped out too.  But I think we'll be okay.  Maybe bruised some, but okay. 

Okay, we have 4 more years of Obama and the Democrats.  So, are the Republicans going to reach across the aisle?  Are we going to accept the fact that not everyone is an evangelical Christian?  That some Americans are liberal Christians, some are Catholic Christians, some are Mormon Christians, some are Muslims, some are Buddhists, some are Hindus, and some are even atheists.  But we are all Americans.  As the President said on Election Night in his acceptance speech, "Young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled.  Americans sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America."

If you don't believe in abortion, don't have an abortion.  But don't force your beliefs on others.  Some even point out places in the Bible, taken absolutely literally, where it seems to say that a baby doesn't become a living soul until it takes its first breath.  That before that time it is merely living tissue.  (Genesis 2.7, Job 33.4, Ezekiel 37.5, 6.)  I don't believe that myself, but I won't try to stop you from believing it.

If you don't believe in same-sex marriage, don't partake in it.  No one is going to force you to marry someone of your own sex.  Again, some can point out places in the Bible that support the idea that some people are "born that way".  (Matthew 19.12.)

Some say that God will judge us for allowing abortions and gay marriage.  Some even say that Superstorm Sandy was a taste of his judgment.  Mostly those who say that, deny there's such a thing as global warming.

But if Sandy was a judgment from God, why hasn't he judged us in similar ways for allowing slavery for a hundred years, and not allowing the "freed slaves" to vote for another hundred?  Why did he not judge us for allowing child labor?  Why didn't he judge us for subjugating women to the whims of men for so long?  Why hasn't he judged us for murdering millions of American Indians and stealing their land?  Evil is not a new thing to America.  It's been around a long time, and it's not likely to go away soon.

But we can pray.  Let there be peace on Earth.  And let it begin with me.
--Randy

Decisions, Decisions

My brother sent me some articles he copied out of Decision Magazine. I tried to look them up on the web, but only subscribers can see magazine articles on the Decision website, an organ of the Billly Graham Evangelistic Association.  The articles were "The Road to Destruction" and "Can an Evangelical Christian Vote for a Mormon?" both by Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham, CEO of BGEA), "A Nation Out of Control: An Interview with Cal Thomas" (Moral Majority, Fox News), and "Putting Our Faith on the Line" by Charles Colson (Watergate, Christianity Today columnist).  Here are some thoughts on those articles.  I've been working on this for quite some time. 

This is from a blog by Monte Asbury (Nazarene Pastor, Least First blogger) titled, "A Bible Argument for Government Aid to the Poor."  You can find it at:
http://masbury.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/a-bible-argument-for-government-aid-to-the-poor/

"...[T]he poor, sick, and rejected are easily Jesus’ main preoccupation, getting more space than prayer or the new birth or the end times or evangelism or Bible exposition or worship or family or immorality or any of those things men and women in my position have so frequently preached about.  Jesus goes so far as to suggest that caring for the poor -- or neglecting to do so -- is caring for or neglecting him. He plainly suggests that merely ignoring the poor is cause for eternal loss (see stories of sheep and goats [Matthew 25.31-45], and Lazarus and the rich man [Luke 16.19-31]). And brother, that doesn’t fit our theologies!"

Okay, it's clear we need to take care of the poor, but is it our job?  Or the government's job?

The other day I heard an interview with Sister Simone Campbell of Nuns on the Bus.  She cited some figures.  If churches were to take over the current budget for the programs that help the poor, each congregation in the country would have to come up with another $50,000 above and beyond their current giving budgets.  Clearly, we can't do it.  Government has to, but.... what does the Bible say about that?

Psalm 72.4: "He [the king] will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor." ...

verse 12: "For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help."

verse 13: "He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.

verse 14: "He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Then in Isaiah 1:

verse 15: "When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.  Your hands are full of blood!"

verse 16: "Wash and make yourselves clean.  Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong."

verse 17: "Learn to do right; seek justice.  Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow."

The evangelicals have the first part right -- we need to stop doing wrong.  But they have failed miserably and disastrously on the second part -- we need to learn to do right!  And what is right?  To take care of the poor.

Franklin Graham, in the article "Can an Evangelical Christian Vote for a Mormon?", says that we God-fearing Americans need to "restore" America.  He states, "We must use our influence to elect those who will govern with respect for the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman; the sanctity of life; and yes, the protection of God's beloved nation Israel."  What happened to Jesus's emphasis on the poor?  Jesus never said anyone would go to Hell for marrying someone of their own sex.  He never said anyone would go to Hell for having an abortion.  But he did say a person who hurt the poor would go to Hell, Matthew 25.31-45 again.  So why don't we put some emphasis on that?

In the Book of Leviticus, God laid out the plans for an economy in the Promised Land.  All the land given to the Israelites was parceled out equally to all the people, so everyone had a chance to take care of their family and grow the economy.  But as happens among humans from time immemorial, once a chicken was put in every pot, it didn't take long before some had two or more chickens, and many had none.

But, and this is a big "but", every 50 years, everything went back to the original owners and everyone had one chicken in their pot again!  See Leviticus 25.10.  So no one got too rich.  And no one remained poor forever.

So did God intend this only for the Israelites?  A theocracy is a government that is based on a theology, a religion.  Saudi Arabia is a theocracy.  All its laws are based on Islam.  So should we in America promote a Christian theocracy?  I don't think so, because our founding fathers were fleeing a theocracy in England, and wanted to make sure that never happened again! 

But God holds even non-Christian and non-Jewish governments accountable for their treatment of the vulnerable.  See Daniel chapter 4:

verse 27: "Therefore, O King [of Babylon], be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed.  It may be then that your prosperity will continue."

And in the New Testament, notice what Paul writes in Romans 13, that all governments are "established by God," and accountable to him to do good and to punish wrong.  Again, the charge to secular government is two-fold.  And remember, in Jesus’ eyes, standing by while the poor suffer is wrong, and he sternly warns the rich that they may be punished for it.

So even if the US government is a secular government, which is fine with God, God still holds us accountable for "doing good" and "punishing wrong".  So we should stop abortion and throw gays in jail, right?  Not according to Jesus.  According to Jesus we should help the poor and throw the rich oppressors in jail ("crush them" -- Psalm 74.4) .  See Matthew 19.21: " Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."  The guy went away upset because he didn't want to give up his many possessions.

Today we justify our marvelous wealth by saying God has blessed us.  But Jesus didn't come down among us as a wealthy man.  He came to the people he identifies with, those he came to help and save, not those who didn't think they needed him.  "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  ... For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9.12, 13.)  The "righteous" wouldn't have listened to him anyway.  They didn't want anyone listening to him.  So they had him killed.  So much for wealth being a blessing from God!

No, hurting the poor is sin.  Wealth is evil unless it results in sacrifice for the poor.  What is Republican or conservative about that?  Nothing.  It's liberal.  It's progressive.  It's radical!  Go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and then BE poor, like Jesus was. Buddhist monks do this.  Buddhists are more Christ-like than Christians.  Remember what the Hindu saint Gandhi said? "I like your Christ.  I don't like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."  The Hindus too are more Christ-like than Christians.

God doesn't care if you were born liking your own sex better than the opposite sex.  He cares if you're taking care of the poor and the vulnerable.  And he expects rulers and government to do that! 

Now on the issue of abortion, my views are the same as Vice President Biden's.  I believe life begins at conception, and I don't believe there should be abortion on demand.  However, I am "pro-choice".  I just think the choice should be made before intercourse.  If the woman who is pregnant had no choice in becoming that way, then she should be allowed to terminate the pregnancy.  If she did chose to have intercourse, then she should be helped to carry the child to term and the child should be cared for after birth by those with the means to do so.  This is something my brother and sister-in-law did for a young lady in their community.  They used their relative wealth to help and protect the mother, the father, and the newborn.  God bless them!

I just have no good-darned stomach for people who have such great respect for the unborn and no respect for people after they're born.

So here's what I say.  When you go to vote this election, ask yourself, What would Jesus do?  Would he vote for the guy who would allow abortion and gay marriage?  Or the guy who would starve the hungry, withhold water from the thirsty, strip the ragged, deport the alien, abandon the sick, and execute the prisoner?  You find all of these in the Republican platform even if you don't find the word "God" in the Democratic platform.  Lip service is one thing.  Show me what you're going to do to see that the "least of these, Jesus's brothers and sisters," are taken care of.

Randy Jones

WWJD

When you go to vote this election, ask yourself, What would Jesus do? Would he vote for the guy who would allow abortion and gay marriage? Or the guy who would starve the hungry, withhold water from the the thirsty, strip the ragged, deport the stranger, abandon the sick, and execute the prisoner?