Another Opening...

As I was sitting downstairs, ruminating, once more the opening came to me that it is impossible to do more than encourage others in faith - after all, how does one prove the existence or qualities of the Father of Lights?
No, the only real, definitive manner in which we might hope to show forth the reality of the Only Reality is by living in such manner that our utter dedication to Him and our being vessels filled by the Trinity is through our manner of living.
This being a prophet in such a world as this is very disheartening. The things for which people live and clamour, the greed, acquisitiveness, the power and the corruption and utter moral bankruptcy of this nation (as I cannot speak to others), in short, the vapidity with which we live, as a nation...it is truly frightening, not to mention disgusting (at least to a Gospel Christian!).
It seems the president and many members of Congress think they are immune to the moral qualities which We, the PEOPLE, demand of ourselves (and which I think the Founders expected of all public servants, high and low).
The moral outrage and the hororrs and shocks to our national soul which so many progressives feel is quite understandable. For some odd reason, too many on the right do not see the conflict, the hypocrisy into which we are led.
This is too bad! As the Preacher says, "without a vision, the people perish." It seems nearly unthinkable, but we appear to have lost our vision...and we are not willing to listen to the Prophets who would restore to us our national soul. To hear, once again, Thomas Merton, the Berrigans, Noam Chomsky, Dorothy Day; the great contemporary Quaker voices: Thomas Kelly, Rufus Jones, Parker Palmer, even someone so "secular" or non-denominational as Annie Dillard and the host of other bright voices who would lead us into the Light.
To the contrary, the voices on the right which rale out in anger and hatred, fomenting violence and rebellion against change - mainly, I suspect, because of the loss of income it might cause them! - have done this nation (and the larger world) an irreparable harm.
Those hosts of radio and TV personalities (one cannot rightly call them journalists or even responsible commentators: the Limbaughs, the Becks, the O'Reillys, Anne Coulter, Fox in its entirety, have grossly and grievously misled those who will listen to them.
Frankly, it is difficult to understand how we will recover from this error. We will, I have no doubt, because the Spirit of the Most High is unwavering in HIS integrity, rectitude and HIS determination to help us grow in HIS Image. We, on the other hand, are weaker vessels! Too often, we are new wine in older wine-skins. As the Gospel says: (Matthew 26:41) Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
We cannot be a nation sans moral compass or ethical pivot. Such a thing is a failed state!
As I view the daily goings-on, we grow more and more into the 'laissez faire' state which collapsed in 1929, though the rot had set in long before - I think probably really taking hold in the 1880's. The Federal government simply bowed to the newly risen and extremely powerful corporate interests - never mind the harm it was causing the poor, the newly-arrived immigrants, seeking a better life, the children in the mines, the women in sweat-shops making shirt-waists...and fools that we are, we refuse to see the trend once again devouring our young, having infiltrated our business and political bases...if We, the PEOPLE do not take up the moral cudgel and demand a restoration of certain decent, humane and (dare I say it?) moral guidelines in our society, we are sunk.
This current health-care reform nonsense is only the scab on the wound, but it so evidently shows forth the disease rotting away at the dying flesh of this body politic.
I fear me that more than just some angry letters and parading around in front of the Halls of Congress is needed.
We MUST demand our government back. After the past 8 years, during which time our Constitutional Republic was hijacked, we must insist upon its full restoration.
Reagan began to disassemble our government, but this past man and his administration, having stolen our electoral system, proceeded to steal our entire soul, our national character and replaced it with - what? Now, we permit criminals to run the streets, even though in full view of the global community, in the specious name of National Security, they tortured, disappeared men, slew countless innocent men, women and children and over-saw the utter destruction of a weak and ailing state, so that still, the remaining citizens have no running water, electricity, food-stocks...
We, as Americans and the coalition, have nothing to be proud of! We ought to tremble at the fear of judgment, don sack-cloth and throw ashes on our heads in shame and grief at the terrible devastation we have wrought. And we encourage our friends, those equally morally bankrupt Isrealis to do the same! "What a swell party it was!"
The old adage about government is proved true in this, our day: "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely!" Lord Acton (Full disclosure: I find this quote in various forms, with the same import, though some are quite off the mark and unrelated.)
I really do not think we dare allow the lunatic fringe to run off with our national soul!