Whew—what a week, eh? If you’re reading this, you and I have lived through the Pennsylvania Avenue Putsch. It remains to be seen what consequences the rioters and their political allies will suffer; at a minimum, a lotta law enforcement folks gotta lotta ‘splainin’ to do about why the Capitol was left nearly defenseless on an extremely important work day.
I’d personally like to hear from those posturing
asshats Dan Crenshaw and Matt Gaetz about how they personally defended the
country from insurrectionists. Especially if Nestor was in danger.
Also—impeach the motherfucker already. Again.
But there are two stories that emerged from that
horror show, stories that reminded me that for every aggrieved, screeching Confederate
flag-waving loser about to become friends with their worst nightmare in gen
pop, there are dedicated, humble, good people who represent the best in
us.
The first story is about Representative Andy
Kim, Democrat, of New Jersey. In the early hours of Thursday morning, after the
Joint Session reconvened and certified the election, the son of Korean
immigrants walked outside the chamber and looked at all the rubbish left by the
insurrectionists on the rotunda floor. Janitors and National Guard members were
picking it up, so he asked for a trash bag, got down on the floor and started
clearing it away. The photo taken by AP’s Andrew Harnik, makes me weep even
now.
“When you see something you love that’s broken, you want to fix it,” he said. “I love the Capitol. I’m honored to be there. This building is extraordinary and the rotunda in particular is just awe-inspiring. How many countless generations have been inspired in that room? It really broke my heart and I just felt compelled to do something…What else could I do?”
I take this message seriously—when something you
love is broken, you want to fix it. Even if it means getting down on your hands
and knees and sweeping trash into bags after an exceptionally hard day at work.
The second story is about the Chaplain of the
House of Representatives, Rear Admiral Margaret Kibben, for whom Wednesday was
her third day on the job. As the mob swarmed closer to the chamber, a House aide
asked Kibben if she’d say a prayer. Kibben, a combat veteran, took the
microphone and asked God for “covering”. “
“It was a matter of
asking for God’s covering and a hedge of protection around us,” she said, “And
that in the chaos, the spirit would descend in the room to offer us peace and
order. That we would look to care for each other, even as we are under stress.”
As the Chamber was evacuated, she continued, seeking
out people who looked particularly distressed. In the secure room where they
ended up, Kibben read from Psalm 46, ““God is our refuge and strength, a very present
help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.” And then again prayed for
a “covering peace and shelter”.
I think we could all take comfort from the
notion of a covering peace, and I am grateful for that message emerging from
such a gawdawful day.
I’m leaving you with one more thing, from a
rather unexpected source (kind of like control of the Senate coming via...Georgia): Arnold Schwarzenegger recorded his thoughts on the
insurrection, and it’s a succinct, heartfelt summary of the stakes.
When he speaks of the Servant’s Heart, I think of Kim and Kibben. When he speaks of tempering the blade, it gives me hope. For which I am grateful.
No comments:
Post a Comment