FEAR

Sorry – no “Sunday Story” today.  This is about a shared danger in  America – Fear.

Not Our Problem

Let’s talk about problems our Nation does NOT have.  We don’t have a problem with election fraud in our voting systems.  We don’t have a problem with kids not being able to pray in school.  There’s not a problem with transsexuals attacking women in bathrooms, or taking over women’s sports.  And we don’t have a problem with folks dropping over because “they can’t breathe” through their COVID masks.

Election Fraud

But last week, you’d think these were all national crises.  In Georgia alone, there are fifty bills in the State Legislature to reduce and restrict voting access.  They are all supposedly because folks have “lost confidence” in their voting process.  But that’s the same voting process that the Republican Secretary of State, the Republican Governor, and the Republican deputy elections director all verified as correct.  There were three full recounts, one completely by hand, that verified their accuracy.

Why have the good “white” citizens of Georgia lost confidence?  Because politicians told them to.  And why have those Georgia politicians promulgated the “Big Lie” of nonexistent election fraud? Because the Republican Party of Georgia doesn’t think they can win without restricting voting.  To put it bluntly, they don’t want Black people to vote, and they’re doing everything they can to keep them from the polls.  There’s even one proposal to make it against the law to pass out food and drinks as people wait in line to cast their ballot.  Sounds really American, doesn’t it?

But Georgia isn’t alone.  There are more than two hundred and fifty-three bills in forty-three different states to reduce voting access.  It’s a simple extension of the “Red Map” plan that the GOP started thirteen years ago.  Gerrymander the legislative districts so that Republicans can control the State Legislatures, then rig the voting process so that folks more likely to vote Democratic — can’t.   

Religion in School

And we see the Facebook meme over and over again:  “Put Prayer Back in School”.  That’s the “solution” to solve “all” of America’s problems.  We should go back to the “old days”. In 1962, when I was in second grade, Ms. Meyers started the day with the Lord’s Prayer and told all of us Bible stories.  Many think that’s the way it should be now.  

But the problem isn’t “prayer in schools”.  Students have always been able to pray in school.  In fact, the Facebook meme I like is the one that says, “As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools”.  It’s not that the kids can’t pray, it’s that the teachers can’t tell them how or what or when to pray.  And that’s important – Americans are “fine” with prayer in school, until the Muslim or Jewish or Hindu teacher begins to lead prayers with the students.  Then – it’s not so much prayer in school. 

Because the movement for “prayer in schools” isn’t about all religions – it’s about a particular version of Christianity.  Some want all children in school to be “indoctrinated” into their version of religion.  And that’s exactly what public schools should NOT be doing – in fact, it’s exactly what the First Amendment prohibits – a state religion.

Transgendered Kids

Twenty different states are writing laws that will restrict transgendered youth from participating in school sports.  Or more specifically, transgendered females from participating in women’s sports.  They aren’t so worried about transgendered men in men’s sports, but many of those cover that issue as well.  

So to be clear, there’s not thousands of young men planning to declare themselves transgendered women so they can win a state softball championship.  In fact, one of the best examples online is that of a transgendered boy who, by Texas rules, was forced to wrestle women instead of men.  Because he was transgendered, and receiving medical treatments to masculinize him, the girl wrestlers in Texas said it wasn’t fair that they had to wrestle him.  He thought so too, but the rules wouldn’t allow him to wrestle boys.

Science knows that gender identity is so much more complicated than simple “equipment”.  And we also know that a transitioning child is at much higher risk of depression, drug use and suicide.  But instead of looking at ways to help those kids socialize, like sports in school, these states are erecting more barriers against them.  And they are doing it to protect “our girls” from the “un-understandable ‘them’”.   In the same way some states are forcing transgendered girls to use men’s restrooms.  As a retired educator, I can’t think of a more dangerous place in a school for a transgendered girl to be than in a boys’ restroom — except maybe a boys’ locker room.

Masks

And finally, last week Senator/Doctor Rand Paul thought he had a “gotcha moment” for Doctor Fauci.  It was a replay of the old Facebook meme – “if you wear a mask why do I need to, and if I wear one why do you need to”.  Paul demanded why Fauci was wearing a mask after receiving the vaccine.  Paul said, it was all just “theatre”. 

Fauci does not “suffer fools gladly”, and immediately began to explain to the Senator from Kentucky that while vaccination does provide immunity, science hasn’t demonstrated that the immunity is against ALL strains of COVID 19. Fauci went on to describe that while the original virus infecting the United States is covered by the vaccines, there hasn’t been conclusive evidence to show that the other variants, from the UK and South Africa and other places, are so completely protected.

By Dr. Paul didn’t want to hear that.  He had “evidence” that showed that immunization by the vaccination was “complete”, it least for the original virus.  So he fell back on his talking point:  that Fauci’s wearing a mask was just “theatre”.  And even more Paul not wearing a mask was just fine – he’s already been infected by the original virus.

But just like gender, or multiple religions, it’s not possible to simplify the “virus” to just one study or strain.  The virus is changing, and those changes represent an ongoing threat.  And here’s the “simple” answer:  until the virus stops replicating at a high rate, the possibility of dangerous mutation is still high.  IF folks will get vaccinated (eighty percent), then we can slow the replication.  But until then, whether the eye surgeon from Kentucky likes it or not, the only other tools we have to slow mutation are distance — and the masks.

Fear

But it’s all about creating fear:  of phantom voting fraud, of “Godless” and “different” children, and of the government’s ability to protect us from diseases.  Somehow that “fear” generates political “points” in the game of controlling America.  It is the ultimate “wedge” issue to drive us apart – if one political side can make its adherents scared, they are more likely to show up and vote.  

And that’s a problem.  Because it’s impossible to solve the complexities of our current life, from pandemics to growing social awareness, by driving people apart.  The solutions for all of these issues require common purpose to improve our world.  Wedges don’t create commonality.  President Franklin Roosevelt said it best:  

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.”

We are in a “dark hour” – but we can also see light on the horizon.  Is it a new dawn, an “essential victory”, or a final sunset on the American experiment?  That’s all up to us. 

Let’s not let “unreasoning, unjustified” fear stand in the way.