It’s the end of the week, which has been both frightening and promising on the home front and in the world. Internationally, Putin has been pushing the envelope, with drone incursions forcing a short term closure of airports and a Russian warship lurking off the Danish coast with its tracking system shut off. The promising side of Putin’s threatening behavior is that it has drawn countries closer together in opposing his actions.
On the home front, even as there is a sharp rise in the new regime’s autocratic actions, there is increasing opposition to it. U.S. Attorneys, even those appointed by the current government have spoken out against unlawful behavior. There is hope here.
However, the continuing rise in violent speech, even in the wake of Kirk’s horrendous assassination, is more than concerning. When lawmakers call for the execution of other lawmakers, we need to step back and do more than lower the temperature. We need to ask what is going on for such thinking to exist. Our hope is that each one of us takes a stand against violence and hateful speech regardless of who supports it.
Prayer for the Day
Fearful of threats both here at home and abroad,
We come to you, O God, for succor in these dark days;
Unsure of where we or the world is going next,
We come to you, O Lord, to give us hope.
To be hopeful, we know, takes more than wishful thinking,
So be with us as we struggle for peace and truth.
In the name of the One who is always with us,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
I’m an American who cares about her country. We have to stand up and insist the laws be followed.
Michele Beckwith, fired U.S. Attorney after telling Border Patrol to respect rights
Showing that the state will punish perpetrators of violence regularly, swiftly, and equally regardless of their ideology — and that it will do so through the courts, not police violence — is thus essential for building trust and curbing political violence.
Rachel Kleinfield and Nicole Bibbins Sedaca in Journal for Democracy
Ah you who call evil good and good evil,
Who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Ah, you who are wise in our own eyes, and shrewd in your own sight!
Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine, and valiant at mixing drink,
Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and derive the innocent of their rights!
Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,
As dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will become rotten,
And their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the instruction
Of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 5: 20-24