I have to admit that I cannot find a word to describe the Supreme Court’s decision allowing the total abrogation of due process for immigrants, many of whom were given protection in the United States under our laws. We’re not talking about criminals but Iranian Christians, gays and lesbians who would be murdered in their own countries, to name a few who have been sent to African countries because Trump and Rubio pay their leaders off to accept them.
Disgusting is one word but not strong enough regarding the six Justices who claim they support the words of the Constitution. This is not a Democrat vs. Republican issue. It is a human rights issue which, until yesterday, was enshrined in our laws. Reprehensible is another word, but not strong enough regarding the Court’s total abdication of the ideals of what our Nation is supposed to be.
For those of us who think this unconscionable decision only affects those deported, the sinfulness of this decision should weigh on all our consciences. It is a cloud that hangs over all of us – all of us.
Prayer for the Day
How, O God, do we ask forgiveness for the unforgivable,
As our Nation’s promise and values are betrayed?
How can we remove the stench of breaking our oaths,
As we see men and women shoved onto airplanes?
Can we, O Lord, beg for forgiveness with dead spirits,
Frozen by the words of power that mean nothing?
In the name of the One who drove out demons,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
In matters of life and death, it is best to proceed with caution. In this case, the Government took the opposite approach. It wrongfully deported one plaintiff to Guatemala, even though an Immigration Judge found he was likely to face torture there. Then, in clear violation of a court order, it deported six more to South Sudan, a nation the State Department considers too unsafe for all but its most critical personnel.
Sonia Sotomayor, Dissenting from the Court’s ruling
How the faithful city has become a whore!
She that was full of justice, righteousness lodged in her –
But now murderers!
Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.
Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves.
Isaiah 1: 21-23