Memory can be a wonderful thing or a terrible one. Yesterday survivors and dignitaries observed the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Soon it will only be history as the few survivors, now in their 80s, die, no longer leaving memories.
As a Nation, flooded by the social media of the here and now, we are losing the vital importance of remembering. How many of us remember the “Saturday night massacre” of independent counsel by Richard Nixon? How many of us even remember who he was and how he tried to corrupt the country with his version of alternative facts?
Now, we are in another time where independence and accountability no longer matters, when a President, much like Andrew Jackson when the Supreme Court handed down a decision he did not like, refused to enforce it. Presidential authority is limited by the Constitution, a document which no one seems to want to read – or follow.
Prayer for the Day
Let not our memory slip into the well of history, O God,
For testimony to events connects us to past realities;
Let not the here and now be our only concern, O Lord,
Destroying our perspective on even history.
Infuse our minds and lives with lessons from the past,
As we struggle to live in the present and for the future.
In the name of the One who opens our minds,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The world has become toxic. I realize that we're in a crisis again, that there is so much hatred around, so much distrust, that if we don't stop, it may get worse and worse. There may be another terrible destruction.
Tova Friedman, Auschwitz survivor living in New Jersey
This is unprecedented, this is unfortunate and it doesn’t seem to comport with the law. It undermines the credibility and independence of IG’s and their effectiveness if they’re viewed as tied to one political party or another rather than as independent and objective.
Glenn Fine, one of the IGs removed during Trump’s first term
Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly?
All day long you are planning destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth.
Psalm 52: 1-3