Older brothers have been known to cuff their younger brothers around from time to time. They do not, however, routinely grant that license to people outside the family: if you pick on some kid you can depend on his big brother showing up to knock you on your duff.
This paradigm is largely true in our extended families, too. If you complain about neighbors who don’t cut their yard-high grass City Hall says you’re a know-it-all Yankee who “just doesn’t understand our way of life.” Is your preacher retired on the job and spiritually AWOL? You better keep it to yourself or expect to be ostracized by church leadership.
It hardly matters that the kid in question – or the neighbor or the preacher – may deserve having their butts kicked. But unless the older brother takes the kid brother aside for private correction, the kid will repeat the bad behavior – and both brothers will become public nuisances. Just ask the Catholic Church what happens when leaders choose to protect “the family” rather than the family’s purpose.
So far, Republicans have gotten away with letting a Public Nuisance call the shots because the US government is constructed in such a way that 52 senators from 26 states – representing only 19% of US population – have chosen to put purely self-serving interests above common standards for decency and private and public conduct.
The question isn’t “if” they’re going to keep getting away with it, but for how long? These senators, along with self-serving and gutless colleagues in the House, celebrate fantasy plans to build border walls and “Space Forces” from a guy who can’t even organize a parade because “dogs” and “losers” and “lowlifes” hurt his feelings. What’s next? “Bringing back coal” and rotary telephones?
The answer to “how long” depends on when Republicans start listening again to the private voices of Party heroes like Ronald Reagan and Dwight Eisenhower, and to contemporary leaders like John Kasich and John McCain. If Party leaders continue to shut their ears to older brothers it’s only a matter of time before they stand before the American public like a gaggle of humiliated Bishops and Cardinals.
A great commentary whose man point is the sad situation of having a clueless and lying person as our President and members in Congress more worried about getting re-lected than standing up for moral principles.
Good points, all. Thank you.
I just don’t see how we bring integrity back to federal government until we drain the black money, indeed, all money, out of politics. What’s the answer when SCOTUS declares corporations to have standing as individuals?
My fear is that someone like Trump has taught the old corrupt dinosaurs new tricks and has bought off corporations with tax cuts that pad the personal wealth of CEOs.
P.S. The only answer for the Catholic Church is to put women in power and allow priests to marry. Never happen.
Apt metaphor, Dan. Bravo!