A United Methodist Insight Column
After 50 years in journalism, I'm used to people distorting my words and casting aspersions on my character. I've even had threats of physical harm, and once an actual death threat, aimed at me. But never in my life have I endured the kind of hell visited upon public servants as described in the June 21 congressional hearing on the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
It's reasonable to expect that Arizona House Speaker Russell Bowers would experience public push-back on his political views. However, nothing justifies the kind of physical and emotional harassment visited upon him for fulfilling his oath to the Constitution, and certainly his family shouldn't be subjected to such treatment.
But it was the accounts of former Fulton County, Ga., election workers Shaye Moss and her mother, "Lady Ruby" Freeman, that drew tears of anger and disgust to my eyes. My outrage and anguish at their treatment was compounded by my husband's reports of the shameful comments posted on NPR's Facebook feed as Shaye Freeman testified before the House Select Committee.
The accounts of these witnesses, along with the now well-known encounter of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger with former president Donald Trump, testify to a profound soul-sickness in American society. Speaker Bowers and Ruby Freeman made clear that their public service rested upon their religious faith, and yet they were subjected to terror from the so-called "religious" adherents of Trump's Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him. This cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.
We're living through times like those described in the colorful, highly metaphorical apocalyptic literature in the Bible. Corrupt people have taken power, people who think nothing of ruining other people's lives for the sake of holding on to power. That's what these congressional hearings are telling us – not only were criminal acts committed in the Jan. 6 insurrection, but the cabal that conspired to attack the U.S. government have also committed soul murders by spreading outright falsehoods. The Father of Lies is definitely at work among the most fanatical followers.
It's to their credit that Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) both apologized to the witnesses and commended their public service before millions of people on television. We need not agree with someone's politics to recognize them for character and conscientious public service.
But that's not enough. What's needed now is for all of us rank-and-file citizens and believers to use the forces of good to counteract the evil that has been visited upon faithful public servants.
I see two ways to bring good to bear on this situation:
1) Show courage. Whenever we hear the Big Lie, simply say that it's not true. Don't get into an argument over it; simply denounce it and walk away. I believe that even the smallest act of speaking truth, even when it's not accepted, carries a spiritual force that beats back the tide of evil.
2) Show kindness. Send postal letters, not emails or phone calls, of support and commendation to the witnesses who came forward so bravely in the June 21 hearings. Here's where to write them:
Speaker Russell Bowers, Arizona State Legislature, 1700 W Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890
Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman, c/o Rep. Bennie Thompson, Chair, House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Insurrection, 2466 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515
Finally, we need to put our prayers into high gear for the United States of America. I'm convinced that not since the Civil War have we faced such a threat to our democracy as we're facing now. The American democratic republic is a flawed system because human beings are flawed, but that is no excuse for neglecting our duty to strive for the ideals our founders wrote into our government.
The U.S. Constitution expresses hope for virtuous, humane government that rarely exists elsewhere in the world. Above all, it commits us to a government of, by and for the people. We have failed to meet many of the ideals contained in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying. Every gesture that springs from a desire to create common good can build a new, more trustworthy, more inclusive society. May we not shrink from this task.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. To reproduce this content elsewhere, please email the Editor for permission.