Ukraine, Phil Collins, and the Way Washington Works

If it's not one thing, it's another. Am I right? This time it's Ukraine.

"Impeach Trump!" the liberals cry.

"Prosecute Biden!" the conservatives reply.

"Wait...prosecute Pelosi, too!" conservatives continue.

Allegations of corruption dominate social media and network news as representatives of all political ideologies defend their side and decry the opposition. Meanwhile, average Americans debate back and forth without really knowing what the heck is going on because, after all, peons like us can never really be confident that we know what's going on.

What I find surprising is how many people seem to be surprised by these endless revelations of corruption, nepotism, and maneuvering that are coming out of Washington.

How is this surprising? How are people just figuring this out?

Were people really unaware that this country, the so-called land of the free and the home of the brave, has always been at the behest of old dudes (and dudettes--corruption is an equal opportunity gig) in back rooms smoking cigars and sipping brandy? That's how it is and that's how it has always been. How many Kennedys have held positions of political power in this country? Bushes? Clintons?
That's just how it works. I'm not saying it's right, but it's reality.

We like to think that we're different here in the States, but underneath this facade we like to call a Democratic Republic, we have an elitist ruling class just like everybody else. People in positions of power use that power to enrich themselves and their friends. If you want to get into a position of power, you have to make powerful friends. To make powerful friends you have to compromise any ethical standards you might claim to have. Whistleblowers are swiftly discredited and offered as an oblation to the masses to perpetuate the myth of accountability and justice.

Call me a cynic, if you will, but I'm a realist. It's immoral and unpleasant, but, to quote the incomparable Phil Collins, that's just the way it is (incidentally, this song from '90 seems to imply that the optimistic revolutionary from '86's Land of Confusion had been disillusioned). That's just the way Washington works. That's just the way the world works, and it's not likely to change anytime soon.

"But," you might be thinking, "our generation has had enough! Vive la revolution!"

What happens inevitably after a revolution? From the grassroots emerges a new elitist class to replace the one that has so recently been supplanted. Read up on the French Revolution or the Cuban Revolution if you doubt that. The American Revolution is no exception. Societies slide inevitably towards totalitarianism because men have an inherent desire to dominate their fellow men, whether overtly through force, or secretly through bureaucracies and constitutions.

Politicians play by a different set of rules. The higher up you are, the more friends you have, the more loosely the rules apply, and the lower the chance that the media will report your crimes or that anyone would dare to prosecute you for them.

This is reality. You don't have to like it, but you should probably get used to it.

"Father, Forgive Them"

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Forgiveness is hard. Forgiveness is really, really hard. It’s difficult to forgive others who have genuinely harmed or offended us. It’s easy to say , “I forgive you,” but it’s extremely difficult to feel it–to make peace in our hearts with the injustices that others have perpetrated against us. It just doesn’t feel right. Sin should be punished! Wrongs should be righted! Right?! It’s difficult to forgive others when they ask for it. It’s even more difficult to forgive them when they haven’t asked for it–when they don’t even recognize what they’ve done to hurt us. As our Savior hung upon His Cross, He asked the Father to forgive those nearby–those who were unwittingly contributing to the greatest injustice in the history of the world. These thieves, soldiers, and standers-by had no idea what was happening. They had no idea that the jealousy of the Jews had placed Christ on that Cross...

The Real Presence & Paedocommunion: A Deeper Rift Between Reformed Churches

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations. As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae. Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict. What does it mean? Who may partake? What do we call it? These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts. Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention. PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it. I underst...

"The More Things Change..." or "Joe Biden Doing Joe Biden Things"

1 Samuel 2 relates the story of Eli, the well-meaning high priest whose only flaw (apparently) was his refusal to discipline his sons. These sons, described as worthless men , utilized their position to abuse the people and indulge their lusts with impunity. Eli's dereliction of duty brought his otherwise noble career in service to God's house to an ignominious end. There are, of course, important differences between Eli and Joe Biden. Joe Biden is not a religious leader (though he is a practicing Roman Catholic ), nor would I consider his record to be otherwise spotless. However, similarly to Eli, Biden's pardoning of his own worthless son, Hunter, will prove to be his legacy. His long (and I mean loooong) career in politics will likely be overshadowed, even in the eyes of those who previously respected him, by this one shameless act. By pardoning his son despite promising not to, Biden has yet again demonstrate...

Always Reforming

Search This Blog