There's an article in the New Yorker today highlighting a conversation with Anthony Romero, the Executive Director of the ACLU in which he's asked what we should do if the current administration doesn't heed the courts. The question is getting at what we do in response to a Constitutional crisis. With Congress having abdicated their role in our 3 branch system of checks and balances, what happens when/if the Executive Branch decides to ignore a ruling by the Supreme Court?
Mr. Romero said that first you have to be sure they are ignoring it. If they are stalling or otherwise trying to get around it by engaging the legal options before them, they are still working within the system. The real crisis is when they stop engaging and instead just do whatever they want. His response to that moment was, "Then we shut the country down."
When asked what that means, he said he's working on it. The ACLU is looking for agreement with leaders in many sectors to protest in a way that's unmistakable.
It's making me think more clearly about the role of The Church. Religious denominations are designed intentionally to stand outside of the governmental system. That's what disestablishment is all about. (I could give you a whole history lesson on this if you're curious, but I'm guessing most of you aren't, so I'll skip it. Let me know if you want more, though. American religious history is my jam.) The idea is that religion and government should not be mutually corruptible. Religious denominations and houses of worship are situated intentionally to be outsiders, thereby putting us in position to critique and act in opposition as needed.
So, I'm getting ready for what it means to "shut it down".
No school. No work. No online shopping. (We should be cutting back on this anyway.) No purchasing. (Maybe stock up on necessities now?)
We can support independent establishments. Grab breakfast in a local diner. Use cash. Stop at the local dog shelter and offer to play with some cats or take some dogs for a long walk. It's not Covid shut-down. We don't need to stay away from each other. The opposite would be best. Gather in each other's homes to share a meal. Do some weeding in your neighborhood community garden. But, let the political and billionaire classes panic that we aren't going to continue to be cogs in their machines.
While so many of us are wondering what we can do, it seems this kind of action is easily in our wheelhouse.
I hope it's never needed, but disruption is something we know we can do. It’s a powerful resource and designed for communities who can hold fast to each other for support when the ground beneath us is failing.
Let’s hope this is the last time I mention it, but just in case it’s needed, I’m preparing myself, my family, and soon my church so we can be ready to Shut It Down.
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