Hope in the bleak winter

Let us be points of light

The Christmas carol "In the Bleak Midwinter" by Gustav Holst, with lyrics by Christina Rossetti, describes the winter weather of London, not the Mediterranean climate of ancient Bethlehem.

The world outside our skulls pays no deference to our habit of making everything about us. So while people indulge themselves with the comforting story of the ox and ass in the stable on a snowy night bowing to the Christ child, and the narrator in a hymn talks humbly of her poor offering, actual Palestinian children are getting the crap bombed out of them.

I have been careful, when criticizing Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Force, to note that Hamas is a terrorist organization that began the current conflict. I support the two-state solution, a longstanding American policy. Yet any criticism of the Israeli government, even echoing protesters who fill Israeli streets, brings accusations of antisemitism. I wonder how many antisemites have contributed to the purchase of a Torah scroll for a gay synagogue.

Trump's ambassador-designate to Israel is former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a premillennial dispensationalist zealot. The fact that the End Times narrative includes Jews does not mean it has a place for them in heaven, any more than it adheres to the teachings of Christ.

I was glad to see Syrians celebrate the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, which was a blow to both Russia and Iran. The Salafi jihadist group ISIS is still active there. Time will tell if the celebrations turn sour like those in Egypt years ago. The United States has 900 soldiers in Syria.

I interrupt this discussion of violent conflict in the Middle East to wish you Peace On Earth.

We take so much for granted while fools and fanatics who call themselves patriots do all they can to turn our country's constitutional government on its head. To them, diversity is not a simple reality of our country's population, but a radical leftist plot to be conquered with cruel policies.

Trump's slogan is "Make America Great Again." There is no greatness in the attitude that any Republican official who opposes a thing Trump does is an enemy, nor in the endless nursing of grievance and prejudice by people who pose as victims when their bigotry is pointed out.

In this season of "Messiah" sing-alongs, I think of Psalms 2:9, "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Pardon the violent biblical imagery. I am grateful to the Democratic opposition for their mounting resistance to the Trump-hijacked GOP's cruel and heartless policies.

I think Trump's dictatorial demands and contempt for medical science and all other expertise make him vulnerable. Even Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, is pushing back against opponents of that proven life-saving vaccine.

Those of us who expect better of our country than endless scapegoating of trans people and immigrants of color need to step up. The prospect of having to fight to protect gains already made is dispiriting. We must turn to one another for support. The social media used by others to spread disinformation and hate can be used to organize and fight back.

Here in the bleak early winter, I pause for self-care. This means taking things day by day and finding comfort in books, movies, music, and friends. I think of my fiancé and his son across the sea; I will see them in the new year.

I skipped a Dec. 12 National Faith Advisory Board prayer call with Mike Huckabee. I also did not buy a Christmas ornament from President-elect Scrooge, nor anything from Time's Person of the Year Collection.

Instead, on the darkest night of the year, I light a candle and renew the oath I took as a federal employee to defend the Constitution. I also embrace the words of Abraham Lincoln quoted by Congresswoman Barbara Jordan at the Democratic National Convention in 1976:

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is not democracy."

I do not know how long the current struggle will last. But ultimately, freedom and equality will remain the right of every American, both native-born and immigrant—not automatically, but because you and I fight to uphold them.

The darkest of nights is illumined by the stars. Amid our beloved country's encroaching darkness, let us be points of light and hope.

Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist at [email protected].

Copyright © 2024 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.