What if…?

Just three weeks to go until the fate of our experiment called democracy will either survive in some form or fashion, as imperfect as it is, or die a bloody and debilitating death. Overly dramatic? One can only hope.

As an ex-pat living in Central America, I am stressing over the future of my native country, my gut a hopeless tangle of knots. I care because so much more than a body politic “of, by, and for” the people is at stake. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the forward progress and even survival of women’s rights, abortion rights, voting rights, equal justice for all, not to mention the preservation of the planet, are riding on this outcome.

I cannot even bear to watch the confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett. She terrifies me, far more than that beer-guzzling rapist ever did. Admittedly she has a brilliant legal mind, but it’s her commitment and service to the People of Praise that sends chills down my spine. This religious sect loosely affiliated with the Catholic Church is ridiculously dystopian. They live in insular communities where men are dominant and abortion and homosexuality are intolerable mortal sins. Even though most of her history with this communal group has been wiped from the official records, one newsletter recognized her esteemed position in the community, calling her “Handmaiden” at one point, whatever that means? There was no job description included.

We were not even given a decent amount of time to mourn the loss of RBG when this “replacement” candidate was thrust upon us by an unscrupulous, duplicitous Republican Party desperate to jam her through the confirmation process before election day. Their swan song, if luck is with us. I humbly acknowledge that not everyone shares my political and social beliefs, which I respect, just as I respect the differing convictions of others. But there’s an acceptable range of ideas on the moral compass, and then there’s extremist fundamentalism. That’s a horse of an entirely different color, n’est-ce pas?

So many of the rights that RBG had championed during her life’s work as a legal scholar have become accepted by the majority of Americans, no matter the religious and/or political affiliation. Yes, there are some far-right, evangelical groups that identify with Barrett’s beliefs, but they are for the most part a fringe minority in this country, and a hypocritical one at that, given their wholehearted endorsement of a multi-sinner like Trump.

Which brings me to my question of “what if”? What if I were Amy Barrett sitting in the Senate Chamber this afternoon, deflecting questions of how I feel about abortion, gay rights, the ACA, violations of the emoluments clause, voter intimidation, and the peaceful transfer of power. What would I do given the enormity of the moment? Would my ego, coupled with my fundamentalist mission to subject my evangelical beliefs on an unwilling majority of the country in the name of my god, prevail over all of the objections and dispersions cast upon me and my nomination?

In an open letter to Barrett from over 80 of her colleagues from Notre Dame, they urged her to suspend the nomination process, warning her that her “nomination comes at a treacherous moment…The politics of your nomination…will further inflame our civic wounds, undermine confidence in the court, and deepen the divide among ordinary citizens.” Not to mention the injury that has been inflicted upon RGB’s legacy.

So, what would I do if I were her right now? I know what I’d do. And I’m pretty sure I know what she’ll do…but what would you do?

Peace, love, and blessings.

Namaste. 🙏

Oct. 14, 2020