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This has been quite a week.
The news from Washington has captured the most attention. Highlights have included the president’s announcements that the US military will be fighting a “war from within” against American civilians and an “armed conflict” with Venezuelan cartels; the federal government shutdown; and today’s launch of a new I.C.E. initiative to pay undocumented minors to self-deport, which may involve threats and arrests of family members.
Closer to home, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts held a public hearing on proposed rules for the new school voucher program, which Gracie is covering in a series of Substack posts. Also on Substack, Becca unpacks how the federal government shutdown has direct implications for Texas’ disaster response capability. In the wake of last weekend’s church shooting in Michigan, Dylan reflects on gun violence as a public health crisis.
It’s enough to make anyone want to lie down.
Luckily, our friend Suzanne Bellsnyder, the Texas Rural Reporter, gives us the pep talk we need, calling Texans to Dirt Democracy—”democracy that begins in the dirt, among the people, influenced by local control, where the impacts are positive and realized right here at home.”
And on Weekly Witness, Baptist News Global editor Mark Wingfield reminds us that Texans of faith—especially Christians—have an urgent responsibility to speak up and speak out in “such a time as this.” Religion is at the root of much of the political turmoil facing our country, our state, and our local communities.
Instead of lying down, we should think about standing.
Standing is a word with an astonishing range of uses: it refers to everything from prestige and authority, to courage and commitment, to legal rights, to the mere characteristic of being upright on a base of support, plus a lot more.
At this moment, many people of faith are wondering about their standing in the specific context of right action: they worry they are the wrong person, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong message, to intervene in public affairs.
Have no fear. All our faith traditions tell us that each person is unique and of infinite worth, and the intervention of each one of us is not only appropriate, but in fact essential to our collective story. Standing together; standing in faith; and standing firm are our rights and responsibilities in a democracy.
One important way we stand with and for each other is through voting. Our new video, Elections for Everybody, is now available with Spanish subtitles, as well as in English. You can find information about the upcoming constitutional election on our website, including links to check your voter registration and find out what’s on the ballot.
You have standing. Thanks for standing for the common good—and for standing with Texas Impact.
Love, |
