Bush on the Ballot in San Francisco: Part II

Yesterday, I quipped that some in San Francisco were hoping to vote George W. Bush into an environmentalist. In reality, they intend far different. They hope to shame him. They hope to humiliate him. They hope to dishonor him. Today, I want to address this facet of American life that knows no political affiliation.

First, God clearly mandates that we give honor to those who hold positions of authority in our lives. Naming a sewage facility after a sitting President for spite does not fit into this category. Now, before the conservative side of my readership (all two of you) cheer, we must remember that those who do not hold the power often imitate their predecessors when they take over. Note this post to see my point. You see, the liberals watched for eight years as conservatives ridiculed, belittled, and dishonored President Clinton. With Rush as their champion, conservatives held the power position of dishonoring speech. The liberals are following the conservatives’ lead.

How do you treat those in authority over you? From your boss at work, to the mayor, to your legislator, to the President, how do you speak of him or her? Do you pray for this person? Do you laugh along with the jokes, however crass?

Now, I do not believe that God’s desire to honor those in leadership means we do not have the right to question and disagree. It must not be done, however, in a dishonoring way. Many vehemently disagree with Bush’s handling of foreign policy. They have the right to speak their minds, to seek the truth, to seek to vote him out of office. Spewing venom, harboring bitterness, and performing actions out of spite do not solve any problems.

Will naming a sewage plant after Bush really resolve people’s feelings about the war in Iraq? Will it make someone feel better? Will it reverse eight years of foreign policy? No. If this passes, it will make San Francisco look like a little boy, sticking his tongue out at his older brother for keeping a secret. The older brother will head off to the ranch, ignoring his brother. The little brother, however, will find that his tongue won’t go back in, and he’ll walk around looking silly for a long time. 

Bush on the ballot in San Francisco

Residents of San Francisco have a big decision ahead of them. Come November, many will be voting for George W. Bush. 

No, Obama hasn’t picked Bush to be his Vice-President. It seems some want to rename the water pollution control plant (that’s a sewage plant for those of you like me who come from a small town) after him. 

We think that it’s important to remember our leaders in the right historical context,” said McConnell, a member of the group that was formed after friends came up with the renaming idea. ”In President Bush’s case, we think that we will be cleaning up a substantial mess for the next 10 or 20 years,” he said. “The sewage treatment facility’s job is to clean up a mess, so we think it’s a fitting tribute.”

The public utilities commission spokesman had this to say about the idea:

The plant that they’re seeking to rename really offers extraordinary environmental benefits.

So there you have it. The people of San Francisco can now use the power of the ballot box to turn Bush into an environmentalist. 

Tune in tomorrow for a different take on this story.

Throwing the baby out with the bath water

Okonkwo is the main character in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The first chapter deals with the dichotomy between Okonkwo and his father. Because his father lived a life of sloth and weakness, Okonkwo was determined not to. “And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion—to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved.” 

I have not read but a page beyond this, but here is a tragic flaw if ever I have seen one. I don’t know if this book is a tragedy in the vein of Hamlet, but Achebe has certainly given a thesis statement that I believe will be central to the book. I don’t know if redemption or failure awaits Okonkwo. I do know that if he throws the baby out with the bath water, this will end tragically. 

The church has taken this path numerous times: that belief, movement, ideology is wrong, so let’s make sure we don’t look anything like it in any way. For fear of being labeled, we run as fast and as far as we can in the opposite direction.

I realize exceptions to all examples may be found, but let me offer one. For fear of being labeled liberal, evangelicals have wanted nothing to do with environmental causes for years. Thankfully, that is turning around, but I wonder if it has more to do with them running from something else than embracing the God given mandate to care for the earth. I hope the latter is the case. Evangelicals should not be afraid of being labeled a tree-hugger if they are doing what they should be doing. And just because someone does desire to protect the environment does not mean they worship mother earth or that they care more about trees or the spot-footed lizard than they do people.

To be a Christian means to look at situations through a Christological lens. When we do that, each part of a situation must be examined. It may be that all of a movement or belief system or ideology is thrown out, but it also might mean that parts of it are embraced, regardless of the label that may come. Being Christ-followers requires us to use our brains. Let’s check the tub before we dump it.