I suppose it might be necessary to give some reasons as to why, as someone who advertises oneself as a Christian, I spend so much time discussing our current political scene, with quite a bit of attention on our public discourse.
First, I think I should say that, as a Christian, I am dedicated to the idea that what Jesus taught has relevance for our social life. Part of that dedication is the idea of justice, as Jesus taught it. One of the fundamental requirements of justice is honesty, and in my opinion there is far too little of that particular virtue in our current public discourse. When the United States Senate wastes valuable time and money passing a resolution condemning a newspaper ad by an independent advocacy group - in essence, coming out against free speech - I do believe our entire political system is warped beyond any recognition. This is not to say that gesture politics is something new, or even unwelcome. The difference, in this particular instance, is that the entire episode was contrived outrage, used to draw attention away from the fact that Gen. Petraeus' appearance before Congress had no effect on public opinion whatsoever. It is much better for the Republicans in Congress to howl in rage and stamp their feet over a bit of name calling than it is to face the truth that the policies they have actively supported for five years are out of favor with the American people. Of course, by performing this bit of political theater, they have only further alienated the public (except for die-hard Republicans, the only group to hold Congress' current performance in anything like even middling regard).
It seems to me that part of the demand of a Christian ethic of justice would be to insist that our political class - by whom I mean not just our elected and appointed officials, but their enablers in the national media as well - deal honestly with the many problems we currently face. As long as we have nihilists in charge, however, this cannot be done. Calling them on their dishonesty, their lack of any conviction other than the maintenance of power, their disdain for the American military, for American security, for our domestic tranquility, for the Constitution are part and parcel not only of our patriotic duty, but our Christian duty as well. Justice demands we stand up and demand better. As long as our political class care far more for the maintenance of power rather than the very real lives being destroyed by the actions and inactions they continue to perform (or not perform, as the case may be), the only course open to those who desire a more just, open, and accountable society is to call out the liars, the obfuscators, the nonsense peddlers, and hypocrites for what they are.
In other words, this is something I feel compelled to do. There are no options left for me, and have not been for years. Only when our pundits become as accountable as the officeholders they continue to enable can our public discourse be fixed.
Virtual Tin Cup
