I was scrolling through my news feed this past Saturday and saw the headline, “Quakers Condemn Police Raid as Six Arrested in Westminster Meeting House.” My initial reaction was one of anger and disbelief, fearing the police in question were members of ICE and the meetinghouse was in America. I was only slightly mollified to learn the Westminster Meeting House was in England and not the United States. I realized that just as America is cursed by the MAGA crusade, it appears England is similarly tormented by a MEGA movement. Thirty police, armed with Tasers, arrested six young women who had gathered at the meetinghouse to discuss climate change and the needs of the citizens of Gaza. This free exercise of speech and assembly apparently posed such a direct and dangerous threat to England’s well-being, the front door of the meetinghouse was broken down by British brownshirts and the women arrested.
I don’t know what the Quaker women in England are like, but if they are anything like the Quaker women in America, the British government is about to get its collective ass kicked, metaphorically speaking. For the past 375 years, Quaker women have gathered in our meetinghouses to discuss and remedy any number of injustices and will not be deterred by Taser-toting thugs, official or otherwise. If British authorities had hoped to intimidate these Quakers, had hoped to scare these women into silence, I can assure you just the opposite will happen. Quaker women around the world will now be redoubling their efforts for peace and justice. Had I any sympathy for the MEGA folk, I would warn them to apologize quickly, repair the door they broke, and fire the nimrod who ordered this assault. But I don’t, so I will let them suffer the consequences of their stupidity.
Here in the United States, Quakers have joined in a lawsuit against the Trump administration, who in its infinite wisdom, thought it wise to deny churches the time-honored practice of sanctuary. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), under the direction of Herr Tom Homan, is determined to invade any home, school, or church to arrest terrorists cleverly posing as janitors, agriculture workers, health-care workers, housekeepers, and food servers, some of them for decades. I predict that all across America, Quaker meetings, and other churches, will be offering sanctuary to people whose only crime was wanting a decent life for their children. I say let Trump’s goons invade our churches, if only to prove how vile and low this administration has sunk.
I awaken each morning more confident Trump’s reign of hate will come to the wretched end it deserves. There isn’t a day that passes he doesn’t make more enemies, doesn’t alienate another bloc of voters, be they farmers, people of color, college students, women, teachers, librarians, federal workers, social workers, soldiers, pastors, people of every faith and no faith, union workers, liberals, conservatives, and middle-of-the-roaders. Every day his base shrinks, until finally the momentum of resistance will sweep democracy in and demagoguery out. You know you’ve gone too far when even the Quakers are mad.
Republican officeholders can avoid all the town hall meetings they wish, we will set up empty chairs to symbolize their moral and physical absence and let fly with our grievances. More importantly, we will vote in numbers so vast not even their shameless gerrymandering can prolong their power. Even the most ignorant and entrenched Republican officeholders will awaken to our anger and their own vulnerability and might even begin protecting the Constitution they swore to defend. If not, we’ll replace them with senators, representatives, and governors who will.
Don’t let uniformed hooligans kick down your doors. Join your fellow Americans in non-violent protests this Saturday, April 5th, at the rally nearest you, which you can find by clicking here: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/
Philip Gulley is the author ofUnlearning God: How Unbelieving Helped Me Believeand the popularHarmony series.
Discover my books, stories, and more by visiting Books by Philip Gulley
Contact Philip directly at philiphgulley@gmail.com
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