Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
As I Watch an Empty Podium

As I Watch an Empty Podium

Last updated on: January 28, 2019 at 5:15 pm by Mary Pezzulo

As I Watch an Empty Podium 2019-01-28T17:15:16-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

As I write this, we are waiting for an address from the president which should have happened twenty minutes ago (it’s 1:49 right now). It’s being reported that Congress and the president had agreed to a deal to reopen the government for three weeks, without the funding for the border wall. And it’s amusing me to type out my thoughts in real time as I wait for the president’s speech.

For what it’s worth, my personal theory is that if the government reopens today, it’s because of the flights being grounded at LaGuardia.

I think that at first, Trump’s base welcomed the shutdown and hoped it would continue long enough that we’d all get used to a leaner, libertarian-friendly government, killing off the national parks and the EBT program entirely and forcing many of those furloughed government workers to quit their jobs. It’s the kind of thing that sounds wonderful to a certain mind. But of course, that’s not all a government shutdown would accomplish. Many predicted that, but the president didn’t notice or didn’t care. Today, airports all over the country started delaying and grounding flights. And suddenly the shutdown started inconveniencing richer people, people who can afford to take planes. And here we’ll get at least a three-week reprieve. Maybe. If he really does do it. It’s two o’clock right now and there’s been no announcement.

Whatever the reason, here we are, waiting.

Please remember that, if the government is successfully reopened today, it won’t automatically be all better for everyone hurt by this. Thousands of furloughed workers, Coast Guard personnel and the like, have no idea when their paychecks will arrive, if they do get back pay for this horrible month. We’ll have to see what deal Congress strikes. One month’s paycheck is not something that most people in this country can live without without a disaster. Check on your friends. And keep in mind that many of those furloughed workers are legally unable to just accept cash gifts because they are government workers and that would be too much like a bribe. This is going to be complicated.

My browser is open to a livestream of an empty podium at 2:11, but someone just announced that “the program will begin in two minutes.’ As if this were a sporting match. I wonder if the over-30-minute delay for a 34-day shutdown is somehow symbolic.

Remember that all of the poor people who got their EBT benefits early, around the 20th of January, in case the shutdown lingered too long, are not going to get food assistance again in February. Whatever happens, they’ve got what they’re going to get until March. That means there’s going to be a huge need for help at food banks and soup kitchens, or just for friends to take them to the store and help them stock up, starting in about the middle of February. After March, we’ll hopefully go back to normal– and “normal” means that many Americans still can’t make ends meet even with EBT, so always look out for ways to help no matter how well the rest of the country is doing. I don’t believe it’s possible for a modern nation to survive without a social safety safety net, but even then we also need lots of help from charities and from neighbors watching out for one another. The poor are always with us, and both the social safety net and private help are vital to keeping them alive.

Also, remember that our national parks are still knee-deep in garbage and poo, and someone’s going to have to dig them out.

That two minute announcement happened four minutes ago on my livestream, for the record. The podium is still empty. Forty-six minutes after the speech was supposed to begin.

Ah– now the president approaches the podium, head down, looking haggard. He’s forgotten to button his coat.

He is announcing that the government shutdown is ended.

He is claiming that the furloughed workers have “not complained” but encouraged him to go on, because they care about border security. That’s not what I’ve seen. I’ve seen video footage of them sitting on the floor outside McConnell’s office chanting “we want to work!” But never mind that for now.

He is now hawking his wall, as usual, preserverating the word “wall” and talking about how exciting and effective walls are, using curious phrases like “see-through visibility” (the emperor’s new wall?), but the point is, our government will reopen today. That is, if Trump ever leaves the podium to give his lackey and yes-man, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, permission to hold a vote. This is not remotely how checks and balances are supposed to work, but it’s how things work right now.

Trump is going on and on about the trafficking of women with duct tape over their faces and how sick and contagious immigrants are,. The detail he uses to describe this is nearly pornographic, and the xenophobia is disgusting, but there’s a moment of relief nonetheless– because this particular game of chicken is over, and he is the one who blinked. He’s going to sign a deal to re-open the government without his wall, for three weeks, and try something else to get it later.

If he ever stops talking.

He’s been talking for twenty minutes as it is. I went to copyedit what I’d written while I waited for him to stop.

And now I hear him threaten that he might shut down the government again in the middle of February.

And the speech is over, and reporters are screaming at him about Roger Stone, but he’s gone.

I’m beginning to understand why “May you live in interesting times” is a curse.

(image via Pixabay)

Previous Post

January 24, 2019

Another Urgent Work of Mercy for the Hungry

Next Post

January 26, 2019 An Apology for My Harsh Words

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Place me like a seal over your heart, for love is as strong as death and burns like what?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The sun A blazing flame A torch Lightning