Students from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School AP Spanish class help deliver food to St Andrews Episcopal Church. Two planes of migrants from Venezuela arrived suddenly Wednesday night on Martha's Vineyard. The students served as translators for the migrants. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe)
I had not read this history before. But the parallels are chilling. I also hadn’t heard that DeSantis was basically shopping for immigrants to traffic. The national media isn’t taking this story as seriously as they should. The media is just thinking it’s part of the horse race. And that in itself is shameful. These are human beings being defrauded and falsely imprisoned and treated like playthings. I’m glad the people of Martha’s Vineyard have risen to the occasion, but someone needs to sue that bastard DeSsntis. Or indict him for human trafficking.
What DeathSantis doesn't get is that his stunt is backfiring on a national stage that he wanted to be the star of. The people of Martha's Vineyard saw fellow humans to be helped. Ron the Con saw pawns on a chess board. Pawns to keep his name in lights.
Well, Ron, the lights are bright and they reveal you to be a cruel and stupid punk. Americans are witnessing the "libs" show compassion and assistance. And Ron, I think there must be more than a few in your state who are questioning how you can use THEIR tax dollars for a personal political stunt.
I think that Ron just handed Charlie a powerful political weapon.
I was doing some digging on my own yesterday. I watched Fox News' clip (exclusive!) and noted the planes used were Dornier 328Jets. Fox edited the video, I'm sure, to hide the registration numbers, but the type is so rare in US registry it didn't take me long to find the operator. It's not the first time being an avgeek has served me well! You might give Ultimate Jet a piece of your mind: https://flyuj.com/
No, these odious, sadistic have mores are not Christians. Matthew 22:37-39 says we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbors (others) as ourselves. St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 says if we do all manner of good things and have not love, we would gain noting. Matthew 7:12 says we are to treat others the way we would want them to treat us. Gandhi said, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” I could go on, but these references describe the Christianity that my mother and grandmother taught in our family. Caring for others in the same way you would care for yourself. Not having one set of rules for yourself and another for other folks. I learned when I moved from NC to Ohio that prejudice and racism live everywhere and are not confined to one geographic region. Hatefulness abounds everywhere. DeSantis and his ilk are making hate and lies the planks of their platform. They only care for themselves. Look at Jackson, MS and Flint, MI. What kind of people don’t want cities to have decent water and sewer systems?
Your example of a practicing Christian vs the deplorable “false prophets” of DeSantis ( and every one of those who cheer him on) shines light on the practicing Christians of today; those Christians whose faith and works live in the shadow of “Mega Media” trump churches professing their faith with false tongues and blasphemy
For Believers, these souls float in dangerous waters, as non believers rightfully call them out as hypocrites
Good Christians do exist. They’re just not as celebrated as the DeSantis variety, probably because Christ instructed them to remain humble and anonymous
“That which is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole Law. The rest is commentary. Now go and learn.” - Rabbi Hillel
The Summary of the Law
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
[Matthew 22:37-39]
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45)
With the able assistance of Rabbi Hillel quoting the Golden Rule, the above three excerpts are the heart of true Christianity. Communities that live by these principles are practicing true Christian doctrine. It has saddened me greatly that in the US, the "non-Christian" fundamentalist churches preaching hate and division were the ones growing, while the mainstream churches that actually were far closer to the ideals in the New Testament were losing many members. But now the fundamentalists have become so extreme that they are losing members at a significant rate. People forget Matthew 25:45, but it is just as important as verse 40.....
"By their fruit you shall know them." (Matthew 7:20)
You have perfectly described how Christians are instructed to live. and you don't even have to be a Christian to follow those precepts and you still fall into that category. People can call themselves whatever they like but "by their fruits shall ye know them".
Thank you, TC for the story of Ammon and Dorothy Day-- a woman who suffered greatly for her commitment to true Christianity and "suffers still," incredibly, in the process for her canonization as a Saint in the Catholic Church. She lived the Gospel despite all. The "powers that be" in the Church ( not Francis) are hung up on her having a child out of wedlock--ok , boys, you want us to have the babies but then you don't !!!!!
As to DeSantis ( he whose name means " of the saints or holy & devout"- (NOT)- he needs to be charged with human trafficking and crimes against humanity for this latest stunt. I keep thinking he will slip in his own slime.....well on his way!
But as Gary points out we are inured to rather than outraged by the ever rising level of inhumane actions.
Cudos to the year round residents of MV for rising to the need of fellow humans, just as DD and Ammon did through the Catholic Worker movement.
TC, You reported here on the ugliness of cruelty, you detailed how power without conscience rips the life out of ‘others’ and drinks to their suffering; you showed the fascists’ faces In the being of DeSantis and in George Singelmann, the mastermind in the 1960s of the “Reverse Freedom Rides” .
‘In May 1962, the White Citizens' Council of America issued a resolution supporting Singelmann ….the resolution read, "In order to effect an equitable and amicable solution to said racial chaos, friction and sectional division, the Citizens' Council of America hereby urge the various local and state organizations in the South to take necessary and judicious action to expedite volunteer migration of any dissatisfied Negroes from the South."
These are the faces of fascism throughout history. Remember what they have done and what they will do if we don’t stop them.
And you contrasted good and evil.
‘…back in 1967 I met the truest Christian I’ve ever known, Ammon Hennacy - Christian anarchist, imprisoned World War I draft resister, co-founder of The Catholic Worker - when I stopped by Joe Hill House in South Salt Lake City, the project he spent most of his life working on,... Ammon was one of the last Original American Radicals of the 20th Century left alive; Coxey’s Army had been camped on his parents farm the day he was born in 1893. He was friends with Eugene V. Debs and became a close comrade to Dorothy Day after he became a Christian while in solitary confinement in the Atlanta Federal Prison in 1918 as a guest of that great “progressive” Woodrow Wilson, and I wanted to meet him. I spent the weekend there, and when you did that, you helped with the work of Joe Hill House - you practiced Matthew 25:40-45.
"The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
“For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.”
“I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”
They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”
He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
To me, ever since, those verses define what it is to be a Christian. Using that standard, I know for a fact there are no actual Christians among any group of Republican office holders today, anywhere in the United States of America. Nor in most Republican churches. Nor among the typical White Southern Republican.
Most particularly, not today. This day. Thursday. September 15, 2022.
Tom, with WHATEVER YOU DID NOT DO FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE, YOU DID NOT DO FOR ME, you have given us a true and fair estimate of our choices about how we want to live as human beings.
This reminds me of what I learned in Isabel Wilkerson’s book. Hitler sent people to the Southern US to learn the best way to deal with the Jews. Our treatment of the negro was so cruel the Nazis learned from us.
When I shared your article on my FB page, I lifted this quote to introduce it: "As Adam Serwer pointed out in 2018, “President Trump and his supporters find community by rejoicing in the suffering of those they hate and fear... It is not just that the perpetrators of this cruelty enjoy it; it is that they enjoy it with one another. Their shared laughter at the suffering of others is an adhesive that binds them to one another, and to Trump.”
"the stupid fucking Florida Man gatorbait white trash piece of shit masquerading as a human being" is classic, esp. the "mastering as a human being" part. Just leave out "white trash" next time.
“What the stupid fucking Florida Man gatorbait white trash piece of shit masquerading as a human being was too fucking ignorant to know is, Martha’s Vineyard is not some rich white enclave. It’s been a major resort destination for African-Americans for a century, and the 16,000 or so permanent residents on the island are a diverse community.
And they, unlike the scumbag from Florida, actually are Christians.”
I’ve had to catch up on several essays and articles from Substack authors and other publications since last evening.
The quoted lines above from TC were among the most satisfying that I’ve read over the past couple hours. Gatorbait turning the state into a shameful travesty with yet another minority rule move and Charlie C not responding with an appropriate barrage of counter bullsh*t.
And thank you, TC, for actual reveal of “Perla’s” origin. Investigation here limited to nothing about to be revealed. Things shut down pretty tight here in Florida.
TC, have I told you lately that I love you! No, I didn’t lick my Sunday School teacher in the shin, but I did know by age 5 that literal interpretation of the Bible was not realistic. I cannot imagine going to a foreign country, where you do not know the language let alone the geography, and being “dropped off” without so much as a bottle of water and/ or a granola bar!! Shame on them and remember that karma is a bitch! Thank God for
the kindness and goodness of the citizens of the community to step up to the plate and make them feel welcome and to meet their immediate needs. Hopefully, as their life in the US continues, they will remember and reflect on this experience and remember who had behaved in a loving and Christian manner and who did not!
I had not read this history before. But the parallels are chilling. I also hadn’t heard that DeSantis was basically shopping for immigrants to traffic. The national media isn’t taking this story as seriously as they should. The media is just thinking it’s part of the horse race. And that in itself is shameful. These are human beings being defrauded and falsely imprisoned and treated like playthings. I’m glad the people of Martha’s Vineyard have risen to the occasion, but someone needs to sue that bastard DeSsntis. Or indict him for human trafficking.
What DeathSantis doesn't get is that his stunt is backfiring on a national stage that he wanted to be the star of. The people of Martha's Vineyard saw fellow humans to be helped. Ron the Con saw pawns on a chess board. Pawns to keep his name in lights.
Well, Ron, the lights are bright and they reveal you to be a cruel and stupid punk. Americans are witnessing the "libs" show compassion and assistance. And Ron, I think there must be more than a few in your state who are questioning how you can use THEIR tax dollars for a personal political stunt.
I think that Ron just handed Charlie a powerful political weapon.
I was doing some digging on my own yesterday. I watched Fox News' clip (exclusive!) and noted the planes used were Dornier 328Jets. Fox edited the video, I'm sure, to hide the registration numbers, but the type is so rare in US registry it didn't take me long to find the operator. It's not the first time being an avgeek has served me well! You might give Ultimate Jet a piece of your mind: https://flyuj.com/
No, these odious, sadistic have mores are not Christians. Matthew 22:37-39 says we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbors (others) as ourselves. St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 says if we do all manner of good things and have not love, we would gain noting. Matthew 7:12 says we are to treat others the way we would want them to treat us. Gandhi said, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” I could go on, but these references describe the Christianity that my mother and grandmother taught in our family. Caring for others in the same way you would care for yourself. Not having one set of rules for yourself and another for other folks. I learned when I moved from NC to Ohio that prejudice and racism live everywhere and are not confined to one geographic region. Hatefulness abounds everywhere. DeSantis and his ilk are making hate and lies the planks of their platform. They only care for themselves. Look at Jackson, MS and Flint, MI. What kind of people don’t want cities to have decent water and sewer systems?
Your example of a practicing Christian vs the deplorable “false prophets” of DeSantis ( and every one of those who cheer him on) shines light on the practicing Christians of today; those Christians whose faith and works live in the shadow of “Mega Media” trump churches professing their faith with false tongues and blasphemy
For Believers, these souls float in dangerous waters, as non believers rightfully call them out as hypocrites
Good Christians do exist. They’re just not as celebrated as the DeSantis variety, probably because Christ instructed them to remain humble and anonymous
“That which is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole Law. The rest is commentary. Now go and learn.” - Rabbi Hillel
The Summary of the Law
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
[Matthew 22:37-39]
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45)
With the able assistance of Rabbi Hillel quoting the Golden Rule, the above three excerpts are the heart of true Christianity. Communities that live by these principles are practicing true Christian doctrine. It has saddened me greatly that in the US, the "non-Christian" fundamentalist churches preaching hate and division were the ones growing, while the mainstream churches that actually were far closer to the ideals in the New Testament were losing many members. But now the fundamentalists have become so extreme that they are losing members at a significant rate. People forget Matthew 25:45, but it is just as important as verse 40.....
"By their fruit you shall know them." (Matthew 7:20)
You have perfectly described how Christians are instructed to live. and you don't even have to be a Christian to follow those precepts and you still fall into that category. People can call themselves whatever they like but "by their fruits shall ye know them".
Thank you, TC for the story of Ammon and Dorothy Day-- a woman who suffered greatly for her commitment to true Christianity and "suffers still," incredibly, in the process for her canonization as a Saint in the Catholic Church. She lived the Gospel despite all. The "powers that be" in the Church ( not Francis) are hung up on her having a child out of wedlock--ok , boys, you want us to have the babies but then you don't !!!!!
As to DeSantis ( he whose name means " of the saints or holy & devout"- (NOT)- he needs to be charged with human trafficking and crimes against humanity for this latest stunt. I keep thinking he will slip in his own slime.....well on his way!
But as Gary points out we are inured to rather than outraged by the ever rising level of inhumane actions.
Cudos to the year round residents of MV for rising to the need of fellow humans, just as DD and Ammon did through the Catholic Worker movement.
TC, You reported here on the ugliness of cruelty, you detailed how power without conscience rips the life out of ‘others’ and drinks to their suffering; you showed the fascists’ faces In the being of DeSantis and in George Singelmann, the mastermind in the 1960s of the “Reverse Freedom Rides” .
‘In May 1962, the White Citizens' Council of America issued a resolution supporting Singelmann ….the resolution read, "In order to effect an equitable and amicable solution to said racial chaos, friction and sectional division, the Citizens' Council of America hereby urge the various local and state organizations in the South to take necessary and judicious action to expedite volunteer migration of any dissatisfied Negroes from the South."
These are the faces of fascism throughout history. Remember what they have done and what they will do if we don’t stop them.
And you contrasted good and evil.
‘…back in 1967 I met the truest Christian I’ve ever known, Ammon Hennacy - Christian anarchist, imprisoned World War I draft resister, co-founder of The Catholic Worker - when I stopped by Joe Hill House in South Salt Lake City, the project he spent most of his life working on,... Ammon was one of the last Original American Radicals of the 20th Century left alive; Coxey’s Army had been camped on his parents farm the day he was born in 1893. He was friends with Eugene V. Debs and became a close comrade to Dorothy Day after he became a Christian while in solitary confinement in the Atlanta Federal Prison in 1918 as a guest of that great “progressive” Woodrow Wilson, and I wanted to meet him. I spent the weekend there, and when you did that, you helped with the work of Joe Hill House - you practiced Matthew 25:40-45.
"The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
“For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.”
“I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”
They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”
He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
To me, ever since, those verses define what it is to be a Christian. Using that standard, I know for a fact there are no actual Christians among any group of Republican office holders today, anywhere in the United States of America. Nor in most Republican churches. Nor among the typical White Southern Republican.
Most particularly, not today. This day. Thursday. September 15, 2022.
Tom, with WHATEVER YOU DID NOT DO FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE, YOU DID NOT DO FOR ME, you have given us a true and fair estimate of our choices about how we want to live as human beings.
Thank you.
Well said TC and an apt reminder of a piece of history too often ignored or forgotten.
Label them Crustians? Like scabs that must be peeled off so that the pus beneath can be exposed to the light and treated with peroxide.
To think, that specimen DeSantis becomes the GOP's likely front-runner for 2024 when TFG gets sent down.
This reminds me of what I learned in Isabel Wilkerson’s book. Hitler sent people to the Southern US to learn the best way to deal with the Jews. Our treatment of the negro was so cruel the Nazis learned from us.
When I shared your article on my FB page, I lifted this quote to introduce it: "As Adam Serwer pointed out in 2018, “President Trump and his supporters find community by rejoicing in the suffering of those they hate and fear... It is not just that the perpetrators of this cruelty enjoy it; it is that they enjoy it with one another. Their shared laughter at the suffering of others is an adhesive that binds them to one another, and to Trump.”
"the stupid fucking Florida Man gatorbait white trash piece of shit masquerading as a human being" is classic, esp. the "mastering as a human being" part. Just leave out "white trash" next time.
“What the stupid fucking Florida Man gatorbait white trash piece of shit masquerading as a human being was too fucking ignorant to know is, Martha’s Vineyard is not some rich white enclave. It’s been a major resort destination for African-Americans for a century, and the 16,000 or so permanent residents on the island are a diverse community.
And they, unlike the scumbag from Florida, actually are Christians.”
I’ve had to catch up on several essays and articles from Substack authors and other publications since last evening.
The quoted lines above from TC were among the most satisfying that I’ve read over the past couple hours. Gatorbait turning the state into a shameful travesty with yet another minority rule move and Charlie C not responding with an appropriate barrage of counter bullsh*t.
And thank you, TC, for actual reveal of “Perla’s” origin. Investigation here limited to nothing about to be revealed. Things shut down pretty tight here in Florida.
Or so they think.
🗽
TC, have I told you lately that I love you! No, I didn’t lick my Sunday School teacher in the shin, but I did know by age 5 that literal interpretation of the Bible was not realistic. I cannot imagine going to a foreign country, where you do not know the language let alone the geography, and being “dropped off” without so much as a bottle of water and/ or a granola bar!! Shame on them and remember that karma is a bitch! Thank God for
the kindness and goodness of the citizens of the community to step up to the plate and make them feel welcome and to meet their immediate needs. Hopefully, as their life in the US continues, they will remember and reflect on this experience and remember who had behaved in a loving and Christian manner and who did not!