It’s Been Two Days
I joked with someone before the election that if you vote for the winner, you get the victory lap, if you vote for the loser you get to start complaining. Before the election, I was concerned about the tone on immigration (many different aspects of it), and that drove me to the Bible. I am grateful for that study time. Having moved to the USA the end of 2020 (a couple of days before that year’s election), I lived through a democrat administration. Now I have the opportunity to live through a republican administration (as an adult, in the country—all previous administrations I was either not an adult, or not living mainly in the USA).
One of the big lessons I learned from 2020-2024 was to wait and see. Living in a red state, with a lot of red friends, I heard a lot of complaining and projecting. I learned that it was important to wait and see what actually happened. I learned that projection was full of fear and anger, not things I wanted in my life. And so I took that into account when I began to hear a lot of blue friends say a lot of things. Its been two days since inauguration, and it isn’t about projection anymore. I am very concerned about some things. I also know I am not good at remembering, so I wanted to make sure to write things down.
REFUGEES: Suspending the refugee resettlement program for the next 4 months. I have a friend who works with Catholic Charities, and she was worried about this—but I had said let’s wait and see. Hum. See this study, if need be. There are only four groups of people that God tells us SPECIFICALLY to care for (besides those pesky verses that say to love all humans): refugees, poor, fatherless, and widows. This action stops the church from doing it’s job, as mandated by Christ, and should be fought against by anyone calling themselves a Christian. (Added February 4) Stopping funding for all of the refugees already accepted into the USA—breaking their promise. This is heartbreaking. (Added February 20) Now, an executive order is out tostop all federal funds from helping any undocumented person: including help for unaccompanied children like KIND (Kids in need of defence) that helps keep them safe from child trafficking. For someone so determind to stop child trafficking, it sure is being done in a counter-productive way.
IMMIGRATION: Canceling the use of the CBP One app (the legal and orderly process for asylum seekers to make appointments to enter legally). The best way to combat illegal immigration is by providing safe and orderly LEGAL immigration. This is cutting that off, revealing the point isn’t actually to protect citizens—but to continue the false rhetoric that immigrants are “bad blood,” and detrimental to our country. (Added February 2) Quotas for deportation. This is not how you carefully remove violent criminals. But if you are saying all immigrants are violent criminals, it doesn’t matter? US citizens, veterans, and Native Americans have all already been detained and confused for deportation. (Added February 20) Now, many who were given permission to immigrate to America under Biden (Especially from Ukraine and Haiti) are having their legal documents revoked.
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP. There are few laws in government that I have direct Bible verses to go against: Ezekiel 47:22 “You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.” I personally have an anchor baby myself: I went to a country, 7 months pregnant, with the express purpose of having a baby so that I could file for permanent residence. I was not allowed to file for permanent residence unless I got married to native, or had a baby in that country. And I was universally applauded for this act of bravery by every single church I have ever spoken to. I guess that only works if it isn’t America.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS. Starting (two) cryptocurrency right before inauguration while it is now your job to monitor cryptocurrency. Conflict of interest much? I remember someone telling me how it proved Trump’s motives because he had actually lost money in becoming president (the first time) rather than gaining money. What does this say then? While it is unknown as yet how much Trump will actually gain from this, he has a direct say in how much he could actually gain from this. (Added February 12) Musk’s conflict of interests is of even greater concern.
LYING TO FURTHER HIS NARRATIVE: (Added January 24th) Trump: “They (the police) were arrested, put in jail for five years, because they went after an illegal, and I guess something happened where something went wrong and they arrested the two officers and put them in jail for going after a criminal. A rough criminal, by the way.” Hylton-Brown, a U.S. Citizen, was killed, running from police after he didn’t have a helmet for his moped. The police covered up the death, which was then pardoned by Trump. Calling citizens illegals and criminals, as if that means it is ok that they were killed? This is dehumanizing people. Trump said he used “Common sense” to declare, before investigation, that a deadly plane crash was caused by DEI.
WEAPONIZING DEPORTATION: the congressman who called for an American bishop to be deported because she made Trump upset with what she said (he demanded an apology). The lies and rhetoric are not ok. It is becoming more common to call for the deportation of anyone who doesn’t agree with you. Trump is talking about sending our criminals to El Salvador prisons? (Added February 20) The White House posted an “ASMR” video of deporting people? As a joke?
OVERREACH OF EXECUTIVE POWER: (Added February 4) USAID being paused (or ended) by Trump. Not only is this supposed to be under Congress’s duties, so is a power grab, but it continues the false rhetoric of the rest of the world being unimportant. Shall I add Musk vilifying it? Musk’s conflict of interest as USAID was investigating him? Amy Medina put it well here. and the vlogblothers put it well here. Now Trump and JD Vance are calling into question the judges pausing/checking into his overreach? (Added February 20) Now he is calling himself “King” on social media?
GAZA: (Added February 12) Trump’s rhetoric about Gaza, taking it over and forcing all Palestinians to relocate as a real estate venture, and how “All hell will break loose” if hostages are not freed (on an unagreed-on timeline). This is putting the lives of hostages in danger.
UKRAINE: (Added February 20) So I guess Trump was too busy to get to this before now, but he is holding peace talks with Russia without including Ukraine. He said to Ukraine, “You’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it….You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.” Vladimir Puten then praised the “very friendly” atmosphere of the negotiations: “On the American side, there were completely different people who were open to the negotiation process without any bias, without any condemnation of what was done in the past.” Over 80,000 Ukrainians have died, about 12,000 civilians. It is estimated in total (Russian too) that a million people have died or been wounded from Russia’s war on Ukraine.