“An Easter of War”

April 18, 2022

[Audio edition here]

          It is jarring to write about the grim news of war during the overlapping observances of Easter, Passover, and Ramadan, which mark periods of renewal, reflection, and spiritual growth. The killing did not cease for the observance of Easter, as one ostensibly Christian nation continued the slaughter of close family relatives in another Christian nation. On Good Friday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy discussed this paradox with reporters from The Atlantic, Volodymyr Zelensky: The Worst May Be Ahead of Us. Per The Atlantic,

Russia’s invasion has caused him to doubt whether it is still possible to associate religion with morality. “I do not understand when religious representatives of Russia”—here he meant the pro-Putin patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church—“say they are faithfully empowering soldiers to kill Ukrainians.” Worse, “I cannot understand how a Christian country, the Russian Federation, with the largest Orthodox community in the world, will be killing people on these very days.”

          While much of the reporting from Ukraine is difficult to read because of its accurate description of murder, torture, and desecration of human bodies, The Atlantic provides a first-person narrative from Zelenskyy while sparing the reader (some of) the gory details. If you are avoiding news stories on Ukraine, The Atlantic article provides an essential insight into the unbreakable will of the Ukrainian people as they prepare for a renewed offensive from Russia.

          Still, we must acknowledge that the news is bad. The stories coming out of Bucha are heartbreaking, while the news that has not yet reached us from Mariupol may be worse. Russia has issued a warning to the last several hundred defenders of Mariupol to surrender or be exterminated. The Ukrainian defenders have refused to surrender, although they occupy small pockets of resistance away from the city center and the port. See Institute for the Study of War (April 17 assessment). And yet, even as Mariupol teeters, Ukrainian intelligence suggests that Russia’s massive buildup consists of “low-quality conscripts” that may not be able to launch a major offensive in the coming days.

          As Pope Francis called for an end to the “cruel and senseless war . . . the Easter of war,” the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill I, said that the “the conquest of Ukraine [is] a matter of eternal salvation.” In making that comparison, I am not attempting to argue that one church within Christianity is superior to another. Rather, it is important to understand that for Putin, the assault on Ukraine has a “quasi-mystical, hyper-nationalist” goal: That of achieving “Russkiy Mir”—a “Russian world” of political dominion that envelopes the location of Russian speakers worldwide.

          The “blessings” of the Patriarch of Moscow on Russian troops provide Putin with religious and nationalist cover for his atrocities in Ukraine. As a result, some religious leaders are considering expelling the Russian Orthodox Church from the World Council of Churches. See Politico, Inside the Campaign Against “Putin’s Pope”. [Note: To avoid confusion, the Orthodox Church in America is an entirely separate organization and is highly critical of the war on Ukraine.]

          Religion and politics don’t mix (or, at least, they shouldn’t). But religion and wars of attrition really do not mix—except when religions seek to prevent violence, aid the wounded, house the displaced, and comfort the survivors.

Political roundup from the weekend.

          Try as I might, I couldn’t find a unifying them to describe the political events over the weekend—which is probably good news for Democrats. The political landscape is unsettled for everyone, predictions of a red wave notwithstanding. Let’s take a look at some of the reporting from the weekend.

          A reader sent a link to an article in the Daily Kos. Written by Ben Wikler, Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, the report describes the results of local elections in Wisconsin on April 5, 2022. Wikler points out that nearly 276 local elections provide evidence that the anticipated “red wave” may be overblown. See Daily Kos, Last Tuesday, Wisconsinites went to the polls in thousands of local elections. Here’s what happened. In short, against tough competition from neo-Trumpists, Democrats held their own:

In a 50/50 state, during a tough year for Democrats, we won more than we lost. Out of 276 races where WisDems actively engaged, investing in organizing, digital, and/or mail to voters, we won 147 of the races.

          Interestingly, the results are that “over and over, progressive school board candidates won against divisive GOP-backed candidates,” and a pro-democracy poll worker beat a “fake elector” subpoenaed by the January 6th Commission. Even where Democrats lost in local races, they out-performed Biden’s 2020 margins, suggesting that statewide Democratic candidates are well-positioned going into 2022.

          On the other hand, Trump threw a hand grenade into the GOP Republican primary in Ohio for U.S. Senate by endorsing J.D. Vance. See Business Insider, Trump stopped taking phone calls after GOP blowback from JD Vance endorsement in Ohio Senate race. Vance was a “never Trumper in 2016,” but has changed his stripes and is seeking to make up lost ground by running to the right of Trump. Which, predictably, has everyone in the GOP primary attempting to do the same thing. See The New Yorker, The First Post-Trump Republican Race.

          And as Republicans move firmly into the conspiracy wing of the GOP, Rep. Tim Ryan is currently outpolling the three leading GOP contenders. Polls are not elections, and Ryan is only one of the Democrats seeking the nomination. (See Morgan Harper on Ballotpedia.) But Democrats in Ohio appear to be running towards the center, while Republicans are running to the right of Trump.

          Speaking of Trump, he issued a bizarre series of “Happy Easter” statements that included “Happy Easter to racist Attorney General Letitia James . . . who is keeping crime, death, and destruction in New York!” Trump also wished Happy Easter to the “radical left maniacs,” whom he nonetheless wished “happiness, health, and wealth.” Hmm. Does anyone else think Trump doesn’t quite understand the whole “Easter” thing? I mean, he does realize that it is not merely a spring break for the wealthy to go skiing in Switzerland, right?

          Marjorie Taylor Greene reported a loss in her fundraising efforts for the first time. See Business Insider, MTG Reports Fundraising Loss for the First Time, $314,000 in the Red. Before we celebrate that news, the loss reflects Greene’s wasteful spending rather than her inability to raise money. She raised more than $1 million in the first quarter of 2022—which is a lot of money for a House candidate from Georgia. The problem is that she spent $1.38 million—including $10,000 to coup adviser John Eastman for “legal advice.” Perhaps Greene is asking for advice about how to stage a coup in 2024?

More piling-on from the Washington Post

          A reader sent a link to an article by Amber Heard in WaPo’s Fix Minute Fix, Why Democrats think they’re going to lose in November. The article begins as follows:

          “Voters are unhappy with the direction of the country and don’t think we get it.” That’s from a Democratic strategy memo this past November, right after Democrats lost the Virginia governor’s race.

          I took a look at the source cited in the article, and my conclusion is that the article and the headline are misleading in two respects. First, they suggest that “Democrats” think they will lose in November. As her initial proof, Ms. Heard cites to a “Democratic strategy memo.” I clicked on the link to the memo, and it is not a “Democratic strategy memo.” Rather, it is a survey of eighteen Democratic voters—yes, only eighteen voters, as in “the number after seventeen”—about why they voted for Glenn Youngkin in 2021. That number is small enough that the conclusions are meaningless. Which the authors at the consulting firm admitted when they qualified their findings with the following statement:

          Because this is qualitative research, it cannot be projected onto the Virginia electorate as a whole.

          But that pesky qualification did not stop Ms. Heard from using the quote from an 18-person survey to explain “Why Democrats think they are going to lose in November.” Look, I will not pretend Biden’s poll numbers aren’t lousy. But that is no excuse for Ms. Heard to mischaracterize research based on eighteen telephone conversations to prove what “Democrats think” about 2022.

          Indeed, by self-selecting Democrats who voted for a Republican governor in 2021, the consulting firm guaranteed that it would elicit negative opinions. A well-designed survey would have, of course, included Democrats who voted for the Democratic candidate, Terry McAuliffe—not to mention Republicans who voted for McAuliffe. A better (more honest) headline would have been, “Why eighteen Democrats voted for Glenn Youngkin in 2021.” But that wouldn’t have generated as many clicks.

          Here’s my point: If you are going to indulge in reading doomsaying articles, you can’t just let them wash over you. Check out the sources—if any. Ask yourself, is there anything new here? Or is the author rehashing the same old bad news because the author has nothing new to say but has to fill fourteen column inches? If you aren’t willing to do that work (and more), then I suggest you ignore the doomsaying headlines and do something productive with your time to help achieve the outcome we desire.

          Okay, I am now stepping down from my soapbox . . . . I’m getting dizzy.

Concluding Thoughts.

          The work of freeing other people (and ourselves) from bigotry, enslavement, injustice, and oppression is a struggle that has been going on for millennia. Our job is to continue the battle for one generation—and teach the next generation that it must do the same.

          Talk to you tomorrow!