"There is a kind of justice rising..."

[WilliamPitt]

(snip)

There is a kind of justice rising, I believe, and not just because of the season, although I freely confess to being a sucker thereto. There is a pope impatient with the shotgun marriage of cupidity and virtue, and who is not shy about explaining why. There is a sense in our politics that we are now paying for having abandoned the creative act of self-government through which we build a political commonwealth, a sense that we allowed that great work to be hijacked by religious grifters, and political bunco artists, and the various assortment of thieves and brigands to whom we handed the world's finances. There is a feeling in the land that the mist has begin to burn away, and that we see more clearly than ever the consequences of decades of choices, made and not made, and that we see more clearly than ever the work that has to be done to repair what we have chosen to do to our country and to ourselves. We can still refuse to do the work, but we no longer have the excuse available to us that we don't know what has to be done.

We can remain two nations because we choose to be. Or we can shake off the lethargy of an atrophied citizenship. We can rediscover the common good, the deep and abiding current within true democracy toward equality and justice. This is, after all, a season of hope and rebirth and of the fall, silent as the dead of night, of an old order and an ancient way of doing things. We are two nations, but we do not have to be.

I wish you all joy. Be well. Be at peace.

Merry Christmas.

- Charles P. Pierce

The whole thing: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/christmas-serial-part-3-122413

Just incredible writing.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. What an eloquent and wise essay you have shown us, my dear Will...

So very good.

We need to heed what it tells us...

K&R

[countryjake]

2. Here is his "Optional Musical Accompaniment" for reading his post...

I'm no Christian and do not celebrate the birth of anyone on this day, but I surely love Mahalia.

What Mr. Pierce has written rings true, to me.

Thanks for posting this, Will.

[mimi85]

6. Perfect choice! nt

[WillyT]

3. K & R !!!

[alfredo]

4. Kick to read later

[pscot]

5. Guy has a way with words

He makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

[Zorra]

7. Excellent. But, IMO, he doesn't get to the finish line in one respect.

He writes:

"We are two nations but we do not have to be. We are two nations because we choose to be. We are two nations because we have separated churches from religion, religion from faith, and faith from the gospels. We are two nations because we pray to god and against our fellow citizens. We are two nations because we have made of religion a set of laws, and a set of laws into a religion. We are two nations because we hate the sin but love the sinner, and we are not wise enough in our hearts to know that you cannot divorce one from the other. Hate is hate. We are two nations because we hate the sin and are not wise enough in our hearts that this is very definition of self-loathing, because we all stumble and we all fall, rich and poor alike. We are two nations because we choose to be."

I would have added this: "We have separated churches from religion, religion from faith, and faith from the gospels. We have made religion a set of laws, and a set of laws into religion.

But the most damaging thing of all that we have done, is that we have relegated "God" to the status of venerated, distant, imaginary, inanimate object. We have separated a Living interactive "God" from ourselves, and replaced her/him with a book, fear. worship, religion, churches, law, faith, etc. ~ just middlemen and mediators, and all other man-made barriers to clear and direct communication."
-----
Wishing everyone a Merry Everyday, and a Happy Always,

[dreamnightwind]

16. Exactly right

That separation is fundamental to all others. The religion I was razed in (not a typo, fundy Christian) insisted on this separation. Direct spiritual experience and awareness was actively discouraged. We were instead told to read and memorize the book of rules, lest we burn in hell for all eternity. Individual experience, even of or perhaps most especially of the transformative kind, led to independent convictions that were considered dangerous or subversive.

It's no minor point, either. This separation is the root of all problems.

[Zorra]

22. I'm really glad to know that

someone actually got this.

[Aerows]

8. More wisdom, more hope, more solidarity

and more optimism is what we need, and this had it in boatloads.

Thanks for posting, WillPitt.

[ailsagirl]

9. kick

[Hekate]

10. Thank you, Will, for bringing us Charles Pierce again.

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year to you and your family.

[Doctor_J]

11. well written but starry eyed

I don't see any sort of recovery in progress. Next year the congress will again get more conservative. In 2016 our choice for the white house will be a corporate democrat or a psychopathic republican. Rec for Charles pierce

[kentuck]

12. I would dare to say...

...that neither of the two major Parties are equipped to bring this "justice".

[CrispyQ]

13. My favorite section:

We are two nations but we do not have to be. We are two nations because we choose to be. We are two nations because we have separated work from wages, justice from the law, and public service from politics. We are two nations because we have made the government an "other," a thing to be dreaded, a creature to be feared, instead of being the highest creative act a citizen can perform. We are two nations because we choose to be.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. What the Pope actually says, what you starights are cheering for over and over.

Francis on marriage equality:

“Let’s not be naive, we’re not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God. We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.”

Just for the record.

[Titonwan]

15. I only have one problem

Why in fuck is DU advertising a “Tell A&E to stop Silencing Christians” petition screen right up right next to the post? Really? Need money that bad? Pitiful.

[zonkers]

17. I do not concur. We and the planet are irreversibly fucked

as could be. We have woken up too late. For that matter, what makes you think anyone but a few have woken up? How many Americans are even aware of the items mentioned in your post? (I was stuck in a Costco for an hour last week... I doubt anyone there had a grasp of the ideas floated in your post.) Do you really think there is a collective and gnawing sense of obligation and duty in our country to face the challenges you mention? I sure don't. And I am done being a cheerleader. And if anyone chooses to be anything more than a cheerleader... I advise them not to fly on small airplanes.

I am good with you feeling all gushy and positive and that you want to reprint a christmas pep talk but the bottom line is.... misery is this country's greatest export with greed and power being the primary motivator of most people and institutions.

And I really don't care how groovy Pope Francis is behaving --- the vatican has a few trillion cords of wood to chop before they make up for all their past transgressions. But I would like advise Pope F. not to take any small planes.

[liberalmuse]

18. I'm seriously blown away.

Thank you for posting!

[marble falls]

19. Good stuff as usual, Will. Thanks.

[Mass]

20. As always, excellent.\nt

[Uncle Joe]

21. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, WilliamPitt.