What a week this has been.
Let’s start with the morality of the South Bay Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista, Calif., deciding to defy reasonable limitations on their assembly.
The church argued that limitations placed by California Governor Gavin Newsom were unfair because other secular places – such as factories and supermarkets – were not subject to the limitations imposed on the church. The U.S. Supreme Court decided the issue in favor of the Governor on a 5-4 vote, with Chief Justice John Roberts breaking the tie.
Roberts’ opinion was based on his belief that matters of limiting the right to assemble in a COVID-19 emergency were best left to politicians and administrators in each locality.
So, what appears to be a liberal decision by a conservative Supreme Court Justice is really a conservative decision, that clearly favors limiting the powers of the court to intervene. This is an important nuance, especially in Graham County.
There are more than 50 churches in Graham County. That is a large number for a small population. Our folks need their ability to attend church in the normal manner. There is a renewal process that goes on in a religious service. To many, it is sorely needed in these difficult times. The morality of social distancing, mask wearing and caution is so clear while the loss of individual rights is so minute in relation.
Thanks to Justice Roberts for breaking the tie and doing the right thing. Let’s all respect the temporary rules, as affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Murder is wrong. We all know that. When the alleged murder happens at the hands of a police officer, the right and wrong of the situation becomes much more complex.
First, a few facts. There are 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. Since the first recorded police death in 1786, there have been more than 22,000 officers killed in the line of duty. There were 135 law enforcement officers killed in 2019, and 1627 in the past 10 years. That is an average of one officer killed every 54 hours.
We should not forget that police officers and fire/rescue personnel are our first line of defense against the anarchy we all fear and are currently experiencing.
The U.S. Department of Justice provides a Community Relations Service to mediate local issues and deal with hate crimes. Its budget has been drastically cut.
There is searing pain and anger over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. There are honest people who want to peacefully protest, and there are people who take advantage of this anger to loot in the guise of protest. Washington, state capitols and local leaders need to develop programs to reduce tension and provide positive channels of communication.
It is appalling that the White House pours gasoline on these conflicts with comments like “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” This phrase has a racially-charged history, dating back to the civil rights protests. The excuse of not knowing the history of the phrase only speaks to not using it.
On a positive note, the successful launch of Elon Musk’s Space X rocket – in partnership with NASA returning launch capability to Cape Kennedy – is nothing short of a miracle.
Frankly, it broke my heart when President Obama killed the shuttle program and we started paying the Russians nearly $90 million each time to launch our astronauts into space.
Right now, we seem to be sinking into a Sarlaccian abyss that threatens everything we hold dear. What comes to mind is Dante’s Inferno, and a group of politicians and bureaucrats casting about trying to emerge from a never-ending hellish firepit. Come on folks. We expect our leaders to lead. We expect our leaders to put out fires. We expect our police to be guardians. We will survive until November, when it will be possible to change course.
Roger Carlton is a columnist for The Graham Star. He is a council member for the Town of Lake Santeetlah.