Posts Tagged ‘politics’

 

She Will Overcome: Psalm of Protest 19

Posted on: March 22nd, 2022 by Alden

This is a psalm of protest in support of the confirmation of U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Here’s a link to my other psalms of protest.

She Will Overcome: Psalm of Protest 19
O Hypocrisy,
You are shameless, unscrupulous,
Hiding hatred under a cloak
Of disingenuous inquiry and false sincerity.

O Justice,
When will you be blind
To race and gender.

O Equality,
When will the content of our human character
Summon our hearts to each other.

O Truth,
We have so much left to do
To bring equity and equanimity to this world.

O Hypocrisy,
You will not live unchallenged.
We will show you,
Again and again,
One intelligent, educated, powerful
Black woman after another,
Not expecting to release your hardened heart,
Simply knowing that, one day,
She will overcome.

© 2022 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com.

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In Memory of a Statesman, John McCain (1936-2018)

Posted on: August 26th, 2018 by Alden

A prayer to honor the memory of the late Senator John McCain — a war hero, a patriot and a man of integrity — who fought a brave final battle against brain cancer.

In Memory of a Statesman, John McCain (1936-2018)
G-d of history,
Bless the soul of the late Senator John McCain,
A leader faithful to his country,
A man of principles and action,
A soldier, a hero, a statesman, a lawmaker and a dedicated citizen,
Focused on justice and liberty
In the name of a healthy Republic and a vital Democracy.

Source of mercy,
Reward his legacy by providing us with leaders
With a true vision for a future,
Leaders with a deep understanding of Your instructions
To seek justice and pursue peace.
May the memory of his life
And the blessings of his soul
Inspire a new wave of selfless public service,
Lawmakers and officeholders willing to stand strong for their ideals,
Mavericks in pursuit of a better world.

Source of blessings,
Deal kindly with the soul of John McCain,
Who left a legacy of intelligent and caring leadership,
A legacy of inspiration and love of country,
A legacy of patriotism for the generations.
Grant him a perfect rest under Your canopy of peace.
May his soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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Photo Source: Wikipedia

Domestic Insurrections

Posted on: August 16th, 2017 by Alden

In our Declaration of Independence, the Founders describe “the causes which impel them” to separate from the King of England as “a long train of abuses and usurpations.” One of those causes: “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.” This line from the Declaration is part of the refrain in this prayer/poem, a response to the stunning moral failure of this president. See also, “We Will Not Yield,” a prayer in response to the violence in Charlottesville.

Domestic Insurrections
There are villains. There are heroes.
Our president should know the difference.
And he has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.

There are terrorists. There are defenders.
Our president should know the difference.
And he has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.

There are rallies that oppress, and rallies that protect.
Our president should know the difference.
And he has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.

There are willful offenders, and steadfast defenders.
Our president should know the difference.
And he has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.

There are words that condone bigots, and words to condemn them.
Our president should know the difference.
And he has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.

There are acts that encourage hate, and acts that discourage hate.
Our president should know the difference.
And he has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.

There are moments that define a leader as immoral,
And moments that define a leader as just.
Our president doesn’t know the difference.
And he has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.

© 2017 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: See also, “We Will Not Yield,” a prayer in response to Charlottesville. Several more of those abuses listed in the Declaration of Independence are eerily-Trumpian. For example:
• He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws…
• He has obstructed the Administration of Justice…
• He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither…
• For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world…

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Library of Congress

We Will Not Yield

Posted on: August 13th, 2017 by Alden

Counterprotesters from the Unitarian Universalists congregation link arms during the Unite the Right rally.

After violence from white supremacists left death and injury in Charlottesville, here’s a prayer and a call to action for all who love this nation.

We Will Not Yield
Today,
I am neither Democrat nor Republican,
Neither left nor right nor center.
I am an American,
Born to a legacy of truth and justice,
Born to a legacy of freedom and equality.

Today, I am a patriot
Who will not yield this nation to hate.
Not to neo-Nazis.
Not to thugs self-styled as militia.
Not to slogans or chants.
Not to gestures or flags.
Not to threats and not to violence.

Hate is hate,
Ugly and brutal,
And we will not yield.

Today,
I am Christian, Muslim and Jew,
Catholic, Buddist, Hindu and Sikh,
Atheist and agnostic.
I am Asian, Latino, Hispanic, African American,
White, Native American and multi-racial.
I am an immigrant, a child of the American Revolution,
A veteran and a soldier.
I work in the dark depth of the mines
And the high towers of Wall Street,
In the factories and the farms,
In our hospitals and strip malls.
I am gay, lesbian, straight, bi, trans,
Man, woman and gender-neutral.
I am young, old, blind and deaf,
Hearing and sighted,
Disabled,
Powerful and unafraid.

Truth is truth,
That all are created equal,
And we will not yield.

Today, I am an American,
A citizen of the United States,
A child of this great democracy,
A child of this wise republic,
Dedicated to liberty,
Dedicated to action.

We will not yield.

© 2017 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This prayer is adapted from “We Will Be Heard,” part of my “Liturgy for Inauguration Day 2017.”

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Calla Kessler/The Washington Post

Sleeping Prophets

Posted on: October 18th, 2015 by Alden

Isaiah ProphetOnce, the prophets of Israel admonished kings – the civil leadership – against their failures and transgressions. Where are those prophets now, as the leadership of the modern State of Israel flounder and fail to make a real and lasting peace? Where are the calls for bravery and justice, the calls for honesty and righteous treatment of all? We must become the new prophets of Israel. It appears that no one else is coming to save us from our modern kings.

Sleeping Prophets
Wake,
You sleeping prophets.
Awaken your voices and your legs.
Come out among us.
Admonish callous hearts.
Admonish violence, hatred and sin.
Where is your passion?
Where is your thunder?
Where are your grievances?
Cry out against wickedness and deceit.
Cry out for wisdom and truth.
Why do you hide among the arrogant?
Why do you hide among and stiff-necked?
Why do you rest as bloodshed and slaughter
Threaten to consume us?

Wake you sleeping prophets, wake.
Unleash your vision and your voice.
Summon us to righteousness.
Summon us to heal ourselves and the world.
Once, brave men and women
Rose up to challenge the errors of our ways
And the foolishness of our kings.

Rise up, rise up.
You are the prophets of peace.
Demand strength and compassion.
Compel our leaders to a new path
And a new light,
In G-d’s Holy Name.

© 2015 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This is a link to my prayer “For Political Leadership” and another to more prayers for Israel and peace.

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Wake you sleeping prophets…” A call for peace and justice by @ToBendLight. https://tobendlight.com/?p=13695

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Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Korach: For Political Leadership

Posted on: June 17th, 2015 by Alden

politics-word-cloudIn this week’s Torah portion Moses and Aaron face a rebellion. It fails and the perpetrators are punished. This is a prayer for wise and dedicated political leaders, asking that they have the imagination and strength to address the problems of our time. The prayer includes an option in [brackets] to identify particular issues and problems of interest to the person reciting the prayer.

ADDENDUM, June 11, 2018: This prayer seems more relevant to world leadership now than it did when I wrote it three years ago.

For Political Leadership
G-d of history,
We yearn for [new] leadership,
For men and women of inspiration and insight,
Visionaries to build nations and communities
In Your image,
Stewards dedicated to justice,
Unafraid to face the challenges of our day,
[In particular, the challenge(s) of
_________________________,]
So that our cities and countries resonate with
Compassion and health,
Justice and mercy,
Kindness and peace.

Bless our leaders
With dedication and foresight,
Fortitude and imagination
To solve the complex issues that threaten our future.
May they lead us to a time when neighbors embrace
And the communities thrive,
A time when liberty and equality
Reign supreme.

Source and Shelter,
Grant safety and security to all nations and communities,
So that truth and harmony will resound
From the four corners of the earth.
Let the light of wisdom
Shine brightly in the halls of power,
A beacon of hope
For every land and every people.

© 2015 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: In writing this piece, I avoided the use of the word statesmen,which brought a wave of criticism when I used it in the prayer For Wisdom During Democratic Elections.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

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