Where is Will Campbell when we need him?
by PARKER J. PALMER (thanks to Mary Montgomery)
This is an artist’s rendition of the structure now nearing completion on the south lawn of the White House. It will serve as the stage for one of the first major events in Washington, D.C. celebrating the 250th birthday of American independence.
On Sunday, June 14, which happens to be POTUS’s birthday, that octagonal cage will be the site of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It’s a little-known fact that America’s Founders called for exactly this 250 years ago, as seen in this note they made during the weeks leading up to the Declaration of Independence:
“Be it decreed that on June 14 two and a half centuries hence, seating for thousands will be set up at and near the presidential residence, along with an elevated cage, so that We the People can be reminded of what makes America great by watching a gaggle of scowling, tattooed brawlers do their best to lay their opponents low by battering each other’s bodies with harsh blows from their hands, fists, elbows, knees, and feet. Thus shall we prove to the world that this country fulfills the Biblical call to be a ‘city set on a hill’ as a light to the nations. Thank you for your attention to this matter! —Your Founders.”
The “city set on a hill” is, of course, a quote from the Sermon on the Mount cited by the Puritans to express this country’s destiny. I can’t imagine a better way to secure our claim to that title than paying a gang of brawny Mixed Martial Arts fighters to beat each other senseless inside a steel cage while the world watches. I’m told that the final fight will feature a liberal Christian against a lion (plus, if necessary, an emergency backup lion).
Of course, visitors who come to D.C. this summer to celebrate America’s birthday will be treated to numerous examples of the MAGA aesthetic (aka “taste”) in addition to cage fights. Here are a few of them, all sights to make your eyes sore for sore eyes:
Back in the day, the Rose Garden was a contemplative space where decision-makers might remember the earth on which we depend. With its Mar-a-Lago makeover, it has become a place where MAGA men in $10K suits can toast another deal that makes them richer and the poor poorer, and MAGA women won’t get their stiletto heels stuck in the mud.
Time was when the East Wing provided another kind of space for reflection, and harmonized architecturally with the rest of the White House without dominating the scene. Today the East Wing is somewhere between demolition and God-knows-what-comes-next, which is exactly where we and the world are with the entire MAGA project. (cont. Page 2 or here)
Once upon a time, long, long ago, we had a POTUS who strove to serve everyone, a man who worked in an Oval Office set up for work. Today we have a POTUS who serves only those who voted for him, with extra services for those who bring him gold with which to festoon the Oval, a self-created shrine to a man whom some believe to be divinely ordained.
Inside the White House, POTUS has created a “Walk of Fame,” featuring photos of all U.S. presidents—except Joseph R. Biden, whose image has been replaced by a photo of an autopen, with a plaque written by POTUS describing him as the worst president ever. Outside the White House, the Department of Justice now features a full monty display of neofascism in action.
After POTUS renamed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, so many artists refused to perform that they had to shut it down for “renovations.” On May 29, the U.S. District Court of D.C. ordered the original name restored by June 12. Watch this space to see if it has been done. For the MAGA POTUS, a court order is merely a suggestion. Your tax dollars at work…
If you remember the subtitle of this piece, you may be wondering, “Who was Will Campbell (1924-2013), and why do we need him now?” A white Baptist minister, born and raised on a cotton farm in Mississippi, a man with self-described “redneck” credentials, Campbell combined a fierce passion for racial justice, faith-based fearlessness, and a no-nonsense, occasionally profane, manner of speaking. This combination allowed him to serve as a strategic advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr. in the morning, and confront local Klansmen about their racism in the afternoon, no holds barred. I can easily imagine him climbing into that fight cage on the White House lawn and calling out MAGA’s White supremacist version of Christianity in language that does not appear in the Good Book.
Campbell was once asked to argue the case against capital punishment at a large gathering of white Christian citizens who favored the practice as a way of “keeping the race problem under control.” The first speaker argued the affirmative case at length, offering reams of data and expert opinion as to why the state must take a life to show how wrong it is to take a life. He sat down to thunderous applause.
Then the moderator introduced Will Campbell and invited him to speak. Will ambled up to the podium, leaned into the mic and growled, “I’m against capital punishment because it’s tacky.” Then he ambled back to his chair and sat down.
The hall went silent, with neither the crowd nor the moderator knowing how to respond. After a minute or two, the moderator returned to the podium and said, “Dr. Campbell, please come back and tell us more about why you oppose capital punishment.” Campbell shook his head and stayed in his chair.
Desperate, the moderator tried again. “Well, won’t you at least come back and tell us what you mean by ‘tacky?’” Grudgingly, Campbell got up, ambled back to the podium and leaned into the mic again. “Hell,” he said, “everybody knows what tacky means.” Then he sat back down, ending the debate.
Campbell was fiercely opposed to capital punishment, so what he did at that debate was not done flippantly. He knew that the lesser angels of our nature—especially those with bloodlust—are not moved by facts and reasons. So he took another route: he invited his audience to look in the mirror and see how morally shabby they looked. It’s unlikely that he changed anyone’s mind in the moment. But long after the first speaker’s remarks had faded away, everyone present remembered what Will Campbell said. If they ever had second thoughts about capital punishment, it was because of him.
When people around the world look at the U.S. these days, they don’t see a “city set on a hill.” They see Ugly Americans, full of contempt for all that does not conform to “the American way.” They see Rich Americans full of greed, despite the fact that they have more than they need. They see Arrogant Americans, full of a sense of entitlement to drop bombs, shoot bullets and let sick and starving people die wherever it suits their fancy. On June 14, when the MMA fighters duke it out in front of the White House, the world will see MAGA’s commitment to the survival of the fittest and the doctrine of might makes right. They will see an America to be feared, not celebrated, led by some of the tackiest men and women in U.S. history.
Though I will grieve, not celebrate, as MAGA’s grotesque birthday “festivities” are rolled out, I will not look away—nor will I stop asking others to join me in looking in the mirror. It’s possible, as some have said, that a lot of Americans are no longer capable of being embarrassed by how shabby this country has become. But I hold onto the hope that, deep down, “everybody knows what tacky means.” Well, almost everybody.
— Length 6.0 miles, roundtrip — 
Elevation Gain 2,800 feet — 
Highest Point 2,948 feet (thanks to Sharon L.) 
