Deport the Right Reverend Budde? A Dangerous Threat

I get (and deeply detest) that our new President is taking concrete steps (without any nuance as best as I can detect) to (1) stop hordes of folks hailing from other nations from entering our borders (except those who can buy their way in or bend the rules by claiming to be a genius when they are not) and (2) deport vast swathes of immigrants now in our nation back to their “homes” although the US is and has been their home for decades in many instances (except those who bought their way in or bent the rules by claiming to be a genius they are not).

This Presidential effort is, in my view, distasteful and morally bereft. The absence of subtle, rational, sensible, sensitive and legal approaches toward people of all races and ethnicities and genders (regardless of their birthplace) is offensive, hurtful and dangerous.

But, as I will describe momentarily, I have now seen and heard it all.

There was a recent call from an elected official to deport The Right Reverend Budde. Now, the Bishop is not a first generation immigrant (well, we are all immigrants including our President’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd wives).

What Bishop Budde did was speak up and out about the mean spirited, insensitive and horrific policy positions of our current President and his team at an Inaugural Prayer Service. She spoke about protecting our most vulnerable people in her sermon. She referenced “mercy,” a deeply religious concept. She spoke with remarkable grace and a steady voice; she did not shout or rail. She provided specifics; she spoke with tamed passion; she did not hide behind religious hyperbole or religious symbols or parables.

I thought the Right Reverend was brave and brilliant. She did her faith and Church proud.

But even if you disagree with her positions and her call for mercy, suggesting the deportation of The Right Reverend Budde is a truly dangerous threat. Even an idle threat is disgusting.

The larger idea of Presidential followers is, then, not just to deport “immigrants” but dissenters and those who don’t drink the kool-aid. For real. The only people the current administration wants to allow to remain in the US are sycophants. The idea I gather is to prosecute and deport dissenters and free pro-T violent protesters. (What about one’s wives and children who are not ardent supporters?)

If we could deport those with whom we disagree or those we dislike or those who treat us unfairly or badly or meanly, then our deportation boats would be chock full. We all have folks who intrude onto our space, the absence of whom would improve our lives.

But we don’t have people erasers and permitted deportation of those who don’t support our agenda. We can ignore these folks or speak up to them; we can address those with whom we disagree and identify and seek redress from those who behave in unacceptable ways. We can invoke the law if they cross legal boundaries. There is lots we can do to distance ourselves from “bad” actors.

But: danger bells should be ringing if we want to eradicate by deportation those who speak against our ideology or our values or our moral coda.

Deport the Right Reverend Budde? Now I have heard it all.