No OF COURSE journalists should not be arrested for doing their jobs. Hence RantWoman below offers her usual catalog of stories YouTube serves up about the US Department of Justice (term used advisedly under the current administration) arresting independend journalist Don Lemon and several others in connection with an "ICE Out ICE Out" protest at a church in Minneapolis where an ICE official serves as pastor.
Yes, of course, RantWoman would expect AG Pam Bondi to cater to the persecuted Christian trope favored in many right-wing circles and to try to find a way to bring charges at journalists who showed up to cover the protest in the aforementioned church.
But, from a communities of faith perspective, the most important piece of journalism RantWoman has heard was on one of the KUOW morning shows. First there was an interview with a Minneapols Hispanic pastor at the center of incredible mutual aid / solidarity to assist parishioners who are too terrified by ICE agents stalking people of color everywhere to even to come to church. The pastor was quite frank about how much corporate worship matters and how disgusted he is about ICE scare tactics.
But toward the end of the interview, he brought up the anti ICE protests at the church where the ICE official serves as pastor. The pastor being interviewed said well ICE should definitely leave his parishioners alone AND anti ICE protestors should also leave the other church alone.
RantWoman sees the point of this concern and emphatically wants to call out vigorously the ICE reign of terror aimed at churches. HOWEVER, RantWoman spends a certain amount of time speculating about whether certain highly public congregations are reading the same Bible she does. Almost all Christian denominations have some tradition of loud vigorous self-examination. Anyone familiar with Quaker history should be especially attuned to George Fox's practice of going into churches and loudly proclaiming his version of the gospel. Take also the Biblical account of Christ driving the money changers out of the temple.
RantWoman has NOT sought out information about the theology of the church where the ICE official serves a pastor. "Casting out demons" might be a tough sell to describe anti ICE protests, but RantWoman absolutely invites the church to do some serious self-examination. One problem: promoting this would be a challenge, one RantWoman is not sure she would be up to.
RantWoman definitely supports all the first amendment concerns generated by assaults on working journalists. AND what kind of solidarity for harassed migrants and respect for freedom of religion MIGHT possibly be basis for dialogue, for laboring with the tortured souls working for ICE???
Or should people just keep it up with the "casting out demons" language?
Includes a clip of the protest at the church that started the whole story
If RantWoman is completely diligent, RantWoman will TRY to find a full segment that includes interviews both of the protestors and the church where the protest in question occurred.
recap of the sequence of legal events
the word "coordinated"
BREAKING: Don Lemon Speaks Out!
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