Ken Hurley
Usha knew the Council heavily edited her second submission and completely rejected her first. But she persisted as she stood looking over the podium draped with an embroidery of a gold crucifix and an American flag.
She gazed across the full house of disgruntled people from the community. Each waiting their turn to complain to Council about whatever was on their mind, including: Crumbled sidewalks, banned books, improper names of schools, statues in the park, proposed new parks, proposed new taxes, barking dogs, chickens in a backyard, who is woke, who is not woke, and who is "totally dope." The right for Council to pursue Christian values, the “tyranny” of mask mandates, the “sexualization of children," and who gets to use which restroom are always popular gripes.
A disheveled woman who looked like she was still in her pajamas was eager to thank the Council “for trying to bring our god-given freedom back.” A young man wanted to thank the Council for standing against the "evil, godless, liberal, forces of darkness." While a man on crutches wanted to read from Isaiah: “Be not dismayed, for I am your God … I will uphold you with my righteous hand." The citizenry were ready to grumble about any issue that can be squeezed into their allotted time of three minutes each.
As Usha looked at the crowd she nervously fumbled to switch the Council approved version of her submission with the version she really wanted to deliver. She slowly exhaled a deep breath and began mustering her best impression of a Sergeant at Arms as she bellowed, "All rise!" The audience and Council stood.
"Please bow your heads." They bowed. She paused for effect while people inspected their shoes and Usha wondered if her request was grammatically only directed toward people with more than one head. Focus, she told herself.
"Just kidding." She admonished with a cherub grin. "You don't have to bow. But as long as you're standing, let's take this moment to be reminded that a typical invocation seems mostly grandstand theater masquerading as a pandering prayer for political constituents."
Some people must have been listening. They raised eyebrows,
looked around at each other, each with a quizzical look that screamed, "Huh?"
Usha felt judgmental eyes upon her but continued, "Witness the oversized ego a listener must endure when a politician decides to become a self-appointed spokesperson for their god."
The audience muttered softly as they shuffled in place. Members of Council scowled, crossed their arms and shook their heads as Usha pressed on, "The invocation of the name God seems to be at the whim and fancy of just about everyone. Everyone but Freethinkers!" Her oration was loud.
"Those who claim to speak in the name of God often use their platform to spew their perceptions as a strategy to serve partisan, religious, political, or personal agendas. The invocation of God’s name has been cited as the source of justification for slavery, anti-Semitism, anti-LGBTQIA equality, genocide, jihad, caliphate, terrorism, racism, what a woman may or may not do with her body, and lots more."
An older gray bearded man who did not remove his red MAGA baseball cap and sported a misspelled tattoo "Freedumb" across his throat, gnashed his upper tooth against his lower gum as his right burley-knuckled fist slowly began to punch his left palm.
"Should we presume that those who would call themselves God’s spokespersons believe that it was God who decreed eternal inequality for women? That it was God who mandated the inequities of slavery? That it was God who called for the execution of gays?"
The left palm of the "Freedumb" MAGA guy had enough, clenched into a fist, and began to pummel his right palm.
"Supporters of divine law take their authority from their respective holy texts. Yet these same misguided supporters will often apologize for the horrible and deadly interpretations of the so-called 'holy texts' claiming they were misreadings of God’s true will."
The "Freedumb" MAGA guy was grunting as loud as a pig at a barbecue. He was now thumb-wrestling with himself as veins in his neck bulged while his face grew red as his hat.
Usha turned and looked directly at Council and spoke in a near whisper, "It is the humans. Not a human imagined god. The humans are to blame for the immoralities of slavery, anti-Semitism, genocide, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, terrorism and other atrocities. However, humans must also be credited with the hundreds of morally elevating laws and good works."
The crowd began to "shhhh" the "Freedumb" MAGA guy who was snorting guttural sounds and rolling on the floor as his left and right hands brutally fought each other.
Usha scanned the crowd who's curled lips and hostile glares were a sign she wouldn't be asked out for a drink later.
"Humans must continue to change laws and moralistic views so we each have a similar opportunity to enjoy life as we determine. Humans are responsible for a healthy, safe, prosperous, worldview that seeks growth, creativity, innovations, peace on earth, and a better more inclusive authentic community. Our responsibilities toward each other must not be obfuscated by narrow-minded partisan religious views."
The "Freedumb" MAGA guy was flopping like a flounder on the floor as both fists began to clobber his large hairy belly that protruded below his sweat-stained Q-shirt.
"In our diverse world where too many people claim to know (imaaagine, I should say) what god wants; and where there is no consensus about who or what is god, nor a methodology for discerning what god wants; nor any reliable reason to accept the malinformation proffered by the self-appointed spokespersons for god; god should not be so easily invoked as the source of our civil rights, our moral direction, the reasons natural weather events occur, or how Council must govern."
A loud raspberry sound was heard throughout the room as the Council Leader plopped down in his oversized leather throne-like seat and swiveled his back toward Usha in disgust.
She again looked directly at Council with the intensity of a rock climber searching for the next step, "It is the 21st century, yet we still smugly deny each other rights, benefits, privileges, and kill each other in the name of a god." She paused and spoke slowly. "You arrogant pablum-spewing prigs."
The crowd gasped.
"Maybe in the 22nd century, we’ll learn to love each other in the name of humanity. Let's begin tonight by asking Council members to reconsider their representative role for all people and rethink how to better serve the 'We' in 'We the People' of our community."
Usha concluded with a hopeful tone as sirens wailed close by, "We can and should do better."
EMT's arrived and loaded the beat-up, bruised, and bloody "Freedumb" MAGA guy on a stretcher as the Council leader swiveled around in anger, banged his gavel, but missed the table and smashed his knee cap.
Usha left the room with a renewed yet sad but true enough realization in which people tend to believe whatever supports their worldview.
Another EMT siren approached so the EMT's could care for the Council Leader who writhed in agony and repeatedly yelled, "Ow ow ow, god dammit! Jesus. God daaamnit!"
