‘A vile race of quislings – to use a new word which will carry the scorn of mankind down the centuries – is hired to fawn upon the conqueror, to collaborate in his designs, and to enforce his rule upon their fellow countrymen, while groveling low themselves’ – Winston Churchill, June 12, 1941
Let me be clear at the outset of this post that I believe in forgiveness and enemy love. God commands these things, and believe it or not, they are powerful forces that can and do change the world. But I also believe in justice and accountability. God talks about them a lot too.
This past week’s attack on the Capitol Building in Washington cries out for accountability and justice. Make no mistake: this was a coordinated insurrection orchestrated by the President of the United States, who even as it unfolded, called Senators to convince them to heed the will of the mob and overturn a free and fair election. That the President and perpetrators of the assault need to be held accountable should go without saying (though sadly, it needs to be these days).
But accountability needs to go much further than the President and his Brownshirts (or should I say Redhats?). Just as there were many fingers on the trigger that killed Jimmie Lee Jackson, there were many collaborators in the assault on the Capitol that killed five people, including a law enforcement officer. What happened at the Capitol was the inevitable result of four years of fomented outrage, wholesale engagement with the politics of fear, hate, and division, and a collective refusal on the part of those who know better to simply stand and say, ‘enough.’ (It is actually in a deeper sense the inevitable result of hundreds of years of American History, but that’s a longer story for another time).
The insurrection was led by Republican members of Congress who, for four years, stood by in silence as children were put in cages. As families were torn asunder. As racism roared from the mouth of a white supremacist president. As daily assaults against the institutions of democracy flowed from his twitter account. As the President invited foreign interference in what was then the upcoming election, and as he spun false conspiracy theories about election fraud once he lost while simultaneously attempting election fraud himself. As these and a parade of a thousand other horribles swept across the land, these members of Congress, almost to a man and woman, stood by and did nothing. In fact, they defended it all. And when given the opportunity to remove a would-be dictator from office before he could do further damage, failed to do so. My goodness, even in the wake of the assault, 147 of these Congressman continued to press false conspiracy theories in an attempt to steal the election! As for the rest, well, we can be thankful they finally decided to step back from the brink to some degree. But even they have failed to own up to their part in this insurrection. Shame on them. Shame on them all.
It was also led by members of the President’s own administration, who stood by and defended the President at every tweet, every provocative word, every assault on the fabric of society. They stroked his ego, fueled his narcissism, and carried out his cruel and destructive orders. They peddled lies about the election themselves and kindled the fires of rage. In the wake of the attack, some have resigned. Some have been silent. None have stood up. None have owned up. Shame to them as well.
It was led by the heroes of right-wing media. Outlets like FOX News, Newsmax, and One America have knowingly reported lies as facts, all in the name of ratings and the dollars they bring. And when the coup failed, their spin machines went into action. ‘It’s the fault of the liberals.’ ‘It was really Antifa.’ Have they no shame? Whether they do or not, shame on them all.
And it was led by leaders of the white American Church. White Evangelical leaders such as Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., and Eric Metaxas, Christian Nationalists all, may as well have broken the barriers at the capitol themselves. Such supposed followers of the Prince of Peace put down their crosses and took up their swords in defense of a man whose every utterance threatened lives and defied the teachings and way of Jesus. And not just white Christian leaders. White Christians in general are, tragically, among the most likely to believe the President’s lies. The most likely to repeat them. Heck, there were even some among the insurrectionists waving Jesus flags and crosses alongside Confederate banners. Even now, many still stand beside the man who inspired an attack on Congress. Shame, the deepest shame, be on them all. It’s long past time we stopped calling these folks Christians.
The above quote from Winston Churchill is a reference to the government of Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian politician who betrayed his country in an attempt to gain power through a collaborative alliance with the Nazis in the 1930s. He brought shame to his family name and nation and earned the legacy of a coward and a collaborator with evil. Sadly, he was not the last of his kind by a long shot.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney, a standout of virtue amidst the crisis of the Trump Presidency, spoke like Churchill the other day. In the wake of the insurrection, he spoke in defense of democracy:
‘We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support this dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.’
Like I said at the outset, I am a big believer in forgiveness and enemy love. But I’m also for justice and accountability. We cannot sweep the actions of these scoundrels under the carpet. We must call them to account. We must pray and call for their repentance. For there can be no moving forward, no peace, no reconciliation, no justice, and no hope for a better tomorrow otherwise.
And so, until there is repentance, until there is accountability, let us remember who and what the collaborators are: a vile band of quislings complicit in an unprecedented and violent attempt to inaugurate an era of authoritarianism in America.
For their sake, for the sake of the Church, and for the sake of our society, I pray for their transformation, and if it happens, I will gladly stand in line to embrace them. But let us not pretend that things are fine before then.
The quislings must be held accountable.
Under Christ’s Mercy
Brent