National

The affair demonstrated the worst symptom of our social media age: that nothing matters anymore.

The call to “love our neighbors as ourselves” is not rooted in sentimentality or mush or comfort. It is deeply rooted in a sense of justice and empathy towards our fellow man. If your love only extends to the blonde-haired and blue-eyed and pale-skinned, then it isn’t loving.

Deploying the National Guard to beat, tear gas, and shoot rubber bullets at journalists, clergy, and peaceful protesters, Trump marched triumphantly to St. John’s Episcopal’s Church across Lafayette Square from the White House and then hoisted a Bible up in the air as though planting a flag. It was a cynical photo op for an unrepentant man.

Interpreting the Constitution to mean that we must excise religion from the body politic like a tumor is simply wishful thinking.

At a time when the most vulnerable communities are being hardest hit, government intervention presents an opportunity for much-needed support, although initial execution has faltered.