Texas Faith: Was it moral to shut down the Texas Senate?

Texas Faith: Was it moral to shut down the Texas Senate?

Demonstration in the gallery of the Senate, or a filibuster are not the healthy way to affect the decision-making process, but when people are apprehensive of the imminently dangerous decisions, they resort to those tactics out of sheer frustration. Let’s say, if they would not have demonstrated and Senate had passed the bill, would people have gladly accepted that? We need to improve our systems to ensure our liberties are not hacked by the Senate mob in the first place - Mike Ghouse

Texas Faith: Was it moral to shut down the Texas Senate?
Dallas Morning News, published on July 3, 2013
Editor: Wayne Slater

Last week’s week’s filibuster in the Texas Senate stopped an abortion bill and catapulted Sen. Wendy Davis to national political attention. Television stories beamed pictures of hundreds of cheering, jeering protesters who shut down Senate business while Republican leaders struggled to regain control. In the end, the bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy failed and Gov. Rick Perry called the Legislature back into another special session on Monday.

The protesters – criticized as a mob by some and hailed as heroes by others – were very much a part of the story, if only because it’s rare democratic institutions in this country are brought to a halt by people chanting from the balcony in a legislative chamber. The episode has been the focus of heated debate in terms of politics and ideology. Set aside which side you’re on. What if the roles were reversed. When is it ethical and moral to shut down a institution of government?

The question: Was it moral to shut down the Senate? Not whether it was politically successful or tactically expedient or even whether your side prevailed or not, but was it moral?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism

Oscillate I did, it was a difficult issue, but indeed it was moral for the mob to shut down the senate.

We have a greater dilemma of chicken and egg to deal with; the Senate has an august responsibility to make decisions that are sustainable. Would it be moral for the Senate, and not necessarily legal for them to pass a bill because they have the majority of votes on party lines? If it were, the decision remains questionable, and any decision pushed on an unwilling people is not sustainable. Would that amount to mob rule in reverse?

Our morality is driven from the ideal that all men are created equal, and when a decision does not factor in that ideal, and legislates women to be obedient in the matter of abortion, then we have lost the ideal that our society was founded upon; women would not be equal. How are we better than the Taliban mob who imposes their will on their women folk?

Obama’s health care bill was pushed through the first time because of the Democratic majority in the House and the Senate, but when the Republicans got the majority they made several attempts to undo it. There is a lesson to be learned, consensus is critical for a decision to sustain.

Demonstration in the gallery of the Senate, or a filibuster are not the healthy way to affect the decision-making process, but when people are apprehensive of the imminently dangerous decisions, they resort to those tactics out of sheer frustration. Let’s say, if they would not have demonstrated and Senate had passed the bill, would people have gladly accepted that? We need to improve our systems to ensure our liberties are not hacked by the Senate mob in the first place.

It was certainly immoral on our part, the part of public not to have demonstrated against the evil wars. Had we done that, our nation would not have lost our sons and daughters, would not have racked up budget deficit, would not have witnessed break up families, loss of jobs for millions of Americans, foreclosures, and record personal bankruptcies.

After all, we are the government of the people, by the people and for the people. If Texas Senate or US Congress becomes a mob, we have the right to be the counter-mob and take action to protect our freedom.

To read what other panelists say, please visit Dallas Morning News at: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/07/texas-faith-is-it-moral-to-shut-down-an-institution-of-government.html/

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links. 

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