Dingus of the Week: Everyone except Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
The ghost of William McKinley is out for revenge!
A lot of very stupid things happened this week. Trump is trying to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and change the name of Denali to McKinley.
Why? Is Trump being haunted by the ghost of 25th president of the United States William McKinley? Is McKinley’s evil greedy spirit out for revenge and inhabiting the body of Donald Trump? It would make sense; both men ran campaigns on American imperialism and protectionism. Also, both men were shot. *Bites tongue so hard to prevent saying what I want to say so I don’t go to prison that I taste blood.*
The main difference between the two men is that McKinley advocated for free silver and Trump just freed a bunch of assholes.
But it would explain Trump’s fondness for tariffs.
If the schools in America were better, and not being systematically defunded, that tariff joke, much like Leon Czolgosz, would have killed.
I just hope he doesn’t tell Trump about embalmed beef.1
Compounding the dingularity of the week were additional executive orders declaring there are only two genders (and no, they aren’t Glinda and Elphaba; apparently they are Bud Light Dad and Stanley Cup Mom); withdrawing from the World Health Organization; attempting to invalidate birthright citizenship (and I say attempting because a judge already blocked that one); officially establishing the DOGE, the “Department of Government Efficiency”; investigating the Biden administration; ending DEIA programs in the federal government; and demanding that the Green M&M quit her job, put her high heels back on and get into the kitchen to make the other M&Ms a sandwich.
It’s not even an oligarchy really, it’s a trolligarcy — a government of the trolls, by the trolls, and for the trolls.
Also, Elon Musk gave a Nazi salute and we had to have a great debate about whether it was an Nazi salute or if he’s just awkward and autistic. And like, Jesus, it’s 2025 and men can have it all. They can be awkward, autistic and a Nazi. They don’t have to choose.
If the politics of this past year felt as gross as the cheap carpet in a Holiday Inn, guess what? They are about to get worse. Worse than the stains on a comforter in a Howard Johnson in an industrial Midwestern town.
It’s tempting to think that just because a person and his cronies ascend to power or amass wealth that they are somehow very smart or qualified. But, at least in America, this has never been the case. These are just inordinately clueless and completely craven men and things are getting out of hand. It’s not even an oligarchy really, it’s a trolligarcy — a government of the trolls, by the trolls, and for the trolls.
In the middle of this week of non-stop dingusry was a rare moment of goodness in the words of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. The bishop presided over a prayer service held in the Washington Cathedral on January 21, which was attended by the president, the vice president, and their families.
During the sermon, Budde pleaded with the president to show mercy to the vulnerable — LGBTQ people, immigrants, and so many others who have been the target of the craven rhetoric and policies of the new president.
Her words were gentle as she stated, "Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
The clip of Budde’s plea to the president has since gone viral. What’s notable is Trump’s uncomfortable squirm, and how Vance rolls his eyes and whispers to his wife. The frozen smiles on the faces of Trump’s sons, their wives, and Tiffany Trump.
(As a side note, it's so nice to see they’re letting Tiffany back for Season 2 of this show I’m calling American Horror Story: White House. I was under the impression she had been forgotten, kind of like Megan Markle’s character on Fringe, who appears for two episodes and then everyone just forgets about her.2 Welcome back, Tiffany.)
It’s worth watching the whole moment. Budde’s words are powerful — a call from the pulpit, not for fire and justice, but for goodness and mercy.
In response, conservatives, well-steeped in the scriptures, thanked Budde for her Christlike compassion for the vulnerable, the lowly, and the downtrodden.
JUST KIDDING.
Wouldn’t that be great? But no. If anything, they tried to crucify her.
Sean Hannity described the sermon as a "disgraceful prayer full of fearmongering and division."
Lawrence Jones, Fox & Friends co-host, called Budde a “radical leftist.”
Matt Walsh declared that "hell exists for people like Mariann" and called her "exhibit A for why women should not be pastors, priests, or bishops.”
And Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican from Georgia, said that Budde should be added to the deportation list.
And like, listen, I grew up Baptist. So I am going to tell you that in a Christian religious context, if you are the one trying to nail the soft-spoken religious leader to a cross, you are the bad guy.
But there is no indication that there is even that level of self-awareness among the good, god-fearing men who literally called Bishop “Satan”.
Writing in This Present Age, Parker Malloy observed:
This matters because it's a preview of how the new administration and its media allies plan to handle dissent. They're not just disagreeing with Budde's message—they're trying to destroy her for delivering it. When Fox's Will Cain tells viewers that this represents a "woke virus" that has "infected the church,” he's providing a framework for dismissing and demonizing any religious leader who dares to speak up for vulnerable people.
Remember this moment. Remember that asking for mercy toward scared children and immigrants was enough to trigger a full-scale campaign of intimidation from the highest levels of government and media. Remember that a sitting congressman suggested deporting an American citizen for the crime of asking the president to be kind.
It’s worth noting that a lot of the backlash against Budde involves redrawing the lines on who gets to be Christian and who gets to be holy and who gets to speak for God. Budde, if she’d towed the line of kowtowing to Trump, would be considered good and Christian. But by speaking up, the Bishop, who knows more of the Bible than the entire Trump clan combined, is now not really a Christian.
It’s a reminder that you can be good, you can follow the rules, you can have all the knowledge, talent, and skill, you can be a real asset to the organization, but the moment you step out of line, you will be tossed out. Goodness is not a virtue; it is a trap. It’s designed to keep you always trying to prove your worth. But you can’t be good enough for an administration that wants to take away the rights of everyone who isn’t white and male.
The lesson then, isn’t to follow the rules, or go high and be the righteous loser, but to get nasty and dig in. Forget about the rules. Forget about norms. Forget about decency. Whining about the hypocrisy and the rule breaking during the last Trump administration didn’t do anything to stop it. Hell, even the court cases against Trump did nothing to stop him.
This week, Kelsey McKinney wrote about what she wants from the Democrats in what feels less like an essay and more like a sermon. At the end she gives us this benediction:
The rules are now irrelevant. The game is being invented anew. There are ways to skew this in our favor, if we are willing and strategic and brave. We can run for office without party backing, build our own communal ways to survive and thrive. We can light things on fire and demand action and find sneaky, smart ways to achieve what we want. It will be difficult, maybe even impossible, to cobble together a new system. But the old system is obsolete. We can destroy what’s left and build something else in its place.
This is the word of the Lord.
And now, for more good things
Pamela Hemphill, a Jan 6 rioter, rejected her pardon because, as it turns out, storming the Capitol is bad actually.
LGBTQ couples are getting married in Thailand after the country legalized same-sex marriage.
Virginia is making moves to protect contraception.
The owner of my favorite Cedar Rapids restaurant is a James Beard Award semifinalist!
In one of those too-little-too-late moments, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins did not vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. But his nomination moves forward anyway.
The rich boys are fighting over AI.
And Costco workers are going on strike.
What I am enjoying
This week, I began reading the Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson. And it is delightful. I switched to audiobooks and this series is going to get me through my many cold and long dog walks this winter. I’m not really a fairy smut kind of girl. No judgment if you are!
But a gruff, tragic British private eye with many failed relationships solves crime? Sign me up. I CAN FIX HIM.
Severance is back. Which is great because I can escape from the dystopian hellhole of reality into a dystopian hellhole on television.
Look at me putting this liberal arts education to WORK.
My editor informs me that for fans of The West Wing this is called going to “Mandyland” I am so sorry, I never liked that show much. I am more of a Good Wife kind of girl.
The response to the bishop is harrowing. Somewhat predictable, given that she's a woman and evangelicalism hates women in leadership, BUT STILL. Asking for mercy is woke? Lord have mercy.
This is an amazing Dingus of the Week and so, so perfect. It says everything I have been trying to say to myself and my kids, but better. Lyz - I am so grateful for the way you can take the true terror of the moment and still get a smile out of people. I hope, over the next four years, we have more Bishops and less of the people who condemned her.