Capital #5: Des Moines

December 14, 2023

KAF Session

Usually, I do a KAF session before traveling to a capital city. But in the days leading up to this trip, I just couldn’t seek God’s face. I had experienced a rough week business-wise the previous week, which opened up a decades-old question: am I supposed to be doing diversity management work? And if so, why haven’t I found success? It sent me into an emotional tailspin. As I was on the flight to Des Moines, I told my inner circle how I was feeling via text. One friend typed asked. “What if what you are supposed to be doing is what you are doing now?” (The traveling and praying).

This was a good question and reminded me of an understanding I had reached last year concerning the business. It brought a glimmer of light to my situation. Could it really be that I’m called to spend the next year traveling, praying? How is it that I get to do this, and other people are toiling away at work (some who love their jobs but many who can’t stand theirs)?

All this to say, as my trip to Des Moines approached, I just threw myself on the mercy of God to go before me on this trip.  

Differentiate

I got to the airport in plenty of time because of the trauma I experienced in missing my Nashville flight. While waiting at my gate, I saw a Destin, FL flight boarding opposite my gate. Delta has a red “priority” lane for all the important people. They board through one lane. Then when it’s time for all the non-priority people to board, the agents adjust the queue separator (the blue ribbon in the Delta picture) so they can enter on the opposite side. 


It seemed unnecessary for the trip to Destin, FL, because there were so few people in line in general. Was it really necessary to differentiate between priority and non-priority?

Then as I looked to my left, I realized that my gate was next to the Delta Sky Club. And here I could see, that even there, Delta employed a tiered priority for entry: Uber Elite and the Less Elite (my paraphrase). They even have the upper-echelon folks fighting with each other for access. This is the fruit of capitalism. 


Now before anyone thinks I’m hatin’ or jealous, I’m not. I’ve had many experiences of flying first class around the world. It’s quite a lovely experience. When I was a child, I used to think airplanes were magical because you could ask for anything, like hot chocolate, and BAM! There’s hot chocolate!!! 


But now I know it’s not magical, just cold capitalism. 

Basic Economy or Play the Game?

In my prayer travels, most of my flights have been basic (slave) economy trips. These flights are the lowest tier, you’re the last to board, your seats are assigned to you, and your travel doesn’t count toward a qualifying medallion status. 


And you know what? That’s OK with me. I refuse to play the game of paying for status/rank. On the longer flights where I’ll have to spend the night, I’ll upgrade to “main economy” so I can select my seat in advance. But that's MY choice because that works for me, not becuase I'm trying to obtain some arbitrary medallion status whose requirements change every year as it suits Delta. The carrot keeps moving. 


So Basic Economy here I come. 


It’s actually quite liberating to be last to board (on my day trips), because I only travel with a sling bag. No stressing about whether I’ll be able to fit my carry-on in the overhead bin. And if I am assigned a crappy middle seat, I’ve brought a neck device that allows me to sleep without worrying about leaning too closely to my neighbor. 


Now in basic economy, there’s no pressure. I just show up and board. I love it


I have also noticed that the Delta Gate Agents are committed to the tiered boarding process. I get that it’s company policy and procedure. But I often wonder if they’ve drunk the Kool-Aid or are just going along to get along for work. There are certain jobs I just wouldn't be able to do: telemarketer, debt collector, and now Delta Gate Agent.


Speaking of boarding: of course, it makes sense to board from the back of the plane to the front, but then you can’t charge people for early boarding. So for the sake of the money, they abandon wisdom and constantly insist on pressuring flyers to board “quick, damn, and in a hurry.”

Caste: My Addendum

As I write this review on January 27, 2024, I realize now why the distinction between priority and non-priority irks me. I am reading the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, and it compares the caste system that governs the US, India and Nazi Germany. The metrics for any caste system are so random, arbitrary, and artificial. Yet, everyone who operates within these countries ABIDE by these meaningless boundaries. So this is just a plug to check out this book. Once I finish reading, perhaps I'll post a blog with my thoughts on it.

Arrival

I arrived in Iowa and had a bit of culture shock. In Atlanta, I see black bus drivers, truck drivers, black employees and professionals all throughout the Atlanta airport in various levels of engagement and employment. But in Iowa, “I see white people…everywhere.” I was wondering if I’d get some redneck for my Lyft ride or if I’d even be able to get a LYFT (I didn’t have that problem until I flew into Tallahassee). But pleasantly enough, both my Lyft drivers were great, hospital, and kind. This is as it should be for everyone, wherever they travel, but unfortunately, that is not always the case. I was not LOOKING for white people to be asses toward me, but I was on guard in case it happened.

MLK Drive

Another surprise: Iowa has a road named after MLK (the video doesn't show MLK. I didn't have my camera on at that point). I wasn't expecting that. So I did a little research. What cities in the US have an MLK road? The results are here.


Notable exceptions: 


And here are locations outside the US with a street named in his honor.

Walking Prayer Around the Circumference

As I have done at every Capitol, I walked around the building and grounds and prayed in the Spirit. Here are pictures of what I saw.


View from the capitol steps

Statue of Lincoln and his son, Tad.

Statue of a "Pioneer" or "Invader" depending on who you ask (middle), his son (left), and an Indigenous man.

I have noticed something about states who came into existence by taking land that belonged to Indigenous people. In the capitols, the states present their relationship with Indigenous people as respectful, even partners or collaborators. They have displays within the halls that describe the various wars and conflicts, but the large displays, like statues, stained glass, show some level of respect for the Indigenous people. Perhaps it's more that white people have reconciled their relationship with Indigenous folks. Thus you the "Pioneer" statue that shows an Indigenous man who is positioned lower than the white men, and who is a helper to them.

I'm not sure that Indigenous folks are reconciled to this perspective of their history with white people.  

Sundial given by The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War. This is a pleasant first. Usually donations related to the Civil War have been given by Confederate sympathizers. May this sundial help Iowans know what time it is.

Iowa greatly highlights the work for woman's suffrage. 

A 50-foot-high stainless steel stylized flame, a WW II memorial. 

Cannon

Front of the Iowa Capitol.

Satanic Display

I turned my sights inward and had a most interesting experience.


On the way to Iowa, I had seen articles about people protesting a satanic display at the capital. And I thought, “Well, if y’all had a spiritual life that could withstand or overcome the darkness, the display would fall like the statue of Dagon did in the Old Testament.” (see 1 Samuel 5:1-5). 


After walking around the capitol's perimeter, I went inside. I started walking up the stairs to the second floor when a young man turned the corner to come down the same set of stairs but on the opposite side (we were separated by a banister down the middle of the stairs). He had a bin full of stuff. It looked like items that might have been part of a display but looked broken, dismantled, and disheveled. It looked like he was taking items to put them away somewhere. One of the items was something that looked like an arm with a black hand. 


As he headed down the stairs, the hand got stuck in the banister at the top of the stairs. I called out that I could help him get unstuck. As I approached, the hand came loose and fell on the ground. It was ceramic, and a couple of fingers broke upon impact. One finger landed by me; another landed at the top of the stairs. I put the broken finger that was by me next to the broken finger that was up near the top of stairs. 

Video of (presumably Christian) man praying before the display. 

Once I got to the second floor, I saw the satanic display. It was here in IOWA! I had thought it was in a more southern state. A white man was praying to Jesus in front of the display. I walked around the second floor some more (the Capitol is a museum) and returned to the display; there were people around the display. 


Eventually, I saw who I thought was the guy I encountered on the stairs. Turns out he’s a Satanist!! Had on a Satanist T-shirt and everything. And he was standing at the display to add more to the display, but the white guy praying was blocking him. I even asked him if I had helped him down the stairs. He said, “Yes, you were. Thank you so much.” And to myself, I thought, “No, thank YOU!!!”


That put the incident on the stairs in a whole new light. I wasn’t even trying to PRAY against Satan. Just my presence resulted in the figurine related to him getting stuck and breaking his hand. That was a prophetic moment. My life does have some kind of power to overcome darkness. That was encouraging. Especially in light of my spiritual struggle earlier in the week.

This picture shows the satanic display (behind the man) that was destroyed before I arrived the same day. Photo credit

As I returned to Atlanta that evening, I discovered that a man from Mississippi had been to the capital earlier that day and vandalized the display. This resulted in the young man I encountered carrying the box down the stairs. The picture of the original display is seen in this image.


I see two approaches at work:


TO "BE" VS "DO"

This prompted a major prayer point: that God would raise people who exercise influence through BEING vs through $$, activism, intention, strategy, position, lying, stealing, cheating, etc. (any kind of external influence). May there be no more RINOs: Righteous in Name Only.

Inside the Capitol

Images from inside the Capitol. 

Carrie Chapman Catt - Leader in Women's Suffragist Movement. 

A model of the USS Iowa located in the capitol building. 

Governors' Plaza

I didn't really see a retaining wall that stood out to me, so I decided to pray in the Governors' Plaza, an open space across the street from the capitol building. Its a plaza filled with park benches that have the name of each of the governors of Iowa.

A panoramic shot of the plaza. It's not the best panoramic shot, but it shows that there aren't any obstructions between the path of the sun and the capitol. Sunlight on every side. One of my prayer points is that the LIGHT would cover this city 24/7.

Shot of the plaza

Picture of a stones on my prayer shawl.  I anoint and "plant" the stone after I pray.

TSA kicking off annual Bell season

The bench I sat on in the Governors' Plaza.

Indigenous Land

As has become my custom, I opened my prayer time acknowledging that this land belonged initially to indigenous people. The map below shows which tribes inhabited the area Americans call Iowa.

Additional Prayer Points


The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children. To this day we are aware of the universal agony and groaning of creation, as if it were in the contractions of labor for childbirth. And it’s not just creation. We who have already experienced the firstfruits of the Spirit also inwardly groan as we passionately long to experience our full status as God’s sons and daughters—including our physical bodies being transformed.


All of creation is waiting for these righteous people to show up. Until then, we are all in bondage.