Cruelty and loyalty. Two hallmarks of this current regime. We have all witnessed the loyalty part where the only requirement for high-level government positions is loyalty to the king, not competency or experience. Just blind loyalty.
 
It does not require much digging to unearth ramifications of this regime’s cruelty. The billionaire waving a chainsaw at a recent event while gleefully reveling in his recent escapades as head of the “efficiency” effort is probably all we need to know.
 
But the casualties are not just budgets. The slash-and-burn method of cutting costs reverberates all the way down to people’s lives and livelihoods in the US and abroad. USAID (United States Agency for International Development) is one of the first casualties and the carnage continues. Literally. 
 
USAID is an independent federal agency that employs over 10,000 Americans who are deployed throughout the world and partner with many humanitarian aid agencies. Created in part by Congress through the Foreign Assistance Act and from an executive order by President Kennedy in 1961, USAID’s original purpose was to counter Soviet influence during the Cold War while creating soft power (trust and loyalty) for the US through socioeconomic development in low-income countries. USAID works across the globe to provide aid during disasters; food, healthcare, and education support to poverty-stricken areas; administration of funding allocated for geopolitical purposes; and assistance in helping low-income countries manage their resources. Some of these services are directly linked to national security and some ensure elections in developing countries are not fraudulent.
 
Historically, USAID has received bipartisan support in Congress with a budget between $40-60 billion, which is less than 1% of the total federal budget. (In 2023, an extra $16 billion went to help rebuild Ukraine.) While many other countries contribute a larger percentage of their budgets to foreign assistance, the US contributes the largest dollar amount.
 
On January 24, 2025, an executive order put all funding to USAID on hold, ostensibly for an efficiency review. In any organization, there is room for improvement and certainly efficiencies can be realized. But Congress, not the office of the president, is given the authority by the Constitution to create and fund federal agencies. The legal way to perform an efficiency study and to decrease funding is for Congress to act.
 
The “move fast and break things” mantra of an unelected billionaire has created chaos and traumatized federal workers, including USAID employees. Lawsuits have been filed to stop the funding freeze. But so far, this regime has not complied with any court orders to resume funding and the process by which agencies can request an exemption to the funding freeze does not work. Funds still have not been received by those granted exemptions.
 
The impact of shuttering USAID is felt around the world. Its employees are left without support, sometimes in dangerous countries and situations, and some must navigate evacuation on their own and without funding (including without their last paycheck). Even if they travel back to the US, they do not have the resources to pay for housing and oftentimes, they left most of their personal belongings behind. These hard-working civil servants do this difficult work at great risk to themselves and their families while providing extraordinary services abroad. They have served the US government and now they are cruelly cast aside as if their years of service meant nothing. This type of loyalty is obviously not valued.
 
The shuttering of USAID impacts other Americans as well. USAID pays $2 billion annually to US farmers for food they grow that is distributed through USAID agencies. When funding stopped suddenly, not only do these farmers have fewer prospects of selling their crops going forward, but they have not received payments for all their current shipments. Farmers and companies who supply food to USAID are left holding the bag. And $450 million worth of food is rotting in warehouses because there is no one to distribute it.
 
Around the world, this funding freeze impacts USAID partnering organizations. Without funding, many of these organizations are forced to shut down. A brand-new and much-needed hospital in Haiti was forced to close because now it does not have the funding to pay its medical staff. $200 million of emergency aid to feed over 700,000 children in South Sudan is stuck at a port in Kenya. In addition, it is estimated that 200,000 children will be paralyzed by polio while 2.3 million children per year will die of diseases because they can no longer be vaccinated.
 
The victims of this funding freeze are not just statistics. A 71-year-old woman from Myanmar who was living in a displacement camp in Thailand (since the military coup in Myanmar) was one of the first victims of this crisis. She frequently had to go to a nearby hospital for oxygen as she had a lung disease. When the funding freeze began, the hospital had to close and she was discharged. She died several days later because she could not get the oxygen she needed. Others in the same camp also have died for the same reason.
 
USAID partners operate hospitals and clinics that provide medical care, vaccines, and treatments for many illnesses, including smallpox, malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. Their life-saving work also helps contain epidemics like Ebola. It is projected that the HIV treatments for 20 million people, including 500,000 children have been disrupted and as a result, there will potentially be a 400% increase in HIV-related deaths across the globe. Babies born with HIV have weakened immune systems; without HIV treatments, they will succumb to infections and other diseases that will kill them, most likely before they turn three years of age. One adult HIV patient begged the staff at the clinic to give her 18 months of medication so she could live to see her son graduate.
 
Knowing their aid supplies will be gone soon and their clinics will be shuttered, the staff at these clinics must make the gut-wrenching decision regarding which patients will receive their dwindling supply of medications. These workers are there literally to save lives but now they will grieve those they cannot save.
 
Providing food and medicine is a compassionate and humane response to the suffering around the world, but keeping people fed and healthy lowers the risk of wars and other unstable forces which increases Americans’ national security. By providing vital aid and by being often the largest donor in a country, USAID builds good relations between the US and other countries. Without this positive influence, the world will become less stable and the US will have fewer international allies.  Foreign assistance also keeps Americans healthy as it contains and even eradicates epidemics in other countries that, without this intervention, could spread to the US.
 
When the world’s wealthiest nation turns its back on its less fortunate neighbors, there will be consequences. People around the globe are already dying and many more will die. Thousands of dedicated workers are placed in dangerous situations without assistance from their home offices. They are now unemployed with no severance pay nor their most recent pay checks. The soft power provided to the US through USAID will now be garnered by two powerful countries who have historically not been American allies.
 
Cruelty, not compassion, rules the day. Providing aid to the world’s most vulnerable is a moral obligation as part of our common humanity. I keep coming back to Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40 when he says, “’Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
 
We cannot be complicit in the destruction of this life-saving aid to millions of people around the world. They are neighbors. They are created in God’s image. They may be the least of these in terms of wealth, but helping them is the least we can do. And in helping them, we help ourselves. How can we afford not to?
 

 
ON UKRAINE:
Friday’s debacle in the Oval Office was staged to humiliate the Ukrainian president to force him to capitulate to Russian demands. The American president and vice president revealed their hand in supporting Russia in its aggression against Ukraine. In doing so, they sold out both the Ukrainian people, the American people, our European allies, and our democracy. It is beyond disgraceful. But democracy is not a spectator sport.  See below as to what you can do about it.
 

REMEMBER:
1 – The executive branch enforces the laws made by Congress. It does not create them. Executive orders by the president are instructions for how the executive branch is to operate; they are not laws.
2 – The legislative branch makes the laws and authorizes funding of the agencies and programs it creates. The executive branch has no authority to impound or freeze funds that Congress has approved.
3- The judicial branch interprets the laws and does not create them. They have the power to say whether the executive orders and laws are constitutional and therefore enforceable, or not.
4 – Each of the three branches of government is a check on the other.
5 – This unelected billionaire does not have the authority to access sensitive data within the executive branch or independent agencies nor does he have the authority to hire and fire federal employees. The Office of Personnel Management can only hire or fire their own employees, not those in other agencies, and should not be able to control the firing of employees across the federal government.
 
 
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1 – Keep calling your representatives in Congress:

• Voice your support for USAID. Currently, the courts are involved but the regime is trying to keep the funds frozen.

 

• Express your embarrassment over last Friday’s meeting in the White House with the president of Ukraine. It is obvious our president and VP are on the side of Russia. Declare your support for Ukraine and ask your representative to stand with Ukraine and make a public statement accordingly. Also, remind them that the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) passed by Congress in 2017 means that the president cannot unilaterally lift sanctions against Russia without congressional approval.

 

• After the president this week suspended military aid to Ukraine, demand that Congress step up and send the previously authorized military aid to Ukraine. The president cannot unilaterally impound that aid.

 

• Tell them your outrage over the “efficiency” office’s gutting of federal agencies by shutting down programs and firing federal workers as well as the illegality of the actions of this unelected billionaire, including accessing your personal and financial data.

 

• Ask your House rep to vote NO on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act which, if passed, would suppress voter participation by requiring in-person proof of citizenship to register to vote or to change a voter registration (for example, for a new address or if you have been accidentally purged from the voter roll). This negatively impacts half of Americans who do not have passports, expats and military overseas who cannot be in the US in person to change their registration, as well as women who changed their name upon marriage as their photo IDs will not match their birth certificates. There is no mention in the proposed law regarding using marriage certificates or change-of-name documents to prove legal name changes. The SAVE Act will effectively eliminate the use of mail-in registration, online registration, Automated Voter Registration (AVR) via motor vehicle agencies, and get-out-the-vote efforts. It must not pass.

 

• Ask your senators to vote NO on all executive branch positions requiring their confirmation. The incompetence and inexperience of these nominees disqualifies them for these high-level positions of power.

 

• Ask both your House rep and senators to vote NO on the upcoming budget. To pay for tax cuts to the wealthy and to corporations, Republicans in Congress are willing to cut programs and services used by millions of Americans. It plans to slash up to $880 billion in Medicaid spending over 10 years, which provides affordable health insurance for over 72 million people and funding to health care providers, nursing facilities, and hospitals. One in five people in the US receive either health insurance or long-term care through Medicaid. Two-thirds of patients in nursing facilities are on Medicaid. Reducing Medicaid to nursing facilities will result in closures, sending families scrambling to find other facilities (even if their family member is not on Medicaid themselves). Cutting funding to hospitals risks their closure. Rural hospitals are at particular risk; when hospitals close, patients must drive long distances to receive care and rural hospitals are often major employers so the local economy will be impacted. Other potential cuts are $238 billion to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka, food stamps) and $330 billion in education. All of this is to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy. This is Robinhood in reverse. (If your rep’s office denies the current budget resolution contains the Medicaid cut, ask them where the $880 billion is coming from that the Energy and Commerce Committee is tasked with finding; Medicaid or Medicare are the only options for that large of a cut.)

 

• Regardless of which party is represented by your senators and US House rep (or whether you voted for them or not – they still represent you in Congress), calling them to voice your opinion makes a difference. 5calls.org has a list of current issues and talking points to use and can help you contact your Congress members.

 
2 – Consider donating to foreign aid organizations to fill in the gap. Charity Navigator evaluates charity organizations and has posted a list of charities affected by the USAID funding freeze.  Click here.

3 – Consider donating to organizations on the front line of filing lawsuits against the power grab by this regime, such as American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (not tax-deductible), ACLU Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Brennan Center for Justice, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
 
4 – Peacefully protest; see Indivisible.org and Political Revolution.
 
5 – Boycott products produced or sold by these billionaires.
 
6 - Stay informed.
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2025 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of field of blooming rapeseed near Sancerre, France; the photo with its colors are in support of Ukraine.
 
 
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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

After a long hiatus from my hobby of photography, I took up my camera again when I began to hike. As a late-blooming hiker almost 15 years ago, I struggled to keep up and the trails often took me out of my comfort zone. But when I got to the top of an elevated trail, the view was magnificent. All the hard work getting there paid off in all the gorgeous scenery and the images I captured with my camera, something I totally would have missed if I had not pushed through my fear and persisted during my climb to the top.
 
Persistence and overcoming fear are required today. Since the recent inauguration, the “shock and awe” of all the executive orders leaves me feeling exhausted. Perhaps you are, too. Maybe, like me, you are worried and frightened about the near future and what it means for you, your family, friends, and neighbors. The speed at which this administration is moving to destroy democracy and the federal government is designed to exhaust and frighten its opponents into submission. This tactic is called resilience targeting, typically used during disasters, that intentionally overwhelms people with chaos to keep them vulnerable. While it might feel easier to pull the covers over our heads, we cannot roll over and give up our power.
 
One sliver of hope is knowing that this president won only 49.9% of the popular vote, meaning more voters voted for someone else other than for him. This clearly is not a landslide victory, despite his fabrications to the contrary, which means he does not have an overwhelming mandate to do whatever he wants. Even a survey by the conservative Wall Street Journal showed that 75% of Americans oppose mass deportations, a key campaign promise.
 
A recent AP poll found that only 12% of Americans believe the president should take policy advice from billionaires. Yet on January 20th at the Inauguration in the Capitol building’s rotunda, the richest men in the world were sitting comfortably inside while many of his base with their purchased inaugural tickets were left out in the cold. Literally. That scene speaks volumes for whom this regime plans to support. And it is clearly not the American people, not even his base.
 
Contrary to distancing themselves from it, this regime, marked by cruelty and loyalty, is using the draconian Project 2025 to remake the government into one controlled by an authoritarian dictator and owned by his buddies, the wealthy oligarchs. (An oligarchy is a government run by a few wealthy and powerful elite.)
 
While this regime tries to usher in a “Golden Age,” there are some parallels to the Gilded Age of the late 19th century which saw the rise of industrialization and with it, the oligarchs of the day, often referred to as “robber barons” or “industrialists.” Men like Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan, and John D. Rockefeller gained their wealth by exploiting workers, eschewing business regulations, and by bending the government through corruption to further enrich themselves. Then, as now, there was great wealth inequality. The wealthiest 2% controlled more than a third of US wealth. Now, thanks to trickle-down “Reaganomics” from 1981 and forward, coupled with GOP tax cuts for the wealthy, $50 trillion in wealth has moved from the bottom 90% of Americans to the top 1% from 1981 to 2021 before “Bidenomics” began to reverse the trend. Today, the top 1% controls 30% of all US wealth.
 
What we are seeing today is the rise of a dictator, aided by his oligarchs, all of whom are in it for power and money at the expense of the American people. Divide and conquer is their strategy by scapegoating and dehumanizing immigrants and trans people as well as blaming the “deep state” in the federal government. They exploit us as we fight each other over their made-up culture wars, shifting more wealth and power to themselves under this smokescreen that they are just doing business as usual (à la robber barons). They hope we will not notice that they are getting richer while many Americans struggle to put food on the table.
 
Their goal is to destroy democracy and all the institutions that support it to solidify their control. They bankroll the religious extremists who want to impose their far-right agenda called Christian nationalism (which in no way resembles Jesus and His teachings, but rather is an ideology based on white supremacy and patriarchy). Our rights and freedoms are being taken from us in the name of religious freedom and is another way for them to consolidate power and control. All of this started on Day 1, the day he promised he would be a dictator, the day he began this new reality show with the flourish of his Sharpie to a blitz of executive orders.
 
What exactly is an executive order and who can issue one? The president has the sole power to issue executive orders which are directives for how the executive branch is to operate and how they are to enforce (or not) the law. Congress can counter an order by refusing to fund an initiative or by passing a law to override a particular order. The courts can deem an executive order unlawful or unconstitutional.
 
One noteworthy observation is that despite the blatant unconstitutionality of some of these orders, no lawyer in the Oval Office stopped the president from issuing them. The guardrails of his previous term in office are gone. Now he is surrounded only by people who are totally loyal to him and who will not challenge him. Term 2 is exponentially worse and more destructive than Term 1.
 
The decrees issued since January 20th provide a wrecking ball that is literally destroying the federal government. While we think our institutions are solid, we are seeing in real time their dismantling which allows the oligarchs to take control while profiting from its demise. It also enables the president to consolidate his power. Without a functioning government, this country will indeed become the “failing nation” this regime has been saying for months. While the US is not perfect, it definitely was not a failing nation before January 20th.
 
“Flooding the zone” with so many decrees is designed to overwhelm us, instill fear, and intimidate us. But more importantly, many of these decrees consolidate power into the office of the presidency by taking power from independent federal agencies like the CDC, by seeking to control departments like the Justice Department, or by usurping Congress’ power, especially their power to fund the government.
 
This regime and its oligarchs do not believe in democracy. Rather, they believe that a few people (themselves) should control everyone else. They view diversity, not as enriching our society, but rather as weakening it. By deporting immigrants, firing employees in DEI departments, and purging the federal workforce without just cause, they can increase their power by filling jobs with conservative straight white men whose only qualification is loyalty to them, not to democracy.
 
After the recent horrific plane and Army helicopter collision over the Potomac River, the president, rather than showing compassion to victims’ families, blamed DEI for the accident, insinuating that women, people of color, and people with disabilities were somehow responsible for these untimely deaths. The regime continues to use sexist, racist, and ableist rhetoric to divide us. This cruel and hateful blame game obfuscates the real issues in this particular instance of the lack of funding for more air traffic controllers (one decree froze federal hiring), the lack of oversight (one decree fired all members of the congressionally-mandated Aviation Security Advisory Committee), and the lack of leadership (one oligarch pressured the FAA head to resign on January 20th because his space enterprise company had been charged with safety violations and slapped with a fine).
 
It is impossible to cover all the executive orders issued since January 20th, but generally, these decrees instruct independent federal agencies to stop important work that keeps the public safe, like orders to the CDC forbidding it to communicate their reports and to coordinate with the World Health Organization (another decree removed the US from the WHO, a post-World War II pillar needed for global stability and security). Some decrees directly target federal employees, either by unjustly firing them or offering them a “buyout” to resign (which was accomplished via a Twitter-esque email sent to most federal employees). All DEI programs were dismantled and those workers were put on administrative leave which disenfranchises those who rely on their services and support groups, including disabled veterans.
 
Other decrees strip rights of transgender people, including declaring there are only two genders (in an attempt to erase trans people), barring trans people from serving in the military (there are at least 15,000 people in the military who identify as trans), limiting access to gender-affirming care for trans youth, and ordering federally incarcerated trans people to medically detransition and be housed in facilities corresponding with their sex at birth (which puts them at risk of physical danger).
 
Decrees related to immigration are designed to instill fear in both undocumented immigrants and those with legal status. Canceling the appointments asylum seekers made via the CBP One app for legal immigration means they are now stuck in limbo in Mexico. Raiding schools and churches to arrest immigrants instills fear in whole communities. The executive order to forbid birthright citizenship to babies born in the US (with caveats around their parents’ immigration status) is clearly unconstitutional but it will probably wind its way up to the nation’s top court which is not known for upholding precedent. Many of these executive orders are intentionally designed to test the limits of the Constitution.
 
Numerous orders have been met with lawsuits by nonprofits, states’ attorney generals, and individuals to push back on their legality and constitutionality. This was especially visible when one decree froze federal loans and grants to many federal programs, including Meals on Wheels and Head Start. Congress received a deluge of calls from constituents and impacted organizations. That pushback, coupled with lawsuits challenging the decree, caused the regime to backtrack and rescind it. There is power in our collective resistance.
 
In addition to the executive orders, the presidential pardons of more than 1,500 January 6th insurrectionists, including those who assaulted police officers, unleashes violent offenders into society and signals that any future violence done in the name of the regime can be done with impunity, making our communities less safe and creating a sense of lawlessness. This is ironic for the party of “law and order” and the president who claimed other countries were unleashing their criminals into the US.
 
The Right Reverend Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s sermon in a service at the Washington National Cathedral the day after the Inauguration gives me hope that there are courageous people who are willing to speak truth to power, in this case, from literally 40 feet away. Her example was a respectful reminder to the president that God is merciful and that we are called to treat each other with mercy, respect, and compassion, especially when we hold positions of power. I hope it emboldens other faith leaders to speak out.
 
Bishop Budde reminds me of how Jesus stood up to power on behalf of those being oppressed by the regime. She is a good example of how all of us can speak truth, with gentleness and kindness, and encourage others in our sphere of influence toward compassion and mercy.
 
We are at a “speak now or forever hold our peace” moment. We cannot sit on the sidelines while democracy crumbles. We must resist and persist. The mountain in front of us may look daunting, but together we can scale the obstacles to win back our democracy from this power-hungry authoritarian regime.
 
Like those who have come before us, whether colonists defeating a king for their freedom, soldiers fighting for democracy on foreign battlefields, or civil rights activists marching on Selma or Washington, we can prevail. This is our American heritage. The path will not be easy. But together we can make a difference. Our future and the future of those who come after us depend upon it.
 
 
WHAT WE CAN EACH DO:
 
1 – Take care of yourself. Do one thing every day that brings you joy. Create with art, crafts, and music. Learn something new.
 
2 - Support those who are engaged on the front line of litigation. Donating money to support the organizations that are filing these lawsuits will allow these nonprofits to pay their staff and to hire new attorneys. Their caseloads will be heavy. Give what you can to help them fight against this authoritarian regime. Even small amounts make a difference. Some notable organizations to donate to are:  American Civil Liberties Union* (ACLU), ACLU Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Brennan Center for Justice, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Democracy Forward Foundation, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of United Latin American Citizens* (LULAC), Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
 
*For the orgs above noted with an asterisk, contributions are not tax-deductible.
 
Just Security is an organization that is tracking the lawsuits against the current regime. Click here to learn more.
 
3 - Support local news media and independent media who are boldly proclaiming the facts. Find and support writers, journalists, and podcasters who are standing up to power through their words of truth. They, too, need financial support and words of encouragement. Some of my favorite media are: Associated Press, Axios, BBC, Bloomberg, NPR, Politico, ProPublica, Reuters, and The 19th. My favorite independent writers are all found on Substack: Heather Cox Richardson, Robert Reich, The Contrarian (with Jennifer Rubin and Norm Eisen), and The Convocation (with Diana Butler Bass, Kristen du Mez, Robert P. Jones, and Jemar Tisby).
 
Many of the above also provide news and opinions via podcasts and videos. Other informative podcasts include: Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams (episode “Cory Booker on Winning the Messaging War Against Trump with Radical Empathy” was especially helpful), Pod Save America, and What A Day.
 
4 - Get involved in local communities that are pushing back. Or create one. There are good grassroots-type organizations that are making a difference. Many have a national presence, too. Check out the League of Women Voters (disclaimer: I am a member; views expressed in this post are solely my own) and Red Wine and Blue.
 
5 – Immigrants have rights if they are approached by ICE but they may not know what those rights are. For example, they do not have to speak with an agent from ICE or let them into their home without a proper warrant. To help educate any immigrants in your sphere of influence, you can print down “red cards” that are translated into different languages and spell out their legal rights. Check out the Immigrant Legal Resource Center here. Consider making a tax-deductible contribution toward their work.
 
6 – Call your representatives in Congress to voice your opinion and to encourage them to do the right thing when voting on bills (House and Senate), Cabinet positions (Senate), and judicial appointments (Senate). The congressional switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. If that line is busy, call your representative at their DC or local office. Check their website for contact info.
 
5calls.org is a great resource when contacting your congressmember or senator. Current issues are listed on this website along with scripts to use in your conversation with your representative. Check out https://5calls.org/ and let your voice be heard!
 
7 – Read books on democracy, oligarchy, authoritarianism, and Christian nationalism. My recommendations are: Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy by Robert P. Jones, How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen du Mez, Minority Rule by Ari Berman, On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (this is a very short but informative book – I highly recommend!), Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart, Shadow Network by Anne Nelson, and Tyranny of the Minority by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy by Katherine Stewart will be available on February 18.
 
8 – We all have a sphere of influence. Ensure you use yours to promote truth with compassion.
 
 
 
NOTE: Regarding immigration, the president signed into law on 1/29/25 the Laken Riley Act passed by Congress which now makes it possible for undocumented immigrants to be imprisoned or deported based merely on being accused, not convicted, of crimes, even petty crimes, like shoplifting. Immigrants’ rights to due process under the law are stripped away. This is a slippery slope to eliminating everyone’s due process rights. To see how your representatives in Congress voted, click here.
 
 
NOTE: If this post sounds alarmist, it is written to inform and to galvanize people to resist. My 9/4/24 post entitled, “Take Two”, might have sounded alarmist at the time regarding a possible second term for the now-president, but the horrific agenda outlined there in Project 2025 is now being implemented.
 
NOTE: If you need a refresher on Christian nationalism, check out my blogs entitled, “A Slippery Slope” (posted 10/4/23) and “Monsters, Inc.” (posted 11/1/23). Also relevant are my posts on how democracies die and what we can do to prevent it. See “Death of Democracy” (posted 1/3/24) and “Democracy Matters” (posted 2/7/24).
 
My blog posts can be accessed here.
 
 
FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH – despite the Pentagon and the US State Department banning it this year!
 
Click here for a thoughtful article by Jemar Tisby on Black history month.
 
Also check out https://blackhistorymonth.gov/.
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2025 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Reine, Norway, in the Lofoten Islands.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

You are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.  Deuteronomy 10:19
 
 
Fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night, they head for the border towards safety, or so they hope. Will they be accepted in this foreign country where they do not speak the language nor look or dress like their soon-to-be neighbors? How will they survive? Will they find work? Amid the myriads of anxious thoughts and worse-case scenario fears, they hurriedly make their way over the dark and dangerous path to the land of promise and protection.
 
This is not the harrowing tale of a modern-day immigrant traveling a dangerous journey to cross the US southern border. Instead, this is an ancient story of a Middle Eastern family who fled to Egypt to save their child from being killed by a Roman ruler.
 
Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus fled from Israel to Egypt immediately after the visit from the Magi as King Herod sought to kill the Christ Child, his presumed rival. Even though God, through a dream, told them to go, I wonder if Mary and Joseph may have experienced fear and worry along their journey. Perhaps the gold given to them by the Magi helped to tide them over until Joseph could find work as a carpenter. Maybe they found kindness from their new neighbors. Or maybe they found hatred and scapegoating instead. The Bible does not say. But it does contain quite a few verses on the importance of showing hospitality and even love to foreigners (i.e., immigrants).
 
A big part of the far right’s Project 2025 and the incoming administration’s agenda includes rounding up undocumented immigrants* whom they scapegoat for this country’s problems. In their previous term, immigrant families were separated at the border and children were held in wire cages. Today, many children who were separated from their families have still not been reunited with them, despite efforts to help them.
 
The incoming administration will most likely have the same people in charge of the border that were in charge in their previous term. Their plan is not only to separate families at the border, but to round up 11 million undocumented immigrants, detain them in camps, centers, and even prisons (it is no coincidence that the day after the election, the stock prices of two private prison firms skyrocketed), before trying to deport them. This is only the beginning: there are talks on the far right of rounding up those here legally and even newly naturalized citizens.
 
We have been here before. The internment camps in the 1940’s are a dark spot on this nation’s history where 120,000 Japanese Americans were stripped of their civil rights and property and relocated to crowded detention camps. Although some reparations were made decades later, the emotional and financial toll on these families is unfathomable. Apparently, this nation has not learned its lesson on racism. And those who do not know (or care about) history are doomed to repeat it.
 
Did those who voted for this mandate truly understand what they were voting for? In a post-truth world, perhaps some myth-busting is in order. Here are some common myths about immigration:

1. Immigration, especially at the southern border, is overrun with “illegal” immigrants trying to sneak into the US.
2. Immigrants take jobs away from native-born Americans.
3. Immigrants are murderers, rapists, and escapees from prisons and insane asylums.
4. Tight border controls, including a wall, will keep immigrants out.

 
Fear is a powerful emotion and has been used to raise false alarms over a “crisis” at the southern border. This view would have us believe there is total chaos at the border and that a stream of ruthless criminals invades this country every day. This is simply fear-mongering. The facts point to the failure of politicians to address the needs of the immigration system over decades, often for lack of care or understanding and lately, for the desire to use immigration as a political wedge issue.
 
Most immigrants (77%) arrive legally to the US and are issued visas. Of the ones deemed unauthorized, they have either entered the country without legal permission (and have no documentation), have overstayed their visas, have protected temporary status, or are awaiting the processing of their asylum claims. Those allowed to stay under asylum claims typically must wait 4-5 years or even as many as 10 years for their asylum claim to be processed. Currently, there is backlog of 3 million immigration court cases.
 
Immigration is typically cyclical and we are most likely to hear about it when there are larger numbers of immigrants at the border waiting to be processed. Politicians and journalists are typically silent when those numbers drop. Immigration ebbs and flows based on weather, perceived job opportunities in the US, and spikes in violence in immigrants’ countries of origin. When the weather is nicer, more immigrants are likely to leave their homes and make the trek to the US. Likewise, when the unemployment rate in the US is low, immigrants are more likely to try to enter the US because they believe more jobs are available.
 
It is important to understand that in the past, immigrants were invited to come to the US to fill worker shortages. Even today, it is expected that 18 million immigrants and their children will replace retiring baby boomers.
 
Contrary to current perceptions, up to half of immigrants are returned to their countries of origin upon arriving at the border. Some immigrants fly here rather than arriving on foot through Mexico. Some are in the US on student visas while many immigrants have jobs waiting for them.
 
The jobs immigrants typically perform are not ones that native-born Americans want to do. Immigrant workers are often employed in agriculture, construction, meat-packing plants, the hospitality industry (such as in restaurants and hotels), domestic work, child care, and elder care. These jobs help make the American economy go ‘round. Without these essential workers, economic growth would stagnant and perhaps plummet. We would see shortages of goods, particularly food, which would lead to higher prices. Fewer houses being constructed would drive up prices for both home purchases and rentals.
 
There is no evidence that immigrants are a fiscal burden on the government. In fact, most arrive ready to work, to provide for their families, and often to send money back to relatives in their home countries. Immigrants, including undocumented ones, pay taxes and contribute to Social Security and Medicare. But most undocumented immigrants do not reap any benefits from their contributions. They are not welfare burdens on the state. They pay more into the system than they receive.
 
Statistics show that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. They generally are more law-abiding than native-born Americans and do not want to attract the attention of the police for fear of deportation. While some violent crimes committed by immigrants have received much media attention, these crimes are not the norm. For example, in Texas where they track arrests by immigration status, undocumented immigrants have the lowest crime rates. Native-born Americans are twice as likely to be arrested for a violent crime than undocumented immigrants. Documented immigrants fall in-between the undocumented and the native-born in terms of crime rates. There is also evidence that immigration often makes neighborhoods and cities safer: where there are higher concentrations of immigrants, there is, on average, less crime and violence.
 
The incoming administration has conflated “asylum seekers” with inmates from foreign asylums when in fact, “asylum seeker” simply means someone who applies for and is awaiting asylum or protection in another country due to violence or political retribution in their home countries. Thus, this word mix-up increases the perception that immigrants are dangerous which is clearly not based on facts.
 
We often think that locking down the border is the best way to control immigration. Studies have shown that tighter border controls actually increase immigration. While this may sound counter-intuitive, evidence shows that when borders are more open and visas are more easily obtained, immigrants will not feel as desperate to enter because they know they can enter at any time. But when there are crackdowns at the border, immigrants may feel that this is their only chance to enter the US and their journey is more likely to involve more dangerous treks led by traffickers with higher numbers of immigrants entering at points other than official ports. Conversely, if the opportunity to immigrate is viewed as equally available in the future, immigrants may choose to wait. Also, when the border is more open, seasonal workers can enter and then return to their home countries, knowing they can return later.
 
Viable solutions to the problems of immigration are complicated and can only be achieved when we consider the facts rather than the myths.
 
Far-right politicians campaigning on the issue of immigration instill fear in voters of a border being overrun by criminals (and of pets being eaten by Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio). Dehumanizing immigrants makes it more palatable to promote the use of internment camps and deportations.
 
Rounding up undocumented immigrants is only the tip of the authoritarian iceberg. The rest of the incoming administration's agenda is equally chilling.
 
The immigrant baby-turned-rabbi stood up to power for the sake of the most vulnerable. Now it is our turn.
 
 
 
What you can do to help – Read up on immigration to know the facts. One helpful book is How Immigration Really Works by Hein de Haas. Call out disinformation and the myths around immigration when you hear them. Check out local agencies in your community that work with immigrants to help them find housing and jobs, learn English, or study for their citizenship tests. Consider volunteering or donating to these organizations.
 
 
 *I prefer to use the term “undocumented immigrant” or “unauthorized immigrant” rather than “illegal immigrant” because a person cannot be considered “illegal.” However, the phrase “illegal immigration” can be used to describe a process.
 
NOTE: In this recent election, over 80% of white evangelical Christians and 60% of white Protestants and white Catholics voted for the incoming administration despite the plans to round up undocumented immigrants and separate families in the process. Jesus’ mission as stated in Luke 4:18-19 is to stand up for the helpless, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. Many of those who claim to follow Jesus seem to have no compassion or mercy. “Love thy neighbor” feels particularly hollow.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2025 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of setting sun over Saguaro National Park, Arizona.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant." – Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
 
Devastated. Disillusioned. Defeated. The list goes on regarding my emotional state since the most recent US election. Trying to make sense of it, I follow the political pundits’ election postmortem. One thing, at least, is clear – lies and hate carried the day. Truth and love were sidelined.
 
In 1964, speaking at his acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, had the hope that “unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word…” Dr King’s hope was forged through repeated lynchings of Black Americans, through Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, and through the untold and many injustices perpetrated since chattel slavery reached the shores of this country. Yet, Dr King was not pessimistic about the future. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had just been signed into law by President Johnson a few months before. Perhaps that glimmer of hope emboldened Dr King’s enthusiasm that truth and love would ultimately win.
 
Dr King’s sense of truth was unarmed and the love he encouraged was unconditional. His faith in the hopeful prevalence of truth demanded nonviolence to the oppression he encountered for he knew that violence only begets more violence. He spoke truth to power to call out oppression and injustice. He loved unconditionally for he saw the image of God in all he met. He envisioned a time when there would be no divisions between races, genders, or nations because people would love without limits, restrictions, or borders. Dr King’s theology cost him his life. Yet his followers persevered.
 
Truth and love matter.
 
And they have mattered since the dawn of time. Two millennia ago, the birth of a Jewish baby in a stable coincided with horrific Roman oppression. This baby-turned-itinerant preacher taught his followers how to live and love, even in the worst of times. His purpose was to bring good news to the poor and to set the captives free, propositions that required changed hearts and minds. To love God and to love people, he preached, was the most important thing of all, along with providing for the “least of these.” He spoke truth in an era where truth was scarce. The poor and the curious flocked to him. The powers that be plotted against him. Undeterred, he spoke truth boldly, even to Pontius Pilate, who had become so impervious to the truth, that he dismissed this King of the Jews.
 
Armed only with truth and love, Jesus did not resist arrest. He was executed as a nonviolent activist, one who preached love, not hate; unity, not division; peace, not war. His unconditional love for the oppressed motivated him to speak truth to power. It cost him his life. His followers, after a huge setback, regrouped and persevered.
 
Like those who have come before us, we, too, must take on the mantle of truth and love. And we must persevere. Because even during a setback, we are still stronger than the forces of “evil triumphant.”
 
In this Advent season, may we not forget that this Christ Child was born into poverty and oppression to teach us how to live in truth and love. May we never waver in our pursuit of unarmed truth and unconditional love.
 
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Vågan Church, often called “Lofoten Cathedral,” near Svolvær, in the Lofoten Islands, Norway. Designed in the Gothic revival style and consecrated in 1898, this church is the largest wooden structure in Northern Norway. It was built large enough to accommodate (and include) all the fishermen who came there in the fishing season.
 
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

“My dear friends, your vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.” – John Lewis, civil rights leader, and Georgia congressman
 
 
John Robert Lewis (1940-2020) was born in Alabama and came of age during the civil rights movement. Inspired by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, Lewis became a Freedom Rider in 1961 and was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington in 1963. He co-led the first march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 (known as “Bloody Sunday”), where, after crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, he was beaten by police who fractured Lewis’ skull. Undeterred, Lewis went on to become a national civil rights leader, and in 1987, he was elected to Congress and served until his death in 2020. He was a fierce advocate for equal rights, especially voting rights. John Lewis’ leadership and participation in the civil rights movement helped pave the way for the Voting Rights Act that was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson, giving Black people the hard-earned right to vote.
 
Voting allows us to have a voice in our democracy. In some very close elections, candidates have won by a very small number of votes. Every vote counts. And who we vote for up and down the ballot, from the office of the president on down to local school board officials, makes a difference in the quality of life in our country, in our communities, and in our own personal lives.
 
In previous posts, entitled Take Two and Standing on the Precipice, we discussed the policies of presidential candidates Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. What their plans are if elected president is important. But also significant is the president’s power to appoint for life terms, with Senate confirmation, justices to the US Supreme Court and judges to the federal Courts of Appeal and District Courts. Who we elect as senators, given their role in judicial appointments, is also critical because the power these judges wield over our everyday lives cannot be overstated.
 
The US Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts has leaned conservative over the years, but with three Trump-appointees on the bench, the Court now wields a 6-3 very conservative majority that has upended laws passed by Congress and stripped federal agencies of some of their power. The Roberts Court has made the following notable decisions:
1 – Trump v. United States (2024) - gives broad immunity from criminal prosecution to former presidents who commit crimes during their official acts as president.
2 - Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024) – overturned the principle of Chevron deference, a 40-year precedent that allowed federal agencies’ experts, under the power vested in each agency by Congress, to interpret ambiguous laws and determine policy without judicial review if their interpretations were reasonable; now the courts have given themselves the power to interpret ambiguous laws if they disagree with the agency’s policies, setting up the process to be partisan. Any federal agency, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is subject to this ruling.
3 – Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)- overturned Roe v. Wade, a 50-year precedent, to abolish federal protection for reproductive rights and the freedom of bodily autonomy; the power to determine reproductive rights now rests with each state.
4 – Shelby County v. Holder (2013) – stripped the Voting Rights Act of 1965 of the pre-clearance requirement by allowing states with previous voting rights violations to make voting law changes without federal approval, thus paving the way for an increase in voter suppression laws such as the purging of voter rolls, the implementation of voter ID laws, the reduction in the number of polling places (mostly in predominantly Black precincts), and new restrictions in early voting.  
5 – Citizens United v. FEC (2010) – struck down a key provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002) that prohibited corporations and unions from contributing directly to campaigns, thus allowing the rise of super PACs (political action committees) to receive large donations and to spend those funds without accountability.
 
Today, billionaires and corporations use their dollars to influence elections in outsized ways and have unfairly tilted the playing field in their favor. These wealthy influencers are not unlike oligarchs in countries without democracy nor are they unlike the American industrialists that controlled US politics a hundred years ago. By influencing elections, these wealthy donors ensure their self-interests are protected. It is more imperative than ever for the rest of us to vote to make our voices heard over these special interest groups.
 
While the Senate has responsibility for confirming Supreme Court and federal judges, both the Senate and the House of Representatives can either support or hinder the president’s agenda depending on the legislation they pass (or not). Congress has the power to create federal agencies that directly impact our lives, such as the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, and many more. It controls the purse strings to fund the US military, Social Security, Medicare, the federal share of Medicaid, disaster relief, and military aid to US allies, to name a few. Who we elect to Congress matters.
 
Just as having representation in Congress is important, so too is the representation we have in our own state legislatures. For example, since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, state legislatures decide reproductive health care rights. To date, 13 states ban abortion entirely while eight states restrict it; all these states have Republican-controlled legislatures. Not surprisingly, the states with the most restrictive bans have higher maternal and infant mortality rates and greater prevalence of economic insecurity. It is not hyperbole to say that other rights and freedoms will be on the chopping block in Republican-controlled state legislatures, such as the definition of marriage, and the accessibility of IVF and contraception.
 
Who we elect up and down the ballot in our state matters, like state attorneys general (AGs) who can decide to pursue a case or not. For example, Ahmaud Arbery was a 25-year-old Black man who, on 2/23/20, was murdered while out for a run in Brunswick, GA. For two months, his murder was not investigated nor criminal charges pursued as a favor by the state AG for one of the killers who is a retired law enforcement officer. Outraged that no investigation had begun, Arbery’s family and social justice activists played a role in starting the investigation that would ultimately bring Arbery’s murderers to justice.
 
From fixing potholes to enforcing the rule of law, and so much in-between, states have tremendous power to impact our personal day-to-day lives, but those elected to local offices matter, too. From local taxes to school board decisions, from zoning regulations to rent control, as well as police, fire, and emergency services, local elected officials have the power to influence our lives. And like at the state level, who we elect as county sheriff, judge, and district attorney impacts how the rule of law is carried out in our communities which can impact safety and crime levels.
 
Democracy works best when all eligible citizens vote and their votes are counted. But not all eligible voters can vote. In some states, voter suppression laws make it difficult for people to vote. Voter registration rolls are often purged of “inactive” voters who may not be aware their registration was purged and they may not have enough time to re-register before the election. Check your voter registration on Vote.gov.
 
Since 2020, there has been a concerted effort by the Republican Party to reject mail-in ballots, typically on technicalities. Ballots have been rejected if a voter did not correctly date the outside of the ballot envelope (PA), if the witness to a mail-in ballot did not fill in a complete address (WI), if the inner secrecy envelope was not sealed properly (NC), or if the birth date of the voter was not correctly written on the outer envelope (GA). It is no secret they are trying to disenfranchise Democratic voters to increase Republicans’ chances of winning elections by invalidating otherwise valid ballots, particularly in swing states where a handful of votes can determine the outcome.
 
It seems that the Republican party is pulling out all the stops to win. But the extremists are not limited to those internal to the US. There are external forces at work to influence the election. The US Department of Justice recently opened a case to investigate Russian interference in our elections. While that is certainly not new, what does seem to be new is the method of influence. Money from Russia was funneled through various other countries before it reached two American companies who then used the funds to pay large sums of money to as many as six far-right social media influencers to promote lies regarding the US election.  Since many people get much of their news from social media, this method of influence threatens to interfere with this election on a whole new level. And this influence can be very effective, divisive, and destructive. Ensure you and those you care about get information from reliable and trusted news sources. See note below for suggestions.
 
Truth matters. Most authoritarian and fascist dictators come to power not through military force, but by way of the ballot box. They use the rules (or change them) to their advantage to win without violence. But first they discredit the free press and confuse the electorate with their lies. Their continual lying about everything creates so much chaos that people do not know what to believe. That state of confusion causes people to either believe the lies or give up trying and give in to the demands of a soon-to-be dictator.
 
As we begin to cast our ballots this election season, carefully consider your choice of candidates for all the races listed on your ballot. Make sure that the candidates you vote for support democracy. Anyone who denies that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, claims the election was stolen from Trump, or refuses to answer whether Biden won does not support democracy and should not be elected.
 
To be clear, no widespread fraud occurred in the 2020 election. Over 60 lawsuits claiming election fraud that were filed on behalf of Trump were thrown out of court by judges of all political persuasions because there was no evidence of fraud.
 
Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts for a 2016 election coverup and is currently awaiting sentencing. He has been indicted for 2020 election subversion in GA. In federal court, Trump has been indicted for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. A candidate who cannot admit he lost a free and fair election, who refuses to peacefully transition power to his successor, and who commits crimes to stay in power is not fit for office. And neither are his enablers. (The SCOTUS decision regarding presidential immunity is particularly pertinent.)
 
While many politicians may stretch the truth, Trump’s pathological lying has dire consequences, from maligning legal immigrants from Haiti (that incites violence against them) to spreading lies about the hurricane relief efforts (which hinders relief efforts, incites violence against FEMA workers, and ultimately hurts hurricane victims) to deceiving voters on his planned actions if elected (think Project 2025). And yes, he will institute a national abortion ban, use the military both to round up immigrants for deportation and to punish his political opponents (or anyone who disagrees with him), fire thousands of federal employees, and get rid of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).
 
Trump’s lies paint a hellscape that does not exist to frighten voters with imaginary threats, all so he can save the day, just as other authoritarian dictators in other countries have done. The truth is immigrants are not taking over this country; without them, our economy would tank. They also have lower crime rates than native-born Americans. In case anyone has “Trumpnesia,” his immigration policy in his previous term included a travel ban on people from predominantly Muslim countries and the practice of separating families at the border, both policies he has said he will reinstate if re-elected. Also, he kept immigrant children in wire cages. To date, there are children still separated from their families because their families cannot be located. By contrast, Kamala Harris plans to strengthen border security while improving the legal process to citizenship.
 
The American people deserve a president who makes fact-based decisions, who supports all people in the US regardless of political party affiliation (not just those loyal to them), and who leads with integrity. Kamala Harris has the intelligence, compassion, character, and experience to become the 47th president of the US.
 
There is a lot riding on this election. Our democracy, rights, and freedoms are being assaulted from within and from without. As citizens, it is our responsibility to be informed voters and to get out and vote. Many races will be decided by just a handful of votes. Your vote matters. It is the “most powerful nonviolent tool” you have to ensure your voice is heard. Use it wisely.
 
 
 

NOTE: Respectable and reliable news sources include, but are not limited to: Reuters, AP, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, Axios, CNN, NPR, and BBC. Many of these news organizations have free e-newsletters. I also highly recommend Heather Cox Richardson’s daily e-newsletter on Substack entitled Letters from an American. (See https://substack.com/@heathercoxrichardson )  Also, Brené Brown interviews Dr Richardson on her podcast, “Unlocking Us” which is worth checking out.
 
NOTE: The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2023 is a bill that was proposed in Congress that would restore the requirement struck down in Shelby County v. Holder so that going forward, federal approval would be required before a state could implement voting rights changes if they have previous voting rights violations. This important bill would help prevent states from gerrymandering districts and using voter suppression tactics; it passed in the House, but not in the Senate. If it were brought up for consideration again, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris would support this bill. Her opponent, Donald Trump, would not.
 
NOTE: My previous blog posts that are relevant to this election can be found HERE (scroll down to find the specific post):
Standing on the Precipice (Oct 2024), Take Two (Sept 2024), Reality Check (Aug 2024), and A Good Kind of Stumbling Block (July 2024).
 
FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS AND ANY OF MY BLOG POSTS TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE ON THE POLITICAL FENCE OR WHO SIMPLY ARE TOO BUSY TO KEEP UP WITH POLITICS.
 
November is Native American Heritage Month. Check out:
https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/about.html
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of democracy.
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

"Our nation stands on the precipice of an authoritarian, white Christian nationalist government of the few or a participatory, multiracial democracy for the many."- Jemar Tisby, historian, and author of The Color of Compromise, How to Fight Racism, and The Spirit of Justice


As I hike down the narrow trail, the vastness and sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon is breathtaking. (Hiking back up is also breathtaking, but for a different reason!) On the trail, I witness people climbing up on adjacent rocks for photos. I am quite satisfied standing further back from the edge. Staring down the precipice is not for me!

As historian and author Jemar Tisby reminds us, we as a nation are standing on the edge of a precipice. Democracy can either fall to its death or it can stay on the path to a more perfect union. We as voters will decide the outcome on November 5.

In the previous post, we discussed the Republican-generated Project 2025 as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s own manifesto called Agenda 47. Now it is time to turn to Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris’ policies.

Kamala Harris calls her campaign a New Way Forward “that protects our fundamental freedoms, strengthens our democracy, and ensures every person has the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead.” Hers is an “Opportunity Economy” where she is focused on policies that will help the middle class, which include (at this writing):
•    Restoring the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit
•    Increasing the Child Tax Credit to $6,000 to families with a newborn
•    Ensuring no one earning less than $400,000 per year pays higher taxes
•    Rolling back tax cuts to billionaires and corporations to pay for the above
•    Increasing the supply of housing while cutting red tape to allow more 
      housing to be built
•    Giving first-time home buyers a $25,000 credit towards a down-payment on
      a home
•    Encouraging new small businesses by increasing the startup tax deduction
      from $5,000 to $50,000
•    Preventing corporations from price-gouging during emergencies
•    Imposing a federal ban on price gouging food and groceries (and expanding
      on what 37 states currently do)
•    Reducing prescription drug costs for all Americans
•    Expanding the Affordable Care Act and making permanent the Biden-Harris
      tax credits that lower premiums
•    Expanding Medicaid’s post-partum coverage to help decrease the maternal
      mortality rate
•    Protecting Social Security and Medicare by collecting more in payroll taxes
      from the wealthy
•    Supporting the right to organize unions, increasing the minimum wage,
      implementing paid family and medical leave
•    Supporting quality education and working to reduce student debt
•    Investing in affordable child care and long-term care
•    Tackling the climate crisis, advancing environmental justice, protecting
      public lands and public health, and holding polluters accountable.

In addition, Harris plans to safeguard our basic freedoms: the freedom to vote, the freedom to love and marry whom you wish, and the freedom from government interference in making personal health care decisions, including reproductive care.

The economy is still a top issue for many voters. According to The Washington Post, last week an open letter written by “more than 400 economists and former U.S. policymakers endorsed Harris for president,” called her “a strong steward of the U.S. economy,” and stated that Trump’s policies “risk reigniting inflation and threaten the United States’ global standing and domestic economic stability.”

The contrast between the two candidates could not be starker, and not just on policies. A candidate’s background and character are also important. Harris, raised by a single mother in a middle-class family, has been a public servant during her entire career as a district attorney, the attorney general of California, a US senator, and finally as the US vice president. By contrast, Trump inherited millions of dollars, declared bankruptcy six times, was impeached twice as US president, has been convicted of rape in a civil trial, has been indicted on criminal charges in four different cases (including interference with the 2020 election), and has been convicted by a jury of his peers on 34 counts of business fraud that he perpetrated to influence the 2016 presidential election. He is a convicted felon awaiting sentencing.
 
The September 10th presidential debate between Harris and Trump illuminated these contrasts further. In the allowed two-minute time allotments, Harris shared some of her policies, displaying that she cares about and will work for the American people, particularly the middle class. With empathy, she shared about the plight of pregnant people who, because of abortion bans, cannot get the care they need and end up “bleeding out in a car in the emergency room parking lot.” Her opponent was busy spouting lies about how Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH, were kidnapping and eating pets and how babies carried to term are “executed.” Trump was called out by the moderators for these lies. There were, however, many other lies Trump spewed that evening that were not called out. (To watch the recorded debate, click here.)

Words matter. Now, the Haitian community in Springfield is rightfully afraid of violence against them. Recently, there were bomb threats in several locations there, impacting not just these legal Haitian immigrants but everyone in the community.

His incorrect use of words is so misleading and his economic policies are so baffling that some of his word usage deserves to be called out. On the economics front, Trump says his plan to place a 60% tariff on Chinese imports and a 10-20% tariff on all other imports will be a tax paid by other countries and those funds will end up in US federal coffers. While tariffs can be beneficial when placed on competing products produced overseas, like on all electric cars from China to protect the US electric car industry or on all steel imports to protect the American steel industry, an across-the-board tariff would increase the price of goods coming into the US. These price increases would ultimately be passed on to US consumers. Estimates vary, but the cost to the average American family would be between $1,700-$3,900 per year. Implementing these tariffs would cause significant inflation and would yield no benefit.

Another example of how Trump does not understand economics was on display in a recent interview with Sarah Huckabee Sanders when Trump said he plans to lower food prices by cutting imports. Reducing the supply of food will not lower prices. It will have the reverse effect: food prices will increase for those items that are in short supply.

In discussing immigration, Trump has misused the term “asylum seeker” by saying that asylum seekers are people let loose from asylums (mental institutions) in Central America and Mexico who are entering the US from the southern border; these people include the mentally ill, rapists, and murderers. The actual meaning of asylum seekers describes people who are escaping violent situations or political retribution and who are seeking asylum (refuge) in another country. By misusing the term “asylum seeker,” Trump dehumanizes and demonizes the immigrants who are escaping horrific conditions to live in the US. This ultimately creates resistance to help them and promotes American isolationism.

Trump not only slurs his words frequently, he usually speaks in word salads that are incomprehensible. The media often turns his rants into more coherent messages but listening to him in real time leaves neurological experts wondering if he has dementia. (To hear his answer to a question at a meeting of the Economic Club of NY on how he would make child care more affordable, click here.)

In addition to Trump’s reckless use of words, the debate showed in real time how easily he can be manipulated as Harris consistently kept him on defense. When she baited him on the crowd size at his rallies, he became totally derailed because crowd size is a barometer of how exalted he is with his base. As Harris pointed out during the debate, he only cares about himself. As another example, Trump influenced his supporters in Congress to vote down a bipartisan border security bill that would have provided funding and created solutions at the southern border. By putting his desire for re-election over the needs of this country, Trump shows he is more interested in using a problem than in solving it.

What I find just as frightening as Trump’s policies and his ignorant economic ideas is the fact that he has surrounded himself with people who are all too eager to take advantage of him, ostensibly through flattery, to get the power, position, and money they crave. This is even more noticeable than in 2016 and consequently, a second term would be significantly worse than his first term. We have just witnessed how easily he can be manipulated and how gullible he is to believe that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH, are eating people’s pets. (He is either very gullible to believe these stories or as demonstrated on numerous occasions, facts hold no sway with him – or both.)

Is this who we want as the president of the most powerful nation on earth and the leader of the free world? Someone who is a convicted felon, who will lie to get what he wants, who often rants incoherently, who plans to seek retribution against his political enemies, and who seeks to divide us? A gullible, aspiring dictator who can be easily swayed by American extremists as well as by foreign dictators? Is this who we want to represent us on the world stage and in negotiations with other world leaders?

Or do we want a leader who is intelligent, articulate, energetic, and experienced as a prosecutor and a politician? One who has the nation’s interests at heart and not her own? One who wants to bring us together instead of divide us? One who has been a public servant her whole career? And someone who is well-respected on the global stage?

As we stand together at the edge of the precipice, may we choose candidates up and down the ballot that will strengthen and not destroy this democracy, who will defend our individual rights and freedoms, and who will allow the full participation of all in this multiracial democracy. Let us back away from the dangerous precipice of authoritarianism and choose to travel the path of true freedom – our lives, our liberties, and our individual pursuits of happiness depend upon it.



NOTE: The League of Women Voters*, a nonpartisan organization founded in 1920 by suffragist Carrie Chapmen Catt, sponsors a helpful website called VOTE411.org. On this website, voters can check to see if they are still registered to vote, to preview what is on their ballot, to find out info on the candidates, and much more. State and county election boards’ websites also offer key information for voters, such as voter registration deadlines, how to register, and more, including opportunities to volunteer as a poll worker.

* DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the League of Women Voters. Views expressed in this post are solely my own.

NOTE: Consider phone banking for the Democratic party at democrats.org to encourage registered Democrats, particularly in swing states, to get out and vote. Consider contributing to the Harris campaign as well as to the campaigns of vulnerable Democratic US Senators and House Representatives at ActBlue.org.

NOTE: If you have been a lifelong Republican, I understand how difficult it can be to cross the aisle. The fact is the Republican Party has moved so far to the right that they are no longer traditionally “conservative,” meaning they no longer follow the rule of law, or want decreased federal powers and increased national security. You do not owe the GOP anything. In the words of former Georgia Lt Governor Geoff Duncan (Republican) as he addressed the Democratic National Convention, “If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you’re not a Democrat, you are a patriot.”

NOTE: To read more about Kamala Harris’ policies, click here.


NOTE: It is Hispanic Heritage Month through October 15. Learn more at:
https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
https://www.history.com/topics/hispanic-history/hispanic-heritage-month
https://www.state.gov/hispanic-heritage-month-2024/.



Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Grand Canyon in Arizona at sunset.


Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.



A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

Towering over the beaches along the Alabaster Coast in France are the awe-inspiring Cliffs of Étretat. Impressionists, such as Claude Monet, captured the cliffs’ beauty and grandeur on canvas, prompting travelers, even today, to discover the cliffs for themselves.

Composed of chalk and flint, the cliffs stand at the edge of the town of Étretat in Normandy. Freshwater springs flowing underneath eroded the cliffs over time, creating three arches and a “needle” formation. The arches are particularly visible during low tide. Once a fishing village, today Étretat is primarily a quaint tourist town that caters to adventurers who wish to climb and hike the cliffs. One can spend a full day or more exploring the cliffs, tunnels, and caves. However, caution must be exercised and the tides must be taken into consideration. Despite signs warning of the dangers, often tourists become stranded along a tunnel when the tide rolls in. What if people just read and heeded the warning signs?

This election cycle has been full of adventure, too, with the last-minute changes in the Democratic ticket for president and vice president. With President Joe Biden’s selfless decision to step down as nominee, the new ticket of VP Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has energized the party.

Harris has stated that, if elected, her top priority on Day 1 of her term will be the middle class. She plans to address, among other issues, the rising costs of housing, groceries, and prescription drugs.

On the other side of the ballot, former President Donald Trump and his VP running mate Ohio Senator JD Vance embrace a burn-down-the-barn, white Christian nationalist agenda. Trump has stated that on Day 1, he will become a dictator.

Speaking at the Democratic National Convention of a possible Trump second term, former President Barack Obama said, “We’ve seen that movie and we all know the sequel’s usually worse!”

On July 26 of this year, Trump told attendees at the Turning Point Action Believers’ Summit to “[g]et out, you’ve got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.” Chillingly implicit in this statement is there will be no more elections if Trump wins in November. Earlier this week, he stated on Fox News that he had every right to interfere with the 2020 election. Furthermore, he has never said he will accept the results of this election if he loses.

In 2016, no one expected Trump to win the presidency and he had no transition plan. Over the course of Trump’s term in office, his appointees often deterred him from his worse impulses (like shooting peaceful protesters below the knees). By the end of his presidency, Trump had eliminated all the “adults in the room.” If Trump wins a second term, the chaos and craziness of his first term will pale in comparison.

What are Trump’s plans if he becomes president again? There are two documents that help us see how disastrous a second term will be. The first is Agenda 47 and the second one, known as Project 2025, has been making a recent media splash. But what is in these two documents and why should we be concerned?

Agenda 47 is Donald Trump’s manifesto of policies for a new term as the 47th president of the United States. Most of these policies would be implemented by executive order without requiring the approval of Congress. The manifesto outlines increasing the powers of the president by reducing power in other parts of the executive branch of government. It has been described as fascist or authoritarian.

Under Agenda 47, presidential powers would be expanded by firing up to two million career civil servants and replacing them with Trump loyalists. Independent regulatory agencies, such as the FCC, FTC, FDA, and EPA, would come under the president’s direct control. Trump plans to “clean house” in the Pentagon, the State Department, and in the intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI. Experts say this plan will upset the balance of powers between the branches of federal government, usurp the power of Congress, and violate the Constitution.

The policies detailed in Agenda 47 include implementing tariffs on imported goods which will create higher prices for US consumers and increase inflation. Trump would end US participation in the international treaty on climate change called the Paris Agreement and would roll back all the Biden-Harris administration’s regulations to fight climate change. The Department of Education would be abolished and states would be responsible instead. Federal funds would be terminated to any school that teaches critical race theory or gender ideology (meaning that transgender students will not be protected against discrimination). Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives would be abolished. K-12 teachers would no longer have tenure and would be certified based on their patriotism. Children born of illegal immigrants on US soil would no longer have the right to US citizenship and related benefits.

Not included in Agenda 47 but stated by Trump repeatedly, is the round up by the military of 11 million illegal immigrants who would be placed into detention camps before being deported. This will become a humanitarian crisis: 80% of illegal immigrants have been in the US for more than a decade; over one million are married to US citizens and many have children who are US citizens. Separating families and destroying their livelihoods is unconscionable. The economy will suffer greatly without these workers and it would cost billions of dollars over more than 20 years to accomplish this horrific policy.

Agenda 47 specifies that journalists, federal agencies, and universities that have called out Trump for disinformation would be severely punished. Federal officials would be fired and lose their right to vote. Any federal funding would be eliminated. Individuals would be prosecuted. Taking away free speech and the free press is what authoritarian dictators do.

All types of gender-affirming care would be stopped for people of all ages. Hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, or other individuals who participate in gender-affirming care (even suggesting to a child they might be transgender) would be sued and any federal funding (including under Medicaid and Medicare) would be terminated. Agenda 47 recommends passing a federal law that says there are only two genders, male and female, and they are assigned at birth.

And those are just some of the details of Agenda 47!

What is Project 2025 and how does it fit with Agenda 47? Project 2025 is a 900+-page authoritarian handbook crafted by a group of conservative Christian nationalist allies of Trump led by the Heritage Foundation (see footnote 1) that will serve as a transition plan for Trump’s first 180 days in office, if he is elected. Although Trump’s “official” plan is Agenda 47, his campaign has said it and Project 2025 are aligned.

Like Agenda 47, Project 2025 is essentially the plan for Trump to take over the entire executive branch of the federal government by consolidating power into the office of the president, dismantling federal agencies, undoing popular policies, and implementing various draconian measures. After details of Project 2025 leaked, Trump realized these actions and policies are grossly unpopular and has tried to distance himself from Project 2025. However, numerous Trump allies and former staffers have worked on this document and Trump’s name is threaded throughout it. It is not possible for him to disavow Project 2025.

Project 2025 contains numerous plans and policies based on four promises found in its foreword:
 
1 – “Restore the family as the centerpiece of American life and protect our children”
2 – “Dismantle the administrative state and return self-governance to the American people”
3 – “Defend our nation’s sovereignty, borders, and bounty against global threats”
4 - “Secure our God-given individual rights to live freely – what our Constitution calls ‘the Blessings of Liberty’.”

According to Project 2025, “restore the family” defines a family as “a married mother, father, and their children” (presumably heterosexual and cisgendered) who are the “ideal” family. “Protect our children” is a dog whistle for banning transgenderism. Project 2025 seeks to eliminate protections and rights of LGBTQIA+ families, including criminally punishing transgenderism as pornography. It stops short of calling for a ban on same-sex marriage. Neither does Project 2025 specify a national abortion ban, but it does severely restrict abortion (and miscarriage care) and contraception access and funding (see footnote 2). The Heritage Foundation opposes in vitro fertilization (IVF) and while Project 2025 does not specifically mention IVF, it does include language that supports fetal personhood, leaving open the possibility of a ban on IVF with simply an executive order. Other provisions include eliminating the federal Head Start program, reducing Medicare benefits by eliminating the new $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket annual prescription drug costs and eliminating government negotiations of drug prices.

Similar to language in Agenda 47, “dismantle the administrative state” means to consolidate the president’s powers from within the executive branch by placing all agencies, even those currently independent, under the president’s direct control. By controlling the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI, Trump can carry out his vow to seek retribution from his political enemies with impunity. Trump would force the DOJ to drop his criminal trials. Both prospects are chilling.

As in Agenda 47, as many as two million government workers could be fired and replaced with Trump allies whose sole qualification would be loyalty to Trump, not job competency or experience. Project 2025 provides a data base of Trump loyalists who would replace current workers. As under Agenda 47, the Department of Education would be completely abolished.

“Defend our nation’s sovereignty” means to promote US isolationism by gutting American involvement in NATO and no longer supporting our allies around the world. Project 2025 also includes funding the construction of the US southern border wall, eliminating visas for victims of crime and human trafficking, and allowing the use of the military against immigrants at the southern border and peaceful protesters anywhere in the US.

The fourth promise of Project 2025 redefines the pursuit of happiness as “blessedness.” It states: "an individual must be free to live as his Creator ordained – to flourish. Our Constitution grants each of us the liberty to do not what we want, but what we ought. This pursuit of the good life is found primarily in family - marriage, children, Thanksgiving dinners, and the like.” This may sound as idyllic as a Normal Rockwell painting, but it is a way to control people in this country and to exclude those who are not white, conservative, Christian, cisgendered, heterosexual, and married with children. Project 2025 includes striking any language related to sexual orientation, gender identity, reproductive rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion out of all government rules, regulations, documents, contracts, and laws. Protections regarding discrimination against LGBTQIA+ would be eliminated.

The word “order” appears numerous times in Project 2025. Under these policies, the government would have the power to control what we do, how we worship, who we love, and when we have children while taking away our rights to free speech and peaceful protest. À la The Handmaid’s Tale.

While it is not possible to delineate all the provisions of Project 2025 here, other key provisions include eliminating federal funds for climate change research as well as eliminating the underpinnings of the US central banking system known as the Federal Reserve System.

Project 2025 reaches into every aspect of American life. Legal experts believe that Project 2025 will undermine the rule of law, blur the lines between church and state, and destroy our civil liberties. Even implementation of just a few of Project 2025’s ideas could have far-reaching and disastrous consequences.

Can Trump legally implement any of Agenda 47 or Project 2025? Most of the changes would be implemented by executive order which does not require congressional approval. Any executive order could be challenged in the courts, but with a conservative majority on the US Supreme Court, it is unlikely they would strike down many of Trump’s orders. Congress could possibly serve as a check on the president. (See footnote 3).

The bottom line is both Agenda 47 and Project 2025 lay out plans to consolidate power into the hands of Trump and replace the rule of law by making Trump an authoritarian dictator, just like his idols Viktor Orbán, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un. Both documents call for firing federal employees and replacing them with Trump loyalists. Both documents attack our civil liberties and individual freedoms.

There is a lot riding on this election. While I have previously stated that democracy is on the ballot this year, our rights and freedoms are being threatened by a political party that wants to control us – at the ballot box, in our jobs, in our relationships, and in our doctors’ offices, all in the name of power. Theirs.

A second Trump term will be significantly worse than his first term and inherently dangerous to our country, our democracy, and our individual freedoms. If Trump wins, Agenda 47 and Project 2025 are what he will do. Fortunately for us, Trump and the Heritage Foundation have written down their policies in plain sight. I just wonder if we can heed the warning signs.



FOOTNOTES:
1-The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank that opposes “abortion and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrants’ rights, and racial equity” (per the ACLU). The Heritage Foundation published Project 2025 with assistance from other far-right organizations, including Alliance Defending Freedom and Family Research Council. As an aside, Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance wrote the forward to the book entitled Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America, written by Kevin Roberts who is CEO of the Heritage Foundation and a major architect of Project 2025. This book calls for a second American Revolution. It is interesting that suddenly this book’s debut has been delayed until after the election. On an episode of Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Kevin Roberts stated, “we are in the process of a second American Revolution which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” Roberts has also aligned the Heritage Foundation with the Danube Institute, a front for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s far-right policies, which has funded members of the American far right. Roberts has called the Hungarian “democracy” THE model of conservatism as Orbán has rejected immigration and a diverse society and redefined “family” only to mean a heterosexual, cisgendered, married mother, father, and their children. Orbán is also in Trump’s orbit and someone Trump admires as a dictator in a government that is democratic in name only.

2- Some of Project 2025’s reproductive health policies call for:
-    Banning the drug mifepristone (which is also used in miscarriage care)
-    Eliminating funding of Planned Parenthood (see footnote 4)
-    Surveillance of all miscarriages and abortions by the federal government
-    Enforcing the 1873 Comstock Act that prohibits mailing abortion medications and imprisons violators, including health care providers
-    Eliminating contraception from Medicaid and allowing employers to remove coverage from their health plans.

3- The US Supreme Court’s July 1, 2024 decision in Donald J. Trump v. United States giving Trump immunity from criminal conviction for “official” acts is obviously very concerning. However, that judicial decision would not need to be invoked since issuing executive orders is not typically a criminal offense.

4- Planned Parenthood is the largest reproductive health provider in the US. Eliminating it would mean that many lower-income women will not be able to get health exams, mammograms, and contraception at no cost. Currently, Planned Parenthood provides contraception to 2 million people every year, including vasectomies.


NOTE: If you are interested in reading books on democracy and how easily a democracy can fail, I highly recommend: How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority, both by Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, and Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson. I also recommend Heather Cox Richardson's daily email on Substack.com called Letters from an American.


Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of L’Aiguille (“Needle”) as seen through La Manneporte arch at Étretat, France.



Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.



A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland share an idyllic island located in the North Atlantic Ocean. On a recent visit there, I was struck by the breath-taking vistas, the lush green fields with meandering dry-stone walls, and of course, the friendly people with their vibrant culture and collective storied history. Part of that history includes the Great Famine which began in 1845 when potatoes, the main stay of commoners’ diets, became infected with blight. The devastation of this major crop caused the starvation deaths of over one million people and forced another million to emigrate to find a better life. The economy continued to suffer, forcing another million people to emigrate. The population of Ireland has never fully recovered, despite recent tax incentives to draw multinational companies to headquarter there.
 
The economy is a major factor in the quality of life in any country. But how important is the economy as a voting issue? In the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, although there were other issues, it all came down to the economy. The phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” was coined to drive this point home. It seemed that regardless of other political issues and policies, how one’s personal finances were impacted certainly influenced how one voted. Is the most important issue to voters still the economy?
 
In recent polling, the economy is top of mind for many voters, especially if they vote Republican. Inflation and immigration seem to be the top two issues for the GOP, with Trump at the recent Republican National Convention erroneously stating, “We’ve suffered the worst inflation we’ve ever had.” The current inflation rate of 3% is significantly down from its recent peak in June, 2022, of 9.1%. Contrary to Trump’s claim, historically, the inflation rate has often been as much as 9%, and higher, like 18% in 1946 and 13% in 1979.
 
Regardless of party affiliation, there seems to be a real disconnect between the actual economy and voters’ perceptions of it. Historically, political party affiliation influences voter perceptions. In today’s polarized political environment, the distance between reality and perception is even wider than in the past.
 
Where one sits in the economic spectrum obviously plays a major role in perceptions of the economy. What state you live in and the economies of your state and local area will also impact you directly and influence your perceptions. But the reality is, the US economy is doing remarkably well, much better than most people realize. While the public may be pessimistic, the economy is actually very strong.
 
According to the Washington Post on July 22, “[t]he United States has the world’s best economic recovery from the pandemic: consumer spending has been high; more Americans are employed than in half a century; and wages have grown to help keep up with inflation.”
 
Inflation has fallen to a reasonable level of 3% for the last 12 months as of June and fell faster in the US than in other economically developed countries. Unemployment has been trending the lowest in 50 years; it is currently at 4%. Paychecks are also up, with overall wages rising faster than inflation. The stock market, a leading indicator of the economy, is enjoying significant growth, with the S&P 500 Index breaking record highs more than 30 times so far this year. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a barometer of a nation’s productivity, is up for the past three consecutive years under the current administration.
 
The Biden-Harris administration has done much to improve the economy as well as individual lives. It has often not received the credit due for its accomplishments. There are Republican lawmakers who voted against President Biden’s policies who are now taking credit for these policies as if they were their own ideas! Even Donald Trump falsely took credit in the presidential debate in June for capping insulin costs under Medicare at $35, something that President Joe Biden accomplished in 2022 with the Inflation Reduction Act. Obviously, false information abounds in this election season and it behooves each of us to understand the facts.
 
The Biden-Harris administration’s economic plan, often dubbed “Bidenomics,” promotes government investment to repair aging infrastructure, create clean energy, and increase domestic manufacturing jobs. It boosts the middle class by encouraging labor unions, lowering healthcare prices, and forgiving student debt. This economic policy promotes business competition while increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy. It basically builds the economy from the bottom up and the middle out. It is the opposite of Reaganomics which promotes corporations and the wealthy with the hopes that their success will trickle down to the lowest workers. It does not. The past 40 years have proven Reaganomics to be disastrous to the wealth gap with the rich getting richer and the middle class and the poor getting poorer.
 
Bidenomics, on the other hand, has an exceptional track record. Laws promoted by the Biden-Harris administration and passed by Congress have propelled the economy out of a pandemic slog and kept the US from experiencing the much-feared and frequently prophesied recession.
 
For example, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 mitigated effects of the pandemic by providing Covid-19 vaccines and tests, direct payments to struggling families, and funds to state, local, and Tribal governments, among other things.
 
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorized funding to repair aging infrastructure, provide clean drinking water and affordable high-speed internet, and create a network of electric charging stations.
 
Among the many provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is the provision of tax credits for energy efficient home improvements, the creation of millions of new jobs in clean energy, and the negotiation of Medicare drug prices. The law also addresses the budget deficit by creating a minimum corporate tax rate of 15% and providing funds for the Internal Revenue Service to use to collect taxes currently evaded by the wealthy. As of July 11, the IRS collected more than $1 billion in past-due taxes with that additional funding. Note that no Republican in Congress voted to pass this law.
 
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 was passed to provide funding for domestic manufacturing of computer chips which will create new jobs, and funding for artificial intelligence as well as other tech and science endeavors.
 
President Biden has implemented dozens of executive orders, notably one to provide more robust anti-trust law enforcement to encourage economic competition between American companies, thus providing competitive pricing for consumers. Another one provides federal funds to enhance states’ Medicaid programs. Other executive actions have canceled $168 billion in student debt for 4.8 million borrowers.
 
The accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration are staggering. And these achievements should be taken into consideration during this election season. On the campaign trail, the question often asked is whether you were better off economically under the Trump administration from 2017-2020 or the current Biden-Harris administration. While we should consider the past under Trump and the present under Biden, the question should be reframed to compare each campaign’s economic platform for the future.
 
Sixteen Nobel Prize-winning economists unanimously agree that the Biden-Harris economic plan is “vastly superior” to Trump’s plan and according to them, the US economy will be significantly worse off under a new Trump administration. They specifically say that the stock market will fall, the economy will destabilize and decline into a recession, and that the tariffs Trump proposes on imports (10% on all imports, 60% on imports from China) will be paid by the American people when purchasing imported goods, with the average middle-class family paying $1,700 per year. It will be another form of taxation. Trump’s tax cuts in 2017 added $2.2 trillion to the national debt (over a 10-year period) and will continue to add $4.6 trillion to the debt over the next 10 years if renewed in 2025 when these tax cuts are set to expire.
 
I would add that Trump’s plan to round up over 11 million illegal immigrants and put them into detention camps before deporting them will also devastate the economy, as this will cost billions of dollars and take up to 20 years to accomplish. It will decrease the supply of labor and decrease revenues to Social Security and Medicare, programs to which illegal immigrants pay into but from which they do not receive benefits.  But of course, the human cost is incalculable: 80% of illegal immigrants have been in the US for more than a decade; over one million are married to US citizens and many have children who are US citizens. Separating family members and destroying their lives and livelihoods is unfathomable. Sending them back to the violent circumstances from which many of them fled is unconscionable and in some cases, their native countries will not actually allow them to return.
 
“It’s the economy, stupid” may still be true in that the US economy is an important issue to many voters. In today’s polarized political landscape, perhaps perceptions of the economy are even more important to winning votes. But reality matters. Messaging is key. President Biden and the Harris campaign need to take credit for all the good economic policies their administration has implemented. Their work rivals that of the New Deal under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who took a stand for the American people against big business and put into motion policies that would grow the middle class and provide a safety net for both the poor and retirees. Someday, when we look back in the rear-view mirror, the reality of Bidenomics will be evident. But in the meantime, let’s just hope the fog clears before November.
 
 
 
NOTE: I have written, edited, and updated this post over the course of July as new data has emerged. Today is Monday, Augusts 5. As I schedule this post, stock markets around the world are having a terrible day! Stock markets always go up and down. They are often driven by two emotions: fear and greed. Today we see both in action. Some investors have used the cheaper Japanese yen to buy up tech and AI stocks to increase their gains, but at greater risks. Last week, Japan increased its historically low interest rates to a higher level, causing those investors using the yen to panic. Investors were already getting jittery over mega tech companies’ investments in AI which have not yet started to pay off. So today, we are seeing fear feed on itself and multiply to the greater investment community as these huge tech companies’ drop in value drag down the rest of the markets. The US markets are still up overall for the year. Remember that while markets are driven by fear and greed, the underlying US economy is still strong.

ADDENDUM, 8/22/2024:
The goal of posting my August blog was to combat mis- and disinformation regarding the state of the economy that may be influencing voters’ perceptions. By all traditional measures, the US economy is very strong and it recovered remarkably well (and quickly) from the throes of the pandemic. Yet, I feel like this is not the complete story.

One missing piece is that despite the strong economy, many people are struggling financially. Costs for groceries, housing (both supply issues and higher mortgage rates), and prescription drugs are significantly higher than their pre-pandemic costs. While it is true that prices historically rise over time, the price spikes caused by the pandemic and exacerbated by a supply chain crisis have not reset. They remain high despite the inflation rate returning to a normal level. This higher level of prices feels artificial. Is this unbridled capitalism gone amok? Or is it corporate greed? Or some of both or something else?

I do not know what “normal” prices would look like for groceries, housing, and prescription drugs, but I believe it is possible to lower them. Price gouging at the supermarket could be investigated and perpetrators held accountable and possibly fined for infractions. Local and state governments could remove building restrictions to enable the supply of housing to increase. The Federal Reserve is currently considering an interest rate cut at its next meeting that could lower mortgage rates a bit. The federal government could negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Americans pay 2-4 times more for prescription drugs, especially name-brand drugs, than citizens of other industrialized nations. Why is there such a markup in the US? Is it because there is no single-payer system in the US (except Medicare) like in other wealthy nations with which to negotiate drug prices on behalf of consumers? Private insurers do try to negotiate discounts but individually, they have very little power.

After hearing presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ proposals to address all three of these price issues, I am encouraged that she is listening to the average American. She has stated she will address price gouging (and she did not say “price controls” which Nixon tried to do and failed miserably). She plans to increase housing supply and offer help for first-time home buyers. She and President Biden have already capped out-of-pocket prescription drug costs under Medicare at $2,000 per year, effective in 2025. For Medicare recipients, they also have negotiated a lower prescription drug price for insulin at $35, effective in 2023, and lower prices for the top 10 most used drugs, effective in 2026. Harris hopes to expand these lower drug prices to the rest of Americans.

So, where does that leave us? Yes, the economy is strong. But not everyone is feeling it. Higher costs, particularly in food, housing, and prescription drugs are legitimate complaints. Unbridled capitalism and very little government regulation got us here in the first place; it is not the solution. Perhaps the intervention of government, at all levels, can work for the people, based on this November’s mandate from the people. Your voice and your vote matter.


 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of an old stone house surrounded by dry-stone walls on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands in Ireland.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

Two hundred and forty-eight years ago tomorrow, the members of the Second Continental Congress penned the words of the Declaration of Independence. When one of the 200 printed copies reached King George III, Britain’s monarch denounced the declaration, calling the authors "misguided Americans" with "their extravagant and inadmissible Claim of Independency." Despite however “misguided” or “extravagant” the Founding Fathers were, their words penned in this famous document are now etched into history forever.

As the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Abraham Lincoln called the Declaration of Independence “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.” According to archives.gov, “[I]t continues to inspire people around the world to fight for freedom and equality."

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness undergirded the colonists' claim for the right to be independent of Britain and free to form a government by the people, not a king. They wished to be free from the oppressive rule and taxation forced on them by the Crown. In forging a new country, they were men of differing opinions who came together for the greater good. While there were not yet any political parties in this nascent nation, the Founding Fathers indeed put the good of the country over their own individual political beliefs.

Recently, Republican and Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, expounding on the need to uphold our democratic ideals. Yet, he continues to throw his support to the one candidate, Trump, who is the biggest threat to our democracy. If only McConnell would put his country over his party instead of capitulating to Trump and the minority members who wield the power of the GOP for their own benefit and not for the American people. But alas, he does not have the bravery to face the Freedom Caucus of the Republican Party, or perhaps he is driven by his own quest for power. By falling in step with them, his words on democracy ring hollow.

As a former Republican, I feel sad that the Republican Party has moved so far to the right and no longer supports the Constitution, democracy, or the rule of law. Democracy needs two viable parties to survive, both committed to democracy and both committed to the greater good. We no longer have that in the US.

We may disagree on different policies, like reproductive rights, immigration, the economy, taxes, gun control, or foreign policy, but we can all support the Constitution and democracy.

Lawmakers as well as military personnel take oaths to support the Constitution. When they support a candidate like Trump who, by his own actions, as seen in his recent criminal trial, believes he is above the law and has demonstrated that he believes he does not have to obey the Constitution, these lawmakers have broken their oath of service. When lawmakers say they are for democracy but throw their support behind Trump, a convicted felon (on 34 counts) who tried to influence the 2016 election in his favor, then these lawmakers have put their party over their country.

By contrast, last week, former Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a military veteran and current member of the Air National Guard, endorsed Biden for president saying, “[W]hile I certainly don’t agree with President Biden on everything, and I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for president, I know that he will always protect the very thing that makes America the best country in the world: our democracy…Donald Trump poses a direct threat to every fundamental American value. He doesn’t care about our country. He doesn’t care about you. He only cares about himself. And he’ll hurt anyone or anything in pursuit of power.” Kinzinger is a clear example of putting the country over his party.

Unlike Kinzinger, those in the Republican party who adhere to Trump and the Far Right rather than to their oaths of office or any convictions regarding democracy demonstrate their allegiance is not to the flag or to America. They do not have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans in mind - only for themselves. They are no longer the “Grand Old Party,” a nickname from the 1870’s that marked their role in preserving the Union during the Civil War. Republicans who claim they are the party of Lincoln, have become so un-Lincoln as to not carry forth his beliefs in democracy. Lincoln held democracy so dear that he gave his life for it, at the hands of a mad man who was pro-slavery, anti-abolition, and anti-immigration (as a member of the Know Nothings party). Lincoln, the antithesis of Booth, died on the right side of history. Booth is an anathema, forever denounced by history.
 
When leaders and far-right members put the Republican party over the country, they elevate Trump, a presidential candidate who promises to consolidate power into his own hands, threatens vengeance against his political enemies, plans to use the military against peaceful protesters, and prepares to arrest, detain, and deport illegal immigrants. Democracy will be lost. Where there is no democracy, there will be no debate on reproductive rights, immigration, the economy, taxes, gun control, or foreign policy, or any other policy issue, because all policies will be at the whim of a dictator. When you vote, vote for democracy, even if that means putting the country over your long-held party. In the long run, when democracy wins, we all win.

John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural speech on January 20, 1961, said that throughout history, there are generations chosen to defend democracy and “freedom in its hour of maximum danger.” He said, “I do not shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it…And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.”

What can we do for our country? We can be that stumbling block to tyranny and oppression to prevent would-be dictators and their allies from ascending to power and destroying democracy. Become informed through trusted resources about the candidates and the issues. Register to vote. Encourage people in your sphere of influence to register to vote. And vote! Like your life, your liberty, and your pursuit of happiness depends upon it. Because it does.




NOTE: Fast forward from 1776 to 1916, to another revolution against the British Crown. On the island of Ireland, Republicans (those for an independent Republic of Ireland) fought the British for their right to self-govern, and finally in 1922 won their independence. The Republic of Ireland was created from the 26 predominately Catholic counties out of the total of 32 Irish counties. The remaining six counties in the northern part of the island who were predominately Protestant became Northern Ireland, a country that would (and still does) remain part of the United Kingdom. The Cliffs of Moher were beautiful to behold on a recent trip to Ireland.


Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved.


Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.



A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me…to set the oppressed free.  Luke 4:18
 
 
The parables of Jesus are often a mystery. Jesus seems to speak in riddles; it is easy to miss the point. Even theological experts disagree among themselves on how a parable is to be interpreted.
 
For years, I have accepted the interpretations by conservative theologians that often claim a “moral” to every parable. Yet, context is key. Placing the stories in the context in which they were told and how they were heard is important. As I seek to do that and as I re-read them with fresh eyes, I have come to a new appreciation for Jesus’ mission and for His storytelling skill of weaving together situations that would have been common to His hearers with a totally different message or ending than they (or I) expected. A closer look at Jesus and His parables demonstrates how His teachings turned society on its head and threatened the prevailing societal order to empower the oppressed in society.
 
One such example is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector found in Luke 18:9-14. Jesus tells the story of a religious leader, a Pharisee, who prays conspicuously in the temple courtyard. Standing inconspicuously off to the side is the tax collector. He prays, too, but it is a short and simple prayer begging God for mercy as he recognizes himself as a sinner. The typical interpretation of this parable is that we are to come before God in prayer with humility.
 
Yet, is that what Jesus is really saying? Is this parable just about humility and prayer? Could there be more to this story?
 
The Pharisee is a member of the elite religious establishment. The tax collector is ostracized from society for his work in collecting taxes; he is part of a much-despised group in society. Interestingly, they have something in common: they BOTH collect taxes. Yes, the temple leaders extracted taxes from the peasants just as Rome did and the amounts were just as onerous. The monies collected from the temple tax enrich the pockets of the religious leaders and other elites. This double-taxation, from the religious leaders and from the Roman rulers, imposes a horrendous financial burden on the peasants in this agrarian society. The poor become poorer while the rich become richer.
 
There is no mercy from the Pharisees and other religious leaders for the poor who cannot afford to pay either the temple tax or the temple sacrifice. When a poor person cannot pay, they are ostracized from the temple and from society. They are deemed “unclean” and a “sinner” because they cannot participate in the temple ritual of cleansing. This stigma creates difficulties in finding work and so the poor are pushed deeper into poverty.
 
In this parable, the tax collector is most likely a toll collector who sits in a toll booth collecting money on behalf of his employer. Unlike the tax collector (think of Zacchaeus) who extracts taxes over and above what is due and keeps the excess, this toll collector does not make a livable wage. He works in a job where he is despised by everyone. As a worker, he is expendable, for there are other out-of-work laborers who would take his place out of financial desperation.
 
The Pharisee in this story dehumanizes the toll collector, slandering him as being a robber, an evildoer, and an adulterer of God’s law. The audience would have expected this; they probably agreed. But they would have expected the toll collector to be humiliated and slink off out of the temple courtyard into oblivion. To their surprise, the toll collector agrees he is a sinner and loudly shouts to God to intervene. He knows he has cheated people (at the behest of his employer) and he expresses remorse. He also knows he does not belong at the temple as he is considered irreversibly unclean. But he is not going away quietly! And how dare he go directly to God?! His very presence challenges the Pharisee’s own claims of righteousness. The toll collector implores God directly for mercy instead of staying enmeshed in the Pharisaic system of clean and unclean. In doing so, the toll collector threatens the very economic system that profits the Pharisee.
 
To the shock of His audience, Jesus says the toll collector, not the religious Pharisee, is the one who receives mercy and justification from God. (Ironically, the Pharisee is everything he accuses the toll collector of being.) Even though the toll collector can never repay who he cheated because he does not know the people from whom he extracted the tolls, he is still forgiven despite the impossibility of reparations. That, too, would have shocked the listeners’ ears.
 
Why does Jesus tell this story? He casts a spotlight on the excesses and corruption of the religious leaders. He zeros in on who the oppressors are. He points the peasants to the problem and helps them name it: oppression. It is only when a problem is named that a solution can be found. Armed with this realization, the peasant population just might try to change this unjust system. And that is what the religious leaders fear: an uprising that would dethrone their power and rob them of their ill-gained riches.
 
The Pharisees understood this parable and its accusations against them. It instilled fear in them, fear that Jesus was turning the crowd against them. While Jesus helped the peasants identify the problem of oppression that was killing them, the religious leaders were plotting their own solution to kill this problem called Jesus.
 
As part of His mission, Jesus came to free the oppressed (Luke 4:18). The Pharisees would have none of that.
 
 
 
NOTE: Unfortunately, oppression is all too common and not just in Bible times. Today, laws that seek to take away our individual rights, such as bodily autonomy and being able to get the medical care we need, are indeed oppressive. Oppressive laws and the underlying attitudes supporting them impact women, people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQA+ community including trans people, pregnant people, as well as other minority groups. Standing up for the oppressed is what Jesus did. We must go and do likewise.
 
 
NOTE: Inspiration for this blog is from Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed by William R. Herzog II.
 
NOTE: June is Pride Month. Check out history.com.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. The two characters in this parable are opposites but they both reflect the corrupt societal system at work. This photo is of the swirling reflection of the mountains with a hint of color from a setting sun, taken on Trollfjord in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 

 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™