 A top comment on a recent viral Instagram video reads, ”As a Christian, I don’t think you can be both MAGA and Christian.“
It's always nice to see validation of something we've been saying for 16 years. Before MAGA it was The "Christian" Right. Since 2009 we've said the ideology behind The "Christian" Right is 100% opposite of the teachings of Jesus. Trolls have always come back with, "but ... but abortion and gay marriage!" It's as if those two biblically obscure topics excuse them from ignoring everything Jesus actually taught. Matthew 25: 31-46 is a perfect example on this subject and we've pointed it out hundreds of times over the years. (Note: The left–right political spectrum is a system of classifying political positions, ideologies and parties. Left / Right terminology in Matthew does not correlate to the modern classifications, which originated during the French Revolution based on the seating in the French National Assembly.) A viral video has done the same as of late and it's good to see. The more this issue is exposed the better. A recent Huffington Post article covers the situation well. This Viral Video Has People Talking About Christianity Versus 'MAGA Christianity' Jen Hamilton went through the specifics in her video. She went through Matthew 25 while comparing the MAGA policies that directly oppose Jesus’ teachings in a very obvious way. “I was hungry and you fed me,” she reads in the clip, as a headline about a Trump administration spending bill that proposes slashing federal funding to the SNAP food program by nearly $300 billion pops up. “I was in prison and you visited me,” she says, as a headline about migrants who entered the country legally and were still deported to El Salvador prisons appears on the screen. “I was sick and you cared for me,” she says, as another story, this one about potential cuts to Medicaid, flashes by. Jen Hamilton points out that Matthew 25 says those who serve people in need ― the hungry, the prisoner, the stranger ― will enter his Kingdom, while those who overlook the downtrodden will receive judgment: “When you refused to help the least of these, you were refusing to help me,” Jesus tells the latter. When MAGA Christians, and before them members of The "Christian" Right, are confronted with these things they resort to the following reply, "Those instructions are for individuals, not governments." That's a cop-out and a lie. The instructions Jesus gives in Matthew 25 are universal laws. They apply to individuals, governments (kings), and businesses (merchants). There are many, many instances in scripture where God became very upset with kings and masters who abused their subjects or workers, depriving them of basic needs and rights. Trying to say it only applies to individuals is silly and absurd. "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen." (Ezekiel 16:49-50) What's more it's the height of hypocrisy given their obsession with using the government to force their particular views on others. We often say if you don't like abortion, don't have one. If you don't like gay marriage, don't get gay married. Note: We're working on getting the 'Like' button fixed. Christian Nationalism Is Fascism. Here's Why. By Charles Toy  Christian Nationalism isn't Christian. It's Fascism. It's Idolatry. It's Unconstitutional. A key facet of Fascism is control via extreme Nationalism. "The nation is viewed as supreme, and nationalistic symbols (like religion) and rhetoric are used to unite the population." With over 200 distinct Christian denominations in the United States, which one would be chosen to represent our "National Ideals?" The current Populist version in the US is The "Christian" Right. Its ideology is 100% opposite of the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is the Religion of Empire. It worships Mammon and power. It exemplifies the teaching in 'The parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man' (Luke 16:19-31). The Framers of the US Constitution were extremely wise to enshrine, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Christianity wasn't intended to be part of Nationalism then (Framer's era); It isn't now; And, it never will be if we know what's good for us. It's already being used as a cover for racism, bigotry, misogyny, and as a means to throw "The Least of These" under the bus. Its power brokers scapegoat vulnerable and oppressed groups using obscure and misinterpreted scripture. For example, the Old Testament scripture they use to discriminate against LGBTQA+ people also prohibits eating shrimp and wearing mixed fabrics. It puts all these things in the same category. The New Testament scriptures they use were written by Paul in his musings to the churches in early Christianity. They are full of his personal opinions. Jesus excused several groups from the Marriage Laws (Matthew 19:10-12), saying “Not everyone is able to do this, but only those to whom it has been given." One man, one woman isn't a universal command from Jesus. He said it himself. The same can be proved with regard to "choice" and pregnant women (another vulnerable group), but this is long enough already. The "Christian" Right is wrong, no matter how hard they troll this page with their incessant nonsense.  Note: We're working on getting the 'Like' button fixed.
 MAGA is melting down. Here's the full text of Pelley's speech.
It is 100% correct. Good morning, everybody. What a beautiful day. What a beautiful North Carolina day for a graduation. Incredible. Thank you, President Wente, Provost Gillespie, members of the Board of Trustees and Katy Harriger, my faculty sponsor, for this precious Wake Forest honorary degree. I am honored and grateful to be with you today. Good morning, graduates! A special shout out to our Reserve Officer Training Corps members who are going to be commissioned today in the service of their country today. Thank you so much. Oh, this has been a challenging road. You have worked, you have worried and you have wondered if you could reach this day. I’m not talking about the graduates; I’m talking to the parents and the families. Why are there so many people here? Because nobody got here alone. First, a quick word of warning. I was reporting a story for 60 Minutes not too long ago, and I had a chat with a young astronomer. And I asked her, “So, what took you into astronomy?” She said, “Well, you spoke at my college graduation…” And she went on and she said, “I was graduating with a perfectly sensible degree. But as I heard you speak, I realized my love was astronomy, so I re-enrolled. Now, I have a Ph.D. in astronomy and now I work on the Webb Space Telescope.” So, if there is anyone here today who does not want to be an astronomer, this is the time to space out. You know, if we were in London, we might be walking past Portman Square on a beautiful spring day. We would encounter the headquarters of the British Broadcasting Corporation, a nearly 100-year-old building from which Edward R. Murrow, the original CBS News correspondent, stood on the roof and broadcast back to America word of the falling bombs of fascism that fell on that free city month after month. If we walk a little bit further past the BBC, we will encounter another hero in the fight against fascism, George Orwell. He’d be standing there, frozen in bronze with his words carved in the side of a building: “If liberty means anything at all, it means something worth saying that some people don’t want to hear.” I fear there are some people in the audience who don’t want to hear what I have to say today. But I appreciate your forbearance in this small act of liberty. I’m a reporter so I won’t bury the lead. Your country needs you. The country that has given you so much is calling you, the Class of 2025. The country needs you, and it needs you today. As a reporter, I have learned to respect opinions. Reasonable people can differ about the life of our country. America works well when we listen to those with whom we disagree and when we listen and when we have common ground and we compromise. And one thing we can all agree on – one thing at least – is that America is at her best when everyone is included. To move forward, we debate, not demonize. We discuss, not destroy. But in this moment – this moment, this morning – our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak. In America? If our government is – in Lincoln’s words – “of the people, by the people and for the people” – then why are we afraid to speak? The Wake Forest Class of 1861 did not choose their time of calling. The Class of 1941 did not choose. The Class of 1968 did not choose. History chose them. And now history is calling you, the Class of 2025. You may not feel prepared, but you are. You are not descended of fearful people. You brought your values to school with you and now Wake Forest has trained you to seek the truth, to find the meaning of life. Let me tell you briefly about three people I have recently met who discovered the meaning of their lives in moments of crisis not unlike what we have today. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, spent his entire career as an entertainer on television. His first elected office was president of Ukraine. And three years ago, the Russian army came at him from three directions. He had a decision to make. And so he reached for the most lethal weapon in the Ukranian arsenal: his cell phone. He walked out of front of the presidential offices in Kyiv and made a video selfie. He told his people, “I’m still here and your army is still here, and we are going to fight.” He galvanized 44 million people instantly. Today, three years later, he is all that stands between a murderous dictator in Russia and the rest of free Europe. I asked him, “Where did that come from?” And he said, “Well, you look in the mirror and you ask, ‘Who are you’”? Nadia Marad, a woman whom we at 60 Minutes found in a refugee camp in Iraq. Her family was murdered by ISIS and she had been sold for money into slavery. We convinced her to tell her story on 60 Minutes, which she did and she found her voice. Then she began to write, and then she began to speak about the crimes that women suffer in war. And a few years later, this young woman who we had found in a refugee camp won the Nobel Peace Prize. Who are you? Finally, Dr. Samer Attar, an orthopedic surgeon in Chicago and a professor of surgery at Northwestern who volunteers to do surgery in war zones. In Gaza. In Ukraine. In To save lives of innocent people by using whatever meager supplies he has at hand. I asked him, “Where does this come from?” He told me, “It’s not much, but it beats burying your head in fear and ignorance.” Who are you? What is the meaning of life? Today, great universities are threatened with ruin. So what did President Wente and Provost Gillespie do? They spoke out. They joined other institutions signing the call for constructive engagement, a declaration of the relationship between government and higher education. It reads in part, “Institutions of higher education share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation.” Who are you? What does this make Wake Forest in this moment? Well, I think we know. Did you hear that phrase in the Declaration? “Pursuit of truth?” Why attack universities? Why attack journalism? Because ignorance works for power. First, make the truth seekers live in fear. Sue the journalists. For nothing. Then send masked agents to abduct a college student, a writer of her college paper who wrote an editorial supporting Palestinian rights, and send her to a prison in Louisiana and charge her with nothing. Then, move to destroy law firms that stand up for the rights of others. With that done, power can rewrite history. With grotesque, false narratives, they can make heroes criminals and criminals heroes. And they can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality. “Diversity” is now described as “illegal.” “Equity” is to be shunned. “Inclusion” is a dirty word. This is an old playbook, my friends. There is nothing new in this. George Orwell – who we met on the street in London – in 1949, he warned of what he called “new speak.” He understood that ignorance works for power. But it is ignorance that you have repudiated every single day here at Wake Forest University. Who are you? I think we know. Can just speaking the truth actually work? Well, consider this day. This day. May 19. May 19, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was published for the first time. In that letter, Dr. King says, “The first thing that has to be done in the pursuit of justice is collecting the facts.” Power was telling him in a jail cell, “Do not speak the truth because power will crush you.” But consider that just months before that letter was published, Wake Forest University became the first major private institution of higher education in the South to integrate. In 1962. The year after Dr. King’s letter –1964 – the Civil Rights Act is passed. And the year after that – 1965 – the Voting Rights Act is passed. Now today both of those are under attack. But can the truth win? My friends, nothing else does. It may be a long road, but the truth is coming. Did you hear the other phrase in the declaration that was signed by President Wente and Provost Gillespie? “Without fear.” That does not mean there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s an affirmation that you know who you are. That you know what you stand for. And that you know in the end – the long end – the Constitution will defend you even in the face of fearsome times. In the words of one of your former Wake Forest professors: “You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies. You may tread me into the very dirt, but like dust, I’ll rise. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise. Into a daybreak that’s wonderfully clear, I rise. Bringing the gifts my ancestors gave me, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.” The poet Maya Angelou taught at Wake Forest. She saw the fear that power sought to impose, yet in her famous phrase, she still knew why the caged bird sings. This university, old and wise, has seen worse. It has overcome existential threats before to our country. You are not alone. A legion has gone before you. And now it is the Class of 2025 that is called in another extreme time. Will you permit me another word of advice? I think this is how I created at least one astronomer. Do not settle. You only get one pass at this. This world is going to tell you no a thousand times, but listen to the song in your heart. If they can’t hear it, that’s on them and not on you. In the 1980s, I was rejected by CBS News over and over and over again over the years. They told me at one point, “Please stop applying.” They really did. And at the time, I thought “What’s wrong with these people?” They couldn’t hear the song in my heart. Maybe they were smarter. Every time I was rejected, I got better. Maybe that was the plan. But I finally made them hear the music in my heart. You only lose if you quit. Do not settle. What is the meaning of life? Who are you? You are the educated. You are the compassionate. You are the fierce defenders of democracy, the seekers of truth, the vanguards against ignorance. You are millions strong across our land. You might be sorry that you were picked by history for this role. But maybe that was the plan. Hard times are going to make you better and stronger. In a few minutes, when that diploma hits your hand, it’s not a piece of paper you’re holding. We’re handing you a baton. Run with it. Why am I here today? I’m 50 years farther down the trail than you are, and I have doubled back this morning to tell you the one thing I have learned from Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Nadia Marad and Samer Attar and a thousand others: In a moment like this, when our country is in peril, don’t ask the meaning of life. Life is asking, “What’s the meaning of you?” With great admiration for your achievements and with confidence that you will rise to this occasion, I thank you very humbly for the honor of being with you. Thank you very much.  Backwards Red States are enacting ‘Fetal Personhood’ laws that place the rights of a fetus above the rights of the mother. The result is women being monitored by tip lines (some with rewards), investigated, arrested, and imprisoned over stillbirths and miscarriages.
This is evil and insane. Federal legislation must be enacted to remove women’s medical and reproductive decisions from the hands of politicians, busybodies, and religious extremists. Women are being made to be second class citizens, subject to forced pregnancy by order of the state, and condemned to live in fear if they have a stillbirth or miscarriage and are somehow blamed for causing it. Some self-righteous people say they should use birth control. Women often don't have a choice in the matter with sex, even with their husbands or boyfriends. Others don't have access to birth control or can't afford it. Republicans are actually trying to outlaw certain types of birth control. Putting women in this situation isn't Christian. Women are children of God, just like men. They have the same rights as men. It's not about 'killing babies,' which is ludicrous to even say. It's about giving women what they have a right to, agency over their own bodies, medical decisions, and family planning. It's no one else's business. It's wrong and pigheaded to think it is. And it's unChristian. All of the cases discussed in the following links can be individually Googled. They are all real cases. Texas Jailed a Miscarriage Patient for Five Months https://jessica.substack.com/p/texas-jailed-a-miscarriage-patient These States Have Investigated Miscarriages and Stillbirths as Crimes https://www.themarshallproject.org/2025/04/02/law-pregnancy-california-ohio-georgia-alabama A Woman Died After Being Told It Would Be a “Crime” to Intervene in Her Miscarriage at a Texas Hospital https://www.propublica.org/article/josseli-barnica-death-miscarriage-texas-abortion-ban They Lost Their Pregnancies. Then Prosecutors Sent Them to Prison. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2022/09/01/they-lost-their-pregnancies-then-prosecutors-sent-them-to-prison She Lost Her Baby, Then Her Freedom https://www.themarshallproject.org/2022/09/01/she-lost-her-baby-then-her-freedom In post-Roe America, women who suffer miscarriages face threat of jail https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20250411-in-post-roe-america-women-who-suffer-miscarriages-face-threat-of-jail How did The "Christian" Right get so brainwashed and fanatic over this? It was an orchestrated plan. Here's how: The Real Origins of the Religious Right https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133/ The ‘biblical view’ that’s younger than the Happy Meal In 1979, McDonald’s introduced the Happy Meal. Sometime after that, it was decided that the Bible teaches that human life begins at conception. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2012/02/18/the-biblical-view-thats-younger-than-the-happy-meal/  People keep saying, “This isn’t us! This isn’t us!” Well, the thing is, it IS us. The United States elected a populist, racist, misogynist, sexist, homophobic, bigot president because a large segment of our population is racist, misogynist, sexist, homophobic, and bigoted, even women. See, they don’t like it when certain groups don’t ‘stay in their place.’ They didn’t like the ‘Me Too’ movement. They didn’t like the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. They didn’t like that Marriage Equality was afforded to all Americans. They don’t like the actual teachings of Jesus, and they reject any form of faith that isn’t Right-Wing, White “Christian” Nationalist. They don’t really like Jewish people much or ‘Woke Popes.’ At the very least they want them all to shut up and stop demanding equal treatment in society and under the law. Truth be told, they don’t really like being told what to do, so they don’t like the parts of the US Constitution that limit what they can do. That’s why they overlooked the attempted coup on January 6th, even though cops were brutally beaten. That’s why they admire Authoritarian leaders like Viktor Orbán. That’s why they hold their CPAC gathering in Hungary. That’s why they overlook Trump being a convicted criminal and a person held civilly liable for sexual assault. That’s why they overlook, or excuse Trump thumbing is nose at the Constitution and the courts. That’s why they overlook Trump acting like the head of the Gestapo and deporting people without due process. That’s why they overlook Trump accepting a 747 as a gift from another country. That’s why they allow Trump to grift like no other president in history with his ‘meme coins’ and plans for new Trump Hotels all over the world. That’s why they allow Trump to go after Media Matters and ActBlue. Donald Trump, MAGA, and the authors and supporters of Project 2025 are currently engaging in a full-scale war against the rule of law, specifically what they call “illegal court orders.” They don’t like the courts telling them what to do. The Republican controlled congress isn’t lifting as finger to stop it. They are 100% complicit. If they win, we’re done. The courts are all we have defending us from Trump becoming Putin in every way that matters. God help us if that happens. Part of the MAGA way is cruelty and vengeance. The most effective website online in terms of explaining the constitution and the rule of law is Democracy Docket. Another one is Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) A third great site is the William J Brennan Jr Center for Justice  Preserving Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law Remarks by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson First Circuit Judicial Conference, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico May 1, 2025  Good evening! Thank you for that generous introduction. I am delighted to be here with you all this evening—in warm and wonderful Puerto Rico. As Chief Judge Barron indicated, I have the honor of having been appointed as the Circuit Justice for the First Circuit, replacing my mentor, friend, and former boss, Justice Breyer. And I do realize that I have big shoes to fill. But actually I feel right at home in this position, given that I spent my formative years as a law clerk and a lawyer working in this circuit and have especially fond memories of the judges and the courts of this particular community. When my other mentor, Judge Patti Saris, and I sit down for the fireside chat portion of this presentation in a few minutes, we will cover some of those experiences, and I am looking forward to that. But, first, I thought it important to provide some prepared remarks about this especially challenging moment for all of us (as judges) and for the rule of law.
Before I turn to those remarks, though, I do want to acknowledge and thank Chief Judge Barron for inviting me to speak this evening. And I would also be completely remiss if I did not take a moment to acknowledge the recent passing of Judge Bruce Selya, for whom I had the honor of clerking. In my memoir, I describe Judge Selya as “a brilliant, meticulous, and scholarly practitioner of the law,” and I can also attest to the fact that he treated his law clerks like family. I have wonderful memories of clerking for him, which Judge Saris and I will hopefully touch upon when we sit down together. But while I have the podium right now, let me address what I think is the elephant in the room: which is the relentless attacks and disregard and disparagement that judges around the country, and perhaps many of you, are now facing on a daily basis. It seems as though every time I read the news or turn on the television these days, I see the affronts, and I am also reminded of the vital work that judges do to protect our constitutional order. Unfortunately, that solemn duty seems both more urgent and more difficult with each passing day. Across the nation, judges are facing increased threats of not only physical violence but also professional retaliation, just for doing our jobs. And the attacks are not random; they seem designed to intimidate those of us who serve in this critical capacity. The attacks are also not isolated incidents; that is, they impact more than just the individual judges who are being targeted. Rather, the threats and the harassment are attacks on our democracy—on our system of government. And they ultimately risk undermining our Constitution and the rule of law. Perhaps because today—May 1st—happens to be National Law Day, I am taking this point of personal privilege to reaffirm the significance of judicial independence and to denounce attacks on judges based on their rulings. A society in which judges are routinely made to fear for their own safety or their own livelihood due to their decisions is one that has substantially departed from the norms of behavior that govern in a democratic system. Attacks on judicial independence are how countries that are not free, not fair, and not rule-of-law-oriented operate. And, as you well know, having an independent judiciary—defined as judges who are “indifferent to improper pressure” and “determined to decide each case according to the law” is one of the key ingredients that makes our free, fair, and law-centered society work.(1) In his seminal Remarks on Judicial Independence, Justice Breyer helpfully underscores this. The speech I am referring to is published in volume 95 of the Georgetown Law Journal, and I strongly commend it to all of you and to anyone who cares about this issue. Justice Breyer explains that (and I’m quoting now) "Constitutional guarantees of tenure and compensation may well help secure judicial independence, but they can by no means assure it. Ultimately, independence is a matter of custom, habit, and institutional expectation. And to build those customs, habits, and expectations requires time and support—not only from the bench and bar but from the community where judges serve."(2) Then comes the kicker: “Unfortunately,” he says, “it may prove easier to dismantle that independence than to attain it.”(3) You might be interested to know that that concern—about the fragility of judicial independence in light of its significance to a free and democratic society—is truly evergreen. As Justice Breyer notes, no less an authority than Alexander Hamilton once commented that “the independence of the judges, once destroyed, the constitution is gone; it is a dead letter, it is a vapor which the breath of faction in a moment may dissipate.”(4) So what can we judges do, in this moment, to ensure that judicial independence is preserved for the protection of our Constitution and the People of the United States? I offer two ideas, for now—and I hope that this can be the start of many such conversations in the months to come. First, judges can work to educate our fellow citizens about what we do and about the importance of our particular role in defending the Constitution and the rule of law. Justice Breyer focuses on civic education quite a bit in the remarks I mentioned; he even gives specifics about the kinds of things judges might say to lay people to help them understand the connection between judicial independence and their own wellbeing. I am also happy to report that judges throughout the First Circuit are doing yeoman’s work when it comes to community outreach and education. I highlighted the District of New Hampshire’s sponsorship of several innovative civics programs for middle and high school students in my taped (1) Stephen Breyer, Judicial Independence: Remarks by Justice Breyer, 95 Georgetown L.J. 903, 904 (2007). (2) Id. at 904. (3) Ibid. (4) Id. at 905. statement for last year’s conference. I will give yet another Shout Out to Chief Judge Landya McCafferty, for her work with a group called Speak Up for Justice, which endeavors to “bring the country together to voice support for the judiciary,” including convening widely attend virtual events.(5) Judges can, and should, support that effort, and to the extent that we are able, get involved with similar initiatives. My second suggestion is that we look inward and focus on supporting one another during these challenging times—helping each other to hold on despite the difficulties—and continually reminding ourselves of the core values that guide us in our daily work. Apparently, Justice Kennedy once told a group of Russian judges that “only other judges can fully understand the loneliness of a judge confronted with the task of independently deciding a truly difficult case.”(6) Acknowledging that shared experience helps. And I do know that loneliness from my own service as a district judge in the District of Columbia. It is very stressful to have to decide a difficult case in the spotlight and under pressure. And especially for a single district judge, having to manage a high-profile, fast moving, consequential case involving a challenge to government action is enormously difficult. When you add to that having to endure baseless attacks on your intelligence and integrity— coming from people who are not so subtly trying to influence your decision making—it can sometimes take raw courage to remain steadfast in doing what the law requires. For me, I have found sustaining strength in historical role models—judges throughout history who have faced similar challenges and moved through them with duty, honor, and a clarity of conscience. I am thinking about towering figures like Julius Waties Waring (SC), John M. Wisdom (LA), Elbert P. Tuttle (GA), John R. Brown (TX), Richard T. Rives (AL), and W. Arthur Garrity (MA), just to name just a few. Three district judges from the not-so-distant past have been especially inspirational to me, and I offer you their stories as examples. These judges displayed the kind of courage that some of us might find the need to summon today. (5) Speak Up for Justice, https://speakupforjustice.law. (6) Breyer, supra note 1, at 904. Starting with the Civil Rights Era: Everyone is aware of the Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. But as some of you remember, in the wake of Brown, the promise of integration was met with fierce opposition across the American South. Many Southern elected officials vowed defiance, segregationists erupted in protests, and African Americans faced severe threats of violence for even attempting to bring civil rights lawsuits in federal court. In the midst of all the social turmoil on the ground, district judges were essential to pronouncing what the law required and thereby ensuring that the promise of Brown was actually and ultimately realized. One of those judges was Judge Frank M. Johnson, who President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama in 1955, one year after Brown. At the time of his appointment, the strong winds of the civil rights movement were catching sails across the south—and particularly in Alabama. Rosa Parks’s arrest ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott. And within three weeks of his first day on the job, Judge Johnson, who sat in Montgomery, was assigned to one of those cases that judges find thrilling at first—before the wave of nausea hits. In his first major ruling, Judge Johnson joined a three-judge panel in striking down Montgomery’s bus-segregation law as violating the Fourteenth Amendment. And in subsequent cases, he continued to faithfully apply the principles of equal justice under law and the promise of the Fourteenth Amendment, leading to the integration of Alabama’s universities and juries, and expanded access to court-appointed counsel for indigent defendants. Now, as I am sure you can imagine, Judge Johnson’s decisions were pretty unpopular at the time, and often placed a target on his back in the community in which he lived and worked. But biographers say he was generally nonplussed about this—and it certainly did not impact his decision. He said, quite simply, that he was just doing his duty; “it is the obligation of every judge to see that justice is done within the framework of the law.”(7) So, when the late John Lewis reflected on Judge Johnson’s legacy, he noted that, “[i]n the face of social ostracism, countless threats to his life, two cross-burnings on his lawn, and the firebombing of his mother's house, Judge Johnson held fast to his principles and raised the Constitution as a lonely shield against his adversaries.”(8) Judge J. Skelly Wright, who sat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1949 to 1962, is the second judge I want to mention—he was another leading civil rights era judge. While Judge Johnson was ruling on the defiant acts of Alabama’s executive officials, Judge Wright had to contend with Louisiana’s legislature—their defiance of Brown v. Board took the form of new state laws aimed at evading the Supreme Court’s ruling. When cases were filed that challenged the constitutionality of those laws and were assigned to him, Judge Wright was undaunted. First, he held that Louisiana statutes that entrenched racial segregation in public schools could not be sustained as applied, and ordered the New Orleans school board to end the practice—he was the first judge in the Deep South to issue that kind of directive. Then, despite facing private violence and public insults, Judge Wright continued to issue integration orders—not just to public school officials, but to Louisiana universities, common carriers, voting officials, and more. His view of what the law required ultimately prevailed—and so did the rule of law. Indeed, I can honestly say that it was bravery and honor of judges like Skelly Wright and Frank Johnson—their steadfast commitment to the rule of law despite the death threats, social exile, and cross-burnings—that hastened the end of racial segregation in this country, and to that extent, are at least indirectly responsible for me being here speaking with you today. (7) Frank Johnson, Jr., Finding Justice Within the Law, Birmingham News, Aug. 15, 1993, at C1 (reprinting Johnson's address before the American Bar Association Section on Individual Rights). (8) John Lewis, Reflections on Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., 109 Yale L.J. 1253, 1256 (2000). Let me close by mentioning the courageous work of one more district judge, who served during another period of national strife. In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, Judge John J. Sirica of the District Court for the District of Columbia was randomly assigned to preside over the trial of the five burglars who had been arrested at the DNC’s headquarters. Imagine how Judge Sirica must have felt, sitting in his chambers, minding his own business, when this case came across his desk—one lone federal judge having to serve at the center of that political storm. He did not flinch. Judge Sirica demanded the truth—and it was in his courtroom that the truth about President Nixon and his administration’s involvement in political espionage began to emerge. Judge Sirica followed the law and the facts where they led, ignoring the political consequences that I am sure he knew would befall the Presidency—and the political party that had appointed him to the bench. As he put it, “Despite efforts in our executive branch to distort the truth…the court system served to set the record straight.”(9) So today, when I get discouraged about the news of attacks on judges and worry about the personal sacrifices and weighty responsibilities of the role, I think about those three courageous district judges, and others, who also served during times of great peril. Rather than bowing to the pressure, they stayed the course, using the authority that had been vested in them to do the right thing—and by that I mean, to rule independently in each case and in the manner that they believed the law required. And history now honors each of them for that noble service. I will end there, with that note of what I hope is inspiration and encouragement. Other judges have faced challenges like the ones we face today, and have prevailed. I urge you to keep going—keep doing what is right—for the good of the country. And I do believe that history will vindicate your service as well. Thank you for hearing me out on this, and we can now turn to a discussion of happier things—my own upbringing and background as a child of the ‘70s, and my path to this important position of national service at this pivotal time. (9) Anthony J. Gaughan, Watergate, Judge Sirica, and the Rule of Law, 42 McGeorge L. Rev. 343, 345 (2016). By Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin  Joel Webbon, one of the authors of Project 2025, wants us to believe it’s "God’s will" that women either become quiet, gentle, and submissive, or be left alone. And just to spice up the patriarchy, he throws in a “Deus vult,” because apparently the Crusades are back in fashion. Let’s be clear: This isn’t theology. It’s insecurity wrapped in Bible verses. Jesus didn’t build his movement by demanding silence from women. He built it WITH women who spoke up, stood up, and showed up... especially when the men didn’t. -He listened to the Samaritan woman long enough to have an actual theological debate. -He followed the lead of the Canaanite woman who changed his mind. -He entrusted the resurrection to women before anyone else. The first preachers of the risen Christ were not men puffing their chests, they were women who refused to stay quiet. So no, Joel. “God’s will” is not making women small so men can feel big. “God’s will” isn’t about obedience to your fragile masculinity. “God’s will,” if anything, looks like women telling the truth, even when the men can’t handle it. And if that makes them "alone"? Well, I guess they'll just have to settle for being surrounded by Love, courage, and the full company of saints and prophets. The world doesn’t need quieter women. It needs fewer insecure men with microphones. The Dream of The Christian Right   Mark has a new blog! It's called Southern Fried Heresy. People are already saying it's groundbreaking. Take a look!  Endnote: A few weeks ago the "Like" button below stopped being functional on all blog posts. We're not sure what happened but we plan to look into it when we get time.
 So far, we’ve fallen short of our summer action fund goal. We're issuing a sincere, heartfelt plea for your help. Our nation is facing an emergency. Trump is rapidly destroying our economy and our republic. Things are already out of control, and we have 4 years to go. This summer is a key time to speak up and make our (your) voice heard. Please don't scroll by without stepping up. Any amount helps. We need dedicated new monthly supporters to back our efforts. We represent you as we participate in every live action event we can during the summer season, in DC and around the nation. Trump and his MAGA base have made it clear they don't respect the rule of law. This is serious. We need all hands on deck. We must have a budget to carry out action moving forward. Do what you can during these dire times. Here's the Secure Link https://donorbox.org/friends-of-tcl Here's The Reality We Face  There were some system problems at our store with some of the links. It's been fixed. We have two new designs. We create designs as a way to subsidize our ministry. We've been user supported for 16 years.  Link To Order Gulf Of Mexico Merch: Wide Selection of Styles, Cuts & Colors For Men and Women! https://the-christian-left-store.creator-spring.com/listing/gulf-of-mexico-est-1550 Link To Order Resist Like Al Green Merch: Wide Selection of Styles, Cuts & Colors For Men and Women! We need more people to step up like al Green! https://the-christian-left-store.creator-spring.com/listing/resist-like-al-green -- The Christian Left Connect With Us On Linktree  Via Occupy Democrats Senator Claude Malhuret - Speech to French Senate, 03-04-2025 Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers, My dear colleagues, Europe is at a critical turning point in its history. The American shield is crumbling, Ukraine risks being abandoned, Russia strengthened. Washington has become the court of Nero, a fiery emperor, submissive courtiers and a ketamine-fueled jester in charge of purging the civil service. This is a tragedy for the free world, but it is first and foremost a tragedy for the United States. Trump’s message is that there is no point in being his ally since he will not defend you, he will impose more customs duties on you than on his enemies and will threaten to seize your territories while supporting the dictatorships that invade you. The king of the deal is showing what the art of the deal is all about. He thinks he will intimidate China by lying down before Putin, but Xi Jinping, faced with such a shipwreck, is probably accelerating preparations for the invasion of Taiwan. Never in history has a President of the United States capitulated to the enemy. Never has anyone supported an aggressor against an ally. Never has anyone trampled on the American Constitution, issued so many illegal decrees, dismissed judges who could have prevented him from doing so, dismissed the military general staff in one fell swoop, weakened all checks and balances, and taken control of social media. This is not an illiberal drift, it is the beginning of the confiscation of democracy. Let us remember that it took only one month, three weeks and two days to bring down the Weimar Republic and its Constitution. I have faith in the strength of American democracy, and the country is already protesting. But in one month, Trump has done more harm to America than in four years of his last presidency. We were at war with a dictator, now we are fighting a dictator backed by a traitor.  Via Occupy Democrats Eight days ago, at the very moment that Trump was rubbing Macron’s back in the White House, the United States voted at the UN with Russia and North Korea against the Europeans demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops. Two days later, in the Oval Office, the military service shirker was giving war hero Zelensky lessons in morality and strategy before dismissing him like a groom, ordering him to submit or resign. Tonight, he took another step into infamy by stopping the delivery of weapons that had been promised. What to do in the face of this betrayal? The answer is simple: face it. And first of all, let’s not be mistaken. The defeat of Ukraine would be the defeat of Europe. The Baltic States, Georgia, Moldova are already on the list. Putin’s goal is to return to Yalta, where half the continent was ceded to Stalin. The countries of the South are waiting for the outcome of the conflict to decide whether they should continue to respect Europe or whether they are now free to trample on it. What Putin wants is the end of the order put in place by the United States and its allies 80 years ago, with its first principle being the prohibition of acquiring territory by force. This idea is at the very source of the UN, where today Americans vote in favor of the aggressor and against the attacked, because the Trumpian vision coincides with that of Putin: a return to spheres of influence, the great powers dictating the fate of small countries. Mine is Greenland, Panama and Canada, you are Ukraine, the Baltics and Eastern Europe, he is Taiwan and the China Sea. At the parties of the oligarchs of the Gulf of Mar-a-Lago, this is called “diplomatic realism.” So we are alone. But the talk that Putin cannot be resisted is false. Contrary to the Kremlin’s propaganda, Russia is in bad shape. In three years, the so-called second largest army in the world has managed to grab only crumbs from a country three times less populated. Interest rates at 25%, the collapse of foreign exchange and gold reserves, the demographic collapse show that it is on the brink of the abyss. The American helping hand to Putin is the biggest strategic mistake ever made in a war. The shock is violent, but it has a virtue. Europeans are coming out of denial. They understood in one day in Munich that the survival of Ukraine and the future of Europe are in their hands and that they have three imperatives. Accelerate military aid to Ukraine to compensate for the American abandonment, so that it holds, and of course to impose its presence and that of Europe in any negotiation. This will be expensive. It will be necessary to end the taboo of the use of frozen Russian assets. It will be necessary to circumvent Moscow’s accomplices within Europe itself by a coalition of only the willing countries, with of course the United Kingdom. Second, demand that any agreement be accompanied by the return of kidnapped children, prisoners and absolute security guarantees. After Budapest, Georgia and Minsk, we know what agreements with Putin are worth. These guarantees require sufficient military force to prevent a new invasion. Finally, and this is the most urgent, because it is what will take the most time, we must build the neglected European defence, to the benefit of the American umbrella since 1945 and scuttled since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is a Herculean task, but it is on its success or failure that the leaders of today’s democratic Europe will be judged in the history books. Friedrich Merz has just declared that Europe needs its own military alliance. This is to recognize that France has been right for decades in arguing for strategic autonomy. It remains to be built. It will be necessary to invest massively, to strengthen the European Defence Fund outside the Maastricht debt criteria, to harmonize weapons and munitions systems, to accelerate the entry into the Union of Ukraine, which is today the leading European army, to rethink the place and conditions of nuclear deterrence based on French and British capabilities, to relaunch the anti-missile shield and satellite programs. The plan announced yesterday by Ursula von der Leyen is a very good starting point. And much more will be needed. Europe will only become a military power again by becoming an industrial power again. In a word, the Draghi report will have to be implemented. For good. But the real rearmament of Europe is its moral rearmament. We must convince public opinion in the face of war weariness and fear, and especially in the face of Putin’s cronies, the extreme right and the extreme left. They argued again yesterday in the National Assembly, Mr Prime Minister, before you, against European unity, against European defence. They say they want peace. What neither they nor Trump say is that their peace is capitulation, the peace of defeat, the replacement of de Gaulle Zelensky by a Ukrainian Pétain at the beck and call of Putin. Peace for the collaborators who have refused any aid to the Ukrainians for three years. Is this the end of the Atlantic Alliance? The risk is great. But in the last few days, the public humiliation of Zelensky and all the crazy decisions taken in the last month have finally made the Americans react. Polls are falling. Republican lawmakers are being greeted by hostile crowds in their constituencies. Even Fox News is becoming critical. The Trumpists are no longer in their majesty. They control the executive, the Parliament, the Supreme Court and social networks. But in American history, the freedom fighters have always prevailed. They are beginning to raise their heads. The fate of Ukraine is being played out in the trenches, but it also depends on those in the United States who want to defend democracy, and here on our ability to unite Europeans, to find the means for their common defense, and to make Europe the power that it once was in history and that it hesitates to become again. Our parents defeated fascism and communism at great cost. The task of our generation is to defeat the totalitarianisms of the 21st century. Long live free Ukraine, long live democratic Europe!  Would you like to make a difference right now? Be a contributing partner with us. We've been at this for 15 years. We plan to step up our direct action efforts this spring and summer. Action requires funding. Read more here and make a contribution today. Any amount helps.
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Charles Toy is the founding member of The Christian Left. We're sure you will enjoy his passion as well as his wit. Guest bloggers featured often.
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