Tag: politics

The Road to Fascism

Pat Liberty

Fascism is defined as: “An authoritarian, far-right, ultranationalist political ideology characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism and forcible suppression of opposition. It prioritizes the nation-state over individual rights, often promoting national rebirth, racial purity and traditional values.” (Politico)

We are probably under-reacting to what is happening in our nation, because fascism is here and advancing quickly. There are several ways of looking at the characteristics of fascism which I will be exploring over the next several weeks. Below is one assessment.

  1. Controlling the Media: All major news media outlets (CBS, NBC, and ABC) are owned by rabid Trump supporters. The news is now shaped and edited by a fascist agenda. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) threatens to pull the licenses of media outlets that criticize the Trump regime.
  2. Targeting Ethnic Groups: In Minneapolis the target group is Somalis. In most cities Hispanic and Latino Americans/Migrants are the target. Haitian Americans and refugees are also on the hitlist as are Hmong Americans, Venezuelan migrants and Asian Americans. 
  3. Scapegoating immigrants: The Trump regime consistently associates immigrants with complex social problems. Immigrants are blamed for crime and gang violence. The masked militia, also known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), routinely target immigrants for detention regardless of their immigration status. It is straight up racial profiling. Their primary objective is to instill fear and anxiety. Travel bans and visa restrictions are another way the regime targets immigrants.
  4. Threatening Sovereign Nations: The regime has a track record, i.e. invading Venezuela, bombing Iran, threatening to take over Greenland (a Dutch territory), and ongoing genocide in Gaza. Threats are now directed at Cuba.
  5. Attacking Education: Trump strongarmed major universities into bowing to his educational agenda by threatening the termination of grants and research monies. Women’s Studies programs, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, support and study of LGBTQ+ communities, environmental sciences, and specific research areas are being defunded. The stated goal is to counter what he calls “radical indoctrination and woke spending.” In community schools, funds for school based social services have been discontinued and mental health and safety funding has been curtailed. In addition, desegregation grants have been discontinued. Millions of dollars for arts education and history/civics initiatives have been cut. Transgender inclusive policies have been terminated, as well as literacy and nutrition programs.
  6. Detaining Without Due Process: Trump is trying to build massive detention camps all around the United States. While towns are pushing back, it doesn’t change the fact that the end goal is to detain thousands of people without due process and with no access to an attorney. This means long term incarceration in prison camps with deplorable conditions.
  7. Punishing Free Speech: Peaceful protestors are regularly arrested for exercising their constitutional right to protest. Rebranding peaceful protestors as “domestic terrorists” means they can be arrested and held in detention camps.
  8. Weakening Separation of Church and State: The regime is cozying up to White Christian Nationalism, which is a political ideology that seeks to merge American identity with a specific interpretation of Christian faith, often prioritizing the interests of white conservative Christians. The regime has established the White House Faith Office, which focuses on strengthening ties with conservative Christianity and prioritizing a nationalist interpretation of faith at the expense of all other religious traditions.
  9. Dismantling Institutions of Democracy: The regime has taken a wrecking ball to the Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education and Independent agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission. Independent leaders have been removed and replaced with liaisons that are loyal to the regime.
  10. Oppressing the LGBTQIA+ Community: The regime is beginning to arrest LGBTQIA+ people simply for existing. The concentration camps in Germany did not begin with Jews, they began with the LGBTQIA+ community. Civil rights and legal rights are being eradicated. The trans community is disproportionately targeted.
  11. Rewriting History: Eradicating Black history and forbidding any teaching around Native American Genocide are just a few examples. Textbooks are being rewritten to suit the white agenda of the regime.
  12. Rejecting Election Results: Though it has been proven time and time again that voter fraud is virtually non-existent, the regime is sowing seeds of distrust in the electoral process (which is regulated by each state) and threatening to take over the election process. The results of the election, should they favor Democratic leaders, will be met with a cry of election tampering.
  13.  Advocating Cronyism: Trump surrounds himself with sycophants who unconditionally bow to his agenda. In return these oligarchs receive tax breaks, relaxation of environmental regulations and labor laws.
  14. Militarizing Secret Police: the regime has militarized the Immigration and Custom Enforcement Agency to function as a Secret Police force. They have little training and are free to use whatever tactics they want to arrest, terrorize and brutalize whomever they choose. They have even committed state sponsored murder in the death of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
  15. Denying Reality with Constant Lies: if Trump’s lips are moving, he is lying. He is increasingly losing control of the narrative around the Iran War. It has amped up his lies. He continues to deflect attention from the war to his pet peeves (immigration, anti-Trans legislation, threats to invade other sovereign counties, etc.).
  16. Fear Mongering to Gain Power: There is a part of the population who laps up his lies. They believe immigrants are the problem. They believe the United States was founded as a Christian Nation. They believe the government should have the power to create and enforce laws that feed their ignorance and bigotry.

The unspoken hope of the regime is that we will stop being shocked, stop being horrified and begin to normalize these behaviors as “just the way it is.” With each tactic being more outrageous than the last, we lose sight of the horrific things already accomplished and focus, until the next time, on what he is currently doing. The 24-hour news cycle quickly pushes that aside for something else.

We must not see any of this as normal. It is not “just the way it is.” It is tempting to despair and lose hope. It is tempting to ignore the encroaching fascism because it does not affect us (yet). It is tempting to minimize what is happening because it is too horrific to believe that our democracy is being disassembled right before our eyes. We cannot give them the satisfaction of being docile subjects who swallow whatever the regime declares is true. It is paramount that we stay informed, keep protesting and keep writing to legislators to decry what is happening. I know that is the advice all the time. But the truth is, it works. Don’t lose hope. Don’t despair. There are cracks in the regime’s foundations and one day they will be called to account. But only if we keep up the pressure.

Target: Trans People, and It’s Not Pretty

Pat Liberty

ans people make up less than one percent of the entire population of the United States. That translates to about 28 million people age 13 and older. They receive a disproportionate amount of vitriol from state and federal government. They are harassed and judged; violence is done to their person; they are mocked and disrespected.

So far, in 2026, 29 states have passed 126 bills and 125 have been signed into law. A total of 41 states are considering anti-transgender legislation with over 700 bills under consideration nationwide. They all target the trans community in some way. Recently Kansas recalled all the drivers’ licenses of trans people and will re-issue them conforming to the gender to which they were born.

In 2025, 896 anti-trans laws were introduced. Three states led the way in the number of bills targeting the trans community: Oklahoma 53 bills, Missouri 50 bills, Tennessee 40 bills.

The focus of most of the bills has to do with which bathrooms people use, the presence and participation of trans people in sports, limiting or eliminating gender-affirming care, and limiting legal recognition.  In some states, it is a criminal offense for health care providers to offer age-appropriate trans medical care. In some states educators are prohibited from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation. Some legislation seeks to penalize teachers or counselors who support social transition, even making it a felony.

Anti-LGBTQI hate groups and legislators across the country have overridden the recommendations of the American medical establishment when it comes to transgender care. As a result, transgender youth experience significantly elevated rates of suicidality, with studies showing 71-78% reporting feelings of hopelessness and 25-30% attempting suicide in a 12 -month period. Transgender, non-binary and gender expansive teens are more than five times more likely to screen positive for suicide risk compared to their cis-gender peers.

Transgender adults have disproportionately high rates of suicidality compared to the general population. Studies show 32% to 50% lifetime suicide attempt rates in comparison to the cis-gender population. Intense stigma, discrimination, family rejection, religious hatred, access to gender affirming medical care are the root cause.

In short, there is a nationwide effort to erase the presence of the trans community. Removing the terms “transgender identity” and “sexual orientation” from all federal regulations effectively eliminate legal protections against discrimination. By defining gender in strictly binary terms, male and female, the trans and non-binary community is effectively erased. The normalization of hateful rhetoric and the removal of legal protections increase the risk of physical violence and hate crimes against the transgender community, especially transgender women of color.

We know from history where this ends. Nazi Germany systematically persecuted the LGBTQ population as a threat to the German race and “traditional” gender roles. Between 1933-1945, an estimated 100, 000 men were arrested with 5,000-6,000 imprisoned in concentration camps, where as many as 60% died.

It is frightening to think that concentration camps in Germany didn’t start with Jews, but with the LGBTQ community. It was a convenient target that trafficked in the general population’s homophobia. The same dynamic is at work in the United States. The White Cristian Nationalists stoke a narrative that the LGBTQ community is dangerous to children and family values and must be stopped. This is furthered in conservative news media, and as a result the White Christian Nationalists and the conservative media feed off each other.

What is most troubling is the largely silent Christian church. The belief that every person is created in the image of God and is loved by God unconditionally is strangely absent from public discourse. We all know the loudest voice wins. The LGBTQIA+ community needs a strong Christian witness that pushes back against the dominant narrative. The voice of compassionate cis-gender allies is desperately needed.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Find out what legislation has been filed in your state. Write to your legislators to oppose any anti LGBTQ+ legislation. Write to the legislators who filed the legislation and set forth your position.
  • Write letters to the editor of your local newspapers educating the public on pending anti LGBTQI+ legislation.
  • Encourage your church, your pastor and your friends to care about this issue.
  • Educate yourself about transgender identity and counter anti-trans talk when you hear it. Passing comments betray beliefs.
  • Educate yourself about social reality and be prepared to counter anti LGBTQIA+ hyperbole.
  • Grow your own faith response and be prepared to articulate it.
  • Encourage your church to host an LGBTQIA+ coffee house or gathering space. Don’t underestimate the power of a safe space for people to meet.

The words of Martin Niemoller are pertinent:

First they came for the Communists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Communist.

then they came for the Socialists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a socialist.

then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a trade unionist.

then they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew.

then they came for me

       and there was no one left

to speak for me.

First they came for the LGBTQIA+ community

and I did not speak out because I was not LGBTQIA+.

It goes on from there. At some point it will be you.

Now is the time to speak.

Sources

Human Rights Commission

American Civil Liberties Union

Williams Institute

Anti Trans Bill Tracker

TheFlax.org

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

Say Her Name

Pat Liberty

Renee Nicole Good. Say her name. And while you are at it, say the names of the other people who were murdered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Silvero Villegas Gonzalez, a father fatally shot by an agent during a brief altercation after dropping his children at school; Marimar Martinez, a US citizen and teacher shot by a Border Patrol agent during a dispute. Multiple people have been shot by immigration agents, claiming self-defense.

Say these names too; these people died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers. Genry Ruiz Gullen, 29; Serawit Gezahegn, 45; Maksym Chernyak, 44; Juan Alexis Tineo-Martinez, 44; Brian Garzon-Rayo, 27, Nhon Ngoc Nguyen, 55; Marie Ange Blaise, 44; Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado, 68; Jesus Molina-Veya, 45; Johnny Noviello; Isadiro Perez, 75; Tien Xuan Phan, 55; Chaofeng Ge, 32; Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas, 32; Oscar Rascon Duarte, 58; Santos Benegas Reyes, 42; Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39; Norlan Guzman Fuentes, 37; Miguell Angel Garcia Medina, 31; Huabing Xie; Leo Cruz-Silva, 34; Hasan Ali Moh’D Saleh, 67; Josue Garcia Aviles, Shiraz Fatehali Sachwani, 4; Jean Wilson Brutus, 41; Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, 46; Delvin Francisco Ridriguez, 39; Nenko Stanev Gantchev, 56; Keith Porter.

So far this year, thirteen days into January, four people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. All these people were husbands, fathers and sons. They were wives, moms and daughters. Each of them has a rich history and a story to tell.

Those who died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers died from not receiving proper medical care or receiving it too late to save their lives. A few died by suicide. Several others died from living in squalid conditions with improper nutrition

Renee Nicole Good was a US citizen and a mother of three. She was 37 years old, a veteran and the wife of Becca Good. Immediately after her murder, the regime started to smear her character. She was called a domestic terrorist. They said she engaged in threatening behavior. They said she threatened the agents with her vehicle and the agent fired in self-defense. This false narrative is eclipsing the truth of who she was. 

Controlling the narrative of these lives cut short by violence and neglect is a tactic of an authoritarian regime. That’s why we say their names, to remind ourselves that, whether in the country legally or not, they were human beings who deserved to be treated with respect and care.

In the first testament, stories  were how people came to know who they were. They were the people of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  They traced their line back through the generations as a way of grounding themselves in history. In the second testament, the gospel of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus. All the generations are represented. They connect Jesus to his history. Men’s last names were often bar-___ a last name. It means son of, like Simon bar Jonah. The naming reaches back in history to claim a familial identity.

Every family has its stories that they tell over and over again. Aunt Bessie and Uncle Clyde and the way the used to…. These stories keep us connected to our history and to our family line. They are passed down generation to generation and form an integral part of who we are. At family gatherings, funerals and wakes, there is story telling. The stories bring laughter and sometimes tears. They lead us to daydream and connect us to our clan.

There is power in saying the names, being reminded that these people are more than a number. They were beloved family members. They had jobs and careers. They were people of faith and people of no faith. Each an individual with a story. Learn their stories; tell their stories; lest we forget.

There is power in naming. It is why I have stopped saying ICE and say the whole name. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It is a reminder that goon squad is not law enforcement. They have no jurisdiction to detain citizens, issue driving or parking violations. Their work is with the immigrant communities. And for the record, they suck at that. By targeting immigrant communities they are often detaining US citizens. Their presence is an attempt to normalize uniformed personnel with tactical gear, war guns and face masks in cities and neighborhoods. Make no mistake; this is not about immigrants. It is about terrorizing cities and neighborhoods in order to make us afraid. It takes us one step closer to a police state.

Say their names. Keep their names and stories before your friends, neighbors and families. Refuse to be silenced.

Power Grabs and Executive Overreach

Pat Liberty

 The recent military invasion of Venezuela and subsequent kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro is outrageous on many levels. It is true many Venezuelans are cheering Maduro’s ouster from the presidency; he was an authoritarian ruler who oppressed people and treated the government like his personal law keeping force (not unlike the occupant and the US military).

The possibility of a better life that has Venezuelans dancing in the streets doesn’t change the larger situation. Venezuela is a sovereign country, and the US had no authority to attack it. Some have argued that the occupant didn’t need congressional approval under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) and the War Powers Resolution (WPR). The WPR is intended to limit presidential power by requiring consultation and potential withdrawal of troops after 60-90 days if Congress doesn’t authorize the force, though presidents often claim inherent authority or cite other laws (like the AUMF). The AUMF is a congressional resolution granting the president authority to use military force, most famously after 9/11 that authorized action against those responsible for the attacks. There have been several incarnations of the AUMF. In 2002 it authorized use of military forces against Iraq. In 1991 it authorized military forces against Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait.

The AUMF provides broad, open-ended authority for military action, unlike formal declarations of war. Critics argue they have enabled “endless wars” by allowing presidents to use force against evolving threats (like ISIS) without new congressional approval. Many others believe AUMF unconstitutionally transfers Congress’ war-making powers to the executive branch.

While all of this adds some murkiness around who gets to do what and when, it doesn’t change the fact that international law, primarily through the United Nations, prohibits the invasion of a sovereign country. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the US invasion of Venezuela are illegal actions under the UN charter.

The occupant is a wannabe king who, if not able to be a king, is content to be a tyrant. This has angered the international community and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO’s charter says an attack on one country is an attack on all member nations of NATO. There is bound to be some retaliation from the NATO nations.

The precedent this sets on the world stage is terrifying. The occupant’s unilateral action gives tacit permission for other authoritarian regimes to continue their own land grabs, China to Taiwan and Russia to Ukraine and beyond. War is surely on the nearer horizon. It’s hard to know where it will all end, but chances are good it will not be pretty.

Reaching back into Bible times, the occupant is acting like King Herod the Great. He was a puppet ruler for Rome and was so insecure and frightened of losing his power that he squashed all dissent and imprisoned those he saw as a threat. After Jesus was born, Herod was so threatened that he “took out a hit on a toddler” to quote Nadia Bolz-Weber. Herod ordered the death of all children under the age of two when he heard that the king of the Jews had been born.

The occupant is a malignant narcissist, like Herod, who is content to kill, imprison, arrest and silence opposition for the sake of his power. Like Herod, he seeks power for power’s sake. His thugs are now murdering people in the name of immigration enforcement. So far, in the occupant’s great immigration crackdown, a full 73% of people rounded up have no criminal record. This isn’t about immigration; it is about intimidation and silencing opposition. It is about terrifying communities, so they do not voice their anger at the inhumanity of this regime.  

Following the rule of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas (his son) became the Tetrarch ruler. This Herod was the ruler through all of Jesus’ ministry and through his crucifixion.

Herod Antipas is responsible for the beheading of John the Baptist. The Herods (or Herodians as they were known) were not good or righteous kings. However, given their authority they fashioned themselves as lords and kings over the Jewish people. By whatever means they could, they silenced dissent, imposed order and intimidated people. It is what all authoritarian rulers have in common.  The occupant fits the bill to a T.

We are watching history repeat itself.

Alligator Auschwitz

Pat Liberty

The difference between Alcatraz and Auschwitz is the difference between having due process to convict one of crimes versus rounding up people who look suspicious simply because of their black or brown skin. The facility in Florida is a concentration camp. Full stop.

The conditions of the camp are also reminiscent of the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. According to truthout.org, detainees (read prisoners) are “enduring inhumane conditions including inadequate and maggot infested food, inability to bathe, flooding and denial of religious practice.” There are also documented cases of sexual violence against women, failure to give adequate care during pregnancy and lack of treatment during a miscarriage.

The people imprisoned at Alligator Auschwitz are supposedly the “worst of the worst” criminals, but there are documented cases of US citizens being detained despite having no criminal record or current charges against them. Even if they WERE the “worst of the worst” they deserve to be treated as human beings.

The facility uses outside contractors to run day-to-day operations. This amounts to millions of dollars in federal funding given to the occupant’s cronies. Less than $2.00 per day is spent on food for those imprisoned at the camp. Prisoners receive one meal a day and inadequate water to tolerate the stifling heat.

It is nauseating to realize that there is merchandise advertising “Alligator Alcatraz.” Mugs, T-shirts and hats are available online and connected to the Republican party in Florida.

Cruelty has always been the point. This is not primarily about deportation. It is about treating people as less than human and scaring them into admitting just about anything to get out of there. If this facility were operating outside the United States, there would be political and social condemnation. There is precious little protesting from the American people, a sad commentary on our apathy and willingness to acquiesce to avoid landing on the occupant’s radar.

It will not be long before people die, suffer mental breakdown or attempt suicide. Given the fact that there is not even an accurate list of who is in the camp, loved ones may never know the fate of the prisoners.

This is below inhumane. This is torture sanctioned by the state of Florida and the occupant’s authoritarian regime. Somehow the news that all people are created in the image of the Divine and bear the imprint of God’s love and grace has not reached the Everglades in Florida.

In addition to the conditions at the prison, there is also impact on the delicate Everglades ecosystem. The degradation of this environment endangers the entire state of Florida and beyond. There are also tribal lands that are being desecrated by this monstrous monument to the depth of human cruelty. Apparently, the sanctity of God’s creation and the inherent dignity of tribal peoples have not reached the occupant or the Florida government.

And we who are aware of these atrocities are complicit if we keep silent. Contact your Senators and Representatives. This is not a partisan issue. This is a human dignity issue. This is a moral crisis for our nation and for each person who claims this nation as home. The lack of public outcry and the willingness of so many to purchase merchandise advertising this human rights debacle signals that the country is okay with this. Make it clear that it is not okay. Phone calls, letters, e-mails are all ways to register your outrage about Alligator Auschwitz. Act today. People are waiting for relief and justice.

This is a Test

Pat Liberty

Fascism depends on people thinking that:

  • things aren’t that bad.
  • what’s happening there won’t happen in my area.
  • it will all work itself out and I don’t need to do anything.
  • it won’t impact me because I’m a citizen.
  • democracy has always survived; it will this time, too.

Fascism assumes we will be lulled into a false sense of security because the horrors are not knocking on our door. Fascism assumes we will grow tired of protesting and contacting senators and representatives because we think it won’t do any good. In short, fascism depends on our docility.

It is, however, time that we ask the question, how long will we:

  • tolerate the federal government deploying national guard troops against US citizens when the national guard is called out at the state’s behest?
  • ignore the inhumane conditions at Alligator Auschwitz because we don’t personally know anyone who has ended up there?
  • dismiss the attacks on civil rights for the LGBTQI community because we are not in that population?
  • Ignore an undone, mentally incompetent, megalomanic presiding over the demise of our democracy while we twiddle our thumbs?

It’s past time we remember Hitler didn’t start with concentration camps. He started by creating “us” and “them.” He started by dehumanizing groups of people and giving people a common “enemy.” He started by suppressing dissent and punishing those who publicly disagreed with him. He started by creating disinformation campaigns.

We cannot ignore that all of that, and more, is already happening here. And we cannot forget that Hitler’s rise to power could not have happened without the tacit consent of the German Church. The state church became the Reich church and supported the policies and pogroms Hitler promoted. The Roman Catholic church was largely silent as the horrors unfolded. Even the Confessing Church eventually capitulated to the pressures of the third Reich.

In the United States, fascism and the entrenchment of white Christian Nationalism cannot happen without the tacit consent (or silence) of the church. In a world where the loudest voices get airtime, what is needed is a cogent voice that cuts across denominational and political lines. It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or granola groupie, what is happening to people across our country is wrong. It’s not about politics; it’s about being human. Standing by silently while ICE agents create terror (which is the point) is one sign of our agreement with these inhuman policies and procedures.

Make no mistake, this is all a carefully orchestrated plan. The goal is to create an authoritarian regime that gives the message that it cannot be challenged. It also gaslights people into thinking that this leader, in this case the not-so-great Cheeto, is the only one who can “save” the country.

With the demise of the integrity of the Supreme Court, there is no limit to the power this unhinged, deranged man-child can exercise. His minions all kiss his ass and carry out his bidding just to preserve their own political power.

So, what to do? Every single day make your voice heard. Contact senators and representatives (they do not have to be from your state) and protest the policies of this corrupt government. Stay informed about what is REALLY happening and not what you are fed by major news outlets. Listen carefully to the language that is used to describe what is happening. It will give you an idea of their “spin” and their priorities. Look for the most neutral news outlets you can find.

Read, read and read some more. Understand history and how it repeats, especially when our leader looks with admiration upon the most abominable human being in recent history. We can recite the statistic that says six million Jews died in the death camps, and it is true. What is also true is that four million LGBTQ persons, those with mental limitations, Roma people, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah’s Witnesses, artists, writers and political opponents (like Dietrich Bonhoeffer) also died.

We do well to remember the words of Martin Niemoller:

“First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist.

            Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

This is how I rewrite it for our time:

            First they came for the immigrants, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t an immigrant.

            Then they came for the journalists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a journalist.

            Then they came for the transgender and LGBQI community and I didn’t speak up because I was not a part of that community.

            Then they came for the liberal church, and I didn’t speak up because I was not a practicing Christian.

            Then they came for the poor, and I didn’t speak up because I can afford my groceries,

            Then they came for the chronically ill and removed their health care coverage, and I didn’t speak up because I can afford to pay for my health care.

            Then they came for me and everyone was so pissed that I didn’t speak up for them, they ignored my cries for help.

The truth is, we are all in this together. We need to use our voice and our privilege to speak for those who are systematically disempowered by the fascist regime that is firmly established in our country. There is still time, but it is running short. What will you be remembered for?

Unfit for Office

Pat Liberty

While one could reasonably argue that the entire administration of the occupant is unfit for office, the particular focus of this blog is the Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr..

Historically this position has been held by a physician with a broad knowledge of public health. Kennedy is neither a physician nor does he have a grip on the complex issue of public health. Under his reign of error, we are seeing vaccine rates diminish. So far this has led to a measles outbreak in Texas. It is only a matter of time before we see other diseases previously eradicated make a comeback due to declining vaccination rates.

Currently there is a resolution in the Senate (S.Res.217) which expresses the sense of the Senate that Kennedy does not have the confidence of the Senate or the American people to faithfully carry out the duties of his office. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kennedy said to Congress: “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.” Well, no kidding.

Kennedy is overhauling the Department of Health and Human Services and slashing millions of dollars from its congressionally approved budget. This is part of the occupant’s war on science as key health agencies are being closed. The norms for scientific review of health data are being ignored, research agencies are being defunded and public health department funding is being slashed.

According to NPR, the US public health service started in the 1700’s when doctors cared for seamen who were sick or injured. Their work helped prevent the spread of yellow fever and smallpox in the 1800’s and led to research on sanitation as a way to prevent disease.

Around 1900 the federal government started making sure that the food and medicine Americans consume is safe. Both the public health corps and the food regulation organization operated independently until President Dwight Eisenhower created the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1953.

Today the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for Medicare and Medicaid and the marketplace for health insurance created by the Affordable Care Act. Under Kennedy’s errant guidance, the HHS budget is being slashed by $880 billion over the next ten years, most of it affecting Medicaid.

Medicaid is jointly financed by states and the federal government but administered by states within broad federal rules. Cuts to Medicaid at the federal level leave states with difficult questions about how to fund the gap.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a leading independent sources for health policy, research, polling and news, these cuts represent 29% of State Medicaid spending per resident, 6% of state taxes per resident and 19% of education spending per pupil. No matter how you do the math, the impact is profound.

What we can expect as Medicaid is slashed is poorer health outcomes for America’s most vulnerable populations, increased hospital admissions and increased mortality. The population hardest hit by Medicaid cuts will be the poor, who already have disproportionately higher mortality rates. Poverty is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs assures that poverty will continue to claim more lives.

The mark of any civilized society is how well it cares for its most vulnerable members. With Kennedy at the helm, the poor are even more screwed than they already are.

Kennedy is unfit to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Contact your Senators today to encourage their support for S.Res.217 calling for Kennedy’s ouster.  

Word Scrubbing: An Exercise in Making People Invisible

Pat Liberty

Word scrubbing is the practice of erasing language that points to particular people or things. Word scrubbing makes a whole list of vulnerable people invisible. According to Elizabeth Power, M.Ed., Adjunct Instructor, Georgetown University Medical Center and founder of The Trauma Informed Academy, the following are words that can trigger additional scrutiny in a grant application or request for program funding from the Federal Government:

  • Activist, activism, advocate, advocacy, background, barrier, barriers, biased, bias, BIPOC, Black and Latinx
  • Community diversity, community equity, cultural differences, cultural heritage, culturally responsive
  • Disabilities, discrimination, discriminatory, diversified, diversity
  • Enhancing, equality, equal opportunity, equitable, ethnicity, excluded
  • Female, fostering, gender, groups, hate speech, Hispanic minority, historically, implicit bias
  • Inclusion, inclusive, increase, indigenous community, inequalities, inequity, institutional
  • Justice, LGBTQ, marginalize, minorities, multicultural, polarization, political, privilege, prejudice, promoting
  • Race, racial, sense of belonging, sexual preferences, social justice, sociocultural, socioeconomic, status, status, stereotype
  • Trauma, underappreciated, underrepresented, underserved, victims, women

This list includes most of the people Jesus spent his life reaching out to, loving and ministering to.

Jesus fed the hungry, made the blind see, cared for the poor and included everyone in the circle of God’s concern and love.

By removing these words from the lexicon of public programming and grant funding, the populations represented behind these words are essentially removed from public view. They are “disappeared” like political dissidents in authoritarian regimes. It also ensures that these populations will continue to be underserved and underrepresented in the public arena.

By erasing these words, the US is rewinding the clock at least 50 years to a time when the differently abled, wounded, gender divergent, and abused, to name just a few, were routinely excluded from resources, programs and funding that helped heal and empower them. Removing funding for these groups also isolates them from the mainstream of human life by taking away resources they need to function in society.

Many of Jesus’ miracles were as much about restoring people to their community as they were about healing physical maladies. For instance, in biblical times, women who were menstruating were considered ritually unclean and had to absent themselves from their community. In the story from Luke 8, a woman with an issue of blood was perpetually isolated from her community. When she was healed, not only was her physical health restored, she also was able to rejoin her community.

This word scrubbing policy directive in our time is a move toward a historically unkind and limiting time in the lives of many people. It is despicable that this is now public policy for funding initiatives. It begs the question, what kind of programs will be funded? Summer camp for blond hair, blued eyed rich kids from the suburbs? Private limo transportation for Buffy and Muffy to their piano lessons?

It is yet another of the occupant and his cronies’ fly by night slash and burn public policy initiatives that stay under the radar.  If the day’s news hasn’t given you reason to contact your legislators, this is it. If we stay silent, the populations that are being “disappeared” don’t have a chance.

The Changing Face of Education

Pat Liberty

Last week the occupant signed an executive order to begin dismantling the Department of Education. Ultimately the Department can only be abolished by Congress, but with a Republican majority in the House and Senate this should not be a problem.

What is a problem, however, is the implications of this action. The occupant is moving to privatize education through block grants given directly to states. States already control a majority of the money that funds education, so his stated reason for dismantling the department is disingenuous at best.

Federal dollars are approved by Congress and given to the Department of Education to allocate to states. Giving the money to states as block grants means that parents could use vouchers to send their children to private schools. As Project 2025 states, parents should have the authority to determine how their children are educated. Translation: parents can use public monies to send their children to private school.

In the current system, federal funds are primarily used to support underperforming schools and offer additional resources for poor children. Children with disabilities, 95% of whom are educated in public schools, will have less access to adequate education that accommodates their disabilities. Block grants that allow parents to purchase vouchers means that public schools, especially those in low-income communities will have fewer resources.

The Department of Education champions enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination in education and assuring that every student has access to an education that will help them reach their potential. Dismantling the department means defunding programs that feed, educate, and protect vulnerable and underserved students.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), eliminating programs like Title 1 will divert money from schools with high concentrations of students living in poverty. Support such as reading specialists and smaller class sizes would be eliminated. Reading scores nationally are falling. According to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), national reading scores declined for both fourth and eighth grade students. Reading scores fell to a record low in 2019 and 2022. A record number of students performed below basic reading competency.  Eliminating reading specialists seems ill advised at best. According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, 180,000 teaching positions could be lost, affecting 2.8 million students in low-income communities.

It is likely that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights will be moved to the Department of Justice. This would practically eliminate the Office’s capacity to protect students against discrimination based on gender, race and disability. The absence of strong federal oversight would leave millions of students vulnerable to discrimination.

Under this cockamamie plan the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) would be transferred to another agency, as yet undefined. Over 7.5 million students, or 15% of the student population, receive special education services. Administering funds as block grants to states is unlikely to result in funding special education programs. The public schools that will get the left-overs after parents purchase their private school vouchers will have inadequate resources to fulfill the Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) that many students have to accommodate their learning disabilities.  

The overall goal is to privatize education which will leave the poorest and most vulnerable students, especially those with special needs, in underperforming public schools. The whole of Project 2025 is geared toward victimizing our most vulnerable populations. The Department of Education is just the latest casualty assuring that those in greatest need will get the fewest resources.

The Department of Education is four percent of the entire national budget. Surely eliminating four percent of the budget does nothing to address the national deficit, but it consigns thousands of children to inadequate education that will allow them to function in the future.

Assuring that every child gets an education is a foundation of a stable society. Students that are unable to read or function in the work-a-day world will be trapped in low-wage jobs that will continue the cycle of poverty. How this claims to have Christian values is mind-boggling. Jesus railed against unjust social and political systems that trapped people in poverty. Dismantling the Department of Education is just the latest casualty in Trump’s misguided plan to victimize the poor and under-resource those in most need.  

More on Policy 2025: Department of Health and Human Services Goal 3# Promoting Stable and Flourishing Married Families

Pat Liberty

Project 2025 is the conservative agenda for social, political and economic policy. It repeals crucial protections for marginalized populations, slashes social safety net programs and penalizes the poor. The following is an excerpt from the Health and Human Services section of Project 2025.

“Families comprised of a married mother, father, and their children are the foundation of a well-ordered nation and healthy society. Unfortunately, family policies and programs under President Biden’s HHS are fraught with agenda items focusing on “LGBTQ+ equity,” subsidizing single-motherhood, disincentivizing work, and penalizing marriage. These policies should be repealed and replaced by policies that support the formation of stable, married, nuclear families. Working fathers are essential to the well-being and development of their children, but the United States is experiencing a crisis of fatherlessness that is ruining our children’s futures. In the overwhelming number of cases, fathers insulate children from physical and sexual abuse, financial difficulty or poverty, incarceration, teen pregnancy, poor educational outcomes, high school failure, and a host of behavioral and psychological problems. By contrast, homes with non-related “boyfriends” present are among the most dangerous place for a child to be. HHS should prioritize married father engagement in its messaging, health, and welfare policies. In the context of current and emerging reproductive technologies, HHS policies should never place the desires of adults over the right of children to be raised by the biological fathers and mothers who conceive them. In cases involving biological parents who are found by a court to be unfit because of abuse or neglect, the process of adoption should be speedy, certain, and supported generously by HHS.” (Project 2025, Page 453)

Here is the practical translation of what this means for an already marginalized segment of Americans:

  • Hard won civil rights for the LGBTQI+ community are on the chopping block. In Trump’s first reign of error the administration repealed all healthcare regulations that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. As a result, LGBTQIA+ persons can now be denied both public and private health insurance, including Medicaid.
  • Equal marriage may be made unconstitutional. Repealing equal access to marriage has devastating consequences for thousands of families. Family health insurance policies will end. Visitation rights during times of illness will be curtailed because gay partners are not “family.” If same sex marriage survives at all, it will be seen as inferior to heterosexual marriage.
  • The Gender Policy Council (GPC) will be dismantled. This was established by President Biden to advance gender equity and equality at home and abroad. The GPC developed policies addressing economic security, access to healthcare, gender-based violence and education for women and girls with special focus on marginalized communities.
  • The Trump administration will threaten the Biden administration’s expansion of gender and gender identity discrimination protections. Biden’s policies were in alignment with the landmark Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. This ruling affirmed that LGBTQIA+ individuals are protected under federal nondiscrimination laws. It also recognized gender identity as a protected class of gender.
  • The current administration will erase and criminalize transgender behavior. The broad expression of transgender behavior will be seen as pornographic. By labeling transgender expression as pornography and then outlawing pornography, the trans community’s identity will be erased in the United States.
  • Project 2025 will change the name of the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Life. 
  • Funding for gender affirming care for children and adults will be cut or eliminated.
  • Lack of treatment for children with gender dysmorphia will likely lead to increased depression, anxiety and rates of suicide.
  • LGBTQIA+ families will be banned from the Foster Care system. There is already a critical shortage of foster homes. This will exacerbate the problem considerably.
  • Same sex couple adoption will be banned. Same sex couples have higher adoption rates (21%) than different sex couples (3%).
  • Sex education for minors will end.
  • Transgender military service will end.
  • Parental rights regarding how their children are referred to and which pronouns are used will be outlawed.
  • Tax advantages will be extended to ONLY heterosexual married couples.

This is far from an exhaustive list. Those who believe that God’s love extends to all people regardless of age, sexual/gender identity or sexual orientation should rightfully be horrified. The God of the Judeo-Christian tradition is a God of compassion, mercy, justice and love. Hatred and injustice have no place in God’s being and it should have no place in those who claim to be God’s followers.

There is thinly veiled “religious” language throughout the Project 2025 document. It is fundamentalist, socially archaic and spiritually abusive to anyone who is not white, heterosexual and married with children. The guarantee of religious freedom for all people means that those who claim a different, more loving stance toward the human family should have an equal say in the legal process that defines religious expression. Make no mistake, the lines of separation between church and state are becoming dangerously thin. The “religion” that is shaping the state is White Christian Nationalism.

There needs to be a howling pushback to the religiously repressive undertones of Project 2025. Our legislators are hearing far too little from their constituents about the social and political implications of Project 2025. They are hearing even less from people of faith. If you are concerned about your freedom to practice your religion as you see fit, you need to write to you legislators and object on legitimate religious grounds. Our religious rights as well as our social and political rights are on the chopping block.