Month: February 2026

Vichy Government

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Weight of Glory, said “We may never, this side of death, drive the invader out of our territory, but we must be in the Resistance, not in the Vichy Government.” The Vichy Government was the regime in France that surrendered and then submitted to Germany in World War 2. They basically became a puppet government for Nazi Germany. They sold out their own people. We have become familiar to the point of uncaring boredom with the quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer that says, “Silence in the face of evil is in itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Moving words, but too large of a majority of citizens in the United States see them as just words. Evil that was gaining a foothold has now become a stronghold. One can see many of the Vichy Government authoritarian and collaborationist traits displayed on a daily basis in our country. As Bonhoeffer said, we must stick a spoke in the wheel of this evil to stop it. We must stand and be counted regardless of the cost.

Like Vichy France, a country divided in loyalty to what is right and decent is a country that is dying. One must at some point stand against what is unjust. What is outright evil and has no place in God. We in America are at the door of welcoming more evil every day. We’re watching Trump and his acolytes run roughshod over our Constitution and rights of men. There are some in the church that still try to say that this is God’s man. God did not put him in. Hate did. Prejudice did. Selfishness did. Envy, lying, enriching oneself to the detriment of others did. Abusing, hurting, raping and turning a blind eye to this evil did. Satan did. Vichy France looked to themselves, knowing full well they were complicit in deaths of their fellow countrymen and the deaths of Jews handed over to the Nazis to be exterminated. And we watch as little children are rounded up and traumatized. As people are set up as they follow the law and arrive at their hearings on citizenship only to be arrested. We watch as jack booted U.S. Nazi thugs beat people without fear of repercussion. We watched as Renee Good and Alex Pretti were murdered live on camera for all to see and then watch as the perpetrators appear to walk free. Not much different than the Vichy government capitulating to a Nazi regime.

I feel we have a small window where strength in numbers dissenting with volume might make a difference. Where voices that matter can speak fervently and demand change. Where people standing in mass, in numbers, can cause those on the fence to see the folly of being fearful or undecided. Where those truly guilty of crimes against humanity can be brought to justice. Those that held puppet positions in the Vichy government were either imprisoned for life or executed. I just want them removed forever. Some imprisoned. But gone. And I’d love for the “church” to be convicted to the point of falling on their face before God for the evil they helped bring in. Jesus was quite clear in His words to the priests and Levites in Luke 10 regarding the Good Samaritan. Their inaction in the face of suffering allowed evil to proceed. He sees all. It’s better to read and embrace His words now rather than stand before Him on the day of judgement and hear a tougher message. James 4:17 is quite clear in what it says. “To him who knows to do good and does not, to him it is sin.” We must stand for righteousness. For decency. To protect the marginalized. To call out evil for what it is. For our voices to be heard even if it makes those on the fence uncomfortable. Do not become comfortable in anything resembling a Vichy regime. We must pray without ceasing. Stand! Blessings.

Speak Up

I posted an article I wrote in July of 2018 that received some response, but for the importance of the topic, not enough. The poor response was a harbinger of where we are. It was called “Disguised in Hate.” It spoke to the racism in our country during the Civil War and to where we are headed. One ominous quote I cited was written by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, after the war was lost. He said, “The principle for which we contended is bound to reassert itself, though it may be at another time and in another form.” And here we are. President Trump can post a picture of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes and not only receive tepid criticism but give no apology. He knows he can get away with it because there are millions of people that share his evil thoughts, and his billionaire friends will not, at this time, desert him. The fact that this is becoming yesterday’s news is most troubling. Speak up!

Trump has always been a racist. From his days of discriminating with housing to people of color to his indictment of the “Central Park Five” who were found not guilty and received no mea culpa from Trump. He delved into a repellent and disgusting campaign of racism against Obama using “birtherism” to question his being born in America and questioned his faith. This from a man who has hid everything that pertains to his life from his school grades, taxes, his income, his multiple assaults of women, his shady business practices, his lying about bone spurs to avoid military service, his stealing from a charity, and the list goes on. This basically comes down to blatant racism and jealousy that Barack Obama is well received and respected by our allies and by more people than Trump. The Obamas are well educated. Honest. Unpretentious and altruistic as opposed to self-serving. Trump hates that they are perceived as all he wants to be seen as but cannot because he is the epitome of all that is crass and repulsive in a human being. Speak against this!

We now watch as racism is heralded by too many as acceptable. Notable black figures like Jackie Robinson and Colin Powell are having their names erased. Black history is being spoken of as a teaching that divides rather than educates and can cause white people to feel self-conscious. We’re watching as this needed education is being minimized and swept under the rug. Free passes into National Parks for Martin Luther King Jr. day and Juneteenth have been cancelled, but you can get in free on 6/14 which is Trump’s birthday and Flag Day. There are too many people that excuse this evil behavior. It has become a fear induced passive submission. This deep-seated hatred and animosity to people of color is being openly displayed and is being accepted. By either agreement or cowardly and servile acquiescence. Most people who did what Trump did would have been fired. But there is a wafting odor present now emanating from this administration that should cause people to retch, but they are barely holding their noses. There are millions of people who do not support Trump, but have yet to let their disgust be known audibly. Sort of waiting on the sidelines. If you do this you are giving tacit approval for this evil to continue to grow. James 4:17 says that he who knows to do good and doesn’t, to him it will be accorded as sin. And this evil, this racism, is sin. And as it says in 1 John, do not be deceived. He who practices righteousness is righteous. He who sins is of the devil. Racism is sin. Do not underestimate the penalty. Trump looks to talk boldly and brashly, but the Lord says in Jeremiah 49:16, “Your fierceness has deceived you. The pride of your heart. Though you make your nest as high as the eagle. I will bring you down from there says the Lord.” Do not be holding on or standing aligned with Trump when this judgement comes. And it will. Step away from him and his evil. Speak up! Stand! Blessings.

Trail

It’s been awhile since Rob Reiner’s death and I’ve often thought of it. Yet I hesitated to write about it then because of the horrible things said by Donald trump and how it may have affected my response. But I’ve thought about it quite a bit. The response by Trump saying Rob Reiner and his wife’s death was because he was a deranged person. That he was bad for our country. That his death was from a massive, unyielding and incurable disease known as Trump derangement syndrome. Rob Reiner was politically active. He spoke out against injustice. There were some things where he was more liberal than I may have liked, but his heart was genuine. He said, “The most important thing is that you be a good person and you live by the Golden Rule. If you live by that, that’s all I care about. I believe in doing unto others and I believe in forgiveness.” That is the polar opposite of any creed Trump may believe in. Rob Reiner cared about others. Trump cares only for Trump.

Romans 14:7 says our lives are interconnected, not isolated. Our actions and choices leave a lasting impression on others. No one lives just to himself or dies just to himself. We leave a trail of who we are/were. Some leave a lasting impact. For good or bad. For truth or a lie. Look at the trail left by Rob Reiner. He, like all of us, had flaws. He may have stood for some causes that angered some. But his motives were altruistic as opposed to one like Trump who is self- seeking and narcissistic. Altruism would be where Trump would quote a line from “Princess Bride,” directed by Reiner, and say “inconceivable!” Reiner left a legacy of decency, friendship, standing for what was right, whether popular or not, in his life as an activist and as a director of films like Princess Bride, Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally, and A Few Good Men. The principle of good vs bad is often portrayed. Right vs wrong. Love vs hate. Forgiveness and redemption. He may have been too far to the left politically for some, but his heart spoke a message of beauty that so many are unable to articulate in their own lives. He did it without reservation. Princess Bride and Stand By Me are two of my favorite films. They speak of love, hope, friendship, and goodness. There is nothing in Trump’s life that speaks to any of those qualities. Only self, hate, lying, stealing, hurting, killing, blaspheming, sexually abusing, overseeing murder, all while waving flags that represents America and God. We are warned to turn away from such people. Try to picture films that would portray what was in Trump’s mind. Most would be X rated. Filled with so much evil. Special warnings would be given for all viewers.

I, like so many, regret many choices and bad decisions I’ve made in my life. But I grasp I John 1:9 as a lifeline. We all sin and fall short of His glory but we can repent. In Trump we see one who has stated he has nothing to repent of. Anyone who stands by such a statement will hear, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” So, can we honestly reflect on the trail we will leave on this earth? We do not live or die just to ourselves. There is even a record of every word we speak. We need to honestly assess the trail, even legacy, of what we leave in this life. We need to measure how it lines up to the precepts of what Jesus taught. To basic principles of right and wrong. Love and hate. We can turn from all that which is the antithesis of the trail Jesus left for us or we can stubbornly refuse and keep following that which draws with evil intent like what we see/hear in one like Trump. Keep refusing to hear words of life which bring only death and then you will hear the line spoken from Princess Bride, “As You Wish.” Leave a trail that leads to everlasting life. Blessings.