My Paper, My Words is a collection of essays, stories, and poems that reflect the challenges of a middle-class husband and father trying to navigate a rapidly changing political, religious, and technological landscape of post-911 America.
I’ve just published “Imagine There’s No Donald” on Amazon.com.
Imagine There’s No Donald is a lyrical collection that channels the melodic cadence of (mostly) Beatles songs to deliver searing poetic indictments of Donald Trump, the MAGA movement, and their corrosive impact on American democracy.
Each poem echoes the structure and emotional resonance of iconic musical tracks—think “Rocky Racoon” reimagined as the tale of Donald Trump’s destructive path to the presidency, or Terry Jacks’ “Seasons in the Sun” transformed into a lament on Republican cowardice and lost democratic norms.
Through this fusion of pop nostalgia and political critique, the collection:
🎶 Harnesses Familiar Rhythms: The song structures serve as scaffolding for verses that are both accessible and subversive, drawing readers in with rhythm before confronting them with truth.
🔥 Excoriates Authoritarianism: Trump and MAGA are portrayed not just as political figures but as symbols of a broader erosion of truth, decency, and constitutional integrity.
🕊️ Defends Democratic Ideals: The poems mourn the fragility of American institutions while fiercely advocating for civic engagement, accountability, and moral clarity.
🎤 Amplifies Dissent: With a voice that is at once satirical and sincere, the book invites readers to sing along in protest, turning melody into a megaphone for resistance.
Whether riffing on “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” to expose the sycophantic rot of the Trump administration or twisting “When I Saw Her Standing There!” into an elegy against oligarchs and authoritarianism, this book is a poetic rebellion—an artistic act of defiance that refuses to be silent in the face of democratic decay.
Most free thinkers, poets, and essayists are but a thorn in the side of the authoritarian regime that is running roughshod over America’s democracy. Writing and speaking truth to power sometimes feels like screaming into the void. But with critical mass and momentum, art can influence public sentiment and mobilize opposition to repressive policies and tactics, making it a powerful adversary to regimes that rely on propaganda and control.
Verbal resistance alone won’t revive our democracy. If we’re going to right the ship in America, we’re going to have to do more than sing and complain. We’re going to have to take to the streets and, as the honorable Georgia Congressman John Lewis famously said, “get in good trouble, necessary trouble” by the millions.
Get your copy of Imagine There’s No Donaldon Amazon. Please feel free to share the link with others on your social media or simply by giving the book to a loved one as a gift.
My Paper, My Words is a collection of essays, stories, and poems that reflect the challenges of a middle-class husband and father trying to navigate a rapidly changing political, religious, and technological landscape of post-9/11 America.
Let’s Ask Arty uses existing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to query LLMs about politics in these troubled times.
Query 1: Are religious fundamentalists drawn to authoritarian political leaders? If so, why?
Yes, religious fundamentalists often show a strong affinity for authoritarian political leaders – and there’s a fascinating psychological and sociological logic behind it.
Shared Traits and Psychological Alignment
Rigidity and Certainty: Fundamentalism is rooted in the belief in an inerrant set of religious teachings; religious rigidity and certainty mirror Authoritarianism’s emphasis on strict rules, obedience, and moral absolutism.
Low Openness to Experience: Both religious fundamentalists and authoritarian personalities tend to resist ambiguity, novelty, and complexity.
Cognitive Simplicity: Studies show that fundamentalists often prefer clear-cut answers and hierarchical structures, which align with authoritarian leaders who promise order and control.
Perceived Threats and Social Change
Fear of Cultural Shifts: Fundamentalists may feel threatened by secularism, liberal social movements, or pluralism, as they perceive these as challenges to their traditional values. Authoritarian leaders often position themselves as defenders of “traditional values,” making them appealing protectors.
Us vs. Them Mentality: Authoritarian rhetoric thrives on identifying enemies—whether immigrants, minorities, or dissenters. An us vs. them mentality resonates with fundamentalist groups that view the world in moral binaries.
Political Strategy and Mobilization
Christian Nationalism: In the U.S., for example, white evangelical Protestants and Christian nationalists score high on authoritarianism scales and are more likely to support leaders who promise to restore religious dominance in public life.
Religious Endorsements: Authoritarian leaders often co-opt religious symbols and institutions to legitimize their rule. This creates a feedback loop where religious fundamentalists feel seen and empowered
Query 2: So, do all religious people have an affinity for authoritarians?
No, not all religious people are drawn to Authoritarianism.
The link between Religiosity and Authoritarianism is strongest among those with rigid, dogmatic beliefs. More open, reflective forms of spirituality tend to correlate negatively with authoritarian attitudes.
Query 3: Is there a link between Religiosity, the MAGA movement, and Authoritarianism?
Yes, there’s a well-documented link between religiosity, the MAGA movement, and authoritarianism—though it’s nuanced and varies across race, gender, and religious traditions.
How Religiosity Connects to MAGA and Authoritarianism
White Christian Nationalism plays a central role. Surveys show that white evangelical Protestants and Christian nationalists are among the strongest supporters of authoritarian politics and the MAGA agenda.
Dominionist Ideologies like the Seven Mountains Mandate—which calls for Christians to control key societal institutions—are embraced by some MAGA-aligned religious leaders.
MAGA figures frequently use Religious Rhetoric and Symbolism to frame political battles as spiritual warfare, reinforcing authoritarian narratives of good vs. evil
Psychological Drivers
Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) is a key predictor of MAGA support, especially among white men and white women. RWA includes submission to authority, aggression toward outgroups, and adherence to traditional norms.
Social Dominance Orientation—a belief in group-based hierarchies—also correlates with MAGA support, even among some women and people of color.
Race and Gender Matter
White Women show surprisingly high levels of authoritarianism and MAGA support, challenging assumptions that women are uniformly progressive.
Women of Color, by contrast, consistently show the lowest levels of authoritarianism and MAGA support, even when controlling for religiosity.
Religion as a Political Tool
MAGA leaders often invoke religious identity to legitimize their authority and mobilize voters. Trump’s use of phrases like “our religion” signals a vision of America as a white Christian nation.
Some former members of religious sects have even compared MAGA’s structure and messaging to authoritarian religious movements they escaped.
My Input
Religious fundamentalism and nationalist-tinged religious views are fueling authoritarian politics within the MAGA movement, putting Americans on a dangerous path, unseen since our war of independence in 1776.
Many of us probably never imagined America, a country that fought a world war to end fascism in Europe, would be on the precipice of falling to it at home. But we are.
Religion is fueling America’s flirtation with fascism.
We’re in a high-conflict / high-stakes environment, where groups (like MAGA) with an undying commitment to religious, political, and cultural identity flourish. Through Group Cohesion, Mobilization Power, and Clear Identity, MAGA’s loyalty, zeal, and adherence to rigid beliefs serve as the engine to Trump’s authoritarian politics.
To many in the MAGA movement, America’s constitutional democracy takes a back seat to religious and cultural identity. When MAGA members think the Constitution infringes ontheir perception of America’s religious or cultural identity, they’re okay with disregarding or tossing the Constitution altogether.
So, how do millions of Americans who don’t have the Group Cohesion, Mobilization Power, and Clear Identity of MAGA fight fascism and save democracy?
Because honestly, this fight is coming.
Fascism doesn’t go away on its own – it either takes root, or it’s rooted out.
Donald Trump manufactures and feeds the MAGA mob a constant diet of chaos, grievance, conspiracy theories, and lies. It’s the lifeblood of that movement.
Authoritarian forces are clamping down on democratic institutions and values in America. And because the confederacy of cowards in Congress refuses to serve as a check on executive power and because the judiciary continues to provide cover for Trump’s unchecked power, the last line of defense is citizen resistance, led by the pragmatic and morality-driven.
Pragmatic and morality-driven groups tend to be more adaptable and sustainable over time, as explained here by Arty:
Flexibility: Pragmatists can adapt their strategies to changing conditions, which is crucial in complex societies.
Cooperation: Morality-driven groups foster trust and reciprocity, which are essential for large-scale collaboration and innovation.
Reduced Internal Conflict: Moral norms help regulate behavior and reduce destructive competition within the group.
“While fanaticism is a high-risk, high-reward strategy that can dominate revolutionary movements like MAGA, it often burns out or fractures when the environment shifts. Whereas morality and pragmatism are slower-burning fuels that build civilizations, institutions, and long-term alliances.”
With the Epstein files we’re seeing a slight shift in the environment, causing some turmoil and fractures in the MAGA-sphere. But I don’t think we can rely on an Epstein-file-fueled MAGA collapse to save America.
Here is how American citizens can push back against fascism, with some help from Arty:
Build Parallel Structures of Power
Grassroots organizing: Form local networks that provide mutual aid, legal support, and community safety. These become lifelines when official institutions fail.
Alternative media: Create and support independent journalism to counter propaganda and amplify truth.
Solidarity economies: Support cooperatives and local businesses that resist authoritarian influence.
Shift the Narrative
Expose authoritarian tactics: Use storytelling, art, and social media to reveal abuses and rally public opinion.
Frame resistance as patriotic: Reclaim national symbols and values to show that defending democracy is not fringe—it’s foundational.
Strategic Nonviolent Resistance
According to civil resistance experts like Gene Sharp and Erica Chenoweth:
Disruption works: Strikes, boycotts, and mass noncooperation can paralyze authoritarian regimes.
3.5% rule: Movements that mobilize at least 3.5% of the population in sustained nonviolent protest have historically succeeded in toppling regimes.
Forge Broad Coalitions
Cross-ideological unity: Bring together liberals, conservatives, religious groups, labor unions, and marginalized communities around shared democratic values.
Intersectional movements: Link struggles—racial justice, climate action, LGBTQ+ rights—to build a united front.
Protect Vulnerable Communities
Rapid response teams: Organize legal observers, medics, and safe houses.
Digital security: Train activists in encryption and surveillance evasion.
Defend Electoral Integrity
Even if institutions are compromised:
Monitor elections: Document abuses and mobilize international attention.
Run insurgent candidates: Use local races to build power from the ground up.
Learn from Global Movements
South Korea: Citizens blocked martial law by physically surrounding Parliament.
Chile: Small affinity groups quietly resisted Pinochet’s dictatorship through coordinated strikes and art.
We hear this whenever Muslim extremists go on a rampage.
And though I agree the majority of Muslims are peaceful, if the average Muslim had to choose between living with a peaceful atheist like me or a fanatical Islamist, I think they’d choose the latter, because with the latter they share a religion.
Religion holds people together, while also dividing us from one another.
It lumps people into like-minded groups, where each group believes their God, their beliefs, their scripture, and their golden ticket to the afterlife is the one and only. It fosters an “us versus them” mentality, and when religion controls the narrative of who we are, we lose sight of our shared humanity.
When infused with fanaticism, religion celebrates flying planes into buildings and forcing families from their bulldozed homes as righteous acts.
When we view people through the prism of religion, we don’t see them as individuals. Instead, we see Jews, Muslims, or Christians and the preconceived notions those labels have to us. Categorization leads to dehumanization and dehumanization softens up the conditions for war and hate.
Fanatical groups like Hamas, ISIS, al-Qaeda, MAGA Republicans, and the ultra-orthodox Jews living in the West Bank see religion and scripture as a final arbiter or cure-all to all their woes and view those who don’t adhere to their beliefs as “less than” themselves.
Religion doesn’t only affect the religious. For example, religious-borne fear affects the moral compass of the religiously-agnostic when it comes to the war in Gaza. The fear of religious extremism is why we give a wide berth to Israeli vengeance. Our fear of Hamas and what they represent runs so deep that we give the IDF leeway in terms of their tactics and rationalize civilian casualties.
Religious extremism never serves the greater good. Clearly, Gazans in Palestine would be better off if they could get out from under the thumb of Hamas.
I want Hamas to be swept into the dustbin of history.
But at what cost? I guess that’s the question.
At what cost?
Last week, I saw a video post on LinkedIn that showed ghastly footage of bloody Palestinian children writhing in pain on a hospital floor in Gaza. It was horrific and sickening (and has since been removed). Many of the comments to that post referenced Allah and retribution, which filled me with despair. Those comments reinforce my belief that humans are slaves to what they’re taught in churches, synagogues, and mosques.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that people find peace, comfort, and a sense of community in religion — I understand the positive aspects of religion.
But I also see the negative.
Religious people get agitated at atheists like me who rail against the dangers of religion. In contrast, we atheists get frustrated that religious people can’t seem to separate the bliss they achieve from religion individually from the negative shit that comes out of a religious group dynamic.
Freedom from religion – the right of a person to have no religion in their life, opens the door to humanistic identity.
I was raised a catholic. For years, growing up, I went to church and catechism every Sunday, where I was lectured to by priests and nuns. Thankfully, I lived in a country that supports freedom from religion and free thought — where, over time, I could compare (without fear of retribution) what the priest and nuns were telling me to what I saw and observed in the world and what I learned of my own volition. This led to a sense of self not based on religious dogma and doctrine but rather on my personal experience interacting with the world and the people in it.
If I had been born and raised in Iran or Iraq, my experience would have been radically different. I would have been forced to adhere to the religious rules of the state or suffer the consequences of disobedience.
As an atheist, I could walk the streets of Telavi freely without having to look over my shoulder in fear for my safety. I’m not sure I can say the same about walking streets controlled by Islamist fundamentalists – who, if I made an off-color remark about their prophet, would separate me from my head without batting an eye – and feel justified in doing so.
America’s greatest gift to its citizens is freedom from religion. But lately, I fear we’re in danger of losing that gift and becoming an authoritarian theocratic state ourselves.
Just look at the speech that Elise Stephanic gave when nominating Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. That speech included multiple references to God and scripture. And Johnson himself has informed American’s the way to learn how he feels about any issue is to read the Bible. ‘That’s my worldview, that’s what I believe.‘
Since Mike Johnson’s nomination to the speakership, we’ve seen gross outward expressions of religiosity on the house floor – a clear slap in the face to the separation of church and state.
Imagine the outcry if a Muslim speaker or representative busted out a prayer rug on the house floor to pray.
The increase of religiosity in the Republican party should be a huge red flag to Americans who cherish living in a secular and pluralistic society.
The GOP’s embrace of Christianity as a national religion is a genuine threat to the American way of life.
I’m not naive. I know religion isn’t going anywhere, though I am heartened that among American adults, secular humanism and postmodernism are growing in influence in our culture.
Let’s judge religions by their ideas.
The notion that criticizing a religion is unacceptable because it might “offend people” is what allows dangerous movements within generally peaceful religions to spread and radicalize individuals.
We need to voice our objections loudly against any religion that promotes divisiveness, intolerance, or hate, because these are bad ideas for humanity.
On Daddy’s dime, he ran business after business into the ground.
He shorted his contractors, defrauded, and extorted his way to the top of the New York real estate market.
He cheated on his taxes almost as much as he cheated on his wives.
He sexually assaulted women and bragged about it.
He publicly mocked a disabled reporter.
When a woman reporter held his feet to the fire with tough questions, he insinuated that her tough questions were related to her menstrual cycle.
He endlessly equated a woman’s worth with her appearance.
He sexualized his own daughter publicly.
He denied housing to people based solely on the color of their skin.
He used a charity as a front for illegal activities and was forced to shut it down.
He created a fake university to take money from suckers, truckers, and dumb motherfuckers all across America.
He pandered to Americans’ fears, employing a nationalistic propaganda campaign emblematic of the Nazis in Pre-World War II Europe. And as a result of that campaign, he ascended to the highest office in the land.
For four years, we bore witness to a fundamental truth: like sewage in a leeching field, a man’s lack of character seeps into every decision he makes.
At the pinnacle of power and public service, Trump put all his energy into pitting Americans against one another instead of leading and uniting a nation. He understood that a divided America was his only chance at hanging on to power.
He promoted and pushed tax policies that helped the rich and powerful as president.
He implemented a punitive immigration policy that separated children from their parents and caged them, all while using nationalistic propaganda and xenophobic tropes to justify his cruelty.
He tried to shake down a foreign leader by holding up military funding for dirt on his political opponent.
He minimized the danger of the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed false cures and the notion that COVID-19 would not last, despite knowing his words were lies.
He cheered the efforts of nationalist militias to overthrow state governments.
He regularly praised and flirted with authoritarians while simultaneously trashing alliances.
And when the American people finally said enough is enough, he used lies and misinformation about a stolen election to whip his supporters into a frenzy. Then, he gathered his supporters in Washington for the express purpose of subverting American Democracy, urging them to storm the capital to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Blood was spilled, and people died, but Democracy prevailed.
Since then, members of his administration have said that Trump was, and is, unfit to lead. Yet members of the Republican party serving in Congress refuse to refute the fat orange brute.
A few weeks ago, Russia invaded the free and sovereign nation of Ukraine, and Trump refused to refute the brute who initiated the attack. In fact, he praised Putin’s tactics as “Genius” and “Savvy.”
When asked by a reporter, “What message would you like to give Vladimir Putin today?” Trump did not denounce Putin’s aggression. Instead, the former leader of the free world said, “I have no message.”
And yet Trump – this menace to American Democracy and democracies around the world – this selfish, shallow, vile human being devoid of character and morality is still the most powerful man in the Republican party.
Republicans in Congress grub for his support., similar to the scared immigrant families of generations ago who cowered to the local mafia thug strutting in their streets.
Unfortunately for America, Trump is that Mafia thug. Instead of threatening physical violence, he threatens the congressional community to withhold his support. And to the dismay of many, Republican members of Congress bend a knee and kiss the ring of this despicable human being.
The lack of courage in the face of Trump’s moral and ethical turpitude stunned and deflated Americans and weakened our global standing. Our allies wondered aloud if America could still be trusted. How can we expect America to stand up for Democracy when their own president does not?
Trump spent four years weakening alliances with Western democracies across Europe. He joyfully cozied up to authoritarian leaders and countries around the globe. He softened the ground for autocratic regimes in their march against Western democratic ideals, which lead inevitably to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Like Trump, Putin is a bully and a thug.
Like Trump, Putin understands Democracy is the iron in the blood of free men and women.
And when Democracy takes hold in a country previously constricted by authoritarianism, it unlocks the desire for freedom that exists naturally in all human beings. Our natural human desire for freedom is contagious and spreads quickly, especially in countries where freedom has been denied.
Freedom and the courage to fight for it are the kryptonite of autocrats, dictators, and bullies.
Freedom was flourishing in Ukraine. And though Ukraine was no threat militarily to Russia, the freedom of its people was a threat to Putin himself.
What happens if Russians get infected with freedom? How long would Putin last?
And so, we have bombs raining down on cities across Ukraine. We have a free and sovereign nation under attack by a menacing bully.
Like Putin, Trump understood that his rule was also threatened by freedom.
The freedom for people to march in protest.
The freedom of the press to report truthfully.
The freedom of citizens to question and challenge authority.
All of these freedoms ended Trump’s presidency and saved (for now anyway) our Democracy.
We must do all that we can to help Ukraine fight for freedom. As free people, it’s our responsibility to help Ukrainians in their fight to remain free. They’re standing up to the bully, putting their lives on the line to remain a sovereign nation of free people. If they lose their fight, it’s a victory for the enemies of freedom everywhere. A victory for Putin opens the door to further aggression and the spread of autocracy’s dark shadow around the globe.
In a recent interview, a reporter asked Ukraine President Zelenskyy if he understood America’s view that imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would worsen the situation. Worsen it for who? was his reply.
By refusing to close the sky over Ukraine, we’re permitting the slaughter of Ukrainians.
When you’re an ocean away from bombs raining down from the skies, you can afford to be pragmatic; when bombs are raining down on you, pragmatism goes out the window.
Ukrainians don’t have the luxury of being pragmatic or assessing their situation from a geopolitical perspective. Instead, they’re asking America and the world to give them a chance at survival. Refusing to close the sky over Ukraine diminishes their chances significantly.
Either we stand up to the bully and close the skies and risk escalating the war to other countries, or we permit the slaughter of innocent civilians.
Put more simply, either we do what is right or what is safe. We stand up to the menacing bully with all of our strength and courage, or we do not.
Ukrainians are fighting for their lives and their freedom.
Their country is under attack, and their sovereignty is threatened by a thuggish dictator, drunk on nostalgia and looking to impose authoritarianism on a country that poses no threat to him or his country.
And rather than condemn the actions and motives of the Russian President, Mike Pompeo and Former President Trump praise him for his tactics, lending aid and comfort to a true enemy of democracy.
This is utterly unsurprising, as Trump’s 4-year presidency is littered with examples of praise for authoritarian rulers and governments. And don’t hold your breath for Republican leadership to condemn Trump or Pompeo, as today’s Republican party is infested with anti-democratic seditionists who are beholden to Trump and foreign influencers.
The threat to western democracy in Europe is genuine. Another Trump presidency would act as a linchpin and accelerant for anti-democratic forces abroad and in America.
We should all keep that in mind when we head to the ballot box in 2022 and 2024.
America has more than her fair share of fascists and white nationalists.
Some of them even serve in congress.
The vast majority, if not all, vote republican.
Donald Trump is a White Nationalist. That’s why White Nationalists supported his presidency.
When someone says they supported Trump’s policies but not his white nationalist and authoritarian views, its no less ludicrous than a German citizen in 1939 saying they support Hitler’s economic policies, not his views on the Jewish population.
In throwing your support behind a president, you have to look at the totality of the man – not just policy bits and pieces that you can align with and rationalize to yourself and your friends.
As we saw with President Trump, it’s the totality of the man (all of his views and values) that set the tone and attitude of his administration. Under Trump, the party’s platform was built on divisiveness, hate, mistrust, and anger, and that’s exactly what was reflected in most of Trump’s policies and actions.
It’s important to keep in mind that the anger, hate, and mistrust of government and institutions that Trump used to divide America and strengthen his position politically, are alive and well today. Those feelings and attitudes didn’t magically disappear when Trump was trounced in the 2020 election.
Many Americans who supported Trump are simply waiting for him, or the next Trump-wannabee to come along and validate those feelings, while cultivating and promoting policies that weaken our democracy and march us down the path to authoritarianism.
Colin Powel was a lifelong republican, military man, and honorable public servant who understood the danger of authoritarianism. When he saw fellow republicans refuse to stand against a dangerously authoritarian president, he called them out for their cowardice and left the party.
We need more republicans of stature to do what Colin Powell did – speak up and shine a light on the dangerous and dark influences taking hold of their party. And more importantly, we need strong and outspoken leaders in the GOP to provide a roadmap for getting the party back on track to decency, integrity, and basic American ideals. Without a roadmap, we’re going to see the GOP continue it’s downward spiral towards authoritarianism.
The four years of the Trump administration laid the groundwork for dismantling democracy in America. Colin Powel understood that and voiced his disdain for Trump and the political cowards who failed to stand up to him.
If democracy is to survive in America, we’ll need more voices like Colin Powel’s.
bendingtheneedle 