America Needs to Look in the Mirror

It seems America is more comfortable calling out and dealing with authoritarian and fascist regimes outside its own borders. We’re still trying to find our footing when it comes to dealing with our own authoritarian regime.

To be fair, this is relatively new territory for America. Not since King George tried to keep us in line have we been ruled by a tyrant.

For more than two hundred and fifty years we’ve managed to keep Fascism and authoritarianism at bay in America. But that streak is over. Today we have a Fascist in the white house, buttressed and supported by a criminal DOJ and a feckless Congress.

It’s time for Americans to take a good, hard look in the mirror—and if they do, they’ll see what everyone else sees: a country that, instead of fighting authoritarian regimes like Russia and North Korea, stands shoulder to shoulder with them. If we look at ourselves objectively in the mirror, we’ll see an ugly reflection staring back at us – one of aggressive behavior towards our allies and targeted violence against vulnerable communities inside our own borders.

America no longer stands for protecting the underdog and promoting and expanding civil liberties and rights for all human beings — we’ve become the ugly “might-makes-right” bully on the world stage, throwing our military and economic muscle around to intimidate every nation (friend of foe) we take umbrage with.

In addition, we’re being led by a pedophilic moron with a Sharpie addiction, crossing out and renaming territories and bodies of water like a petulant man-child with no sense of decency or morality.

If we don’t get this right in November, we can kiss the America we used to know goodbye forever.

Be prepared to fight for your right to vote this November, because as sure as shit, Donald Trump and his gang of goons in the DOJ and Congress are going to do everything in their power to suppress the vote and stay in power through acts of intimidation and violence.

They understand that accountability is on the ballot, and that scares the crap out of them.


November is Coming – By Sapient Rain

Lyrics by Geoffrey Reilly, Music by Suno. Here is a link to the song on Suno.

We used to be the land of generosity and grace
now we’re the heavy hand of venomosity and mace

We push women to the ground
and shoot nurses in the head
we put children in detention centers
and feed them moldy bread

We’re terrorizing immigrants
and sending horses off to slaughter
we’re disregarding sovereignty
and blowing boats out of the water

[Chorus]
When we look into the mirror
Are we pleased by what we see
Are you living in a land of hope
or of deep disparity
Look at what he’s doing
The transformation taking place
By the king of grift and screwing
with the caked-on orange face

Empathy and kindness
have been shattered and replaced
by a callous lust for power
that leaves America defaced

We hate all the gilded greed
and the malice in his heart
all the rotting farmer’s seed
and his “war of fits and starts”

We’re embarrassed and ashamed
At what our nation has become
At the hands of grifting Don
And all his pedophilic scum

[Chorus]
When we look into the mirror
Are we pleased by what we see
Are you living in a land of hope
or of deep disparity
Look at what he’s doing
The transformation taking place
By the king of grift and screwing
with the caked-on orange face

With a grip on power slipping
an awakening occurs
we see the cheap
gold paint is chipping
and our sights no longer blurred

Because our eyes are finally open
and we’ve woken from the spell
we can see the naked fascist
and hear the ringing of the bell

A foreboding constant drumming
Drowns out all the ifs and buts
He knows well
November’s coming
And that people hate his guts

[Chorus]
When we look into the mirror
Are we pleased by what we see
Are you living in a land of hope
or of deep disparity
Look at what he’s doing
The transformation taking place
By the king of grift and screwing
with the caked-on orange face


If you haven’t had a chance yet, please check out my book, My Paper, My Words: Rantings from a Progressive Boomer and Peeved Parent, from Amazon. And if you feel moved to write a review of the book, on Amazon, or anywhere else, I’d be honored.

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.

A Danger Posed

Christian Nationalism poses structural, democratic, and cultural dangers to America’s secular, pluralistic society, primarily because it seeks to fuse a single religious worldview with civic identity and governmental authority.

Across multiple independent analyses, researchers consistently show that Christian Nationalism correlates with anti‑democratic attitudes, exclusion of religious minorities, authoritarian governance, and erosion of constitutional protections.


I wrote the lyrics for “Usurpers in the Pulpit” to highlight America’s dangerous drift towards Christian Nationalism.

I used Suno to set the lyrics to music under the artist profile Sapient Rain.

Sapient Rain is a musical project that blends human creativity with artificial intelligence. It is a collaboration between writer/lyricist Geoffrey Reilly (me) and the AI music engine, Suno.

“Usurpers in the Pulpit” will be available on music streaming platforms on June 1st, 2026, but you can listen to it today on Suno.

Usurpers in the Pulpit

They pray in Megachurches
In the heartland on a hill
With Mic’d-up MAGA pastors
Pushing lies and poison pills

The preachers fret to scare you
but tell you God is on your side
The trap they set ensnares you
And takes your lost soul for a ride

After wine and half-truths whispered
And communion wafer snacks
The paid-for-MAGA pastor
Launches fascist-fueled attacks

In alliance with the devil
In accordance with their greed
Usurpers in the pulpit
Twisting sermons into screeds

Pals in persecution
The grievance-driven crowd
Bathed in absolution
And a bigotry allowed

The violence that awaits us
Is sectarian in its hate
Gun toting bible thumpers
To make the US Great

They’ll legislate their creed
And burn the rest in smoke and ash
Put their ten upon the wall
Tossing yours into the trash

In alliance with the devil
In accordance with their greed
Usurpers in the pulpit
Twisting sermons into screeds

They’d rather force you to your knees,
Than let you worship as you wish
Live your life by their decrees
And Donny T as your commish

It’s not about the Magi
Or the Christ child in the manger
but how Jesus loves America and
beware the stranger danger

Look at who they’ve chosen
to be the leader of their flock
an impetuous empty vessel
who has never taken stock

In alliance with the devil
In accordance with their greed
Usurpers in the pulpit
Twisting sermons into screeds

Book Number 2

Hi folks,

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 Donald on 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.

Peace (and FUDT).


If you haven’t had a chance yet, please check out my first book, My Paper, My Words: Rantings from a Progressive Boomer and Peeved Parent, from Amazon. And if you feel moved to write a review of the book on Amazon or elsewhere, I’d be honored.

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.

Hello Murkoswki

Sing to the tune of “Seasons in the Sun” By Terry Jacks

Hello Murkoswki, my old friend

I heard you speak your truth on CNN

about the fear inside your heart

It’s so easy to get played

when bullies know that you’re afraid


Hello Murkowski, my old friend

a fascist train is coming ’round the bend

and our freedom’s on the track

It’s time to take our country back

from that empty orange sack


There’s no joy, there’s no fun
when your nation’s overrun
by a pig and a creep
stealing freedom while you sleep


Hello Murkowski, my dear friend

the words you spoke are something to commend

but there’s a truth that can’t be blurred

We’ve been conned, and we’ve been lured

by the rich and self-assured


The time for words is over now

Let’s worship freedom not an orange cow

It’s our nation on the line

Gather forces and some nerve

to take back what we deserve


There’s no joy, there’s no fun
when your nation’s overrun
by a pig and a creep
stealing freedom while you sleep