Tag Archives: Truth Hurts

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