By Diane Thomas

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the LORD your God, and serve only Him.”‘ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and served him…he withdrew to Galilee,” [MATTHEW 4: 8-11, 12b].

This is probably going to be a short essay, because: what is there still to say? “You are doomed, you that twist justice and cheat people out of their rights!” [AMOS 5:7].

Especially if “you” call yourself a Christian, but call it wicked and unChristian to say

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh…But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. …” [LUKE 6: 20-21, 24].

The good news is, that, thousands upon thousands of people have been out in the streets protesting federal thugs who may as well be wearing the jackboots, and the absurdly dangerous threats to “take over” Greenland (destroying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), and the invasion of a sovereign nation and extraction of its president, for the pretty express purpose of taking over its oil income. The scared world is watching, and working out how to get along without the USA.

We are speaking out, and organizations are going to court, about the evils being done by federal forces, and many have been physically guarding and protecting their neighbors against warantless abductions.

Yet:

A woman observing and beginning to drive away, named Renee Good, was murdered by gunshots to the face by I.C.E. agent Jonathan Ross on January 7, 2026.

Just today I see that a man was beaten unconscious and then shot to death, also in Minneapolis, also by I.C.E.: Alex Pretti, a registered nurse who was helping a woman, and was beaten, then disarmed, then shot.

Children have been detained by “immigration officers,” and on January 12, 2026, the director of I.C.E. actions in Minnesota, named Greg Bovino, who is directing the unconstitutional and illegal operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, threw tear gas in a residential neighborhood where there were families, where and when there were small children about, and when the citizens were observing, being witnesses to the operations. The gas used, hexochloroethane (HC) produces zinc chloride smoke and contains aluminum, which, according to the simplest browser search, has been phased out of military use due to extreme pulmonary toxicity, lung damage, liver damage, and death.

This gas is, or was, part of the military’s Chemical Weapons program: inhaling HC causes acute and severe respiratory distress, permanent liver damage, and possibly sudden collapse and death.

The current federal government is now waging chemical warfare against U.S. residents– citizens, families, children.

The Union of Concerned Scientists website tells us that HC smoke grenades, developed during WWI to cover and obscure ground movements, but determined to be too poisonous in itself and its gaseous metal byproducts, are sold by a company named Safariland which labels them of “no risk to human health.” The 1994 US Army Field Manual instructs that protective gear must be worn at all times handling it, and HC smoke is toxic in high concentrations. “Fatalities have occurred from HC smoke exposure during routine training where soldiers were not informed of the hazards.” It is toxic to animals and to trees and fish… to peaceful observers, costumed demonstrators, and the I.C.E. or law enforcement agents who handle and throw them.

WhY? I keep thinking: to provoke into violence, and to declare martial law, to segregate and fence into ghettos and camps, to remove dissadents and rebel leaders, and to cow those left– as in how many dystopian and Nazi visions?

“You people hate anyone who challenges injustice and speaks the whole truth in court;” [AMOS 5:10].

As the USA becomes a rogue nation, losing trust, support, partnership, cooperation, and trade with former allies and friends, and turns weapons upon its own people, we see the American Shadow flailing around trying to rouse an enemy so that it can righteously attack and destroy its enemies– and take the prize.

The American Archetype, the Cowboy, the gun-toting Stand-Alone John Wayne/Clint Eastwood/Jack Ryan, is the man who takes justice into his own hands. He works outside the law: a crime is committed against him or his wife and kids, and he wreaks vengeance. It seems like trump or his handlers are working hard to stir up the violence, to force others into acting against them. Without that “first blood,” their own assault- and- destroy is not righteous or just.

And, again, why? To control the domestic sphere while taking over the world with terroristic (nuclear– remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki)) threats of harm, to take over all the fossil, mineral, and other natural resources of Their half or third of The World?

In the old Westerns, the gunslinging hero was usually an ex-Confederate soldier.

Racism is built in to America, and was from its founding, which permitted slave-owning despite the declared equality and democracy. The old schism has erupted and can not be ignored, although I’m not sure what we can do to heal this sickness in the collective psyche. Love; somehow love, and somehow allow love to act.

They, trump and his cabinet and supporters, psychologically, must continue to tell themselves, believe, that they are righteous and just, if they possess any glimmer of morality or sanity, yet can keep on with their project.. The Others must be believed to be the evil: the Venezuelans. The immigrants. The protestors and dissidents. The Justices and judges and Governors who claim that they are acting unconstitutionally and illegally. The more absurd the claims against the Enemy of the month or year, the less sure they are: we will doubtless see a mental health crises in the next few years– breakdowns and suicides– among the hold-out supporters of the trump crew, if and when they are convicted of sin and righteousness, and are hit with guilt and shame. Those still with him must be unable yet to face themselves, or are making too much money to care, or are guilty already of crimes against humanity and are at home in their wickedness, taking after their father, the Father of Lies, who was a murderer first…

Because of this, we must stay peaceful; we must practice the nonviolence of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

I cannot throw the first stone, not being sinless, but I can speak up, I can stand, I can carry bright, visible signs at demonstrations. I can write and publish statements, and put my name to them. We can use our minds and bodies to share and spread Light and compassionate Love, physical and emotional aid, enacting Loving Our Neighbors. And remain vigilant: do not let the feds “disappear” people, or work in the dark. Share information, keep record of events, bear witness.

“The LORD says,’ these people fill their mansions with things taken by crime and violence. They don’t even know how to do how to be honest,” one version puts Amos 3:10, and another: “But they do not know how to do what is right,’ declares the LORD, ‘these who hoard up violence and devastation in their citadels.'”

“I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. You persecute good men, take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts,” [AMOS 5:12].

Do the billionaire would-be oligarchs trying to take over/plunder the West really think that the Richest Man Wins?

Did not every word Jesus spoke say the opposite?

“Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back again. Do to others as you would have them do to you;” [LUKE 6: 27-31].

When the planet is dust and the work forces are famished to death, does the guy with the biggest bank account win? What is the prize? The flight to Mars?

“‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles– the people who have sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near;” [MATT. 4:15-17].

The Light is in the people who dress up in inflatable costumes to protest evil, who link arms to protect and defend neighbors, who hold up cameras and record illegal seizures, and film murders of innocents by federal officers; Congresswomen, Governors and judges who say No, despite seeing colleagues murdered or their houses set on fire; in the tens and hundreds in the small towns who show up with signs and songs, and the thousands in the cities; and every one who has been donating to food banks and food drives and clothing and coat drives, offering food, transportation, moral support, and care-giving to our children, elders, vulnerable adults, who are remembering the widows and orphans, the sick and those in prison.

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven..” [LUKE 6: 22-23].