First they came for the Muslims, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not Muslim.
Then they came for the families of terrorists, but I didn't speak up, because I don't know anyone related to terrorists.
Then they came for the immigrants, but I didn't speak up, because I was born here.
Then they came for the children of immigrants, but I didn't speak up, because my parents were born here.
Then they came for the Mexicans, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not Mexican.
Then they came for the transgender soldiers, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not transgender.
Then they came for the disabled, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not disabled.
Then they came for the women who'd had abortions, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not a woman.
Then they came for the abortion doctors, but I didn't speak up, because I'm male.
Then they came for the asylum seekers, but I didn't speak up, because I already live here.
Then they came for the journalists, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not a journalist.
Then they came for the survivors of sexual assault, but I didn't speak up, because I've never been assaulted.
Then they came for the Congresswomen of color, but I didn't speak up, because I'm Caucasian.
Then they came for the protesters, and I began to wonder if it was safe to speak up.
Then they came for the people of Portland, Oregon, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not from Oregon.
Then they came for the polling places, but I didn't speak up, because my polling place wasn't affected.
Then they came for the Postal Service workers, and I wrote a letter to my Senators and Congressmen, but they never received it.
Then they came for the people who counted the votes, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not an election worker.
Then they came for the public officials who certified the votes, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not a public official.
Then they came for Congress, but I didn't speak up, because I don't like politicians.
Then they came for the gynecologists, but I didn't speak up, because I can't get pregnant anyway.
Then they came for the FBI, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not in law enforcement.
Then they came for the judges and prosecutors, and I didn't speak up, because I thought it might be a political issue.
Then they came for the families of the judges, prosecutors, and court staff, and I didn't speak up, because I'm not related to anyone in the legal field.
Then they came for the students, and I didn't speak up, because I'm not a student.
Then they came for the Puerto Ricans, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not Puerto Rican.
Then they came for the women having medical emergencies, but I didn't speak up, because I'm a man.
Then they came for the left, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not a leftist.
Then they came for the Latinos and Hispanics, but I didn't speak up, because I'm not Latino.
Then they came for an Episcopalian bishop, and I didn't speak up, because I'm not Episcopalian.
Then they came for the Inspectors General, and I didn't speak up, because I don't care much about bureaucrats.
Then they came for the IRS Agents, and I didn't speak up, because I don't like tax collectors.
Then they came for the people who work on disease control, nuclear safety, the forest service, people who fight financial fraud, and air traffic controllers, and I didn't speak up, because I couldn't keep track of it all.
Then they launched military strikes against peaceful civilian protesters and members of Congress, and I didn't speak up, because I didn't want to put a target on my back.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up for me.
(Adapted from the words of Martin Niemoller)
A Biblical Response to Donald Trump
Trump is a liar.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." - Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20, Matthew 19:18, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9
Trump is racist and anti-Semitic.
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" - 1 John 4:20
Trump is a would-be murderer.
"Thou shalt not kill." - Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9
Trump is a would-be torturer.
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." - Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31
Trump is a xenophobe.
"But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt..." - Leviticus 19:34
"Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." - Exodus 22:21
"Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." - Exodus 23:9
"Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." - Deuteronomy 10:19
"Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." - Matthew 25:40
Trump is a con man.
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
Trump is a serial adulterer.
"Thou shalt not commit adultery." - Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 5:18, Matthew 19:18, Luke 18:20
Trump is a misogynist.
"Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity." - 1st Timothy 5:1-2
Trump is a plutocrat.
"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." - Matthew 19:24
Trump is a bully.
"And he [John the Baptist] said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely..." - Luke 3:14
Trump is a braggart.
"Thus saith the Lord, Let not... the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches..." - Jeremiah 9:23
Trump is a climate change denier.
"And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." - John 8:45
Trump admires Saddam Hussein, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Bashar al-Assad, and Muammar Gaddafi.
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." - Ephesians 5:11
Trump is a bigot.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." - Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Leviticus 19:18
Trump is a frivolous litigant.
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." - Matthew 5:7
Trump is a narcissist.
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." - Matthew 5:5
Trump is an ignoramus.
"For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." - Proverbs 8:11
Trump is a crook.
"For the love of money is the root of all evil..." - 1st Timothy 6:10
Trump is a threat to national security.
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and money." - Matthew 6:24
Trump is abusive.
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." - Matthew 5:6
Trump is unjust.
"...What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" - Micah 6:8
Conclusion
"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Thus saith the Lord God: Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hath not sent them...
Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God.
...They have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo...
Therefore thus saith the Lord God: I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.
So will I break down the wall and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall... and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way...
Therefore ye shall see no more vanity... for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord."
- Ezekiel 13
[Who is Donald Trump?] | [A Biblical Response to Donald Trump] | [Trump and Violence] | [Expressway to Fascism: Introduction] | [Expressway to Fascism: Understanding Trump's Appeal] | [Expressway to Fascism: Trump's Cabinet] | [Expressway to Fascism: The Election / Past and Ongoing Voter Suppression] | [Expressway to Fascism: Disinformation, Foreign and Domestic / The Russian Connection] | [Expressway to Fascism: Trump's America] |[Expressway to Fascism: The Case Against Trump] | [Expressway to Fascism: What Do We Do?] | [Fascist DODO in the White House: The Second Term of Donald Trump] | [Satirical Poems on BlueSky]
Legacy Links: [But Today,
I Confess: Political Satire in Verse] | [Obamawatch] | [The Legacy of George W. Bush]
"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair... Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal.' -- Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963
This is a personal essay by C. Colvin.
Last updated: February, 2025