I think I can see one of the reasons why Jesus overturned the tables instead of just preaching to them. Evil men have these people firmly convinced that following them is how one worships God. So you really can't preach the teachings of Jesus to them because they believe they already follow Him.

This really was the main driver behind the rise of the police state in America, which hasn't just started but has been going on for decades. So I'm really not surprised that ICE, or any cop, is a prominent member in any church.
4/5

And then their marriage jumped into politics with the agreement that if the churchgoer gives the wealthy what they want then the wealthy politicians will start using the government to shove their morals down everyone else's throats.
3/5

Just like in your OP, it was the money coming into the churches that corrupted them. All they had to do was preach what their uber wealthy donors wanted, make it sound Biblical, and then they get the money for the new building, the nice pews, the new organ, etc.
2/5

This has been going on in American churches for a long time, across all denominations to varying degrees. They really have made a graven image out of a red elephant (the symbol of the Republican Party) and started bowing down before it.
1/5

I'm a CNA/MA. I've been around death. It's never easy. All I can say is know that you helped this person be comfortable, as pain free as possible, and have dignity right up to the end. And think that maybe you can see their smile because they may still be smiling at you for all that you did.

I'm sick of it, too.

I don't mean anything against the kid in this story, but these are not feel-good stories. These stories just show how health insurance, and, really, every other business as well as government, thinks their purpose is to just take all our money while giving nothing back.

Also, there's only about two and quarter million people in the entire armed forces. That's all branches combined, including the Coast Guard. They couldn't occupy this country if they had to. And that's even if we continue to let them have a safe base in our country.

Don't be so afraid of the military. The real military isn't the same as the one portrayed in media propaganda. After all, the real military couldn't even beat the Taliban. Now they're reduced to picking on the homeless and fighting the much feared Venezuelan fishing fleet.

What he told me went against everything I truly believe. I came to understand that what I thought was a symbol of individuality and living free was quite the opposite. So I took it down. I haven't flow one since.

It's sad that he had to do that, but I'm glad he did.

I told him, "Because I'm a rebel at heart." Then he told me what that flag meant to him.

He told me about Jim Crow, lynchings, generations of enforced poverty, too many people in the family tree who died young. It was all the things I'd never been taught in my evangelical upbringing.

When I got my first apartment, I had a Confederate flag hanging in my living room.

One Friday, after work, a bunch of coworkers came over to hang out. Jammin' tunes. Drinking beers. Talking. Being young.

Sometime during the evening, a black coworker asked me why I flew that flag.

There might be one. I hear it's a crime to give food to the homeless in some areas. I doubt he's ever done that.

I work in healthcare, as do a lot of people out here.
I read.
I play video games and hang out online.
I worry about climate change.
I want to drive on decent roads that don't chew up a set of tires every year.
I care about the homeless.

Bottom line ... we're really not different than anyone else.

I don't go to church.
I have a low opinion of farm owners. And I do not think they're the backbone of the economy out here.
I'd rather drive wood screws into my kneecaps than go fishing.
I don't drive a truck.
I wouldn't be caught dead in a cowboy hat.
I can't stand country music.

I live in a very small town in Nebraska. Politicians from either party have no idea how to talk to us. They think we're all the stereotypical small towner. And we're not.

That is exactly what happened to me last night. And I'm paying for it right now.
(I'm reading "Trinity" by Leon Uris.)

I'm just a CNA/MA taking a guess from looking at a picture.

That's a lot of swelling. If he has CHF, his diuretic regimen is not keeping up. Doctors might bring him in for an IV treatment and then up the dose in his pills. If he's at max dose now, then he's nearing a terminal diagnosis.

We need more of this. Go to their houses. Go to the businesses they own or run. Go to the specific churches they run. Go there and let them know they're Nazi's and scum.

She can sit there smirking for the camera, but she'll be peeking out those windows every night for the next month. Good.

I don't know about your process, but I would just keep writing. I like to just spit the story out first. Then I go through numerous edits. So for all I know, I might look at those paragraphs later and think they might fit better in chapter 5 where the MC is remembering certain things.

George Washington's Farewell Address.
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
FDR's First Inaugural Address.
JFK's "We chose to go to the moon."
Johnson's "We shall overcome."
Reagan's Brandenburg Gate Speech.
Obama accepting his first nomination.
Trump's Tweets.

One of these things is not like the others.

Render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasar's and render unto God that which is God's.

This is not a commandment to pay your taxes. What it's saying is that there IS a separation of Church and State, and if you try to fuse them, you're just rejecting the Church to worship the State.

Talarico is quite correct. These people are the worst form of tyrants. These people believe they are prophets, or the new Moses. And what they want is for all of us all to believe that every word out of their mouths comes from God Himself. They aren't worshipping God. They think they are gods.

The architects of what is happening to us are getting their power from certain corporations and certain churches which they own and/or run.

I've read about the resistance in WWII. Yes, they had fighters to fight enemy troops. But there was also a lot who did another important job.

Sabotage.

Resources, like lumber, minerals, chemicals, etc., could be socialized. The theory being that they could then be distributed fairly as well as in ways that keep an eye on our planet's health.

Everything could be produced locally. And we could couple this with UBI and food security programs.

We could have govt. run websites where you could download blueprints for products and even programs for programmable manufacturing equipment. There could also be R&D websites where anyone could logon and help work out solutions for new products.

Maybe one day they'll have enough numbers to have a country that focuses on freedom instead of one that just hunts down different versions of "the bad guy." Then everyone will see that our youth is a lot more welcoming and inclusive than is thought.

With a few exceptions, these young men are not bigots of any kind. All are welcome, and when they come we'll tell them, "Hey, bro. Welcome to the shit show. Abandon all hope ye who enter here."

There isn't anyone standing up for the Spirit of America, and giving these young men something to believe in and something to fight for. And, though important, stating that one specific group have the same rights as anyone doesn't mean much to people who feel like none of us have any rights at all.

Politics has become almost entirely focused on money. When it comes to rights and freedoms, all we're seeing is Nazi's on one side and bags of pudding that don't stand up for them on the other.