I'm Back.

I want you to put the word out there that WE BACK UP.

Hey, I’m not Stringer Bell, but I’m definitely back on Substack for good.

I haven’t been away, but things have been so confusing and bad since the last time I posted that I found myself conflicted about what to say. After all, I did name this Substack “Under the desk” because I have always been fascinated by the 1950’s “duck and cover” drills in schools that were designed to protect students from a nuclear attack.

Now, we face a different attack, one that threatens the fragile, hanging on by a thread democracy we have in America. That attack on our democracy and government structure is being led by a vindictive man in the oval office, and a billionaire oligarch who is best described as the venal, low budget, baby daddy and Iron man wannabe.

Now more than ever, you need to hear from people like me who saw this day coming, did everything we could to educate people about Christian Nationalism and Project 2025, and are now facing the future that we so desperately did not want to happen. To be clear, I’m not here to legislate whether Christian Nationalism is a real movement, or if the goals of Project 2025 are real.

I am here to tell you that the roll out of both is well on its way, and there is not a lot of to stop it. Once this shift to a dictatorship is complete, it will be very difficult to dislodge it.

For those of you who have recently signed up, thank you, and for those of you who have been riding with me, waiting for me, thank you for trusting me. I am back for good.

Let me tell you what to expect on this Substack, and what you can count on from me.

First, I will be posting once a week, more if the situation warrants. Sometimes I might have a guest post, but it will be carefully curated.

Second, until June 1, 2025, all content will be free. If you want to subscribe to premium content (we’ll get to that in a minute) It will start at five (5) dollars a month. If you don’t want to subscribe to premium content, you’ll see at least 2 posts a month, but any premium content (videos, interviews, and livestreams) will be extra. I’ll tease a bit of this starting in May in the run up to June 1.

What you can count on from me is analysis and reporting about the religious and political issues undergirding these massive changes that the Trump administration is attempting to push onto America. There are so many ways right now that all the changes and firings that are occurring have their antecedents in religious beliefs and are being enacted by people who have a theocratic worldview and vision for America. Understanding this is crucial to understand the surge towards authoritarianism and autocracy in America.

I will also write about the threats against universities, education and the revisionist history that this administration wants to foist upon Americans. Battles like the ones in Oklahoma over religion in schools, the vilification of trans persons, and the erasure of history are important date points in the erosion of democracy.

Finally, I have always been asked to teach various things about civil rights, race, and religion, and I’m working on a space to do that. I’ll have more information for you in the run up to June 1.

I hope you’ll join me on this journey. I have dedicated myself since January 7, 2021 to speaking and writing about the threats to democracy and the manner in which Christianity has been used to promote and legitimize authoritarianism. How I’m doing that now is changing, but the message is the same.

Finally, in case you haven’t heard anyone say it, this is the second coup. The call is coming firmly from inside the oval office, and it’s a takeover voted in by segments of the American public.

Next week, I’ll explain how everything that is happening right now is straight out of the playbook of Victor Orban, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I’ll also talk about some of the religious underpinnings. Understanding this version of shock and awe is important to understand how little time is left to saving our democracy.

Buckle up. The ride is already bumpy, and shows no sign of slowing up.