Okay - 1st off, why is it's God's job to help us, rather than us helping ourselves?
Do we not have free will, a conscience? Whatever happened to personal responsibility?
And, though not as glaring as Mr Davis's ongoing mantra that there is no right and wrong, and we all do it - I'm afraid this otherwise compelling column still does not go far enough.
What's omitted is as glaring as what's contained.
The claim that Trump's policies are wrong and that the Republican controlled Congress is AWOL are certainly true.
To the point where, yes, likely they will soon reap a whirlwind of death and despair upon us. Either from civil war, world war, or instituting a government of arrogant imperialism and fascism from the oligarchs who rule us, where we once had a republic.
All true.
And growing more true every day. No doubt.
My greatest fears are now not of some Chinese or Russian communist occupying my home after an invasion. Of a zealous Muslim martyring himself in an act of destruction. Or all of the other things that Hollywood has shown me over the last half century or more. The cruel drug overlord, the angry black man, the mad scientist.
Yada, yada, yada....
Nope.
That's not who I should be worried about. Facts dictate otherwise.
The guy or gal I should fear looks just like me when I look in a mirror. I've worked beside him, fought beside him, bled beside him. Worshipped, fished, hunted, cried, drank, cheered beside him. Admired her. Sat at her table.
If I end up dead or in a concentration camp, it's a lot more likely to come from them than anyone else.
As thousands more stormtroopers occupy Minneapolis. As "Homeland Security" queen Kristi Noem employs shock and awe tactics upon us while standing, literally, behind the Nazi mantra of revenge and retribution: "One of us, all of them".
As Niemoller warned us, "First they came.....".
I see that now.
Yet, it can't be denied. Somewhere along the line, we parted ways. I can't say exactly when. Nor why. Though, I've often wondered. I truly can't. Especially in the last 10-20 years. But it's true.
Did I change, or did they?
I don't think it was me. But would I know?
Looking back, I'm not sure what bothers me more. Have they become someone that I no longer recognize, or were they that person all along, and I just didn't recognize it?
I do not know.
I had a neighbor back home.
A good man.
Lived a few doors up from me. Smart, honest, hard working. I knew him and lived beside him for 30 years. He gave me honey from his hive. We shared garden secrets, fishing spots. He raised his children next to mine. Refereed my children's soccer games.
When I had my heart attack, he came and shoveled my walk without me asking. He had a snow blower and would do anyone's in the neighborhood, just to be doing it. A deacon in his church. A man who I asked for advice on many an occasion. And yet, when it came time to sell my home, one day he came to ask me if I was going to sell it to a Mexican. He was serious. Where in the hell did that come from? How did I not see it? Once it was over, I tried to forget it. And yet, a few days later, another good neighbor mentioned our conversation. They'd been talking. It mattered. They were worried.
Had it been there all along, and I just chose not to see it; or had these otherwise good, ethical people been manipulated into it?
I honestly do not know. Not sure I wanted to. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I think about it.
These are the people that I thought I would grow old with. Telling old jokes, old stories. Making new ones. Now, I avoid them like the plague. I don't argue with them, nor try to reason with them, because now I realize that reason has nothing to do with it. So why bother?
But I think the thing that bothers me more - is wondering - did they really think I was one of them?
That I too would be okay with it? With racism, ignorance, greed, injustice? All the things that today's "conservatism embraces? That I would lie, cheat, steal to get what I want?
Accept it being done for me? In my name?
All I know is this.
It comes down to the basics. Though admittedly, it's things that I considered so basic, I remain astounded that I have to explain them to anyone, much less an American.
Reason ain't what got them into this, it ain't what will get them out. Not sure anything will, so we better start treating them according to what they are, not what we wish they were.
Still, let me make it clear.
I'm against the torture and killing of children. Not just my children, but anyone's. Never thought I'd have to justify such a stance, yet here we are.
Force should be a last resort, not the first, because all life is precious. Not just my life, but all life.
Rule of law matters, those who enforce the law should do so openly, lawfully, and with the consent of the governed.
Law enforcers are servants of the citizens, not their masters. Answerable to the Constitution, the law, and the courts. Guardians, not lords.
Servants.
Ut prosim.
Rights belong to all.
Lying's wrong, as is cheating, stealing.
A person should be judged by their actions, not how their looks, where he comes from, or how much money or fame he has. Not because of who he knows, but what he does.
All those things you learned about in kindergarten, they're still true.
So when I see our nation's legally chosen leaders suddenly deciding that they've found a great new way of making money, we'll just steal it from Canada, or Greenland, or Venezuela - because we can - not only am I against it, I can't help wondering why others are not.
Mr Johnston mentions and rightly condemns Trump, and to a lesser degree the Republican Congressional members. All true. All true.
But again, where's the condemnation of the rest?
In 2016, and to a much, much lesser degree in 2020 - Republicans could've and did claim they know no better. They were all following the George Costanza method of morality. As long as they did not admit it was a lie, then it wasn't a lie.
That wore a little thin by 2024, and is even more so now.
If they didn't know by then, or now - it's because they didn't want to know. Not because they couldn't.
There can be no reasonable doubt at this stage.
So why are we not holding not only the Wttmans or Rubios of the world accountable - why not the Durants, Diggs, etc. as well?
The ones who are YOUR neighbor, who pass the plate at your church?
This don't happen without them.
Ain't it about time we admit that, and say that? Even if they won't?
Answer me that.
The only way lies can live is if no one shines a light on them. Turn on the light.
First, thank you for saying this out loud. It takes real courage to put your hurt and anger on the page, especially when it means admitting that people you worked with, prayed with, and trusted might now stand on the side of cruelty or look the other way. A lot of us feel what you’re describing, but we’re afraid to name it.
What you’re talking about is a mix of grief and betrayal. Grief, because we’re losing neighbors and communities we thought we’d grow old with. Betrayal, because we’re realizing some of the folks we called “good people” don’t share the basics we thought were a given: that you don’t torture or target children, that law and truth matter, that you don’t steal from other countries just because you can. That cuts across parties. It’s not just about Republicans or Democrats; it’s about what any of us is willing to accept when it happens to someone else.
When you invoke Pastor Niemöller, it hits a nerve for a reason. In 1930s Germany, plenty of “good neighbors” stayed quiet as one group after another was singled out and attacked. By the time many finally spoke up, millions were dead, whole communities were gone, and the country lay in ruins after a war they helped make possible by their silence. The message wasn’t aimed at one party label; it was aimed at everyone who thought, “This won’t touch me.” If a politics of fear and cruelty ever really takes root here, it won’t stop to ask whether we’re Republican, independent, or Democrat before it wrecks our lives and our neighbors’ lives.
You’re also right that “turning on the light” is risky. Speaking up can cost people friendships, jobs, and in some cases, their safety. So it helps to be honest about that and give folks a simple way to decide, in the moment, whether to raise it or not. Before we bring this up with someone, we might quietly ask ourselves three questions:
1. Is this a person who might actually hear me, or are they just looking for a fight?
2. Do I feel physically and emotionally safe having this conversation right now?
3. What’s my goal here: to change a mind, to plant a seed, or simply to say, “Not in my name”?
If the answer to any of those is “no,” it’s okay to save the conversation for another day and turn on the light in other ways. With some truly hard core neighbors—people who have made it clear they’re not interested in facts, law, or basic decency—pushing harder often just turns into arguing, not talking. In those cases, the most we may be able to do is set firm boundaries about what we will and won’t tolerate, refuse to go along or be silent, and then put our time and energy where it can actually make a difference.
Because talking is not the only way. We can:
• Show up in public, together. Peaceful rallies, vigils, and local meetings let our neighbors—and our officials—see that many people across parties reject cruelty and lawlessness.
• Write and call our elected officials. A short, clear message that says, “I live here, I vote, and I expect you to defend basic rights and the rule of law,” lands the same whether it comes from a Republican, independent, or Democrat.
• Support groups doing the hard work. Legal organizations, voting rights groups, and watchdogs are pushing back in the courts and on the ground; backing them with time, money, or visibility helps even if we never mention politics at the dinner table.
• Protect honest local news and local spaces. When we support reporters who tell the truth and build community spaces—churches, clubs, neighborhood circles—where we don’t dehumanize or cheer cruelty, we make it a little harder for lies and fear to rule the day.
Your letter already does one of the most important things: it turns on the light by naming what’s happening and how deeply it hurts. It reminds all of us—whatever box we check on Election Day—that “good neighbor” has to mean more than being friendly on the surface while backing or excusing harm underneath. That’s a hard truth, but saying it out loud is exactly the kind of bravery this moment calls for.
Okay - 1st off, why is it's God's job to help us, rather than us helping ourselves?
Do we not have free will, a conscience? Whatever happened to personal responsibility?
And, though not as glaring as Mr Davis's ongoing mantra that there is no right and wrong, and we all do it - I'm afraid this otherwise compelling column still does not go far enough.
What's omitted is as glaring as what's contained.
The claim that Trump's policies are wrong and that the Republican controlled Congress is AWOL are certainly true.
To the point where, yes, likely they will soon reap a whirlwind of death and despair upon us. Either from civil war, world war, or instituting a government of arrogant imperialism and fascism from the oligarchs who rule us, where we once had a republic.
All true.
And growing more true every day. No doubt.
My greatest fears are now not of some Chinese or Russian communist occupying my home after an invasion. Of a zealous Muslim martyring himself in an act of destruction. Or all of the other things that Hollywood has shown me over the last half century or more. The cruel drug overlord, the angry black man, the mad scientist.
Yada, yada, yada....
Nope.
That's not who I should be worried about. Facts dictate otherwise.
The guy or gal I should fear looks just like me when I look in a mirror. I've worked beside him, fought beside him, bled beside him. Worshipped, fished, hunted, cried, drank, cheered beside him. Admired her. Sat at her table.
If I end up dead or in a concentration camp, it's a lot more likely to come from them than anyone else.
As thousands more stormtroopers occupy Minneapolis. As "Homeland Security" queen Kristi Noem employs shock and awe tactics upon us while standing, literally, behind the Nazi mantra of revenge and retribution: "One of us, all of them".
As Niemoller warned us, "First they came.....".
I see that now.
Yet, it can't be denied. Somewhere along the line, we parted ways. I can't say exactly when. Nor why. Though, I've often wondered. I truly can't. Especially in the last 10-20 years. But it's true.
Did I change, or did they?
I don't think it was me. But would I know?
Looking back, I'm not sure what bothers me more. Have they become someone that I no longer recognize, or were they that person all along, and I just didn't recognize it?
I do not know.
I had a neighbor back home.
A good man.
Lived a few doors up from me. Smart, honest, hard working. I knew him and lived beside him for 30 years. He gave me honey from his hive. We shared garden secrets, fishing spots. He raised his children next to mine. Refereed my children's soccer games.
When I had my heart attack, he came and shoveled my walk without me asking. He had a snow blower and would do anyone's in the neighborhood, just to be doing it. A deacon in his church. A man who I asked for advice on many an occasion. And yet, when it came time to sell my home, one day he came to ask me if I was going to sell it to a Mexican. He was serious. Where in the hell did that come from? How did I not see it? Once it was over, I tried to forget it. And yet, a few days later, another good neighbor mentioned our conversation. They'd been talking. It mattered. They were worried.
Had it been there all along, and I just chose not to see it; or had these otherwise good, ethical people been manipulated into it?
I honestly do not know. Not sure I wanted to. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I think about it.
These are the people that I thought I would grow old with. Telling old jokes, old stories. Making new ones. Now, I avoid them like the plague. I don't argue with them, nor try to reason with them, because now I realize that reason has nothing to do with it. So why bother?
But I think the thing that bothers me more - is wondering - did they really think I was one of them?
That I too would be okay with it? With racism, ignorance, greed, injustice? All the things that today's "conservatism embraces? That I would lie, cheat, steal to get what I want?
Accept it being done for me? In my name?
All I know is this.
It comes down to the basics. Though admittedly, it's things that I considered so basic, I remain astounded that I have to explain them to anyone, much less an American.
Reason ain't what got them into this, it ain't what will get them out. Not sure anything will, so we better start treating them according to what they are, not what we wish they were.
Still, let me make it clear.
I'm against the torture and killing of children. Not just my children, but anyone's. Never thought I'd have to justify such a stance, yet here we are.
Force should be a last resort, not the first, because all life is precious. Not just my life, but all life.
Rule of law matters, those who enforce the law should do so openly, lawfully, and with the consent of the governed.
Law enforcers are servants of the citizens, not their masters. Answerable to the Constitution, the law, and the courts. Guardians, not lords.
Servants.
Ut prosim.
Rights belong to all.
Lying's wrong, as is cheating, stealing.
A person should be judged by their actions, not how their looks, where he comes from, or how much money or fame he has. Not because of who he knows, but what he does.
All those things you learned about in kindergarten, they're still true.
So when I see our nation's legally chosen leaders suddenly deciding that they've found a great new way of making money, we'll just steal it from Canada, or Greenland, or Venezuela - because we can - not only am I against it, I can't help wondering why others are not.
Mr Johnston mentions and rightly condemns Trump, and to a lesser degree the Republican Congressional members. All true. All true.
But again, where's the condemnation of the rest?
In 2016, and to a much, much lesser degree in 2020 - Republicans could've and did claim they know no better. They were all following the George Costanza method of morality. As long as they did not admit it was a lie, then it wasn't a lie.
That wore a little thin by 2024, and is even more so now.
If they didn't know by then, or now - it's because they didn't want to know. Not because they couldn't.
There can be no reasonable doubt at this stage.
So why are we not holding not only the Wttmans or Rubios of the world accountable - why not the Durants, Diggs, etc. as well?
The ones who are YOUR neighbor, who pass the plate at your church?
This don't happen without them.
Ain't it about time we admit that, and say that? Even if they won't?
Answer me that.
The only way lies can live is if no one shines a light on them. Turn on the light.
Say it. Then we can go from there.
Leo,
First, thank you for saying this out loud. It takes real courage to put your hurt and anger on the page, especially when it means admitting that people you worked with, prayed with, and trusted might now stand on the side of cruelty or look the other way. A lot of us feel what you’re describing, but we’re afraid to name it.
What you’re talking about is a mix of grief and betrayal. Grief, because we’re losing neighbors and communities we thought we’d grow old with. Betrayal, because we’re realizing some of the folks we called “good people” don’t share the basics we thought were a given: that you don’t torture or target children, that law and truth matter, that you don’t steal from other countries just because you can. That cuts across parties. It’s not just about Republicans or Democrats; it’s about what any of us is willing to accept when it happens to someone else.
When you invoke Pastor Niemöller, it hits a nerve for a reason. In 1930s Germany, plenty of “good neighbors” stayed quiet as one group after another was singled out and attacked. By the time many finally spoke up, millions were dead, whole communities were gone, and the country lay in ruins after a war they helped make possible by their silence. The message wasn’t aimed at one party label; it was aimed at everyone who thought, “This won’t touch me.” If a politics of fear and cruelty ever really takes root here, it won’t stop to ask whether we’re Republican, independent, or Democrat before it wrecks our lives and our neighbors’ lives.
You’re also right that “turning on the light” is risky. Speaking up can cost people friendships, jobs, and in some cases, their safety. So it helps to be honest about that and give folks a simple way to decide, in the moment, whether to raise it or not. Before we bring this up with someone, we might quietly ask ourselves three questions:
1. Is this a person who might actually hear me, or are they just looking for a fight?
2. Do I feel physically and emotionally safe having this conversation right now?
3. What’s my goal here: to change a mind, to plant a seed, or simply to say, “Not in my name”?
If the answer to any of those is “no,” it’s okay to save the conversation for another day and turn on the light in other ways. With some truly hard core neighbors—people who have made it clear they’re not interested in facts, law, or basic decency—pushing harder often just turns into arguing, not talking. In those cases, the most we may be able to do is set firm boundaries about what we will and won’t tolerate, refuse to go along or be silent, and then put our time and energy where it can actually make a difference.
Because talking is not the only way. We can:
• Show up in public, together. Peaceful rallies, vigils, and local meetings let our neighbors—and our officials—see that many people across parties reject cruelty and lawlessness.
• Write and call our elected officials. A short, clear message that says, “I live here, I vote, and I expect you to defend basic rights and the rule of law,” lands the same whether it comes from a Republican, independent, or Democrat.
• Support groups doing the hard work. Legal organizations, voting rights groups, and watchdogs are pushing back in the courts and on the ground; backing them with time, money, or visibility helps even if we never mention politics at the dinner table.
• Protect honest local news and local spaces. When we support reporters who tell the truth and build community spaces—churches, clubs, neighborhood circles—where we don’t dehumanize or cheer cruelty, we make it a little harder for lies and fear to rule the day.
Your letter already does one of the most important things: it turns on the light by naming what’s happening and how deeply it hurts. It reminds all of us—whatever box we check on Election Day—that “good neighbor” has to mean more than being friendly on the surface while backing or excusing harm underneath. That’s a hard truth, but saying it out loud is exactly the kind of bravery this moment calls for.
Yes turn on the light…truth is everything