The Trance Regime has been in place for just over 100 awful days now. The current felonious occupant of the presidential mansion has seen his approval ratings drop to historic lows as the fallout begins from the regime’s disastrous economic policies. The unimaginably cruel immigration policies, the brainchild of arch-xenophobe Stephen Miller, are finally starting to be unpopular with Americans. Trump’s supporters usually bolster his poll numbers on immigration, but even those are dropping as people become more aware of the criminality of the regime’s mass detention and deportations without due process. Millions of people have been peacefully protesting the regime in recent weeks and more actions are planned for this week. Mainstream media too is pushing back as evidenced by the cringe worthy interview of Trump on ABC. Meanwhile the Trance Regime refuses to acknowledge that tourism is down, the economy is tanking, unheard of national security gaffs keep piling up, while they continue breaking laws and running rough shod over the American government and federal employees. America is beset by the overgrowth of a giant, toxic thorny bramble thicket that I’ll name Trumpanus noxia.

In the Biblical book of Judges there is a story of an ambitious, power hungry man named Abimelech that speaks to our current predicament. Such was Abimelech’s lust for power over Shechem – a city of political, religious, and geographic importance in ancient Palestine – that after asking to be made ruler, committed mass murder in order to cement his authority. He also used the money given to him to “hire worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him,” (Judges 9:4) which sounds eerily similar to Trump’s Cabinet and media sycophants. Abimelech’s murder spree included fratricide of all of his brothers except Jotham who hides from his murderous sibling. After the people make Abimelech their king (Judges 9:6) someone tells Jotham the news which prompts him to come out of hiding to use his prophetic voice.

Jotham stands on top of Mt. Gerizim to rebuke the people and his brother through the use of a parable. (Judges 9:8-15). In the parable, Jotham uses imagery from important crops that were grown to be used in multiple ways, both religious and nonreligious, which were thus important to the Israelites. The trees are clamoring for a king, says Jotham. First they ask the olive tree and the olive tree refuses to give up producing the “rich oil by which gods and mortals are honored.” The trees then ask the fig tree to which the fig tree replies, “Shall I stop producing my sweetness and my delicious fruit, and go to sway over the trees?” Rebuffed again, the trees ask the vines in the vineyard to be their king, but the vines choose to keep making the “wine that cheers gods and mortals” instead of becoming king over the trees. As a last recourse, all of the trees then ask the brambles to be king. The brambles who produce nothing of value or usefulness agree to become king in order to overwhelm the trees. Be careful what you ask for…

Biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine notes in her book Short Stories by Jesus that telling parables was a common method of teaching for ancient Jews. Jotham’s parable, says Levine, is not at all subtle. “Members of society with something of value to contribute neither seek nor want political office; only the bramble, which has nothing to offer, accepts the job, and he does so with the threat that he will destroy those who oppose him.” (Levine, p. 5 Kindle ed.) The parable was proved true for Shechem and Abimelech because his rule led to a civil war and then his own death after a woman dropped a millstone on his head during a siege. His pride was such that just before he died from the millstone’s damage, he asked a man to run him through with a sword so he wouldn’t suffer the ignominy of having been killed by a woman. Yairah Amit, an Israeli biblical scholar, notes in the introduction to the book of Judges in the NOAB 4 says that the “author-editors’ main purpose was not to record history, but to draw lessons from it.” Biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine notes in her book Short Stories by Jesus that parables were a common method of teaching for ancient Jews. Jotham’s parable, says Levine, is not at all subtle. “Members of society with something of value to contribute neither seek nor want political office; only the bramble, which has nothing to offer, accepts the job, and he does so with the threat that he will destroy those who oppose him.” (Levine, p. 5 Kindle ed.) The parable was proved true for Shechem and Abimelech because his rule led to a civil war and then his own death after a woman dropped a millstone on his head during a siege. His pride was such that just before he died from the millstone’s damage, he asked a man to run him through with a sword so he wouldn’t suffer the ignominy of having been killed by a woman. Yairah Amit, an Israeli biblical scholar, notes in the introduction to the book of Judges in the NOAB 4 says that the “author-editors’ main purpose was not to record history, but to draw lessons from it.”

Sadly, America has not heeded this biblical wisdom from Judges. Trump and his regime make nothing of value and use to the people because his aims are all selfish, and yet they were elected to power. Historically speaking, at various times in our history, the nation, and in particular its leaders have also ignored the lessons of history. Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, was one of America’s worst presidents. During the Reconstruction Era, he allowed white supremacist traitors to go unpunished thus ruining the gains made by recently emancipated Black Americans which ultimately led to Jim and Jane Crow laws and horrific racist violence towards Black people throughout America for more than a century after the Civil War ended. We find our nation in a similar situation now in no small measure because of Johnson’s poor leadership.

There’s a straight line from Johnson’s racist presidency and terrible policies to Trump’s being elected president in 2016. Trump was then not held accountable for the rampant illegality and corruption during his first term. Nor was he held accountable for inciting an insurrection on January 6, 2021. Inexplicably, he was not prevented from running for POTUS again despite his many felony convictions, the civil litigation brought by E. Jean Carroll, and prior collusion with Russia. Now the white supremacy, misogyny, xenophobia, and the scapegoating of immigrants and the LGBTQIA community is running riot from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. America, once again, finds herself at a crossroads. This time there is a fascist kakistocracy in place that is causing deep emotional, physical, and psychological harm to people the regime’s proponents simultaneously enrich themselves through rampant corruption, all while destabilizing the entire planet.

Individual Americans too stand at this crossroads. Do we sit idly by and do nothing thereby allowing the fascists to cement their ostensible power by destroying the checks and balances that safeguard our fragile and woefully imperfect democracy? Do people of faith put their heads in the sand while Christian nationalists and Republicans in general engage in what Senator Raphael Warnock said is tantamount to stealing Jesus’ identity? Do members of the military, Congress, civil servants, and governmental agencies ignore their oaths to the Constitution? Or, do we as Americans of every stripe respond to the deafening shout of “ALL HANDS ON DECK” in order to save democracy, love our vulnerable neighbors, protect our planet and communities, bring decency to governance, and even help those held in thrall to the Trance Regime to break free?

What do the teachings of Jesus and his lived example in the face of a tyrannical dictator call us to at this time in our history? My own understanding of the Gospels tells me that Christians are to stand up for the marginalized, to respond to tyranny with nonviolence, to welcome the stranger, to love their neighbors as we love ourselves, to use their skills, talents, and time to bring about the kindom of God on earth, and even to place themselves in harms way if need arises as they do the above mentioned things. May we have the strength and the faith to do so. We must more be like Jotham and not like Abimelech. Today, may we grab our gloves and pruners to commence cutting back the Trumpanus noxia brambles in resolute earnestness until all vestiges of the Trance Regime are rooted out for good and all. May justice roll like waters, and righteousness like a might stream.

Rise, all you mighty people…