Stand Up! Speak Out! Resist!

ALERT! After a tour in the Marines, I became an urban police officer. I did so because I thought serving others was important and I had been schooled in the importance of civil rights and international peacekeeping.

I was raised as a Christian and, as the years progressed, I became more inter-faith and humanistic in my beliefs. As I worked in the city, came to know persons from other faiths, I began to see that for all to thrive, we must respect each other’s faith sets. In every one of the world’s religions there is the Golden Rule: “Do unto others that which you would want done to you.”

As Dr King cautioned us, “We must learn to live together as brothers (and sisters) or perish together as fools.” I also learned that human rights are as much important secular values as they are religious and there exists a declaration to that fact. The preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads: “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”

As a young police officer, and later leader, I came to see the importance of protecting “freedom, justice and peace in the world.” Our Policing Code of Ethics states in part: “As a sworn officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community by safeguarding lives and property against threats that could take advantage of or harm members of my community or otherwise impact peace and order. I will uphold the Constitution and honor the rights of all to life, liberty, equality, and justice…”

Having said all this, it is my sincere belief today that our democracy is under attack today; that “life, liberty, equality, and justice” are being threatened. This is not the America I thought we were and the America in which I served as a Marine and police officer for almost 40 years!

In short, here’s. why I believe this…

— There is nothing American or Christian about deporting people without due process.

— There is nothing American or Christian about targeting the most vulnerable.

–– There is nothing American or Christian about eliminating funding for Head Start, about defunding scientific research for cancer and Alzheimer’s, about threatening benefits for veterans.

— There is nothing American or Christian about denying climate change.

I recently got together with over 100 fellow Christians in Madison, Wisconsin. and we developed the following declaration “Here We Stand.” This declaration, though rooted in Judeo-Christian theology, should place all Americans squarely in opposition to such recent and unjust actions and policies by our government.

Feel free to use this document to encourage conversation and resistance in your own community. — whether religious or not.

Here We Stand

“As followers of Jesus, we proclaim that we are called to love God and our neighbor as much as we love ourselves, to treat the most vulnerable among us as we would treat God, and to cherish “the splendor of the flowers of the field” and all creation.

“Many current government policies stand in opposition to these values and truths. They erect barriers that make it more difficult for us and other people of good will to love our neighbor, support the vulnerable, and cherish the earth’s splendor. Therefore we feel called to stand publicly, humbly and nonviolently with all communities of faith and people of good will in opposition to these policies.

Here We Stand

• “We object to policies that dismantle our constitutional democracy as well as to policies that undermine Congressionally-funded programs and services providingfood, clothing, shelter, health care, education, and care for the earth.

• “We reject Christian Nationalism as a dangerous and heretical ideology. It distorts the message of Jesus, andthreatens the dignity and freedom of all people.

• “We speak up in opposition to government policies that threaten the well-being and dignity of targeted populations and individuals and we stand in solidarity with immigrants LGBTQ persons, women, and all those who are persecuted because of race or ethnicity.

• “We value and care for a healthy and life-giving earth and oppose policies that endanger the well-being of our planet and the living creatures who inhabit it

“We recognize that compassion and care for the vulnerable are central to the beliefs and values of all spiritual traditions. We invite all communities of faith and conscience in the United States to join us in speaking up and resisting policies of our government that violate inherent human dignity and inflict suffering on the most vulnerable, including earth’s plants, animals, water, and air.’ – April, 2025.

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There is a right and a wrong to what is going on in our nation. “Right” means to follow our Constitution and Bill of Rights. “Right” means to honor the Rule of Law. “Right” means an equal balance of powers between Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches of our government. “Right” means to treating human persons with dignity.