Journal Reflections on No Kings 2 Protest

October 16, 2025 - Before the Protest

I am afraid that this handwritten journal, among the journals of others, may become our only resource of truth in a time when tech billionaires are pushing AI so heavilly, and bad actors are using it to create videos that are highly believable and propagandic, yet also untruthful.

The number of fake AI videos have risen due to the release of OpenAI’s Soru AI video generator just weeks before the second No Kings Protest of the year. The situation will lead people to struggle distinguishing between what’s real and what’s fake, which is part of the rise in anti-intellectualism, anti-science sentiment, and conspiracy theories (especially the most recent ones on autism being caused by vaccines, Tylenol, or circumcision that have been peddled by RFK Jr., the Republicans, and Trump).

I have spent the last two days creating signs for the No Kings Protest on October 18, 2025 (Saturday). I’ve decided to take a religious stance for this protest to combat the propaganda of the government that we’re all “far-left” extremist “Antifa” terrorists. I’ve dedicated my life and degree to religious and ethical understanding. Reducing us all to these stereotypes and fictions is outrageous. I ask God to vindicate us this coming protest and protect us from the lies and false witnesses of the current Tyrannical government. For, all of us are made in God’s image, and have the God-given rights and grace bestowed upon us. May the persecuted and vulnerable in our time be blessed by God, and may we stand together as an expression of God’s Word.

October 18, 2025 - Before The Protest

Today is the day of the No Kings protest, or as the propaganda of the government likes to call it, the “Hate America” rally. Today I am ironically declared a “terrorist” by Republican fascists because I choose to use the very God-given rights explicated in our Constitution and Bill of Rights to speak out against the Tyranny of Trumpian politics. Today is a day of mourning for the America that fought so valiantly against King George for the freedom of religion, the freedom from Tariffs, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of Democracy that says we all get a voice in how the government is managed, because all of us have the divine spark, are made in the image of a merciful and loving God, Protector of the poor and vulnerable, and Frustrator of the rich and powerful. It would be childish of me to suggest our victory would vindicate us and show God is on our side; unfortunately this is not reality, and the very experiences of the vulnerable throughout history and Scripture deny this incredibly simplistic and narcissistic Theology, or Prosperity Gospel, as it’s often called.

The very core of Christian Theology is the death and persecution of Jesus the Messiah, Prophet of prophets, Son of God and Son of Man, God in human flesh. The righteous do not become rich, and prophets are silenced, harassed, and killed, and yet we all endure like Jesus endures in the body of the Church and the minds of those who stand for what’s right. Like Job, we stand tall and question the world and question God, in spite of all that we have lost, and the skin sores that keep others at a distance from us. Like Job, we stand against those who accuse us of blasphemy and self-righteousness, yet our despair of the world outshines the religious leaders, who like Elihu, paint over the world with simplistic Theology in a way that places blame on the wrong people. Their Theology is more like Jonah’s than Koheleth’s.

Those who claim to be justified by their riches do not understand God’s Word, nor human fallibility. No wonder a democracy of checks and balances does not resonate with them: those who oppress become the “righteous” in their eyes, but only becaues they are the ones who are benefitting. As soon as they encounter political violence or oppression themselves, then their entire Theology is smashed into pieces. Unfortunately, the remedy is challenging - it requires thinking outside of yourself. Jonah’s desperation in the depths of the Deep fish did not remove his reticence. God employs a plant to protect Jonah from the sun, and again, the reticence remains, this time combined with complaint to God when the plant is removed. The book ends with God explaining that all humans matter and that one must look outside of oneself. Unfortunately, the book does not end with Jonah’s understanding; the story is ongoing in all the religious. We have taken on Jonah’s story, but many have forgotten its lessons. Jonah’s story speaks as a warning to everyone. It is a universal story of ego-centrism that teaches us a universal theology that all matter, that anyone has the capacity to repent if they choose, and that we cannot write off those we think aren’t righteous or loved by God, because even the non-religious and pagans are cared for by God, just as Nineveh was.

The Theology that good things happen to good or righteous people is America’s most dangerous theology: it allows you to justify your actions and ideas by how well they increase your wealth and fame, or the wealth and fame of your friends. This is a form of religious extremism that can easily be used to justify murder and Tyrannical oppression in God’s name, much like the current Republican Trumpian Regime in government, and the current government of Israel that has so forcefully destroyed the lives of many innocent Palestinians beyond reason. It is so far removed from what God has conveyed through humans in the Scriptures that the lack of pushback from religious leaders and denominations is condemnable. Their works no longer bear good fruit, and false prophets have swayed them away from the ethical heart of their tradition. May God condemn this narcissism in the proper time and vindicate those who have been harmed, and may we all learn to stand for what is right, not what is easy or self-serving. God save Americans and God save the world.

I hope that I am able to continue my writing defending the vulnerable in our time, and maybe one day even publish my book on LGBTQ+ Theology (entitled “The God Who Sees Me”). If not, hopefully the writings in my journals may be found and may serve as inspiration and motivation. As for my book, I have my professors to thank for their teaching and guidance, and in particular Dr. Drahos, Sr. Sarah Kohles, Dr. Jeff Gard, Dr. Amy Boland, among many others; It was inconceivable at the time how much I would miss those classes after graduating. While I intended to finish the book, a great deal of material was written for it and I had many more plans and notes in journals and on the outline. The book started as my Senior Thesis, a version of which has been preserved in a self-bound book given to my grandma. I have extended the book dramatically after that, but it is very unfinished. Hopefully I am able to continue the passion that I have put into writing this book, but of course the future remains unknown. May God preserve my words as my most powerful tool and legacy to the world.

October 18, 2025 - After the Protest

I am back from the No Kings Protest today, from in front of the Public Museum. There were about 300 people there. The protest’s main message is that we are not and have never been an “illiberal democracy” that elects dictators and Kings. We are a liberal democracy where the president must follow rules and limitations, must submit to due process and checks and balances, and can always be replaced or removed from power by the people. That is what it means to be against Kings. Our very country was created specifically to reject the monarchy and kingship that had abused their power over the colonies. Indeed, the original No Kings movement was the American Revolution that inspired so many other democracies. In this time when the president is going outside of his constitutional duties with the help of the Republicans in all of the Government (state and federal), we must stand united for the renewal of our checks and balances, and of our democracy. We use “No Kings” because the government serves the people, and when it doesn’t, when the president breaks out of his limitations and harms the livelihoods of the public, we use our words to fight back, just like we did with our Declaration of Independence, and we use nonviolent protestation to descend a discomfort among the people that forces them to hear what we are saying. That is what it means to be a liberal Democracy. Election does not give presidents unlimited reign.