The Great Rejection

We do not need politicians to save us.

But on occasion, we do need a diligent, vigilant citizenry to step up and save the Republic.

This is one of those occasions. On November 5, 2024, we are presented with an opportunity; a specific moment in history that has never been experienced before, which is this … for the first time in the arc of the American experiment, those who have been most oppressed, most marginalized, and most harmed get the opportunity to save the Republic.

For the first time in the history of our country, the very people who have been pushed to the margins, who have suffered the weight of broken systems, who have had to fight simply for the right to exist equally under the law—they have the power to shift the course of history. The opportunity to save the Republic doesn't come from the top down, from some idealized figurehead. It comes from a groundswell, from people who understand the stakes on a visceral and personal level.

When the oppressed and marginalized lead, they don’t bring the naivete of privilege; they bring hard-won wisdom, resilience, and a fierce determination for justice. These are citizens who have watched the Republic from below, seen its cracks up close, and learned the survival skills needed to withstand its storms. Now, they have the chance to not just endure it but transform it.

When the most oppressed become the architects of a renewed Republic, they redefine what it means to be American, infusing the country with a truth that’s rooted in both justice and resilience. And that is exactly the opportunity November 5, 2024, holds.

And that’s pretty damn cool.

I’m calling this moment, this invitation, the Great Rejection—a clear, undeniable, and collective roar to rebuke the forces who, for too long, to undermine and degrade our country’s foundational values and our collective integrity.

For those of us that are straight, white, and male - and especially for those of us that are men of faith, this is also our moment to participate in the saving of the Republic; to blend our voices with the liberators; to be a part of the coalition of courage; to use our platforms, privilege, and power in entirely new ways

The Great Rejection is standing up, looking the devil in the eye, and saying, “No!” Enough of the lies, the distortions, the deceit that corrodes trust and pits neighbor against neighbor. Enough of the gaslighting that turns reality into a blurry smear of “alternative facts” and outright fictions. We’re done letting our collective spirit rot in the grip of opportunists, demagogues, and manipulators who see America as nothing more than their personal ideological playground or a piggybank.

The Great Rejection list is long. And that’s what makes this moment so rare. We get to reject everything that is anti-American, anti-democracy, and anti-humanity.

Let’s start here …

Misogyny, patriarchy, the structures of control that have dictated who women are “allowed” to be? Fuck that. This rejection is non-negotiable. We reject anyone who believes that they can infringe on women’s rights, deny their autonomy, control their choices, or dictate their futures.

We reject white supremacy and its stubborn chokehold on what it means to be American. We’re done with the notion that “whiteness” sets the standard, the measuring stick for worth in this country. And along with it, we reject the deep-seated xenophobia that fuels the impulse to exclude, to fear, to belittle Black and brown people. We reject the lazy scapegoating of immigrants, the worn-out narrative that pins our problems on newcomers instead of owning up to the failures in our broken systems.

We reject Christian Nationalism, a mutated form of faith used not to uplift but to control. The Great Rejection means rejecting the idea that our government should mirror religious doctrine instead of protecting our freedom to believe—or not believe—whatever we choose. America isn’t a church. It’s not a temple. We are a republic, and we need citizens of conscience, not fanatics.

We reject any force that denies the inherent divinity and personhood of the LGBQT+ community. They are our friends, our family, our children, our colleagues. We reject every attempt to erase them, to shame them, to dismiss their lives as less valuable.

We reject Trump’s constant shitting on America. We reject his contempt for the everyday people who make this country work, his scorn for anyone who doesn’t fall in line, his disregard for the values of honesty, decency, and service. We reject his disdain for communities that don’t fit his image, his dismissal of workers, teachers, members of the military, journalists, and public servants, and his attacks on the very institutions that protect our rights.

We reject the collective abuse from people in positions of power—the gaslighting, emotional blackmail, lying, and manipulation. We reject those who protect, enable, or excuse these abusers. We reject the culture of silence that shields harm. We reject loyalty tests, coercion, and fear tactics used to keep people in line. And we reject the normalization of cruelty as a tool of control.

We reject the lack of logic, the disdain for reason, the scorn for expertise. We reject willful ignorance. We reject conspiracy theories that prey on fear and twist reality. We reject leaders who peddle lies instead of facts. We reject the glorification of “gut instinct” over hard-earned knowledge. We reject the idea that everyone’s opinion is as good as proven expertise. And we reject the cult of personality that values charisma over competence.

We reject isolationism and the hollow bravado of “going it alone.” We reject the betrayal of alliances forged through blood, sweat, and history. We reject the idea that strength lies in walling ourselves off, in pretending the world’s problems aren’t also ours. And we reject any leader who treats diplomacy as weakness, as if turning our backs on others somehow makes us stronger.

We also reject the rise of self-styled oligarchs, billionaires who mistake their wealth for wisdom and their influence for virtue. We reject the unchecked greed that drives them to amass power at the expense of everyone else, the arrogance that says they’re above the rules. We reject the idea that money should translate to control over our democracy, our voices, or our futures.

We reject foreign interference in our sources of information. We reject Russia’s attempts to bend our media, distort our facts, and infiltrate our political landscape. We reject the leaders who serve foreign interests over American integrity. We reject the disinformation campaigns that erode trust and fuel division. We reject the hidden influence, the shadow deals, and the covert loyalties that compromise our sovereignty. And we reject any alliance that undermines our democracy from within.

We reject any attempt to distort our history and whitewash what our children learn. We reject both banning books and academic authoritarians.We reject the fairy tales, the selective memory, the sanitized stories that serve nationalism over truth.

We reject the media circus—the clickbait, the ratings-chasing, the outrage-fueled narratives that try to play puppeteer with our democracy. We reject letting profit-driven media decide our reality.

Finally, we reject every Republican who sold their soul for Trump, abandoning the legacies of Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Reagan to bend the knee to a man who rejects our history. We reject all those who justified lies as loyalty and sacrificed integrity for power. We reject all who fed a culture of division, misogyny, and racism in the patriotism and Jesus.

“The tyrant is a child of Pride
Who drinks from his sickening cup
Recklessness and vanity,
Until from his high crest headlong
He plummets to the dust of hope.”
― Sophocles

To the MAGA movement

Hear this: Your time is up. The red hats, the chants, the rallies, the fear-mongering—it’s all returning to dust. What you’ve bought as patriotism and prosperity has been nothing but brokenness, spiritual bankruptcy, and meritless rage. You’ve staked your future, your identity on a man who would throw you aside without a second thought, who treats loyalty as a one-way street, who demands everything and gives nothing in return, who promises and never delivers.

For those of you who still have a conscience, who haven’t been entirely swept up by the fog of fealty—this is your time to break free. This is your moment too. This is your moment to walk away; to reject a false reality organized around and controlled by Trump. Reject having your worth, your relationships, your own view of the world determined by a man who doesn’t give two shits about you or this country. You don’t have to go down with him. You don’t have to keep buying into a lie that only isolates and disempowers you.

Join me

To those like me—straight, white men—it’s time to join our voices and our votes with those who will save the republic tomorrow. We have the privilege, the power, and the responsibility to stand on the right side of history. This is not the moment for sitting back or staying neutral. It’s time to show up, to stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone fighting for an America that honors truth, equality, and justice for all. We can’t coast on the comfort of the status quo—we have to make a choice that reflects who we want to be.

And to the apathetic, the undecided, those who think they can just watch from the sidelines: History is watching, and so are we. This is no time for bystanders. The ones who are on the fence, who turn away, who think they can flirt with fascism to boost their bottom line—you’re choosing a path that history won’t look kindly on. We don’t need people “waiting it out” or sitting on the sidelines; we need people ready to stand up and say, “Not on my watch.” This is the line.

Yes or No

This is a yes-or-no moment—one of those rare, almost sacred points in time where a choice resonates far beyond us, echoing through generations. These moments don’t come often. This isn’t just an election; it’s a call to our deeper selves, to the part of us that knows what’s right and what’s true. It’s an invitation to decide, not only for ourselves but for everyone who will come after us, what kind of country, what kind of people we want to be.

There are times when history opens a door, just once, and asks us to step through with courage and clarity. This is one of those times. We have the chance to say yes to a future rooted in justice, in compassion, in dignity for all. Or to say no and let fear, division, and smallness define us. When we look back on this moment, let it be with the knowledge that we chose to rise, that we answered the call to reject what is broken and affirm what is whole and good. We are standing in a moment that may never come again. Let’s meet it with the fullness of who we are.