“We’re fucked!”

My social media feed was filled with people verbalizing where their emotions are while waking up in America and staring directly into the face of fascism on this of all days - July 4th.

I’m not going to tell you how you should feel. I have no idea how you should feel. I barely know how to feel these days myself. What I will offer, instead, is to share what I choose. 

Read why Secular AZ's Board Chair chooses joy. 

THIS WEEK IN SECULAR NEWS

Thoughts, prayers, and nothing more: After tragic flooding in Texas that has (thus far) claimed almost 70 lives, GOP leadership has responded swiftly, sending aid, refunding weather warning systems decimated by DOGE, and passing legislation to shore up protections against future disasters. Just kidding! In reality, they're offering their usual meaningless thoughts and prayers, i.e. doing less than nothing to help the victims or take any action to help prevent future tragedies. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said, “In a moment like this, we feel just as helpless as everyone else does ... all we know to do at this moment is pray."  Gee, if only these lawmakers were in a position to actually DO SOMETHING TO HELP. Read more.  

Are we there yet: Though candidate Trump ̶d̶i̶s̶a̶v̶o̶w̶ed̶ k̶n̶o̶w̶l̶e̶d̶g̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶lied about his involvement with Project 2025, claiming ignorance of its goals and authors, the administration has already acheived about 40 percent of the Christian nationalist project's goals, says the Project 2025 Tracker. Read more.

It's not just you: A surge of white Christian nationalism that aims to meld a narrow Christian/rascist/bigoted/misogynist ideology into U.S. governmence, is starting to face more pushback, says the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Following a political assassination in Minnesota on June 14, 2025, linked to this ideology, diverse groups are fighting back. Mainstream churches, like the Presbyterian Church in America are denouncing it, and citizens are voicing outrage. The movement, embedded in high-level political offices, faces legal challenges as Americans defend the separation of church and state. (Just a reminder that here at Secular AZ, we've been fighting Chrisitan nationalism since 2010 and we're not going to stop.) Read more. 

When you've lost Clint Bolick:  Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick is sounding the alarm about threats to the U.S. justice system, specifically calling out Trump administration officials for undermining due process and suggesting the suspension of habeas corpus. Bolick, a conservative, emphasizes the judiciary's role as the "ultimate equalizer" and warns that unchecked attacks on its independence could lead to authoritarianism. He sees the nation in an "alarm stage," urging courage from judges to uphold the Constitution. Good, but also very big "we're all looking for the guy that did this" energy. Read more.