The Week The United States Fell

America has fallen. The United States is now ruled by an authoritarian regime. 

Earlier this week, the U.S invaded Venezuela, kidnapping its president, Nicolás Maduro, and taking control of its oil supplies.  

When asked by the press corps aboard Air Force One if the president briefed Democratic leaders about the invasion, President Donald Trump responded, “No.” However, when asked about tipping off U.S. oil companies, the president said he briefed them before and after the mission.

Prior to and after the invasion, the U.S. took control of Venezuela’s oil tankers and positioned itself to send oil supplies to the United States. Oil companies are set to make billions of dollars from Trump’s actions.

Emboldened by his success in Venezuela and the minimal resistance he’s receiving from Congress, Trump floated the idea of using military intervention in Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, and Greenland.  

The notion that the United States is considering invading other sovereign countries for their resources and disguising its actions as national security enlists the heresies of the Doctrine of Christian Discovery and Manifest Destiny back into U.S. political strategies.

According to scholars, the Doctrine of Christian Discovery is a legal and religious concept that has been used for centuries to justify Christian colonial conquest. It advanced the idea that European peoples, culture, and religion were superior to all others.

Manifest Destiny, established before 1820, is the idea that the United States is destined by God to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent. This belief was the prime philosophy behind the eradication of Native American tribes.  

Now, it appears, the Doctrine of Christian Discovery and Manifest Destiny are once again driving the political hubris of the U.S. president, just as they did during colonization and the administration of Andrew Jackson from 1829 to 1837.   

In addition to U.S. international aggressions, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this week. Good was a 37-year-old woman who was peacefully protesting the federal government’s invasion of her city using ICE as a military weapon.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem initially defended the murder, stating Good committed an act of domestic terrorism. She doubled down later, suggesting Good hit the officer with her vehicle. 

However, video footage shows this was clearly not the case. Good was leaving the scene, while armed and masked agents tried to enter her vehicle without a warrant.  

The agent positioned himself on the front left driver’s side of Good’s vehicle. When she began to drive away slowly, the officer shot directly into the driver’s side window, killing Good instantly. A medical doctor was on the scene but was not allowed to provide CPR.

Responses to the shooting have fallen across political lines, with many Republicans defending the agent’s actions while Democrats demanding legal action be taken by the U.S. Justice Department. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called up the Minnesota National Guard to defend his fellow citizens from the federal government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey used blunt language to express his outrage: “The narrative ICE is spinning immediately after this was that this was purely self-defense, and that the act by the victim was some sort of domestic terrorism—that, I’ll say it again, is bulls—.”

The mayor went even further, saying that ICE needs to “get the f— out of Minneapolis.”

While many citizens will express their outrage on social media this week, Americans need to be reminded that posting on social media alone will not be enough to thwart and bring down an authoritarian regime.

Protests will likely spread across the country this weekend as concerned citizens take to the streets.  People of faith need to join these growing protests, calling for the American Pharaoh to “let our people go,” resign the presidency and face the consequences.

Additionally, the time has come for common-sense citizens who love their country and recognize blatant injustice to engage in the political process. The United States needs teachers, veterans, farmers, service workers, clergy, mechanics, barbers, bartenders and others who truly believe in the democratic principles of striving for a more perfect union to run for public office in local, state, and national elections.  

When the Lord was looking for a prophet to speak out against injustice, the Lord spanned the horizon and asked, “Who shall I send?” It was Isaiah who raised his hand and answered, “Lord, here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8)!

America has fallen this week, but we can get back up. We can brush the dust from our trousers. We can put our best foot forward in protest.  

We can speak out denouncing authoritarianism and demanding consequences for illegal actions.

We can extend our hands towards the sky to bend the arc of the moral universe towards justice.

We cannot only hope for a more perfect union and peaceful world, but we also need to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Democracy is not a spectator sport; it demands engagement and hard work.

America needs you in the coming weeks to stand up, speak out, and step forward for inclusion, freedom, and justice.

Even though it seems dark now, we have an opportunity to shape a new America—one that truly believes ALL citizens are created equal, deserving freedom, rights, justice and the opportunity to live peacefully.

Yes, America has fallen this week, but the moment is now to rise from the depths of authoritarian despair and create a new future in which all citizens can benefit from what the country truly offers—hope and opportunity for everyone.