It’s very interesting to learn that the Confessing Church is still active, ninety years after its founding in Germany in opposition to Hitler. Here is a bit of background and its relationship to Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pivotal leader in the Confessing Church, a German resistance movement against the Nazi regime’s attempts to nazify the Evangelical Church and align it with state ideology. Along with Martin Niemöller and others, Bonhoeffer co-founded the Confessing Church in 1934, which issued the Barmen Confession, rejecting Nazi authority and upholding biblical truth. The group’s commitment to these principles led to repression, imprisonment, and the execution of leaders.
There is a link in the sidebar to some of its work today on documenting ICE arrests against immigrant men, women, and children.
As you’ve likely seen, Maryland governor Wes Moore is in a fracas with Trump. Moore invited Trump to walk the streets of Baltimore with him, to see how real public safety work is done. Baltimore’s crime rate is at a 50-year low. Trump’s reaction was predictably hysterical, lie-filled, and over the top — and he threatens sending in the National Guard as well as withholding funding for repair of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Here’s the Washington Post on this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/24/trump-baltimore-troops-wes-moore/
So, in sources of hope, I include Wes Moore. Maybe a little competition among blue state governors for the 2028 Dem pres nomination will help galvanize the movement!?!
We are a small group of friends and neighbors who reject the turn to authoritarianism, racism, and lawlessness shown by the current Federal administration. This site will serve as a hub for sharing stories and discussions about the realities facing our country and our many communities.
We support a just and equal multicultural democracy, governed by law and constitution, and we want to work together to return our country to these values. In Rousseau’s words, we support a “free community of equals”.
We have many thoughts and fears about the policies and actions of our government today. We do not have a shared credo, but we are united in our love of freedom, equality, constitution, mutual respect, and civil community.
In particular, many of us notice many of the same things:
We condemn the assault on immigrants and the cruel and lawless enforcement regime the Federal government has enacted.
We are horrified at the assault on Medicaid and the likely effects these policy changes will have on millions of people in our country.
We reject the administration’s attack on scientific and medical research, universities, and academic freedom across the country.
We fear for the future of our country when we consider the ongoing assault on medical research and sound public health planning.
We condemn the current administration for its lawlessness and its contempt for both Constitution and the Federal judiciary.
We abhor the administration’s efforts to censor and dictate the museums, libraries, parks, and collections that document our country’s history and share its art, music, and literature.
We are ashamed of our government’s desertion of Ukraine and the president’s embrace of a bloody-handed dictator, Vladimir Putin.
We are horrified at the embrace of white supremacy and racial resentment that is encouraged by the current government.
We reject the government’s war on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with full awareness of how far our society must go in order to achieve real justice.
Readers are encouraged to find their own ways of supporting peaceful protest and advocacy in support of our shared democratic values and institutions. There is power in collective protest and shared support for our constitutional system.
Comments and guest posts are invited.
Gary Krenz and Dan Little will serve as co-editors of the site.
Many of us are concerned about the effects that the 2025 federal budget reconciliation law will have on poor people in many states who are currently enrolled in Medicaid health coverage. KFF has put together a comprehensive analysis of the implications of this omnibus act for Medicaid patients here. I asked Gemini for a summary of the impact this massive change in Medicaid will have, with over $1 trillion reductions in Medicaid spending over the coming ten years(!). Here is the analysis Gemini provided:
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QUERY: what are the main effects of the 2025 budget bill on Medicaid recipients?
GEMINI RESPONSE 8/21/25
The 2025 budget bill, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), includes significant changes to the Medicaid program, which is expected to have a considerable impact on recipients.
Here are the main effects of the 2025 budget bill on Medicaid recipients:
Significant funding cuts: The bill implements an estimated $1.035 trillion reduction in federal Medicaid spending over ten years. These cuts will necessitate states either increasing their own funding or reducing services, potentially affecting various benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Work requirements: The bill introduces work reporting requirements, referred to as “community engagement” activities, for most Medicaid expansion enrollees aged 19 to 64. These recipients will need to work, volunteer, or participate in educational activities for at least 80 hours per month to maintain their eligibility.
Increased paperwork and administrative burdens: The new requirements will place a greater administrative burden on recipients to verify their eligibility and for states to manage the process, potentially leading to some eligible individuals losing coverage due to difficulties navigating the system.
More frequent eligibility redeterminations: States will be required to conduct eligibility redeterminations for Medicaid expansion adults every six months, rather than annually, starting January 1, 2027. This increased frequency could lead to coverage losses for those unable to complete the renewal process on time or with changes in circumstances.
Cost-sharing requirements: States are now mandated to impose cost-sharing requirements of up to $35 per service for Medicaid expansion enrollees with incomes above 100% of the federal poverty level, says the Center for American Progress. Out-of-pocket costs will remain capped at 5% of family income.
Restrictions on immigrant eligibility: Some categories of lawfully present immigrants will lose eligibility for Medicaid and Medicare under the bill, notes the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
Potential impacts on specific services: Reductions in federal funding might lead states to cut optional benefits, including home- and community-based services (HCBS) that are crucial for individuals with disabilities and older adults.
Increased risk for certain groups: Older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals in rural areas are particularly vulnerable to losing coverage or facing increased costs due to these changes.
It’s important to remember that some provisions of the bill may have delayed effective dates, and future policy changes could still occur.
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So why is this a big deal for lower- and lower-middle income people in the United States? Because it seems likely that millions of people will lose affordable health coverage, and many thousands of them will sicken and die from preventable illnesses. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (link) estimates that as many as 36 million people are at risk of losing Medicaid eligibility as a result of new work requirements. The Modern Medicaid Alliance is collecting stories of individual people whose Medicaid benefits have been (or will soon be) cancelled (link). These are short items drawn from various news outlets, and they paint a tragic picture from all over the country of the situations that will confront struggling low-income people, young and old, when these new Medicaid reductions begin to hit.
Let’s recall as well that health disparities in the US are severe by almost any measure. Here are disparities of infant mortality in NE Florida noted by Northeast Florida Healthy Start (link).
Health Disparities by Race
And here is a comparison of urban and rural mortality statistics offered by the Rural Health Information Hub (link).
Does anyone seriously doubt that reductions in Medicaid eligibility to millions of individuals will worsen these disparities? And for what? To reduce taxes on the top 1% of income earners in the US.
Affirming Democracy, Gathering Resistance 