Is There Light at The End of The Tunnel?

Witnesses to Hope light the way

May 11, 2025

Widespread opposition to Trump's regime is evident, yet it is not certain how many Americans recognize the end of traditional democracy. Together the electoral college, checks and balances, termless congressional representatives, a President under the rule of law, and lifetime Supreme Court justices failed to adequately ensure a government of, by, and for the people.

The constitutional framework knit together by our Founders was not perfect. Yet it served, however imperfectly, to guide the United States as the worldwide citadel of liberty and justice for more than 200 years.

For countless Americans, the response to the unexpected actions of the Trump regime mirrors the sense of loss when a loved one dies. We see our loved ones daily. Then one dies. There is a sense of grievous loss. I have conducted grief counseling in which persons described a feeling like sitting in a dark tunnel with no light at either end.

So it is with the serial shredding of our democratic institutions. We behold their loss with disbelief and considerable pain as the destruction of familiar institutions is played out in the news and social media threads. As with the pain at the loss of a loved one, confusion, uncertainty, and indecision mark the initial stages of such grief.

Questions about the uncertainty of the future and what to do now tend to dominate our muddled minds. The difficulty of imagining what life will be like when familiar services are no longer available, when prices skyrocket, but shelves are empty, or when public schools no longer follow a familiar pattern—all that is overwhelming.

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

Well, yes. Our national body politic is not without its first responders. Every age has its sages and seers as well as its insurgents and revolutionaries. I call them “Hope’s Witnesses.”

Whether, and how this cast of resisters congeals into a positive movement, or deteriorates into self-destructive infighting, remains to be seen. Much depends on the quality of our insight. It is the job of a rising breed of political writers and influencers to spawn the visions of a world yet to be.

Like many who are already busy at the task, I cast my lot with those expositors who will create a vision of democracy at work in an irreversible technological age. I join those seeking spiritual guidance, especially through the Christian faith, for our recovery. Again, I refer to these precursors of future developments as Hope’s Witnesses.

man at typewriter with text balloon above his head with pic of people of all races raising American flag

Many writers on Substack, including BULWARK and POLITICO, as well as those in other public media, provide numerous and insightful perspectives. The “fields are white unto harvest”. The makings of a genuine resistance movement are afoot among many new writers. I will include a sample list of brave new independent journalists at the end of this article.

I see three important tasks before us.

First, those who resist threats to traditional democratic norms, including freedom of speech, must clarify for the reading public what to expect from a looming fascist regime.

Second, resistors must make clear how the costs of NOT resisting Trump’s regime are greater than opposing it.

Third, realistic, uncompromising journalism can serve as a rallying point, just as Edward R. Murrow took on the rabble-rouser, Joseph McCarthy in 1954, who had terrorized Americans with the “Communist Scare”. He did what Congress failed to do by asking pointed questions and insisting on tangible evidence for McCarthy’s claims. Murrow’s brave stand stiffened the backs of weak-kneed members of Congress, and McCarthy’s influence withered like the last summer flower.

The outstanding guest essay by Laurie Winer, published on Timothy Snider’s “Thinking About . . .” website on March 13, titled “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Catastrophe; And What to Do,” is an exemplary piece of journalism that fulfills all three requirements effectively. Winer’s viewpoint can function as a template that resisters can rally around. I am impressed with Winer’s courage, clarity, and clenching of the case against the DOGe regime. (cf., https://snyder.substack.com)

I urge my readers to access Winer’s complete essay. Here is a quick summary of the main points. Using warnings from the well-known story of the Third Reich, Winer says here are the things to watch for.

· Daily life will take on a surreal quality and, if we do not take some action or join an organized resistance, our discussions will consist of merely repeating the latest horror.

· People around you will forget that they once were anti-Trump.

· The administration will issue absurd denunciations of opponents whose expertise is essential.

· There will be parades and possibly mandatory public displays of support for the administration.

· News sources will disappear or be radically altered.

· MAGA will continue to believe what the leader says up until the very brink of disaster.

Winer’s post is well-documented; it is backed by ample notes of first-hand witnesses to the rise of the Third Reich. Nevertheless, to fully understand the significance of Winer's perspective, it is essential to read his entire article.

Meanwhile, I can verify Winer’s conclusions by my own extensive experiences throughout almost a century of living for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in good times and bad, in the country I love, until death us do part (1931-present).

My early childhood during the Great Depression and my teenage years were influenced by World War II. During and after the war, Americans learned about the Nazis' severe actions; I was indelibly impressed by the horror depicted by the Nazis inhumanity in news photos and movies.

aftermath of WWII showing a bombed-out city (up close) with a church steeple rising above rubble intact

Later, in 1953, as a Church History student in Europe, I met Martin Niemöller, head of the German Lutheran Church. He lectured our class about his experiences under the Nazi regime.

Niemöller had been incarcerated in Dachau prison. He was liberated by the Allies in 1945. He was arrested in 1937 for speaking out against the Nazi regime for attempting to nazify the German Lutheran Church. The latter required all churches to follow the Aryan law to the effect that church membership not be allowed for persons of Jewish belief or lineage.

Niemöller objected to churches acknowledging a higher loyalty to the State than to Jesus Christ. Accordingly, he joined with Dietrich Bonhoffer to create the “Confessing Church” that affirmed the lordship of Jesus Christ over the authority of the Third Reich. The Nazis arrested Niemöller and Bonhoffer, and both pastors remained in prison until 1945. Bonhoeffer was murdered shortly prior to the victory of the Allies. Niemöller survived and was rescued by the Allies.

Martin Niemueller and Dietrich Bonhoffer lifting a cross above a map of Germany

In his lecture to our class, Niemöller shared a quotation he repeated to his fellow Germans thousands of times since the end of the war. The quotation summed up his experience with the Nazis, and it has since become famous worldwide.

He said,

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Niemoller’s famous quotation includes his confession of complicity, since in the years before 1937, he was supportive of the Nazification of the German Church. But his conscience ultimately could not stand seeing how the Nazis were relentlessly murdering Jews.

Before his arrest along with Bonhoffer and other members of the Confessing Church, as Niemöller told our class, he moved away from his ultra-conservatism about traditional Christianity. To save Jews by disguising them and getting them out of the country, he and fellow members of the Confessing Church broke commandments they had always held sacred.

I remember the passion in his voice when he told us, “We believed ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’. But we lied to protect the Jews’ identity. We believed ‘Thou shalt not commit murder’. But we considered a plot to assassinate Hitler.”

Niemöller’s complex association with Naziism is a clear warning. His complexity with the ruling regime is also suggestive of our complicities in America now.

In the beginning, Niemöller was a strong German nationalist who preferred a forceful leader to guide Germany out of economic disaster. Thus, he was an admirer and supporter of Hitler.

He finally broke with the Nazis on January 25, 1934 when Hitler called a meeting of prominent ministers and bishops to the chancellery to work with the “Reich Bishop”, Ludwig Muller. Muller was to be the ruling State bishop to administer the affairs of all churches in Germany.

Under duress, most bishops in attendance acquiesced.

But Niemöller stood firm. He is recorded by scribes at the meeting as having told Hitler,

“Mr. Reich Chancellor, you said ‘Leave the care of the German people to me’. But I tell you neither you nor any other power in the world is in a position to relieve us, the church, or the responsibility God has placed on us for the people and the fatherland.”(Evangelische Kirchenfuhrer bei Hitler: Der Kanzlerempfang vom 25, January 1934, published in 2024 by Niemöller Jr,)

The courageous decision by Niemöller came after a long struggle to choose between his love for his country and his love for Jesus Christ. His decision became an inspiration to oppressed people everywhere.

It is just as clear that many Americans today face a similar choice. But the choice is only similar, not the same. For committed Christians, the choice should be clear. We will serve both God AND our country best by taking up our crosses to join the resistance against POLITICIANS who are attacking our nation from within.

Help us envision the America we all want. The longest journey begins with a simple step. You can take that step here and now. Hope’sWitness Newsletter is one of many independent journals dedicated to preserving our democracy. (See the list atend of this page.)

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