Robin Galiano Russell
@rmgrussell.bsky.social
Spiritual director, hospice chaplain, avid reader, dog lover and Substack author of Pulling Back the Curtain.
Mary’s powerfully subversive words are timeless and speak into our current landscape. The gap between rich and poor have never been so great. Authoritarianism threatens our democracy and is stripping away our human rights and dignity. We thirst for justice. We long for things to be made right.
Advent hope in MAGA era
We don’t have to wait to act with justice
robingrussell.substack.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Mary’s powerfully subversive words are timeless and speak into our current landscape. The gap between rich and poor have never been so great. Authoritarianism threatens our democracy and is stripping away our human rights and dignity. We thirst for justice. We long for things to be made right.
It’s hard to justify anyone demonizing an entire people group for one man’s actions ... Couldn’t the Afghan shooter, like some domestic white male shooters, have had some personal troubles that don’t reflect his entire ethnic group or national identity?
Fueling white nationalism
MAGA blows up a national tragedy
robingrussell.substack.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:03 PM
It’s hard to justify anyone demonizing an entire people group for one man’s actions ... Couldn’t the Afghan shooter, like some domestic white male shooters, have had some personal troubles that don’t reflect his entire ethnic group or national identity?
Gratitude in the midst
A quick note of thanks-giving
robingrussell.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:03 PM
For a minority of the die-hard core base, nothing is too scandalous. But many who voted for Trump in 2024 are feeling the sinking feeling of betrayal, and are now trying to figure out what MAGA was all about.
Is MAGA coming apart?
Trump voters are feeling the sting of betrayal
open.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:06 PM
For a minority of the die-hard core base, nothing is too scandalous. But many who voted for Trump in 2024 are feeling the sinking feeling of betrayal, and are now trying to figure out what MAGA was all about.
The deception that seems to bother MAGA supporters the most has been the lack of transparency over the Epstein files. New evidence might spur a bit more cognitive dissonance as folks learn that Trump knew about sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein’s conduct with underage girls after all.
Will Epstein break MAGA fever?
New evidence will likely give supporters pause
robingrussell.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
The deception that seems to bother MAGA supporters the most has been the lack of transparency over the Epstein files. New evidence might spur a bit more cognitive dissonance as folks learn that Trump knew about sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein’s conduct with underage girls after all.
This week, I’m taking time to savor the long-awaited political shift away from corruption and cruelty. I also want to focus on what else brings us joy and connection. What’s happening politically is very, very important. But it’s hardly the only thing.
Joy as sacred defiance
Small acts that nurture lives are part of the resistance
robingrussell.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:38 PM
This week, I’m taking time to savor the long-awaited political shift away from corruption and cruelty. I also want to focus on what else brings us joy and connection. What’s happening politically is very, very important. But it’s hardly the only thing.
In what universe is it OK to build a ballroom for wealthy guests while Americans go hungry and can’t afford healthcare? Marie Antoinette couldn’t have shown more disdainful irony.
Are we great enough yet, MAGA?
Americans need benefits, not ballrooms
robingrussell.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:56 AM
In what universe is it OK to build a ballroom for wealthy guests while Americans go hungry and can’t afford healthcare? Marie Antoinette couldn’t have shown more disdainful irony.
There comes a time when you have to take a stand for basic human dignity and respect that transcends politics. Protesters didn’t seem angry; they seemed resolved. Some things just boil down to right and wrong, rather than left and right.
Hope, solidarity will dismantle facism
Massive protests show our better nature in painful times
open.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
There comes a time when you have to take a stand for basic human dignity and respect that transcends politics. Protesters didn’t seem angry; they seemed resolved. Some things just boil down to right and wrong, rather than left and right.
None of this is normal. What recourse do we have? We shouldn’t have to comply with cruelty and falsehoods. What’s left for ordinary citizens is to gather and use our voice through public protest as a visible sign that all is not well in America.
Protest as patriotism
We protest MAGA's overreach because we love America
open.substack.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:18 PM
None of this is normal. What recourse do we have? We shouldn’t have to comply with cruelty and falsehoods. What’s left for ordinary citizens is to gather and use our voice through public protest as a visible sign that all is not well in America.
In his second term of hyper-focused vengeance, Trump is ratcheting up the language of demonization with increasingly unhinged rants.
MAGA’s Orwellian tactic
Speaking truth is not fomenting violence
robingrussell.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 12:49 PM
In his second term of hyper-focused vengeance, Trump is ratcheting up the language of demonization with increasingly unhinged rants.
No wonder the powers-that-be want to hinder our freedom of speech at the very time we most need clarity—and a few good laughs. We need to find common ground if our country is to survive all this.
Glimpses of hope in MAGA era
Americans show up for truth, freedom
robingrussell.substack.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
No wonder the powers-that-be want to hinder our freedom of speech at the very time we most need clarity—and a few good laughs. We need to find common ground if our country is to survive all this.
No one deserves to die for speaking about their political beliefs, especially in a country whose constitution guarantees freedom of speech. We need reasoned political dialogue, not dangerously violent polarization.
Reflections on an assassination
The shooting of a MAGA activist helps no one
robingrussell.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 1:50 PM
No one deserves to die for speaking about their political beliefs, especially in a country whose constitution guarantees freedom of speech. We need reasoned political dialogue, not dangerously violent polarization.
When we comply with unlawful authority, we give it power over us. I know from experience that none of us should cede our power unwisely.
MAGA can’t force us to comply
How to defy an unlawful government
robingrussell.substack.com
September 4, 2025 at 11:56 AM
When we comply with unlawful authority, we give it power over us. I know from experience that none of us should cede our power unwisely.
We each have a part to play. We are living in a historic time, one that will be studied for generations to come. What will future generations learn about how we lived through this time?
Can’t we be done with MAGA?
Finding emotional and spiritual resiliency for the long haul
robingrussell.substack.com
August 28, 2025 at 1:12 PM
We each have a part to play. We are living in a historic time, one that will be studied for generations to come. What will future generations learn about how we lived through this time?
It’s like we Texans are in an abusive marriage that we can’t escape with our state leadership. Take it from a survivor of domestic violence: Control is a key element of abusive behavior.
MAGA governor bends the knee
Texans are living in an abusive state
robingrussell.substack.com
August 21, 2025 at 12:02 PM
It’s like we Texans are in an abusive marriage that we can’t escape with our state leadership. Take it from a survivor of domestic violence: Control is a key element of abusive behavior.
It’s important to recognize the racist roots of what motivates Trump and his cadre of white Christian nationalists. When MAGA Christians are willing to tolerate such rhetoric and beliefs in exchange for a privileged status, it shows they not only need better politics, they need better theology.
MAGA racism in DC
White nationalists need a better theology
robingrussell.substack.com
August 14, 2025 at 12:00 PM
It’s important to recognize the racist roots of what motivates Trump and his cadre of white Christian nationalists. When MAGA Christians are willing to tolerate such rhetoric and beliefs in exchange for a privileged status, it shows they not only need better politics, they need better theology.
Superman is not so powerful that he can’t be hurt. His particular weakness of Kryptonite is actually shards of a world he had loved and lost. That’s something we can all relate to as our democracy is under assault.
Heroism in this MAGA era
Superman makes us yearn for decency
robingrussell.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Superman is not so powerful that he can’t be hurt. His particular weakness of Kryptonite is actually shards of a world he had loved and lost. That’s something we can all relate to as our democracy is under assault.
Anyone who’s ever stepped inside a Christian bookstore knows that there already are scores of books about discreetly sharing your faith in the marketplace. But a government-endorsed version of evangelism in the workplace during the MAGA era is especially cringe-worthy. What could go wrong?
MAGA evangelism at work
Federal employees now urged to proselytize
robingrussell.substack.com
July 31, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Anyone who’s ever stepped inside a Christian bookstore knows that there already are scores of books about discreetly sharing your faith in the marketplace. But a government-endorsed version of evangelism in the workplace during the MAGA era is especially cringe-worthy. What could go wrong?
Being in the thin place of the high desert has always given me what I need. I usually come away with a God-given image or idea that sustains me for the next leg of the journey.
Wilderness lessons in MAGA era
Solo trek provides needed refreshment for long haul
robingrussell.substack.com
July 24, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Being in the thin place of the high desert has always given me what I need. I usually come away with a God-given image or idea that sustains me for the next leg of the journey.
Just as I accompany hospice patients on their final journey regardless of their political views, I can show kindness to neighbors who displayed a Take America Back sign last fall.
Being there for MAGA neighbors
Embracing grace above human instincts
robingrussell.substack.com
June 26, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Just as I accompany hospice patients on their final journey regardless of their political views, I can show kindness to neighbors who displayed a Take America Back sign last fall.
MAGA Christians see themselves as the standard-bearers for biblical values. To their way of thinking, anyone who criticizes this administration clearly hates America and is being influenced by Satan. I wish I were making this up, but their loyalty knows no bounds.
MAGA forces a line in the sand
When our theology goes awry, political chaos happens.
robingrussell.substack.com
June 19, 2025 at 4:28 PM
MAGA Christians see themselves as the standard-bearers for biblical values. To their way of thinking, anyone who criticizes this administration clearly hates America and is being influenced by Satan. I wish I were making this up, but their loyalty knows no bounds.
Any woman who has been on the receiving end of domestic violence recognizes the controlling tactic of blaming victims for the violence they endure.
MAGA overreach in LA
Those who protest injustice take the heat for violence
open.substack.com
June 12, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Any woman who has been on the receiving end of domestic violence recognizes the controlling tactic of blaming victims for the violence they endure.
It reminded me how important it is to really feel the grief and sadness we carry. That includes the weight of political grief many of us have felt in this MAGA era after barely losing by a popular-vote margin of just 1.5 percent.
MAGA era stirs grief, too
A bittersweet loss helps me notice the sadness we carry
robingrussell.substack.com
May 29, 2025 at 12:29 PM
It reminded me how important it is to really feel the grief and sadness we carry. That includes the weight of political grief many of us have felt in this MAGA era after barely losing by a popular-vote margin of just 1.5 percent.