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Articles by Nick Gier
OPINION: Israel continues to commit war crimes in Gaza
The directors of NAZA are Isarelis Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and they learned that the Israeli air force knows that some of the houses they are bombing are “full of children.” Abraham and Szor have received death threats and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for their citizenship to be revoked. One of the soldiers interviewed compares his experience to the Holocaust.
OPINION: Roger Williams: Grand champion of religious liberty
Opinion Nick Gier, Palouse Pundit "Religion cannot be true which needs instruments of violence to uphold it." — Roger Williams On Dec. 21, 1603, Roger Williams was born in London to a prosperous merchant household. He was a brilliant student at Cambridge, excelling in languages, the classics and theology. The first turning point in Williams’ life was the day that he witnessed the mutilation of a Puritan.
OPINION: Libertarians and theocratic imposters
Opinion Nick Gier, Palouse Pundit "We advocate strict separation of church and state." — Libertarian Party Platform I’ll never forget a maxim that I learned from Steve Symms, who ran as a libertarian in Idaho’s First Congressional District in 1972. A liberal will let you do anything with your body, but not everything you want to do with your money. A conservative will allow you to do anything you want with your money, but not anything you want to do with your body.
Opinion: Trump threatens the foundations of democracy
Get out and vote; just this time, you won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. —Donald Trump, July 26, 2024 “Well, Dr. Franklin, do we have a republic or a monarchy?” “A republic,” replied the Doctor, “if you can keep it." —Elizabeth Willing Powel, a prominent Philadelphian, September 18, 1787 This year we are celebrating 250 years of America as a democratic republic and, on September 15, the United Nations will observe Democracy Day.
OPINION: Trump threatens and foundations of democracy
Nick Gier, Palouse Pundit "Get out and vote, just this time, you won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine." — Donald Trump, July 26, 2024 “Well, Dr. Franklin, do we have a republic or a monarchy?" “A republic,” replied the Doctor, “if you can keep it.” — Elizabeth Willing Powel, a prominent Philadelphian, Sept. 18, 1787 This year we are celebrating 250 years of America as a democratic republic and, on Sept.
Muslims Have Been Part Of The American Story Even Before 1776
(ANALYSIS) Many early Americans were astute enough, unlike so many Americans today, to distinguish between good and bad Muslims. From the 16th to the 18th Centuries the Barbary pirates (also known as the “naval mujahadeen”) raided the southern coasts of Europe. They stole cargo from other ships and enslaved or ransomed their sailors. Hundreds of Americans (about 100 in 1793 alone) were snatched in these attacks.
Opinion: Trump’s detention centers are concentration camps
Recognizing these facilities as concentration camps is neither rhetorical nor extreme; it is an accurate and necessary classification.—Cameron McDonald, Immigration and Human Rights Law Review Inhumane detention conditions aren’t uncommon; they’re part of the problem.— Alimatou Sarr, The Marshall Project ICE is a fascist paramilitary force for Donald Trump and Stephen Miller.—Arizona Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari Donald Trump’s immigration detention centers are not like our prisons in several...
OPINION: It's not coveting; it's greed and apathy
Nick Gier, the Palouse poundit As I was preparing to respond to Dale Courtney’s column about the sin of coveting (Daily News, July 28/30), luck would have it that I saw a documentary on Theodore Roosevelt on my Netflix “watch” list. As I viewed this well-crafted film, I was reminded once again what a remarkable and forward-thinking Republican (!) Roosevelt was. One scene in the film was particularly riveting.
OPINION: Answering Dale Courtney’s inquisition on socialism
Dale Courtney’s interrogation of me (Daily News, July 14/16) is reminiscent of Sen. Joe McCarthy’s witch-hunt for communists in the early 1950s. I will answer him truthfully: I have never been a member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and I do not intend to become a member. I do not support the abolition of the Senate or the Supreme Court. I do not believe in nationalizing the means of production, but I do support subsidizing local and regional means of transportation and green energy.
The Amazons of the American Revolution
America 250 essay Image courtesy National Gallery Portait of Abigail Smith Adams, by Gilbert Stuart.Image courtesy National Gallery “We possess a spirit that will not be conquered. Should we be attacked, you will find a race of Amazons in America.” — Abigail Adams During the birth of our nation, women were just as important as the men. They were writing books and poetry, advising their obtuse husbands, and running farms and businesses. They were also soldiers, spies and resistors.
OPINION: The story of Muslims in America
Nick Gier, Palouse Pundit "Historically, Muslims are Americans, as originally American as Anglo-Protestants." — historian Sam Haselby (aeon.co) Many early Americans were astute enough, unlike so many Americans today, to distinguish between good and bad Muslims. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the Barbary pirates (also known as the “naval mujahadeen”) raided the southern coasts of Europe. They stole cargo from other ships and enslaved or ransomed their sailors.
Opinion: Only one religion? Trump’s religious liberty commission
Donald Trump proclaimed a day of prayer on May 17 as part of Freedom 250, not to be confused with the bipartisan America 250. However, Trump had a golf date, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was too busy with the ill-conceived Iran war to attend. Both sent pre-recorded videos instead. Trump read a passage from 2 Chronicles 7, a favorite of Christian nationalists.
OPINION: Only one religion? Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission
"Neither Pagan nor Mahometan nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the Commonwealth." — Thomas Jefferson citing English philosopher John Locke Donald Trump proclaimed a day of prayer on May 17 as part of Freedom 250, not to be confused with the bipartisan America 250. However, Trump had a golf date and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was too busy with the ill-conceived Iran war to attend. Both sent pre-recorded videos instead.
OPINION: Women of the American Revolution: Soldiers, spies and resistors
"I believe that [British] General Howe does not have a very great wife. A smart wife would have put Howe in possession of Philadelphia long ago." — John Adams to his wife, Abigail, Aug. 11, 1777 "We possess a spirit that will not be conquered. Should we be attacked, you will find a race of Amazons in America." — Abigail Adams to her husband, Sept.
Opinion: Strange Bedfellows: Deists and Baptists insist on church, state separation
Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry. —Thomas Jefferson, “A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom” For two centuries, Baptists didn’t just support the wall of separation between church and state — they built it. —Johnathan Woodword, Religion News Network (5/4/26) In 1773, a 22-year-old James Madison had just returned to his native Virginia from theological studies at Princeton.
OPINION: Strange bedfellows: Deists and Baptists
"For two centuries, Baptists didn’t just support the wall of separation between church and state — they built it." — Johnathan Woodward, Religion News Network In 1773, a 22-year-old James Madison had just returned to his native Virginia from theological studies at Princeton. He was shocked to learn that Baptists had been imprisoned because they refused to pay the state’s church tax. These monies went to pay minister salaries and to maintain Virginia’s “established” (official) Anglican church.
What did Thomas Paine believe? The founding father’s forgotten faith
Reading Time: 3 minutes By Nick Gier | FāVS News Columnist The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.
Opinion: Celebrating religious liberty in America for 250 Years
Whatever prejudice may warp our wills, the simple voice of nature and reason will say what is right. —Thomas Paine, Common Sense Free America without Thomas Paine is unthinkable. —Marquis de Lafayette In 1975, America was preparing to celebrate its bicentennial, and I wanted to write something special for the occasion. Given my training in theology, I decided that I would research the religious views of our founding thinkers. Read the results and additional articles at bit.ly/3OPnPwR.
OPINION: Tom Paine asks Americans: 'Whatever happened to your common sense?'
"Whatever prejudice may warp our wills, the simple voice of nature and reason will say what is right." — Thomas Paine, "Common Sense" "Free America without Thomas Paine is unthinkable." — Marquis de Lafayette In 1975, America was preparing to celebrate its bicentennial, and I wanted to write something special for the occasion. Given my training in theology, I decided that I would research the religious views of our founding thinkers. Read the results and additional articles at bit.ly/3OPnPwR.
Opinion: Christian nationalism and the Treaty of Tripoli
Religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed. —James Madison I would like to begin by quoting Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli: “The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion.” This treaty, more than any other official document, is the clearest refutation of Christian nationalism and the strongest affirmation of the U.S. as a secular democratic republic.
OPINION: Simply no comparison: Obama-Biden faults vs. Trump’s
"Trump has done more damage to America than anyone else in history." — Ryan Cooper, The American Prospect In his March 28 column Dale Courtney, is playing the classic game of “they (the Democrats) do it, too,” but he fails miserably. Comparing the faults of the Obama and Biden administrations with Trump’s is like comparing a barrel of apples with several bruised and rotten ones to a barrel of apples that is almost completely spoiled.
Is America a Christian nation? The controversy over pluralism
Reading Time: 5 minutes 6–9 minutes By Nick Gier | FāVS News Columnist The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.
OPINION: A Christian nation is not what the founders intended
"Religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed." — James Madison I would like to begin by quoting Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli: “The Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion.” This treaty, more than any other official document, is the clearest refutation of Christian nationalism and the strongest affirmation of the U.S. as a secular democratic republic.
OPINION: Solar energy surges in developing nations
Larry Kirkland (letter to the editor, Daily News, Feb. 28) continues to be totally immune to fact checking his own claims. This pertains to his beliefs that the Bible is true in all that it says (rebuttal at bit.ly/4oJrqc5, chap. 6) and that climate change is not scientifically grounded.
What “Never Again” Means in Today’s Political Climate
By Nick Gier | FAVS News Columnist The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. What did we learn from the Holocaust? We have to act and we have to resist.— Rabbi Diane Tracht protesting in Minneapolis It’s looking more like Nazi Germany every day.—one sign among 150 rabbis protesting in D.C. Minnesota Gov.
OPINION: A progressive view of the Declaration of Independence
Sometime in 1975, I heard a guest on National Public Radio say that Theodore Roosevelt condemned Thomas Paine as “that dirty little atheist.” My curiosity was piqued because I assumed that the founders were Christians of one denomination or another. I then decided to celebrate the 1976 bicentennial by researching our founders’ religious views.
Opinion: Calling a spade a spade: Nazi brownshirts, ICE agents and the Fascist siege of Minneapolis
"What did we learn from the Holocaust? We have to act and we have to resist." — Rabbi Diane Tracht protesting in Minneapolis "It’s looking more like Nazi Germany every day." —one sign among 150 rabbis protesting in D.C. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz caused quite a stir recently with this statement: “We have children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside.
OPINION: Calling a spade a spade: Nazi brownshirts and ICE agents
"What did we learn from the Holocaust? We have to act and we have to resist." — Rabbi Diane Tracht while protesting in Minneapolis "It’s looking more like Nazi Germany every day." — One sign among 150 rabbis protesting in Washington, D.C. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz caused quite a stir recently with this statement: “We have children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside.
Opinion: The good kids finally take on the playground bully
"They were there in Davos, Switzerland to see whether Trump would repeat all of these lies in person." — Ravi Agrawal, Foreign Policy magazine "It was like a geo-political version of a mafia shakedown.
OPINION: The Good Kids finally take on the Playground Bully
They were there in Davos, Switzerland to see whether Trump would repeat all of these lies in person. — Ravi Agrawal, Foreign Policy magazine In a long, rambling speech on Jan. 21 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Donald Trump insulted those present with a string of falsehoods and accusations. In the overflow audience some gasped, some laughed, but most sat in shocked silence.
OPINION: Abortion in early America and millennia before
Life begins in contemplation of law as soon as the fetus is able to stir in the mother’s womb. — Sir William Blackstone, legal hero of Thomas Jefferson Today, I celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion until the middle of the second trimester of pregnancy. In the Supreme Court’s decision to end Roe in 2022, Justice Samuel Alito, in one of the most poorly argued briefs in judicial history, claimed that the Constitution is silent on the issue of abortion.
OPINION: Denmark and the 'White Man’s Burden'
Send forth the best ye breed Go bind your sons to exile To serve your captives' need — Rudyard Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden” There is something rotten in the state of Denmark — Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" People usually don’t think of Denmark (the size of Maryland) as an imperial power, but from 1742 to 1917 Danish colonies, at their peak, comprised 1.2 million square miles.
Zoroastrianism, the Magi and the Idea of Self-Judgment
By Nick Gier | FāVS News Columnist I have studied and taught world religions for over 60 years, and every new discovery makes me want to learn more. I once taught Zoroastrianism together with Hinduism because of their common origins in what is now Afghanistan. The only direct reference to Zoroastrians in the Bible is the so-called Wise Men who are said to have attended Jesus’ birth. The Greek word used to identify them is magoi (hence Magi) and they were Zoroastrian priests.
Finding Jesus in Sacred Movement
By Nick Gier | FāVS News Columnist I danced in the morning when the world was begun,I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,and at Bethlehem I had my birth.–Jesus, Sydney Carter’s “Lord of the Dance” In the old Cornish Christmas carol “Tomorrow shall be my dancing day,” Jesus comes into the world dancing. As he moves, he calls his “true love” to dance with him. Who, pray tell, is this “true love”?
OPINION: Did Jesus dance at the wedding at Cana?
I danced in the morning when the world was begun,I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,and at Bethlehem I had my birth. –Jesus, Sydney Carter’s “Lord of the Dance” In the old Cornish Christmas carol “Tomorrow shall be my dancing day,” Jesus comes into the world dancing. As he moves, he calls his “true love” to dance with him. Who, pray tell, is this “true love”?
OPINION: I criticize Israel, but I'm no antisemite
"Elon Musk is the most dangerous antisemite in the U.S." — Jewish journalist Elad Nehorai (Dec. 5, 2025) In December 1918, Emir Faisal, later to become Iraq’s king, met with Zionist leader Chaim Weitzmann in London. At a banquet in Faisal’s honor, he declared that the Jews, as members of the same “semitic family,” were welcome to return to their historical homeland.
Sky Woman, Eve and Creation in Indigenous and Biblical Myths
By Nick Gier | FaVS News Columnist “One story led to the generous embrace of the living world, the other to banishment.” —Robin Wall Kimmerer I have been reading “Braiding Sweetgrass:Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, professor of environmental biology at the State University of New York.
OPINION: Zoroaster, Jean-Paul Sartre and the afterlife
I have studied and taught the world religions for more than 60 years, and every new discovery makes me want to learn more. I once taught Zoroastrianism together with Hinduism because of their common origins in what is now Afghanistan. The only direct reference to Zoroastrians in the Bible is the so-called Wise Men who are said to have attended Jesus’ birth. The Greek word used to identify them is magoi (hence Magi) and they were Zoroastrian priests.
OPINION: Sky Woman and Eve, mother of all the living
I have been reading "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, professor of environmental biology at the State University of New York. Early in the book, the author, a member of the Potawatomi Tribe, tells the story of Sky Woman, a legend found in her own Haudenosaunee tradition and other Great Lakes people. In the beginning the earth was covered in water and darkness.
Opinion: Trump’s plan for Gaza is doomed to fail
"(Trump’s ceasefire gift) comes much belated—and with a high risk of disintegrating even as it is being unwrapped." —Bobby Ghosh, Time (October 14) Donald Trump is receiving credit from nearly all quarters for arranging the truce in Gaza that has now lasted since October 10. The ceasefire, however, is fragile, with Hamas claiming over 80 violations as Israel fires on Gazans crossing the “yellow” defense line.
OPINION: Trump’s plan for Gaza is doomed to fail
"(Trump’s ceasefire gift) comes much belated — and with a high risk of disintegrating even as it is being unwrapped." — Bobby Ghosh, Time (Oct. 14) Donald Trump is receiving credit from nearly all quarters for arranging the truce in Gaza that has now lasted since Oct. 10. The ceasefire, however, is fragile, with Hamas claiming more than 80 violations as Israel fires on Gazans crossing the “yellow” defense line.
Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lam...
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." — Jesus, Matthew 5:7 "I always pray for them (Chinese Communists)." — The Dalai Lama At Charlie Kirk’s memorial, his widow, Erika Kirk, said: “I forgive him (the killer). The answer to hate is not hate. The answer from the gospel is love and always love.” Here Erika Kirk is a true Christian peacemaker, but how can she preserve her husband’s legacy, which contains many instances of hate speech?
OPINION: In six months, 92,000 nonviolent migrants arrested
All Latinos, U.S. citizens or not, are fair game to be seized at any time. — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights guarantees the rights of refugees in Article 14. In 1951, the United States was a signatory to the U.N. Refugee Convention, and in 1980 Congress passed the Refugee Act. Those who seek asylum in the U.S. and have reported to border patrol have a right to have their cases heard before an immigration judge.
OPINION: Comrade Trump and state control of the economy
"Trump is muscling his way into our economy in ways that are alien to traditional Republican principles." — Steve Rattner, New York Times (Aug. 28) I commend two Daily News columnists for their recent insights.
North America, Europe and Ch...
"Cars that pollute are taxed out of business in Norway (and) the air is cleaner, it is quieter." — Christina Bu, Norwegian EV Association I started driving hybrids back in 2010, and I’ve had three plug-in hybrids before buying a full electric VW ID-4 two years ago. I wanted better range (the VW had a 270-mile max), and I now own a Chevy Equinox, whose best charge, on a recent 1,656-mile trip to Canada, was 349 miles.
OPINION: Donald Trump is already cooking the books
"Be sure to absorb the latest reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They are the last accurate ones you will see for the next 3-plus years." -- Norman Ornstein, Raw Story, Aug. 12 Totalitarians invariably replace all first-rate talents with those crackpots and fools who lack intelligence and creativity. -- Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism In a letter to this newspaper (Jan.
Why ‘Nature’s God’ doesn’t mean what many Christians think
By Nick Gier| FāVS News Columnist Philosophers of religion such as myself have high regard for Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas. He supported the role of reason in all human discourse, and he had great respect for Greek and Arabic philosophers. This knowledge came to him from Muslim Spain (720-1492) where Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars came together to preserve much of ancient thought.
OPINION: Donald Trump embarrassed himself in Scotland
On a private, taxpayer-funded golf trip to Scotland in late July, Donald Trump lied his way through several press briefings. I will focus on his lame criticism of wind energy and his absurd claim that immigration has destroyed Europe. Always showing his ignorance or deliberately being dismissive, Trump calls today’s wind turbines “windmills,” those simple devices of yesteryear that ground grain and pumped water for farm animals.
Intersex is real - and so is nature’s diversity
Intersex symbols/Depositphotos | This article first published on FaVS news here. Please consider supporting their important work at FaVS News. One of Donald’s Trump’s first acts as president was to sign an executive order recognizing “two sexes, male and female.
Intersex is real — and so is nature’s diversity - FāVS News
By Nick Gier | FāVS News Columnist One of Donald’s Trump’s first acts as president was to sign an executive order recognizing “two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” Columnist Terrence Day tried to preempt this biological nonsense with a column entitled “Intersex is Real, just not Binary” in Moscow-Pullman Daily News in 2023.
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