Faithless - Mullah vs. Mullahs

The Christian Nationalism that has emerged as the symbolic Icon or Relic of MAGA is not an expression of faith but of faithlessness. Now our very own Mullah, and Israel's, are attacking theirs.

Mar 27, 2026

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In my youth, there was a prominent magazine called MAD, popular particularly among the younger set. It still exists in the quiet shadows of the web, releasing and re-releasing old scripts and toons.

In its heyday, they had a very popular comic strip called Spy Vs. Spy.

Spy vs. Spy was an iconic wordless comic strip that was a staple of Mad since January 1961.

Created by Cuban expatriate cartoonist Antonio Prohías, the series parodies the Cold War’s political ideologies through two identical-looking agents—one dressed in white and the other in black—who engage in endless, slapstick espionage.

Today, we are in the midst of a new iteration of Spy vs. Spy - Mullah Vs. Mullah, where the extremists of Iran’s revolutionary government are paired against the MAGA Christian Nationalists and Israel’s right-wingnuts, who are determined to bring the same faithless religious dogmas against one another.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I described the firehose of authoritarianism and grift during the early days of the first Trump administration. When I described witnessing a slow-motion car crash.

“For most Americans, watching the President and the government that he is attempting to create is like watching a car crash in slow motion. We know that it’s coming. We just don’t know when the point of impact will be. More important, we don’t know whether it will be a fiery pileup or one car plowing into the Tree of Liberty and Decency; a tree that has been painfully and lovingly nurtured; nourished with the blood, sweat and tears of patriots, as it grew and expanded for nearly 250 years. “ (wdk - 2017)

In 2023 and 2024 the media began to focus attention on a 900-page document that laid out a plan for creating a “government in waiting” for a conservative administration, specifically designed for a potential second term for Donald Trump, called “Project 2025.”

The project’s central document, titled Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, outlines four main policy aims:

Restore the family as the centerpiece of American life.
Dismantle the “administrative state” and return self-governance to the people.
Defend national sovereignty and secure U.S. borders.
Secure “God-given individual rights” to live freely.

Like many political documents, it disguised its rhetoric and intent in soft-pedaled limp phrases intended to seem reasonable, but it was, in fact, a blueprint for a path to an autocratic government built around a faithless political fundamentalism.

Donald Tump did his best to distance himself from the goals of Project 2025 during the 24 election. But, in truth (and in Truth Social) Project 2025 was the bedrock theme for the campaign. More important, it has formed the bedrock of the second administration of Donald Trump.

While the document itself describes its goals as "conservative," critics and analysts frequently characterize it as a blueprint for Christian Nationalism due to its explicit use of “Christian Nationalist” biblical framing.

There are many different explanations of what the term Christian Nationalism mean. Essentially it can best be described as a radical right political philosophy where the words Jesus are used liberally, as a cudgel, but the spirit of Christ is absent. Just as the Mullahs of Iran pervert Islam to their crazed purposes, so too do the Christian Nationalists dominating our current government.

As an example of this, since the beginning of the “war” against Iran there has been a rash of “whistle-blower” filings from members of the military describing “pep talks” from leadership in the millitary that have used “end of days” - religious rhetoric in their communication with soldiers.

A prominent series of complaints has emerged from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a watchdog group representing hundreds of service members bringing these complaints.

Independent journalist Jonathan Larsen reported, on MS Now, that - in the first week following the attacks on Iran, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation received more than 110 complaints from service members about their commanders’ religious gloss on the Iran war. These complaints, according to Larsen’s report, came from every branch of the military, across more than 40 different units, situated in at least 30 military installations. (The Pentagon chose not respond to Larsen’s request for comment.)

Whistleblowers allege that following the start of conflict with Iran, some military commanders told troops the war was “biblically sanctioned” and a sign of the “End Times” as described in the Book of Revelation.

In particular, scrutiny has focused on Secretary of “War” Pete Hegseth, who has been criticized by advocacy groups for promoting what he has termed “Western Christian” values, allowing religious extremism to spread within the ranks.

“We’re fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon,” Hegseth said of Iranian leaders. “But from my perspective, I mean, obviously I’m a man of faith who encourages our troops to lean into their faith, rely on God.” ~ Pete Hegseth

It is important to acknowledge the deeply harmful role that the United States played in the history of the Islamic Revolution. Trump may have dragged us all into the Donroe tarpits, but the history of US interference in Iran runs very deep and should be an object lesson in the dangers of hubris in international affairs.

Yet, that does not change the history of this brutal Islamic regime that recently murdered as many as 30,000 Iranian citizens protesting peacefully against the regime.

We all know that the 47-year reign of the Iranian theocracy has turned from a hopeful revolution, initially “teased” as a democracy with equal rights for women, quickly developed into an authoritarian nightmare for the people of Iran.

Ironically, as Iran tumbled further and further into authoritarianism, using a radical religious ideology to justify their brutality and inhumanity, the United States has been on its own ideological “excursion” sinking ever deeper into a well-thought-out plan that would become Project 2025, a White “Christian” Nationalist movement, currently controlling the levers of power in the United States.

I use the word Christian reservedly and in quotes because there is nothing Christian about Christian Nationalism. It is a purely political and highly irreligious dogma intent on using the veneer of Christianity to mask its authoritarian intent. MAGA is their vehicle and a rapid contravention of the US Constitution is their aim. Jesus Christ has nothing to do with it. It is wholly devoid of the spirit of Jesus.

If neither side is really true to its ostensible faith then what is driving the ideologies of them?

Co-founder of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Sazegara, who helped to form the original Revolutionary Guard Corps (RGC) and was involved in the early days of the Iranian Revolution. He describes the original intent and creation of the RGC as a modest effort to provide self-defense for the country along the lines of the National Guard in America - what he calls a “Peoples army”. Originally composed of 5,000 highly trained officers and 50,000 semi-professional the RGC today claims to have as many as one million soldiers.

By 1983 Sazegara realized that “something was going wrong”. He witnessed the torturing and killing of people from opposition groups and other acts of the Iranian regime that became the seeds of his skepticism and eventually his change of heart. Today, after being forced to flee Iran, he is a US citizen speaking out on behalf of democracy.

“So, what are the roots of the authoritarianism of Iran and the evolving authoritarism of the United States?

Sazegara answers the question in a way that lays bare the most recent events - especially within the US. He posits that Iran, like MAGA, has become a kleptocracy. The phrase “follow the money”, coined by screenwriter William Goldman, for the 1976 film All the President’s Men comes glaringly to mind.

“ That Revolutionary Guard was “different”. This Revolutionary Guard is a MONSTER, They have had three main deviations from the original objectives. Now they are like a seven-headed dragon, and every head is different from the other. “ ~ Co-founder of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Sazegara

So much of the Trump administration has been built around grift, both the shamelessly appropriated and the stealthily concealed.

To most, Donald Trump seems to be at the top of the benefits pyramid, but in fact, it’s worse than that. Yes, Trump has brazenly enriched himself by billions of dollars but he is also dramatically tilting the balance of our economy to benefit the uber wealthy.

In fact, Trump is really the conductor, the P.T. Barnum of the three-ring circus bent on enriching his inner circle and what historian Heather Richardson - America’s working class Tom Paine - has regularly referred to as “The Predator Class”. Though various derivations of the phrase are not altogether new.

Outside of the brave and valiant efforts of pilots, crews, and soldiers, there are no heroes in this story. There are only three FAITHLESS regimes forming an ideological and pernicious black hole into which they (and some of their questionably suspicious “allies” ) are trying to drag the world.

Notes and links:

Thumbnail timeline of the Iranian Revolution: (Chat GPT and Wikipedia)

To understand the Iranian Revolution of 1979, it is helpful to view it as the climax of nearly three decades of escalating tension between a Western-backed monarchy and a diverse opposition.

The 1950s: The “Original Sin” of Foreign Intervention

1951–1953 (Oil Nationalization): Prime Minister
Mohammad Mossadegh
, a popular nationalist, sought to nationalize Iran’s oil industry, which had been controlled by the British.
1953 (The Coup): Fearing communist influence and the loss of oil interests, the CIA and UK intelligence orchestrated a coup (Operation Ajax) that overthrew Mossadegh.
This move consolidated the power of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
making him an absolute monarch.

The 1960s: Modernization and Religious Backlash

1963 (The White Revolution): The Shah launched an aggressive program of social and economic Westernization. While it modernized infrastructure and expanded women’s rights, it upended traditional rural life and alienated the powerful religious clergy.
1964 (Khomeini’s Exile): A relatively obscure cleric,
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini emerged as a vocal critic of the Shah’s reforms and ties to the U.S. After his arrest sparked riots, the government sent him into exile, where he continued to lead opposition from abroad for 15 years.

The 1970s: Repression and the Road to Revolution

1971 (The 2,500-Year Celebration): The Shah hosted a lavish, multi-million dollar celebration of the Persian monarchy. Critics saw this as proof of a regime that was out of touch and elitist.
Late 1970s (Economic and Social Strain): Despite a massive oil boom, rapid inflation and the brutal tactics of the SAVAK (the Shah’s secret police) fueled widespread resentment.
1978 (Escalation): A series of protests and strikes began in earnest. Events like the Cinema Rex fire (killing hundreds) and “Black Friday” (where security forces fired on protesters) made reconciliation impossible.

1979: The Final Collapse

January 16: Facing a country-wide strike and total paralysis, the Shah fled Iran into exile.
February 1: Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran, greeted by millions.
April 1: Following a national referendum, the Islamic Republic of Iran
was officially proclaimed, ending the 2,500-year-old monarchy.