Imagine waking up in an America that no longer feels like the land of the free. The streets are quieter now, not because people are content, but because they are afraid. Fear has become a part of daily life, especially for those who dare to think differently, to believe differently—or not to believe at all.

It starts with small changes. Oklahoma adds the Bible into it's public schooling. A favorable ruling in the SCOTUS allows Trump's loyalists to force Biblical studies into public schools nationwide. A law is passed requiring all government buildings to display religious symbols. “In God We Trust” is no longer just on currency—it’s everywhere, on every wall, in every courtroom, a constant reminder that the state is no longer neutral. Non-believers feel the weight of these symbols, understanding that they are not welcome here.

Then, it escalates. New policies are introduced that funnel public money into religious schools, leaving secular education systems starved for resources. Judicial appointments continue to favor those with strong religious leanings, and soon, the legal landscape begins to shift. The Supreme Court, packed with conservative judges, rolls back rulings that protected reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and the separation of church and state.

Criticism of these changes is met with hostility. The President, returning to power after a divisive election, uses the language of war. He talks about “rooting out” his enemies, calling them “vermin” and promising that his comeback will be their punishment. It’s a chilling rhetoric, reminiscent of the darkest times in history. You think back to his past statements, how he has attacked the press as “the enemy of the people,” encouraged violence against dissenters, and even praised dictators for their “strong leadership.”

And then it happens.

One by one, those who are most outspoken begin to disappear. First, it’s the journalists and activists, then academics and scientists who question the government’s policies. Atheists, who have always been vocal critics of religious encroachment in public life, find themselves increasingly isolated. The laws are subtle at first, perhaps an enhanced surveillance program aimed at “national security threats,” but soon it becomes clear that anyone who doesn’t fit the mold is at risk.

People say it can’t happen here. They said the same thing in Germany in the 1930s, dismissing the early warnings about the Nazis. They believed that rationality would prevail, that the rule of law would protect them. But history has shown us that when authoritarianism takes hold, it doesn’t stop until it has crushed everything in its path.

Even now, people say that an attack on the Capitol—like the insurrection on January 6th—could never have been imagined before it happened. But it did happen. And it happened because the seeds of extremism were planted and watered with the rhetoric of division and hatred.

In this future, atheist homes are raided, non-believers rounded up on charges of “sedition” or “anti-state activities.” This atheist group is forced to shut down to protect the team, as well as its members.

Dozens upon dozens of atheist website owners decide to shut down to protect themselves. Atheists start going quiet, no longer standing up for science and reason because the risks to their freedom are no longer worth it.

Some atheists are sent to internment camps, hastily built under the guise of national security. The camps are justified as a necessary evil to protect the country from those who would “undermine” its values. Those who resist are made examples of, their lives destroyed to send a message to others who might dare to speak out.

And then, when it was too late, the extreme regret set in. Those who had sat out, believing that it could never happen here, were filled with remorse. They realized too late that their silence had been complicity, and that their inaction had allowed the forces of evil to take hold. Even those who had been swayed by misinformation, thinking they were defending something noble, now saw the consequences of their choices. The freedoms they took for granted had been eroded, and the America they knew was gone, leaving them to wonder how they had let it slip away.

This is a future that could become a reality if we do not act. The signs are all around us, from the rhetoric of violence to the erosion of democratic norms. The question is not whether it can happen, but whether we will allow it to happen.

The only way to stop this is to stand together, to vote, and to ensure that those who would lead us down this dark path are never given the chance. We must support candidates like Kamala Harris and other Democrats who are committed to protecting our rights and freedoms, to upholding the values that this country was built on. We cannot afford to be complacent—our future depends on it.

Let’s make sure that this story remains fiction. We need everyone to vote for Democrats and Kamala Harris to protect our freedoms.