Mark Welch

@markwelch

ex-reporter ex-teacher ex-attorney, he/him law, journalism, education, security, privacy, surveillance tech, AI fairness, bias, face recognition, Blue Dot, LFL steward Springfield MO <NorCal <NH <MA <WI UC Berkeley JD'89; UMass Amherst BA'83

372 Siguiendo9915 Seguidores1797 Publicaciones

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Mark Welch@markwelch· 11d

ag.ny.gov/press-releas...

Mark Welch@markwelch· 12d

"The 7 Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism: A Call to Action" (2022) by Carter Heyward. amzn.to/3TpTmHP Re-sharing with Table of Contents in ALT text.

"The 7 Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism: A Call to Action" (2022) by Carter Heyward.
https://amzn.to/3TpTmHP

Re-sharing with Table of Contents in ALT text.

First Sin: The Lust for Omnipotence
Second Sin: Entitlement
Third Sin: White Supremacy
Fourth Sin: Misogyny
Fifth Sin: Capitalist Spirituality
Sixth Sin: Domination of the Earth and Its Creatures
Seventh Sin: Violence

First Call: Empowering One Another
Second Call: Embodying Humility
Third Call: Approaching the Blackness of God
Fourth Call: Empowering Women, Celebrating Sexuality, Affirming Gender Diversity
Fifth Call: Transforming Capitalism
Sixth Call: Belonging with Earth and Animals
Seventh Call: Breaking the Spiral of Violence

Mark Welch@markwelch· 12d

Today's reading distractions: "Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor" 2024 "The Religion of Whiteness: How Racism Distorts Christian Faith" 2024 "The 7 Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism" 2022 "Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism"2024

Today's reading distraction: "Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor (2024) by Caleb Campbell.
https://amzn.to/4fCKKVx

I wondered how these beloved Christians could give allegiance to a movement that blatantly disregards the true ways of Jesus and instead embraces the power of Leviathan....

It was in this apocalyptic season that I began to ask the Lord, "What should I do?"

FROM ENEMY COMBATANT TO MISSION FIELD

When I first encountered American Christian nationalism, I viewed it as a heresy to be destroyed and those who gave themselves over to it as enemies to defeat.... In my mind my powerful arguments would lead them to repent and return to the ways of Jesus.

My intentions were good. My methods, not so much.

By viewing American Christian nationalists as the enemy, I was taking the posture of Leviathan: a combative approach that created more divisiveness and frustration. This was the wrong mindset, but I didn't know it yet. Then, I had a mind-renewing, life-altering experience (what the Bible calls metanoia or "repentance"), which changed my approach and set me on the path to writing this book.

One of my favorite questions comes from a podcast called Make Me Smart. In each episode they ask their guests, "What is something that you used to believe that it turned out later you were wrong about?" I love that question because it assumes that we can change our beliefs, even on deeply held convictions. The Bible calls this the "renewing of our minds." The apostle Paul, writing to the Roman church, says, "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2, emphasis added).

I've had many mind-renewing experiences and pray for many more, by God's grace. The one that changed my trajectory came at the end of....

Mark Welch@markwelch· 12d

Today's reading distraction: "The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World" (2026) by Brian Tyler Cohen. amzn.to/3Rp4AvD (Disappointing.)

Mark Welch@markwelch· 18d

Today's reading distraction: "The Emergency Playbook: A Bunker-Free Guide to Disaster Preparation (2026) by Amy Edelman & Chris Begley. amzn.to/4fiUoxR

Mark Welch@markwelch· 19d

Mark Welch@markwelch· 21d

Today's reading distraction: A phenomenal book: "The God Who Riots: Taking Back the Radical Jesus" (2022) by @DamonGarcia.bsky.social amzn.to/43uwfxA

Mark Welch@markwelch· 24d

archive.is/RXEK1

Mark Welch@markwelch· 29d

Missouri Amendment 5: "Pie-in-the -sky nothingness."

Mark Welch@markwelch· Jun 29

An interesting take on the fraudulent power grab known as Missouri Amendment 5. shieldmaidensofmo.substack.com/p/amendment-...

Mark Welch@markwelch· Jun 29

How we set up our LFL (Little Free Library), and why we stamp all the books. @littlefreelibrary.bsky.social www.markwelchblog.com/2025/11/29/s...

Mark Welch@markwelch· Jun 14

Sunday Shelfie! Our Little Free Library in Springfield MO: map.lflapp.org/knthQmRquVb Free map of Registered LFLs: littlefreelibrary.org/map/ Free map app for Android or iOS: littlefreelibrary.org/app/

Mark Welch@markwelch· Jun 10

No on MO 5 & 4 ! Missouri Amendment 5: Would - Phase out Income Tax; - DOUBLE current Sales Taxes; - Add new Service Taxes (prohibited in 2016); - Add sales tax on real estate purchases; and - Add sales tax on RENT! Missouri Amendment 4: Would END citizen initiatives! Vote NO !

Mark Welch@markwelch· Jun 3

Missouri Amendment 5, which would phase out the state's income tax, is on the August ballot. Will it extend sales tax to residential rent payments?

Will MO Amendment 5 bring taxes on rent?

I want research & projections to offset the elimination of Missouri's income tax (Amendment 5 on the August ballot).

Missouri's income tax now brings $8.5 billion annually (two-thirds of all state revenue). The stated plan is to raise sales tax rates, plus extend the sales tax to services that are not taxed now.

But the math behind Amendment 5 does not add up.

It is estimated that each 1% increase in sales tax would raise about $1 billion, so an increase of 8.5% would theoretically offset the entire income tax.

But, since a large percentage of Missouri residents live near interstate borders, any such increase would drive many residents to shift their retail purchases to another state. Adding a tax on services (auto repair, dental work, &tc) could shift that activity across state borders.

I suspect that the only way to close the revenue gap will be to extend sales/service taxes to residential and commercial rent.

Rent is already the single highest household expense for working families. A tax on rental payments would also serve the oligarchs' goal of shifting taxes from the wealthiest to the poorest, from investors to workers.

What is the projected revenue for service taxes, both for the "most plausible" categories (auto repair, dental work, hair services, legal services) and for "even less popular" ideas (such as taxing medical services and, ultimately, taxing rental payments)?

I'm also aware that for Missouri workers who reside in another state, the MO income tax is collected and applied as a credit to their state-of-residence income taxes. Without any MO income tax, that entire amount would be paid instead to the state of residence, while the employee would pay very little sales tax in Missouri.

Amendment 5 proposes a regression from a middle-class economy to a more feudal system.

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 31

Three of my Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org donor t-shirts. Unpacked after five years in storage, now sealed away again

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 31

Message t-shirts, current rotation, May 2026. Still sorting through my stuff.

Some of the message T-shirts owned by Mark Welch, May 2026
(books) Love peace kindness change diversity unity compassion justice
(Books) Love peace inclusion kindness change diversity unity compassion justice accessibility
Missouri jobs for justice
Kindness peace equality love inclusion hope diversity
Science is real; black lives matter; love is love; women's rights are human rights; kindness is everything
The Constitution matters
Pussy hat on earth
Make America kind again
Where you can be anything, be kind
Be kind
Neurosarcoidosis (3 shirts)
Read Banned Books (not shown)

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 30

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 21

Figure 7: us fossil fuels magnates & billionaire tech bros...

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 15

Another LFL update: we removed the small shelf at the bottom, to fit more large-format picture books. We moved board books to the shelf above. We also have Spanish books on our rolling cart. Grandview Park Little Free Library #208480 N. Dysart Ave., Springfield MO map.lflapp.org/knthQmRquVb

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 15

Awesome. amzn.to/3R1yXHY

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 14

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 11

I added some nonfiction titles to our Little Free Library, including three excellent books (How Civil Wars Start, Weapons of Mass Delusion, and Caste) along with some awful ones. map.lflapp.org/knthQmRquVb

Mark Welch@markwelch· May 9

During our trip to Saint Louis yesterday I took Kary to see Left Bank Books, and while she drove us home, I requested about a dozen of the books I saw from the library. Today's haul is pictured.