How to Respond to this Moment in Time

 We on the left are having a hard time knowing what to do in this particular and hugely significant moment. Emotionally we perch somewhere between still being in shock, the bargaining stage of grief that does not want to believe that this is really what is happening – to being incapacitated by grief for all that has already been lost or will be – to raging anger about it, a further stage of grief.  We are also looking for leaders, and right now there are no clear candidates. We are just plain out beyond the last page of our instruction manual. 

Adults in the US were raised in or immigrated into a not ideal but functional democracy. People here are deeply trained in the idea that if change is necessary at the national level, it must happen through the channels of Congress and elections---the process of democratic change. Many of us have long been frustrated by how capitalism has captured and poisoned that process. But it was what we had to work with, and we plugged away—eithermaking some changes in the system, trying to reform it, or trying to act around it. But after decades of conservative think tanks having planned this coup, we now find democracy being dismantled.

Inspiration and Strategy 

We need to apply nonviolent social change tactics – but these are skills not learned or mastered inside the democratic change process.  To the degree we know them, we know them as skills to win civil rights, end a war, or protect the environment.  We do not know them in terms of how to overthrow a dictator or stop a fascist coup. 

For those familiar with the history of the rise of fascism in Germany and Italy before WWII, that history is predictive of the steps unfolding before us right now. But because Hitler and Mussolini were only crushed after a long, violent world-wide war, that history does not tell us how to nonviolently defeat fascism before it is enthroned. Also, never before in history has there been the sort of power that social media exhibits to replace traditional media and to produce unchecked and biased misinformation - resulting in such deep divisions among the US population.

However, there are many, many examples of nonviolent overthrow of dictators, documented by activists and academics.  For example, if you do not know the work of Elizabeth Chenoweth, please familiarize yourself with her research on nonviolently overthrowing a dictator. A quick summary is at https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/how-to-topple-a-dictator/

While these tactics to overthrow dictatorships were successfully used in the 80's in Poland, the 90's in the Philippines, and the 00's and 10's in various central American and African Countries, these are very small countries or countries where the majority of the population is concentrated in a small area.  All of Poland is the size of California’s population. They often did not have even a titular democratically elected leader before having to depose the dictator.  So these recent historic examples do not translate easily to the US. However, they do still hold useful information.

Cory Booker in his recent historic Senate floor speech of 25 hours called on his ancestors and mentors: Martin Luther King, John Lewis, and even Patrick Henry. He called on them for inspiration and guidance, and with a battle cry to fight for our democracy. 

Similarly, I call out to other progressives. We need to reach into that bag of 101 nonviolent tactics catalogued long ago by Gene Sharp, and we need to think very strategically. As lifelong nonviolent strategist George Lakey has long preached, a protest is a one off - it cannot win anything, no matter how big the number of attendees.  We have to have a strategy - one that builds on itself and employs different tactics.

Why nonviolence you may query.  Many people believe violence is more effective and necessary when the stakes are high.  But the most amazing part of Chenoweth’s research was that the nonviolent uprising were more likely to be successful, and in a shorter time than the violent ones.  Additionally they were more likely to result in a government afterwards that was democratic.

So Why Demonstrate?

Right now we are having a lot of demonstrations: "No Kings" on Presidents Day; a Save Science one, and Hands Off on April 5th.  A friend of mine who has gone to few protests in her life declared:  "And even I had to go to it."  I asked her why.  She said that normally she sees them as pointless, a lot of people yelling, maybe making themselves feel better – but achieving nothing.  I asked therefore why she went.  She said:  "Everything is so awful. I did need to be with people who are also upset."  That, I told her, is one of the purposes of a demonstration, to gather together those who share common cause and to lift their spirits for the work ahead.  A demonstration is also an event to share ideas and information about the issue. If done well, attendees can also learn next steps they can take. It is a way to build a movement by bringing out more and more people with a voice for change. But protest is also to build pressure on those doing wrong.

If one looks at historic examples like during the Vietnam War, the demonstrations got bigger and bigger and spawned more and more groups against the war and eventually pushed over into various acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, such as burning draft cards, refusal of inductions, sit in at the Pentagon, etc. Huge demonstrations also happened in the civil rights era. But they were often only a stepping stone in the arch of a campaign that included boycotts or lunch counter sit ins. However, a whole generation of late Gen Z and early Millennials see protest as pointless because they participated in huge protests against the Iraq war - in about a one month span of time - and those had no effect.

One bright driving line is the media covered the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights protests. They barely and grossly under-reported the anti-Iraq war and pro-Palestinian protests.  The George Floyd protests were only covered because they grew bigger and bigger and followed a murder that captured the nation.

For demonstrations to matter now, they will have to grow in size and frequency and be sustained over time. We will have to figure out how to capture the media or create our own.  I noted one relatively small April 7th demonstration that got mainstream press was a die-in at Wall Street with quite dramatic tomb stones naming everything that is being lost. 

On April 1, Cory Booker very movingly said in his marathon speech before the Senate, "The Constitution is only a piece of paper unless we live it and protect it."  We are all the way fully into Constitutional crisis in the past week as the President has refused to obey the directions of either Congress or the Courts. This is a constitutional crisis in a country that was designed with a careful balance of power that appointed to each of three branches unique powers designed to keep checks and balances on any one branch to prevent it from usurping too much power.  So now we will wait to see if the military enforces the rule of law – the requirement that the President follow the Constitution and obey Congress and the Courts when they operate within their roles.  But really we cannot just wait – we have to act.

Non-compliance and Over-compliance to Evil

One of the first principles of nonviolent resistance is noncompliance with evil laws and decrees.  Examples are men refusing conscription or even the requirement to register for the draft.  Another during the civil rights movement was the non-compliance with Jim Crow segregation laws: refusing the ban on segregated lunch counters by presenting for service; going into segregated places like swimming pools and joining in; and, famously, refusing to sit at the back of a public bus. 

The flip side of this is over-compliance with a rule or law for the purpose of jamming the system and rendering it meaningless. For example, in 1980 when men were required to register again after a decade-long break in the draft, women registered, causing the Selective Service and the FBI to have to spend time sorting out what registration was valid from that which was invalid.  Perhaps one of the most famous and moving case is when the Nazis required all Jews in Denmark to wear yellow stars on their coats, the Danish king and quickly then the Danish general public began wearing yellow stars both in solidarity but because their over-compliance rendered meaningless the attempt to single out Jewish citizens. 

How might we apply non-compliance or over-compliance to the current situation?  One of the difficulties in the present moment is most of the horrors are a lot of US laws being violated or attempted to be eliminated by presidential order, which was not the founding fathers’ intention for presidential orders.  Also a lot of federal employees are being fired and their departments being eliminated. While it is clear to progressives what is wrong with this, it is less clear what to do.  Those who are actually being fired can attempt to non-comply up to the limits of being barred from buildings.  Supervisors can refuse to fire people.  ICE officials could refuse to arrest immigrants. (Although realistically by having taken ICE jobs in the first place they are unlikely to take such conscientious positions.)  However, certainly schools and hospitals and employers can refuse to cooperate with ICE as is already taking place throughout WA.  How might you apply non compliance or over compliance to the current situation?

 

 

Boycotts

It became very clear at the presidential inauguration with all the trillionaires standing behind Trump and the insane role of one of the richest men in history in the DOGE nightmare, that this is a takeover of the US government by the multinational corporations and the oligarchy that runs them. They are acting quickly to enact laws and strike down others that will create an ideal business environment for their further profit and to reduce protections or wage gains for workers. 

An important strategy of nonviolent resistance is to understand the sources of power for oppression and to weaken those sources for the oppressive power. For example, in the 60’s during the civil rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama, the organizers knew that progress was being blocked by the power elite in the town, which were about a dozen owners of white-owned businesses. So the civil rights organizers instituted a boycott on white businesses. The African-American community refused to spend one penny in those business for just nine weeks--well timed, busy Easter season weeks. The white business owners made concessions that led to the end of the boycott. 

Other boycotts have been made against products, like the boycott in the late 70’s and early 80’s against Nestle to get them to stop selling baby formula in countries where, when mixed with contaminated water, it was killing babies. Thirty-five years of consumer products made in South Africa, combined with many other tactics, eventually led to a change of power that could bring about the end of the apartheid system. 

Therefore, a powerful way for us to say “No” to the trillionaires running the show means boycotting their companies and their profits – to vote with our wallets. Many have expressed frustration that no one voted for Elon Musk and thus they feel they cannot vote him out.  Yet his stock has dropped by 42% (and still continuing) since his involvement in this far-right takeover started.  Boycotts against Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Walmart will also be necessary.  While inconvenient, there is a feeling of freedom from no longer giving any of your life energy to those folks. Some have been convinced that Amazon now has such a tight grip it is not possible to shop without them. I assure you from my experience of a personal 15-year boycott of that company, that it is possible.  What companies will you no longer support?

Creating the World We would Rather See

The sad over-reliance on rallies and marches reflects a misunderstanding of how big movements effected change in the past. Yes, they did all use rallies and marches, but just as one of a mix of tactics. And again, Elizabeth Chenowith's research shows the most successful movements used a mixture of movements.  An important principle of non-violence is taking actions that show the world that should be. History offers some good examples of protest actions that embodies the changes the protestors wanted: the lunch counter protests in the 1960’s made the point that African-Americans wanted to be served in public venues; the early twentieth century women who tried to vote before it was legal; and Gandhi’s defiance of the British salt tax by making his own salt during the 1930 Salt March. There are literally hundreds of creative and powerful examples of this principle. Can we continue Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies because it is what we want? Can we continue to embrace Trans people because it is right?  Resistance does not all have to fight and struggle - some of these acts of creating the world we want can be full of fun and joy.

Alternative Institutions

When this principle of creating the world we want is taken far enough, it takes the form of making alternative institutions and the alternative institutions increasingly holding the real power.  The most obvious examples might be cooperatives, worker-owned work places or credit unions which model a form of worker/consumer ownership that is not dependent upon multinational chains.  (If you have not already done so, dump your corporate bank or store for credit unions and coops.)  An interesting form of this is when the first Trump administration was trying to control the National Parks. Resistance sprang up in the form of an Alt Parks Facebook page where disgruntled staff planned their resistance anonymously.  They were forming an alternative Parks Dept.  Currently the Democrats in Congress are having to hold alternative hearings because the Republican -controlled Congress will not give official space for any Democratic initiatives.  Spend some time dreaming - how can you live right now in the world you want rather than the nightmare which is being created?

One day when I was mad about reading that the Trump Administration’s removing all acknowledgements of People of Color war-time units in past generations from military museums, I dreamed of other museums or any place we as people have control over, such as churches and schools, displaying that same removed material. This would show that honoring is a choice we still have.

General Strikes

One of the most powerful tools throughout history used by the people is a general strike. A general strike is the refusal to work, not at just one company for workers’ better wages or conditions, but a nation-wide strike by all workers. It is a refusal of the population to do any work until something ends.  The general strike by the Solidarnosc movement in Poland was used to respond to the imposition of martial law and forced an election.  In Iceland on Sept 24, 1975. the "women's day off" strike saw 90% of women refuse to work at home or in paid employment to force changes for women's rights and equal pay. The next year an equal pay law passed.  In a bold act of solidarity with the Ukraine, long shore workers around the world in 2022 refused to unload any Russian goods, thus doing economic harm to Russian in retaliation for their invasion of the Ukraine.  What act of violation of the US Constitution would you lead you to join a strike?

Overthrowing Dictators

It is most important to understand that Chenoweth identify dozens of incidents over the last few decades of dictators being nonviolently removed from office. One of the best-known examples is the "People Power Revolution" that removed President Marcos from office after two decades of corrupt wielding of power in the Philippines, the last eleven of which were under martial law and suppression of free press.  Opposition had grown for several years after the assassination of his electoral opponent, and because the economy was very bad due to his policies.  People began wearing yellow to show solidarity with the opposition leader, and finally in the last days of his reign people flooded the streets of the capitol. There were so many people that the entire capitol was in gridlock. No one could get around. The tanks that had been sent to protect Marcos could not get through to the presidential palace. The generals looked out from the palace on a sea of citizens that way out-numbered the soldiers, and they told Marcos that they could no longer protect him and to flee in a helicopter from the roof of the palace And so his rule ended.

There are many similar stories of the end of dictators’ reigns.  I have been frustrated for months trying to apply this to our gigantic country.  We cannot all to go to Washington, D.C., where there would not be enough food and lodging for people.  I live almost as from D.C. as you can get, except for Hawaii and Alaska.  But I have finally realized. When a general strike shuts down all airports, train stations, ports and highways throughout the country, it will have the same effect as bringing the capital city to a stop.

In the meantime we all need to be studying up on the history of nonviolence and techniques, strategies and tactics of nonviolent resistance to evil....because apparently we will need them.  George Lakey has suggested everyone get together a pod of eight of your best buds and call it a bridge group, a kitting club, or a book group but actually be discussing all of this and figuring out together what you can do. That sort of decentralized and grass roots action is impossible for any dictator to strike down and is exactly how resistance operated in all Nazi- occupied countries.  Start thinking now with others how to apply tactics of resistance.

  

Protests Across the Country 4-5-2025

 Since the Corporately/ Billionaire controlled media is not wanting to show us how great the protest was today, I have decided to post from f/Friends of mine around the country.

As I have posted about before, Erica Chenoweth who has studied non violent overthrows of dictators, finds it takes 3.5% of the population out in the street over a prolonged period of days or weeks.  For the US population that would be 11.4 million people.  (Translate - the largest 333 cities in the US had protests of over 10,000 each.)   We have a good start folks.  Early counts said 3 million people came out at 1,400 protest sites.  As the days go by that count should get more precise.   But initially people are saying it was definitely bigger than the first Womxn's march and sits at around 1%.   We have to grow our crowds and we need to start arming them with strategy at the march.

Olympia, WA -  State Capitol of WA

Kansas City, KS

Portland, OR

US Capitol

Seattle, WA

Helena, MT

Boston

Nashville, TN

See how far the march snakes

Chicago, IL

Chattanooga, TN

hard to see but that is all people across the river

Salt Lake City UT

Missoula, MT

Los Angeles

Omaha, NB

Naperville, IL

note that protesters are on both sides of a main street

The use of Boycotts in Fighting an Oligarchic take over of the US

 Many years ago now a woman named Erica Chenoweth decided to do a thesis on the effectiveness of violence vs non-violence based upon the study of civil wars.   She thought violence would be more effective and was surprised to see that non-violence was.   She went on to study how dictators are overthrown.  She discovered there to her surprise again, that it only took 3% of the population protested the dictator...although they had to be consistently in the street over a prolonged period of time - they could overthrow him!  She also found that the most effective movements did not rely too heavily on one tactic but used a variety of tactics that escalated over time.

This resonates for me with a long held frustration with US protest movements that they rely almost exclusively on marches and rallies with a slight peppering of civil disobedience.   A movement leader, George Lakey, has often lamented that US movements try to get by on one off events (like rally's and marches instead of building a campaign with a strategy over time.  And sadly many movement leaders do not even know what that means to build a campaign.  (Histories of the Civil Rights movement are very instructive in terms of the strategy and many steps that were planned for in each campaign.)  I have often lamented that Americans are taught in public school that the only way to effect political change is through Congress.   So we write our Congress and then don't know what to do.   This is sadly evident right now during a crisis of democracy where the phones are ringing off the hook in DC and there are some protest rally's happening...and yet mostly people are sitting in silent horror.

So this is a clarion call to ask you to start understanding the difference between protest and resistance and that it will take organized campaigns of resistance to stop this fascist coup.  We must stop acting like this is just a bad presidential election outcome, or that we just have to make it two years to an imagined next election.   We must actively try to stop the destruction of our democracy and resist by not giving our cooperation to any of the evil.  One such kind of tactic which can be organized into a campaign with goals and timetables is Boycott.

By now it is fairly well known that a loose coalition of groups called 50501 have called first for a President's day protest, then a day of no spending on Feb 28th (which was again a one off and not as effective as needed) and now for a longer week of boycott against  Amazon this week March 7th to the 14th.   This to be followed by a week long (March 21- 28th) black out of Nestle  (know of old for things like selling poisoned baby formula in 3rd world countries) and then April 7th thru the 14th of  Walmart (whose family wealth if combined would make them wealthier than Musk.) and then April 21st thru April 28th of General Mills.  (They are not just a cereal company....look for the extensive list of food companies they own.)

Now given the information at the beginning of this post - why this strategy?                           Essentially we have had an oligarchic take over - it may look like the Republican Party took over to some- but as Musk's role in this and the attendance of all the top Billionaire's to the inauguration makes very clear - the rich are now running this country and the policies that are being made are for their advantage and no one else's.   (The cutting of medicaid to make a tax break for the rick also frames that very clearly.)   We cannot vote out of office the megalomaniac Millionaires running Congress or the White House.   But we can refuse to participate in their wealth machines.  This is how you vote against them with your wallet!

Is this strategy effective?

While the corporately controlled media many failed to report on the outcomes of these boycotts here is some information.  

The WA Post lost 17% of its readership after it came out that Bezos (its owner) squashed their editorial endorsement of Kamala Harris.

After a bunch of companies dropped their Diversity and Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies a boycott of Target was held for dropping theirs (I did not feel this was entirely fair since many companies had done this and Target had been more robust previously than many places that had no policy to drop) None the less they lost $15 billion in stocks due to that (before the whole stock market started dropping.)  But the point is the boycott made its impact.

Tesla soared as Trump came to office and Musk gained power - but once it became clear how evil Musk is, protests started at his stores and people started trying to sell their Tesla's - the value of the used Tesla dropped, but the stock is down 43% since the beginning of the year.  See chart below.  And this is all mostly not from an organized campaign but from people hating him.  Granted as the richest man in the world he is not probably feeling it yet...but let's keep it up.  He is feeling the political problem of it.

The Guardian reported on Feb 18th that 24% of Americans had already reported shifts in where they bought things based upon politics

The day long boycott:  The traditional media did not even cover the out come at all. But Amazon who was included since everything was - saw an up to 19% drop, Forbes (of all things) reported Target's web traffic was down 9% that day and in stores shoppers down 11%.  Also a poll of customers reported that 16% said they participated in the day of boycott - which would mean 40 million people nationally!  The People are just getting started.  People are getting madder and madder and looking for things to do and the word is just getting out.

Right now the Amazon week long boycott is in full swing.  I know many people now think it impossible to get things without Amazon.  As someone who has boycotted them almost entirely from their beginning, I assure you it IS possible to live without them!  You can usually go straight to the manufacturer's site to order, or find another alternative and it feels so much better!

In the process of writing this post I found this amazing website: https://shophowyouvote.com/

You can click on any kind of good or service and see who those companies gave to - Dems or Republicans.   I clicked for example on rental cars...and found it is probably better not to rent a car because the best it gets is Avis, Budget or Payless.  They each gave 51% Democratic but 49% Republican.  The others were all heavily Republican.  

Is it somewhat time consuming to look this up...well yes but once you know it you know it.  I have known since 2016 that Home Depot heavily supported Trump and Lowes did not, so I have been shopping Lowes since.   I don't have to keep looking it up. It is a new habit.   Get in the habit of non cooperating with those who oppress us!

What Should we Do?

 Right after the election the argument on the Progressive Left was how bad is it going to be?  Some folks thought it would just be another bad 4 years of Republicans.  Others felt it was going to be the end of Democracy.   Many felt it would be the implementation of the 2025 Project.  Pretty much everyone I know is saying "This is worse than I thought it would be".   Worse because while we could easily see that there was going to be a push to round up immigrants, pardon Jan 6th offenders, go after political enemies, persecute LBGQT folks and roll back environmental programs....I don't think most people expected the pace or the wide range of bizarre things peppered on top (The Gulf of America, the claim for Canada to be the 51st state, the creation of DOGE with an unelected and not congressionally confirmed Musk at its head).  

But as has been pointed out by many at this point, that is the point of shock and awe.  On a recent Friday just two weeks into the new administration, Trump had at that time made 50 Presidential orders.  The group was asked how many orders they guessed he had made?  The guesses ranged from 75 to most people guessing 200 or more all the way up to someone saying 500.  I was fascinated that no one underguessed, and that it felt so huge to us.   This speaks to how the shock and awe is actually working.  Everyone I meet says they are overwhelmed and exhausted.   This of course is because the assault is not limited to executive orders, it is also the parade of horrible cabinet appointments and the stream of threats and bizarre untrue claims.

If one thinks about the classic stages of grief: the first is denial, numbness, shock and the second is bargaining.   All of us who have wanted to believe he would not win or that what was to come would not be "that bad" have operated in denial.  Many of us are just frozen right now - exhibiting classical numbness and shock - like an animal frozen in the road as a car hurdles toward it.  Those who are arguing we can just pull this back in two years at mid terms or that "we have survived 4 years of Trump before" are operating in bargaining. it is important to cry hard enough for the country you once had that you can face present and fight for a country you want.

I have written previously about my advise to folks to limit their news consumption because the media is like a dog with a squirrel - all stories are given equal attention and they are running all over in frenzy and if you run with them you also are in a frenzy.  This creates the feels of overwhelm and hopelessness and numb disbelief.   It further disempowers and takes us into the frozen state.  I have recently asked two activist groups (most of whom were consuming news) to list signs of resistance or things that were hopeful.   Mostly they could not do it.  Oddly I who was limiting my news intake could.  It was because I had not swamped my own boat.  Also it is important to dismiss no piece of good news because the overall picture is still bad.  Each piece matters and if they grow they start to impact the outcome.

What I think is helpful is to limit yourself to essential information so that you can focus and resist.  So what is essential?   It is not useful or important to know about the drama that continually surrounds Trump.  As you select stories to read - read the ones that matter to the maintenance of Democracy.  What we must keep our eyes on are what are the actions that dismantle democracy and move the US towards fascisms?  As Erica Chenowith, historian of non-violent overthrows has already stated: 

Among the most urgent work in a moment of potential backsliding is to both protect the most vulnerable people from direct harm, while also upholding the rule of law. If you don’t defend the rule of law, you lose it, and the terrain becomes much more uncertain and treacherous. Most urgently, this means filing suit against every move that appears to be illegal and/or unconstitutional. We are seeing some of this happening already with regard to the executive orders and some of the firings of inspectors general, etc., but many more such cases would be needed for the federal courts to fully exercise their authority to contain executive power.

So we need to keep paying attention to action that are unconstitutional (not simply annoying or inhumane) and bring them to courts as well as the court of the people - which means our noncooperation with that which is illegal and immoral.  

It is helpful to stay remembering that because of the number of people in the US who are not registered voters (27%) and the people registered who did not vote - Trump only won 1/3 of the US adult population.   We need to keep remembering that we the disaffected are actually the majority and then act like it.  We need to keep remembering a vision of a society where Democracy functions fully, where people are treated humanly and like they matter and we need to keep acting for that society.

We need to disobey orders that are illegal or immoral to hurt other people be they immigrants, or LBGQT folks or BIPOC groups. We need to form circles of mutual support that extend resources to those who are being targeted and are suffering.  We need to not cooperate in things like the call for Federal works to resign.  We need to support verbally and if need be with protest the brave judges and other US officials who are doing the jobs that they are appointed and elected to do!  If you have the means support the lawsuits that are challenging illegal actions.   Study quickly the history of fascism and non-violent resistance throughout history.  Know that throughout history the uprising of the people has removed dictators from power.  Show up for upcoming boycotts and general strikes.  This is part of how people have brought down dictators before. 

The history of Nazi Germany shows that from the time Hitler took power there were repercussions against those who opposed him.  But the early repercussions were firings or brief arrests.   By the end his power and control was so great people were terrified to oppose him because the penalty by then for opposition was death.   In short it is better to oppose in the beginning.   The people of Germany had no way to know what was coming so it was way to easy to enter into denial and not step out of one's comfort zones.   But we have the benefit of history to know what horrors can still come - it is essential therefore that people come together quickly in unity and act promptly to curb his power before steps like the disbanding of Congress occur or the prohibition of 2026 elections.

The third stage of grief is depression.  Many of us are very very depressed right now.  That also keeps us from action.  The best antidote to depression is action, because it aligns us with hope.   Do not sit alone with this.  Find the other people trying to change our country and roll up your sleeves.

Among the most urgent work in a moment of potential backsliding is to both protect the most vulnerable people from direct harm, while also upholding the rule of law. If you don’t defend the rule of law, you lose it, and the terrain becomes much more uncertain and treacherous. Most urgently, this means filing suit against every move that appears to be illegal and/or unconstitutional. We are seeing some of this happening already with regard to the executive orders and some of the firings of inspectors general, etc., but many more such cases would be needed for the federal courts to fully exercise their authority to contain executive power.

Federal Workers Resist and Persist

 

Dear Federal Worker:

Don’t do it.  Don’t take the Federal buy out!  Don’t fire yourself..

Since the McCarthy era there have been federal laws established prohibiting loyalty oaths, and public servants are non-partisan, and serve the public not a party.  Trump knows he cannot legally fire you. Instead, he is trying to get you to leave now, to self select if you are someone who would refuse to follow a dictator.  He is the one that said he would be a dictator on Day One and now we see that in action..   The Weimar Republic was a democracy in Germany before Hitler disbanded the legislature and made all public servants serve the agenda of his new fascist government.  This is the best moment in time to try to stop that outcome!

Please think about the tasks and goals of your current position.  Our society would suffer deeply if there were not people doing the many things that Federal workers are doing.  What would happen if no one were doing those essential tasks?  There is no guarantee your position will be filled, as part of the goal of the Project 2025 is to disband government.  Trump repeatedly denied he knew about it, but that was clearly not true.  You doing important work and are needed.  We, the citizens, need you to stay.

You maybe asking yourself the ethical question: “Could I carry out what he wants done?”   Since none of us have a crystal ball that is unknowable.  Remember this is not your last chance to quit.  You never have to do anything immoral or illegal, and please don’t!  But it is possible that after this “buyout” situation is over that your department will be ignored for a while or forever – that really he is just trying to ensure loyalty.  Don’t leave and don’t stop making ethical and legal decisions.

By not cooperating with his attempt to eliminate US Federal government by not leaving, you also have the potential to resist from within.   There are legendary tales of low-rank to high-ranking clerks and officials within the Nazi government who subverted and saved lives from within the government.  If you stay and resist, yes that may end in being fired.  I am asking you to serve our country right now by staying and trying to provide the services we so desperately need.

You may also be trying to figure out how you would earn a living to provide for yourself and your family in this trying situation?   Many of you have very specialized bodies of knowledge, not easily translatable to general society.  Another reason to stay.   It may seem very tempting to be offered such a long “severance package” and to not have to work during that time.  But my own US Senator, Patty Murray has had to write to constituents pointing out that they cannot believe the word of the President.  She points out he has a long history of stiffing workers and lying to people.  Most compellingly the government is currently only funded thru the end of March, and while that is likely to be extended again, at this moment he cannot with assurance make such a promise.  Additionally, US law caps buyouts at $25,000.   So you must decide your career and income decisions in the face of sheer chaos and disorder being created by the Trump administration.

Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously said of house leader Elizabeth Warren when she was doing something he did not want: “and yet never the less she persisted…”   I ask you in the name of WE the People…please persist.

 

Resisting Fascism

Since Nov 3rd I have not been consuming the news.  It does not mean I don't know what is going on.  I probably still know more than many people who watch news.  I am far too connected to activists to not know.   But I want to report it is helping me keep my sanity.   For years I have not consumed tv news because it is presented with way too much drama.  I have chosen instead to just skim headlines and click on articles I was interested in.   I know right now that my nervous system cannot handle even the headlines.   But I am not living with my head in the sand.  On the evening of inauguration day I googled and thus zeroed in on an article that listed what Trump's Executive orders are.   I knew I did need to know that, and I do know.

I want to share what I have discovered by living this way.  I have discovered that there is an amazing way to take back our own power.  That I am in charge of who I allow to crank my chain, and what level of outrage I choose to engage.  I liken it to non violent resistance in the form of non compliance.   I am not complying with Trump's shock and awe plan.  I am not giving him any of the power to create despair and disempowerment for me.   This is not a platform for me to check out and live in privilege and unaffected.  Even those who normally live checked out and did not vote WILL be effected by this administration.  It is a method to preserve my energy and power in order to resist. I still have the same moral responsibility to help those in harms ways that those watching the news have.

I do not feel I need to pay attention to his insane nominations of incompetent and hateful people ill equipped for the cabinet seats they are being appointed to.   I already know they will be a group of Nazi's whose loyalty to him is their main qualifying characteristic.  So largely it makes no difference - we are not going to get a good Nazi out of the process.  It is more important to focus on how we will oppose the actions they take.

I initially the day after the election felt very powerless in the face of a Congress captured by Republican's along side the Presidency and the knowledge that the Supreme Court was already packed.  However, the following significant statistics have come to my attention.  Biden was able to place as many judges on the lower court Federal benches as Trump did in his previous term, and then there is also all the Obama judges, so at this point there is a much higher percentage of Democratically appointed lower court judges.  The Supreme Court can only take a relatively small number (but important cases) per year.   So most cases end with the decision of the appellate courts.  For this reason EarthJustice won 85% of their cases against Trump, and the Center for Biological diversity reports winning 9 out of 10 of their cases during those years.   The then attorney general of WA sued Trump 99 times.  Only 57 of those cases have been decided and Ferguson's team won 55 of those 57.    So in short because Trump keeps doing illegal and unconstitutional things he does wind up losing.   Is this still a huge waste of time and money from our side?  Yes, but it does work.

But I was also reminded by a unionist that the public itself, in public protest and non-cooperation is also a check against abuse of power.   We have already seen this in Trump's insane 1 day cancellation of all Federal Grants.  This effected so many things (one account I saw said 1/3 of all Federal dollars) that the out cry was immediate, intense and crossed party lines and within 24 hours and on the heels of lawsuits he rescinded it.   Mainly the significant lesson of that moment is he can be stopped by the public.  This unionist reminded me of the power of a country wide strike (think Korea).   If he does something egregious enough that a country wide strike happens...he does not then hold power.

There is a war going on right now for our psyche's.   Trump is trying to do shock and awe.  To come in with so many big and awful things as to overwhelm us and deflate us and make us feel powerless.  This is the same as what domestic violence perpetrators do to their partners.  So the partner will stop fighting and comply.   So it is big work to stay in your own head space and keep your own spirits up.

I am working on keeping my vision for the society I want.  Not surrendering it to some small and sad and hateful version of the world being offered by MAGA.  I am trying to align my energy with that and as much as is humanly possible non-cooperate with the new Oligarchical order.  This means I am trying to figure out how to not use companies like Amazon, or Tesla or other companies that give profit to megalomaniacs.

Other Suggestions:

Work on local issues which also matter but where you may have more power.

Reach out to provide aid (resources or emotional support) to groups who are targeted.

Do things and create events that life people's spirits and empower them.

Be careful about what you watch - look for things that remind you of the goodness and resilience of the human spirit!

Community build like mad.  We need to rest in each other's love right now.  To engage in dance, music, art, comedy, nature, and spirituality....all things that fill and nourish the spirit.

How to misuse Testimonies

 The reason Quaker's call them testimonies and not creeds is because we believe in continuing revelation.  We hold up our testimonies as the truth as we know it so far, with the idea that God can reveal the Truth anew to us or in a new way - that our understanding of the truth can evolve.   So you would think that we would hold the testimonies lightly.

And yet - I moved to a city where Friends were in deep conflict about an issue before the Meeting.  Increasingly sides were be taken and each side could point to certain testimonies and say how those should be carried out by certain actions the meeting should take.   In short we had thoughts and feelings about the testimonies!  And so did I.  But my "idea" was to take  a third way - to not get caught up in conflict - to find a bridge across the differences.  (Thus making me unpopular with both groups.)  The Meeting eventually split over this issue and at least a dozen people left...myself included.  In the end I was not mad because one side or the other prevailed (In fact neither side prevailed - the issue sort of collapsed in exhaustion - aided by a pandemic imposed separation from personal contact on Sundays.)  For me I left in despair of realizing that in all the side taking we had not asked:  "What does God say?  What are we hearing from Spirit".  It was as if we held a big fight and did not invite the Divine.

I am sort of amazed at this slippery slope - how easily our thoughts about our beliefs can take us out of our belief - out of the continuous seeking Spirit and divine revelation.  I am bemused that the Buddhist practice of mindfulness is to watch the "monkey mind" and all its tricks it plays on us.