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.
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