A LETTER TO AMERICA, REFERENCING A NEW DECLARATON OF INDEPENDENCE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
We quote our original declaration
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” …
That as the reign of Donald Trump and Elon Musk has become “destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People” to defy him and defend the rights and liberties we have enjoyed for nearly 250 years.
“When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security”…
The history of the present reign of Donald Trump and Elon Musk “ is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny……
To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
Trump has pardoned violent criminals who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, attempting to prevent the lawful transfer of power.
He has defied Article 1 of the Constitution ( All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.) by refusing to expend funds duly authorized by Congress and by attempting to eliminate Departments previously authorized by Congress.
By the unilateral imposition of tariffs, he has violated Article 1 Section 7 of the Constitution ( All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.) and Section 8 (The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excise)
By refusing to obey judicial decisions and by attempting to intimidate Judges, he has violated Article 3, Section 1 of the Constitution (The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.)
It is worth recounting the actual language of the Declaration of Independence , as follows :
“He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.”
Furthermore, by interposing DOGE into the regular functioning of government:
“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people….”
By unilaterally imposing outrageous tariffs,
“For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world”
He has violated the following Bill of Rights:
First Amendment by attempting to intimidate states, legal firms and educational institutions from their right of free speech by suspending duly authorized federal funding or federal contracts.
Fifth Amendment by detaining individuals without due process of law.
The Sixth Amendment by denying individuals the right to a speedy and fair trial by an impartial jury.
We, therefore, on behalf of millions of patriotic Americans, call President Trump to account for all his crimes and beseech our fellow citizens to join us in this crusade for liberty and the preservation of democracy.
Well said Charles with one caveat. It is the 21st century, and past time to include women in the introductory statements, i.e "that all people are created equal" and that " governments are instituted among women and men", or some such.
Please consider adding gender inclusive language, or substituting the word "people' whereever "men" appears.
I say this as a man who who supports women as equal participants in our democracy and our rights... indeed as our sisters in the fight for a just society.
I think this is excellent. I somehow want a stronger call to action in the last para. The Declaration of Independence was a declaration of war. I think something like "compel these abuses to cease by every means" - calling to account doesn't capture the militancy of the needed response though maybe you are thinking of how far out the electeds might be willing to go in a statement. What is your thinking on this point?
Well done, Charles! I love Simon's idea and your first draft. If the Dem's en masse don't jump on this I hope Simon does it himself. MILLIONS of Americans are ready to sign this and let it be a rallying cry until we hound this regime into the dustbin of history. We don't need to raise an army, we need to arouse hope in the masses that what we long for can come to pass.
Charles, in general, excellent work. But I think you need to include the number of violent criminals involved in the attempted coup and pardoned by Trump, which was around 1600 if I remember correctly
MIT has joined in, and the American Educational Research Association is also suing the trump administration! We need all universities and academic researchers to stand up. If we don’t stand for the importance of academic freedom as a foundation of truth, when we often have more protections than other workers do, who else will?
Given how many of America’s largest law firms have caved to Trump, and collectively promised him almost one billion dollars in free legal services, I presume Trump’s second demand will be that one or more of them take "legal" actions to make Harvard et al comply.
Trump’s first demand was that law firms aid and abet extended operations for coal-fired power plants that have been scheduled for closure. Why? In order to supply power to hungry AI companies!
Having worked for decades at a large DC white-shoe law firm, I'd like to suggest that efforts would be better devoted to registering voters than to protesting outside law firm offices. The chairs of the firms that have caved don't care about a few protestors. They care about CEOs, who won't want to anger Trump by hiring a law firm that hasn't complied with him. I worry that our side is spending more time demonstrating than doing the practical things necessary to win elections. I know people feel great after participating in demonstrations and I do think large events like Hands Off can have some effect, but in general, we've got a ton of more hands-on work that needs doing. Just my two cents.
My local Democratic club agrees with you and has started doing more voter registration, along with canvassing training and door knocks to invite more Democrats to join us.
Protesting makes me a bit wary, even though I enjoy the events. We have to do some, both for morale and because it is what gets covered in the news. Plus it is a good way for people to get active, if they only just figured out things aren’t good. But I remember the Women’s Marches, when they laughed at our pussy hats and said it was only women who cared.
This time, we are being criticized in the media for not protesting more, for being mostly over 40, for starting later than in 2017. Whatever we do, they can find something to criticize, which can become the entire narrative. Meanwhile, the right is just waiting for a chance to introduce some violence, and sooner or later someone will throw a punch, and no one will ever talk about anything else.
Hopium’s list of work to do is the thing that keeps me moving forward, not protests.
In order to do that, the first thing we need to do is make sure that the SAVE act fails in the Senate - It would outlaw grassroots voter registration totally.
I think we have a two-pronged problem - first getting voters registered and second getting registered voters to turn out for elections.
The mission statement for Field Team 6 (www.fieldteam6.org) is "Register Democrats. Save the World." They do that through phone banking, texting, postcarding and "Social Storm"ing. I mostly participate with FT6 by writing postcards. You can set up an account to get scripts and names and addresses here:
I am currently writing postcards for my home state of NC to register new voters to defeat Thom Tillis in his senatorial race in 2026. They have several other campaigns for various states. These are mail-as-you-write campaigns. I recommend only taking as many address as the number of postcards you expect to write in the next couple of weeks.
I also got notice today of two new postcard campgains to already
registered voters. Postcards for VA has launched a new campaign for the upcoming VA primaries. They focus on women Voters and female candidates. https://addresses.postcards4va.com/. Volunteers provide their own postcards and stamps. There iare 2 templates to print the voting details on Avery address labels (20/pg or 30/page) but you could write it out.
Progress Turnout Project has announced their 2025 Postcards to Swing States campaigns: VA, NJ, and PA. They are holding a kick-off Zoom tomorrow at 8 pm ET. You can register here: https://www.mobilize.us/ptp/event/768387/
IIRC, last year they posted recordings of their zoom calls on their YouTube channel.
Cheryl, I would love to see a state-by-state status and evaluation report from Field Team 6 showing what was achieved for the 2024 election. I know a lot of people worked very hard, but we have heard surprisingly little from FT6 after the election.
Many of us would really like to see the numbers. Do you have them?
I agree. I too worked in Big Law for years - their bottom line is nothing but money. Our time is better spent in other pursuits. I'll also add that I think protesting and hands-on work to win elections can be Both/And rather than Either/Or propositions. Finally, YES to registering voters (with the defeating the Save Act caveat mentioned by Cheryl below).
I think your point about registration is very, very well-taken, Catherine--I would agree that's job 1, the prize we always have our eyes on. But I think this time "leaving it all on the playing field" is going to have to include stretching ourselves uncomfortably thin.
If we don't make clear to these institutions that there is a bigger price to pay by collaborating with Trump (rather than having the gonads and persistence to beat him in court), our bases of operation could all be severely compromised by the time the next set of elections come around. Eg how many of these firms have been instrumental in fighting all the unconstitutional tactics the Repos engage in to prevent or intimidate people from voting, or toss our ballots in the circular file?
Colleges and universities have been critical for us in elections, too. The University of Wisconsin has been indispensable, for example, in helping young voters overcome all the Repos' efforts to prevent them from voting (and btw, have the verified voter demographics come out yet? There's ample reason to be skeptical that the AP/FOX exit poll that had Kamala winning 18-29 year old by only 6 points was bogus -- https://www.thecivicscenter.org/blog/youth-voting-in-2024-election -- and in any case, young voters have since swung against Trump by more than ever before)
I was responding to a specific question asking if protests outside big law firms would be useful. Based on my experience, they will not be and wasting our time on things that won't work will, in fact, contribute to the "spreading ourselves too thin" problem you mention.
If only Harvard had been equally courageous and principled with regards to accepting Qatari money.
With their quietly-donated billions, the seemingly-benevolent House of Al Thani has for roughly two decades been a nefarious influence on the content and slant of Middle Eastern Studies and other aspects of American higher education.
I don't know anything about that! But w/ regards to how people are conducting themselves during Trump II, we all have free will. Institutions, firms, politicians, and other powerful entities can refuse to be flying monkeys if they choose.
I wish there was a way that all universities, public and private, could really stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. As time has gone by, I don't see this happening or how it could happen, but I feel that we will reach a point where there needs to be a national strike by university employees.
I really applaud Harvard, but they are going to keep trying to pick universities off one at a time.
Patrick, the good thing is that it has shown other universities that they too, can refuse to bend the knee. And it's working. A number of other universities including M.I.T. are following Harvard's lead. Yay for academia!
It's going to be harder for public universities to do that. Especially ones in red states. I think at some point we have to entertain the possibility of a general strike.
Perhaps as we move to a later stage, these richer institutions like Harvard can use their endowments not only for themselves, but for other threatened institutions as well??
Many make the point that poorer colleges and universities have to make a much harder choice than Harvard, who can give themselves $2B from their endowment to tide themselves over without massive layoffs.
I do not intend this as a knock against Harvard! Not at all: I cried reading this letter. They could have chosen to fold like so many others -- it is a good thing that they stand as a beacon and with such stirring, forceful language.
It's just that that is much easier for Superman than for Lois Lane. So I only point out that a next step is to consider what makes Superman great... it's not his great power, but his compassion and desire to use it in the service of others.
Harvard, I think, would answer my question by point out, rightly, that by protecting their mission of learning, they are indeed answering the call of service to all humanity. And I agree.
The question remains nonetheless: is there more they can do?
I don't presume to know that answer, but I pose it for them to ponder after their much-deserved accolades for this letter begin to fade and yet our battle against this regime continues.
Fabulous post. THANK YOU I'm going to share it everywhere. GO Harvard! My ancestor, Thomas Dudley (who was a misogynistic Calvinist and BAD to the indigenous peoples) helped found Harvard (and the Massachusetts Bay colony). I am not sure whether to associate myself with him or not, but facts are facts. I'm an old Yankee from way back. Trying to make amends and work hard now however I can.
How institutions can and should work together: last Saturday there was a large demonstration on the Cambridge Common to pressure Harvard. The mayor spoke and the City Council was there. Power in numbers!
I cant help but think that Trump’s military school education precluded him from an Ivy League experience as a freshman, but my guess is that he tried and perhaps applied to all of the Ivies and received a negative response. He was able to transfer to Penn after visiting with his father who may have facilitated the acceptance. Trump is known to hold a grudge and I believe his targeting America’s best educational institutions is a result of a youthful negative experience.
Kudos to Alan Garber of Harvard for being a beacon of light, courage and temerity to stand up to this fascist regime and tyrant. It is the brave who show the way with absolute truth and conviction in doing the right thing, no matter what the consequences from a bullying madman. The key to this all is for everyone; universities, law firms, media outlets, the FCC, is to stand up and to collectively shout no, we will not tolerate this. For the spineless Republicans to stand up all at once together to demonstrate the pledge they made to the constitution and the American people- which they swore to uphold. To say NO, this is unacceptable. They have the power to stop this madness enmasse. For the SCOTUS to do their jobs-interpret the law, protect civil rights and make sure their rulings are followed, not be loyal to the president. There is nothing to fear but fear itself as the famous quote says; if everyone stands on the side of good vs evil, right vs wrong and stop being whiny babies we can save our country from this hostile takeover. Our democracy is going to be gone shortly if nothing is done. We the people are out there showing our power and more will be joining as the uncertainly and madness continues. No one is coming to save us, so we have to Thank you Harvard for leading the way! All who are complicit in submitting and caving will be held responsible down the line.
After reading the letter sent to Harvard (most likely in the same vein sent to the others), my first thought was no school will ever be able to meet all of the demands. If you meet one, another will be found deficient. And the amount of information being demanded should scare anyone. Yes, right now the information is anonymized but sooner or later there will be demands for the raw data so that the overseers can analyze it to their benefit. If Columbia received the same type of letter, they have sunk the school and its reputation.
I could see if a university accepted this letter, it would be litigated for years. There are so many words that aren't measurable that could be used against a school: how is "meaningful" defined? Each of us could interpret that differently. "Reducing the power of untenured faculty" -- what power do they have? How do you measure if their power has been reduced?
#1 reason you don’t cave: there’s always another demand. It’s DEI now, next will be statements on science course syllabi saying “evolution is just a theory”
I went to Lori Trahan's downhill meeting last night and there were 50% more people than last month. (first I had attended). It was good to hear people ask questions about immigration and how Trump's attacks on free speech are destroying our democracy. I met with one of her staffers as I wasn't picked for a question and presented him with this which he said she like will bring to her monthly meeting with cities and towns as an idea for something they can do:In the
In the1700s, before the Declaration of Independence, Resolutions of Disapproval were sent to King George by American colonists. These declarations made by towns, cities, colonial assemblies or other political groups expressing strong opposition to British laws and policies they considered unjust. Chief among these was “No Taxation without representation.”
Trump is currently imposing these crazy tariffs which are a tax on imported goods without representation. The Constitution empowers only Congress to levy taxes, including tariffs. Without Congressional consent, the President cannot legally impose tariffs by Executive Order.
Lori, will you work with the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation and Massachusetts State Democrats to issue a Declaration of Disapproval on July 4th – Independence Day, calling on Trump to honor the Constitution and the rule of law by ceasing to usurp Congressional powers to tax and spend? He and DOGE have no right to shut down USAID, the CDC, NIH, NSF and so much more. They are destroying things that will take a generation or more to fix, while they are simultaneously destroying the US and global economies with unauthorized and unwarranted tariffs.
I would encourage that there be public debate leading up to the issuance of the Declaration.
Hope others are reaching out to organize these they are something good that can happen faster than the courts or Congress if there is momentum.
So, I think there's at least two major themes that need to be intertwined in the "Letter to America:"
1) 'No taxation without representation,' as you suggest, (Original Declaration language included 'For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent')
but I propose we also have a thread of:
2) 'Protecting Due Process Under the Law,' which in the original Declaration was touched on with the following languages: "He has obstructed the Administration of Justice"
And I think a third uber-theme may be corruption:
3) 'Corrupting the foundations of self-government' In this section we have more modern concerns that arise from our telecommunications era: his Orwellian lies are making self-government impossible because they pour acid on good-faith debate.
Grateful that Harvard stood up to #felon47 and against authoritarianism. The demands in the letter would give up all control of the University to the government.
Oh dear you’re going to want to read this. Looks like DOGErs were caught exfiltrating NLRB data, likely on unions, for private (seemingly Elony) use. This is must read. What we’ve all suspected. But now details. www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
They have a huge endowment, I read it was larger than a number of countries.Now if the government goes after colleges without much funding, maybe donate to them.
You are totally right. A "go fund me" for Harvard would be worthy of an SNL skit. My one and only criticism of the coverage of Harvard's brave and very welcome rejection to the Trump demands has been a lack of acknowledgment of how much harder it will be for most other universities with much smaller endowments.
Neither Harvard nor any other university is free to use their endowments as they wish. On paper, it looks as though endowments could easily plug budgetary holes. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Most endowments come with strict guidelines and narrowly-defined objectives.
Do you really think that most of those who endowed the university who are still living, would object to the use of some of the funds? From what I understand the university has more funds than 100 countries. I imagine that funding for certain studies, etc. would have been ordered shut by the Trump administration.
Harvard, the first college in the Massachusetts Bay colony has faced worse, I found today as I sought some background on the University, "In 1684, the royal charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was rescinded by a writ of scire facias for the colony's interference with the royal prerogative in founding Harvard College and other matters." Connecticut also lost its charter in a most interesting manner as the Dominion of New England was founded by James II. I guess that naughty Massachusetts caused all of New England's problems in the 17th century. Wish I knew this when I was writing my book!
Definitely for the smaller 4-year colleges that don’t have lots of resources and usually have a larger percentage of students who receive financial aid
True this. Especially the two-year community colleges which are such a godsend to those whose finances are truly limited. I was very proud to, not only have attended one, but after my master's to have been an adjunct professor in the same community college that I had attended. So many of these students work full-time and still have problems if it wasn't for the financial aid and the very good educational grounding that helps them to continue their education, if that is what they chose to do. So, any money I could scrape up would go to the community college.
Be the beacon, Hahvahd.
My attempt at a Letter to America
A LETTER TO AMERICA, REFERENCING A NEW DECLARATON OF INDEPENDENCE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
We quote our original declaration
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” …
That as the reign of Donald Trump and Elon Musk has become “destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People” to defy him and defend the rights and liberties we have enjoyed for nearly 250 years.
“When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security”…
The history of the present reign of Donald Trump and Elon Musk “ is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny……
To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
Trump has pardoned violent criminals who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, attempting to prevent the lawful transfer of power.
He has defied Article 1 of the Constitution ( All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.) by refusing to expend funds duly authorized by Congress and by attempting to eliminate Departments previously authorized by Congress.
By the unilateral imposition of tariffs, he has violated Article 1 Section 7 of the Constitution ( All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.) and Section 8 (The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excise)
By refusing to obey judicial decisions and by attempting to intimidate Judges, he has violated Article 3, Section 1 of the Constitution (The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.)
It is worth recounting the actual language of the Declaration of Independence , as follows :
“He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.”
Furthermore, by interposing DOGE into the regular functioning of government:
“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people….”
By unilaterally imposing outrageous tariffs,
“For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world”
He has violated the following Bill of Rights:
First Amendment by attempting to intimidate states, legal firms and educational institutions from their right of free speech by suspending duly authorized federal funding or federal contracts.
Fifth Amendment by detaining individuals without due process of law.
The Sixth Amendment by denying individuals the right to a speedy and fair trial by an impartial jury.
We, therefore, on behalf of millions of patriotic Americans, call President Trump to account for all his crimes and beseech our fellow citizens to join us in this crusade for liberty and the preservation of democracy.
Terrific! I got goosebumps reading this. Going to sit with it myself. May I add or edit? I have been itching to give it a go. Thank you Charles!
It's just a start, edit away and make it yours!
Cogent...articulate...factual...from the mind and heart of one who believes in perpetuating democracy !
Beautifully written ,Mark!
Thank you, sir!
Yes. Free speech!
Wow...just WOW! Thank you Charles Flynn & thank you Alan Garber!!
Well said Charles with one caveat. It is the 21st century, and past time to include women in the introductory statements, i.e "that all people are created equal" and that " governments are instituted among women and men", or some such.
Please consider adding gender inclusive language, or substituting the word "people' whereever "men" appears.
I say this as a man who who supports women as equal participants in our democracy and our rights... indeed as our sisters in the fight for a just society.
Understood. I was just quoting and respecting the original text
If you change the text delete the pronouns “we the people” suffices
I think this is excellent. I somehow want a stronger call to action in the last para. The Declaration of Independence was a declaration of war. I think something like "compel these abuses to cease by every means" - calling to account doesn't capture the militancy of the needed response though maybe you are thinking of how far out the electeds might be willing to go in a statement. What is your thinking on this point?
Please add!
Excellent piece!
Not bad at all for a start.
Include these
Four reasons we severed our ties to England.
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:
For emposing taxes on us without our consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond the seas to be tried for pretend offenses:
I can't hear you over history rhyming since all four of the above have happened over the last 80+ days of the Trump regime.
Well done, Charles! I love Simon's idea and your first draft. If the Dem's en masse don't jump on this I hope Simon does it himself. MILLIONS of Americans are ready to sign this and let it be a rallying cry until we hound this regime into the dustbin of history. We don't need to raise an army, we need to arouse hope in the masses that what we long for can come to pass.
Excellent Thank you!
Will read more carefully -- anyone a fan of easier to read bullet points? I agree we need the call to action now.... https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trumps-immigration-agenda-isnt-popular
Charles, in general, excellent work. But I think you need to include the number of violent criminals involved in the attempted coup and pardoned by Trump, which was around 1600 if I remember correctly
Charles and all. Excellent. I think we need to add trumps Evil Intent at the end. Something Stuart Stephens. said. Very powerful.
MIT has joined in, and the American Educational Research Association is also suing the trump administration! We need all universities and academic researchers to stand up. If we don’t stand for the importance of academic freedom as a foundation of truth, when we often have more protections than other workers do, who else will?
https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1-Complaint-IES.pdf
https://www.newsweek.com/multiple-colleges-harvard-fight-trump-admin-2059807
This is absolutely right. Somehow universities need to stand together against this, and not be picked off one at a time.
Given how many of America’s largest law firms have caved to Trump, and collectively promised him almost one billion dollars in free legal services, I presume Trump’s second demand will be that one or more of them take "legal" actions to make Harvard et al comply.
Trump’s first demand was that law firms aid and abet extended operations for coal-fired power plants that have been scheduled for closure. Why? In order to supply power to hungry AI companies!
Do you any ideas of citizen action against the caving law firms? Should we be protesting at their offices?
This I do not know, but there is a good chance a more knowledgeable member of our good community can cast light on this.
Having worked for decades at a large DC white-shoe law firm, I'd like to suggest that efforts would be better devoted to registering voters than to protesting outside law firm offices. The chairs of the firms that have caved don't care about a few protestors. They care about CEOs, who won't want to anger Trump by hiring a law firm that hasn't complied with him. I worry that our side is spending more time demonstrating than doing the practical things necessary to win elections. I know people feel great after participating in demonstrations and I do think large events like Hands Off can have some effect, but in general, we've got a ton of more hands-on work that needs doing. Just my two cents.
My local Democratic club agrees with you and has started doing more voter registration, along with canvassing training and door knocks to invite more Democrats to join us.
Protesting makes me a bit wary, even though I enjoy the events. We have to do some, both for morale and because it is what gets covered in the news. Plus it is a good way for people to get active, if they only just figured out things aren’t good. But I remember the Women’s Marches, when they laughed at our pussy hats and said it was only women who cared.
This time, we are being criticized in the media for not protesting more, for being mostly over 40, for starting later than in 2017. Whatever we do, they can find something to criticize, which can become the entire narrative. Meanwhile, the right is just waiting for a chance to introduce some violence, and sooner or later someone will throw a punch, and no one will ever talk about anything else.
Hopium’s list of work to do is the thing that keeps me moving forward, not protests.
In order to do that, the first thing we need to do is make sure that the SAVE act fails in the Senate - It would outlaw grassroots voter registration totally.
I think we have a two-pronged problem - first getting voters registered and second getting registered voters to turn out for elections.
The mission statement for Field Team 6 (www.fieldteam6.org) is "Register Democrats. Save the World." They do that through phone banking, texting, postcarding and "Social Storm"ing. I mostly participate with FT6 by writing postcards. You can set up an account to get scripts and names and addresses here:
https://fieldteam6.herokuapp.com/
I am currently writing postcards for my home state of NC to register new voters to defeat Thom Tillis in his senatorial race in 2026. They have several other campaigns for various states. These are mail-as-you-write campaigns. I recommend only taking as many address as the number of postcards you expect to write in the next couple of weeks.
I also got notice today of two new postcard campgains to already
registered voters. Postcards for VA has launched a new campaign for the upcoming VA primaries. They focus on women Voters and female candidates. https://addresses.postcards4va.com/. Volunteers provide their own postcards and stamps. There iare 2 templates to print the voting details on Avery address labels (20/pg or 30/page) but you could write it out.
Progress Turnout Project has announced their 2025 Postcards to Swing States campaigns: VA, NJ, and PA. They are holding a kick-off Zoom tomorrow at 8 pm ET. You can register here: https://www.mobilize.us/ptp/event/768387/
IIRC, last year they posted recordings of their zoom calls on their YouTube channel.
Cheryl, I would love to see a state-by-state status and evaluation report from Field Team 6 showing what was achieved for the 2024 election. I know a lot of people worked very hard, but we have heard surprisingly little from FT6 after the election.
Many of us would really like to see the numbers. Do you have them?
I agree. I too worked in Big Law for years - their bottom line is nothing but money. Our time is better spent in other pursuits. I'll also add that I think protesting and hands-on work to win elections can be Both/And rather than Either/Or propositions. Finally, YES to registering voters (with the defeating the Save Act caveat mentioned by Cheryl below).
I think your point about registration is very, very well-taken, Catherine--I would agree that's job 1, the prize we always have our eyes on. But I think this time "leaving it all on the playing field" is going to have to include stretching ourselves uncomfortably thin.
If we don't make clear to these institutions that there is a bigger price to pay by collaborating with Trump (rather than having the gonads and persistence to beat him in court), our bases of operation could all be severely compromised by the time the next set of elections come around. Eg how many of these firms have been instrumental in fighting all the unconstitutional tactics the Repos engage in to prevent or intimidate people from voting, or toss our ballots in the circular file?
Colleges and universities have been critical for us in elections, too. The University of Wisconsin has been indispensable, for example, in helping young voters overcome all the Repos' efforts to prevent them from voting (and btw, have the verified voter demographics come out yet? There's ample reason to be skeptical that the AP/FOX exit poll that had Kamala winning 18-29 year old by only 6 points was bogus -- https://www.thecivicscenter.org/blog/youth-voting-in-2024-election -- and in any case, young voters have since swung against Trump by more than ever before)
I was responding to a specific question asking if protests outside big law firms would be useful. Based on my experience, they will not be and wasting our time on things that won't work will, in fact, contribute to the "spreading ourselves too thin" problem you mention.
They definitely need to be punished. So does Columbia. So does ABC. They all need to be regarded like the Vichy French collabos in WWII.
It may present an interesting twist, given how many of those law firms employ Harvard grads!!
Absolutely!!!!!
Thank you Faith. The Work is cut out for ALL of us to carry the messages here and continue building community.
Hooray!!!
Courage is contagious and cowardice is deadly
If only Harvard had been equally courageous and principled with regards to accepting Qatari money.
With their quietly-donated billions, the seemingly-benevolent House of Al Thani has for roughly two decades been a nefarious influence on the content and slant of Middle Eastern Studies and other aspects of American higher education.
I don't know anything about that! But w/ regards to how people are conducting themselves during Trump II, we all have free will. Institutions, firms, politicians, and other powerful entities can refuse to be flying monkeys if they choose.
Amen!
I wish there was a way that all universities, public and private, could really stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. As time has gone by, I don't see this happening or how it could happen, but I feel that we will reach a point where there needs to be a national strike by university employees.
I really applaud Harvard, but they are going to keep trying to pick universities off one at a time.
Patrick, the good thing is that it has shown other universities that they too, can refuse to bend the knee. And it's working. A number of other universities including M.I.T. are following Harvard's lead. Yay for academia!
It's going to be harder for public universities to do that. Especially ones in red states. I think at some point we have to entertain the possibility of a general strike.
Perhaps as we move to a later stage, these richer institutions like Harvard can use their endowments not only for themselves, but for other threatened institutions as well??
Many make the point that poorer colleges and universities have to make a much harder choice than Harvard, who can give themselves $2B from their endowment to tide themselves over without massive layoffs.
I do not intend this as a knock against Harvard! Not at all: I cried reading this letter. They could have chosen to fold like so many others -- it is a good thing that they stand as a beacon and with such stirring, forceful language.
It's just that that is much easier for Superman than for Lois Lane. So I only point out that a next step is to consider what makes Superman great... it's not his great power, but his compassion and desire to use it in the service of others.
Harvard, I think, would answer my question by point out, rightly, that by protecting their mission of learning, they are indeed answering the call of service to all humanity. And I agree.
The question remains nonetheless: is there more they can do?
I don't presume to know that answer, but I pose it for them to ponder after their much-deserved accolades for this letter begin to fade and yet our battle against this regime continues.
Fabulous post. THANK YOU I'm going to share it everywhere. GO Harvard! My ancestor, Thomas Dudley (who was a misogynistic Calvinist and BAD to the indigenous peoples) helped found Harvard (and the Massachusetts Bay colony). I am not sure whether to associate myself with him or not, but facts are facts. I'm an old Yankee from way back. Trying to make amends and work hard now however I can.
How institutions can and should work together: last Saturday there was a large demonstration on the Cambridge Common to pressure Harvard. The mayor spoke and the City Council was there. Power in numbers!
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN5qIJVFfsal5ngKhJBpv_IJtYGAq8gMRn09JGeOeNHVEhz6fwK9VWZFUnWjCsu3Q?key=UDNrV2tTbnJyM2Z3WkhJNkF3VWltd3JvR2I1QnN3
I cant help but think that Trump’s military school education precluded him from an Ivy League experience as a freshman, but my guess is that he tried and perhaps applied to all of the Ivies and received a negative response. He was able to transfer to Penn after visiting with his father who may have facilitated the acceptance. Trump is known to hold a grudge and I believe his targeting America’s best educational institutions is a result of a youthful negative experience.
Just like his targeting of the NIH is a reaction to Dr. Fauci's actions during the pandemic.
Drumpf is a strong proponent of " dumbing down" America...and its citizenry!
Take away education for all...??? Makes him look " less than a dim bulb !"
FAT CHANCE ! ( pun intended!)
Kudos to Alan Garber of Harvard for being a beacon of light, courage and temerity to stand up to this fascist regime and tyrant. It is the brave who show the way with absolute truth and conviction in doing the right thing, no matter what the consequences from a bullying madman. The key to this all is for everyone; universities, law firms, media outlets, the FCC, is to stand up and to collectively shout no, we will not tolerate this. For the spineless Republicans to stand up all at once together to demonstrate the pledge they made to the constitution and the American people- which they swore to uphold. To say NO, this is unacceptable. They have the power to stop this madness enmasse. For the SCOTUS to do their jobs-interpret the law, protect civil rights and make sure their rulings are followed, not be loyal to the president. There is nothing to fear but fear itself as the famous quote says; if everyone stands on the side of good vs evil, right vs wrong and stop being whiny babies we can save our country from this hostile takeover. Our democracy is going to be gone shortly if nothing is done. We the people are out there showing our power and more will be joining as the uncertainly and madness continues. No one is coming to save us, so we have to Thank you Harvard for leading the way! All who are complicit in submitting and caving will be held responsible down the line.
Well said, Cheryl!.👌👌
It give me some hope..every bit of resistance.
Hooray for Harvard!
After reading the letter sent to Harvard (most likely in the same vein sent to the others), my first thought was no school will ever be able to meet all of the demands. If you meet one, another will be found deficient. And the amount of information being demanded should scare anyone. Yes, right now the information is anonymized but sooner or later there will be demands for the raw data so that the overseers can analyze it to their benefit. If Columbia received the same type of letter, they have sunk the school and its reputation.
I could see if a university accepted this letter, it would be litigated for years. There are so many words that aren't measurable that could be used against a school: how is "meaningful" defined? Each of us could interpret that differently. "Reducing the power of untenured faculty" -- what power do they have? How do you measure if their power has been reduced?
#1 reason you don’t cave: there’s always another demand. It’s DEI now, next will be statements on science course syllabi saying “evolution is just a theory”
I went to Lori Trahan's downhill meeting last night and there were 50% more people than last month. (first I had attended). It was good to hear people ask questions about immigration and how Trump's attacks on free speech are destroying our democracy. I met with one of her staffers as I wasn't picked for a question and presented him with this which he said she like will bring to her monthly meeting with cities and towns as an idea for something they can do:In the
In the1700s, before the Declaration of Independence, Resolutions of Disapproval were sent to King George by American colonists. These declarations made by towns, cities, colonial assemblies or other political groups expressing strong opposition to British laws and policies they considered unjust. Chief among these was “No Taxation without representation.”
Trump is currently imposing these crazy tariffs which are a tax on imported goods without representation. The Constitution empowers only Congress to levy taxes, including tariffs. Without Congressional consent, the President cannot legally impose tariffs by Executive Order.
Lori, will you work with the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation and Massachusetts State Democrats to issue a Declaration of Disapproval on July 4th – Independence Day, calling on Trump to honor the Constitution and the rule of law by ceasing to usurp Congressional powers to tax and spend? He and DOGE have no right to shut down USAID, the CDC, NIH, NSF and so much more. They are destroying things that will take a generation or more to fix, while they are simultaneously destroying the US and global economies with unauthorized and unwarranted tariffs.
I would encourage that there be public debate leading up to the issuance of the Declaration.
Hope others are reaching out to organize these they are something good that can happen faster than the courts or Congress if there is momentum.
Ooops! Downhill, missed the auto-correct. Lori represents a District west of Boston.
Town hall
Thank you for telling us about the 1700s "Resolutions of Disapproval!" I didn't know about that.
And thank you for your call to do this ourselves.
I have one I'm going to be submitting to my City Council of South Pasadena tomorrow.
It pertains to Mr. Kilmar Garcia, sent to CECOT in El Salvador.
It's here if other's want to look at it. https://drive.proton.me/urls/D6HK9PYCYW#NUOJkwU41GEX
So, I think there's at least two major themes that need to be intertwined in the "Letter to America:"
1) 'No taxation without representation,' as you suggest, (Original Declaration language included 'For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent')
but I propose we also have a thread of:
2) 'Protecting Due Process Under the Law,' which in the original Declaration was touched on with the following languages: "He has obstructed the Administration of Justice"
And I think a third uber-theme may be corruption:
3) 'Corrupting the foundations of self-government' In this section we have more modern concerns that arise from our telecommunications era: his Orwellian lies are making self-government impossible because they pour acid on good-faith debate.
Thank you all!
Grateful that Harvard stood up to #felon47 and against authoritarianism. The demands in the letter would give up all control of the University to the government.
It is good to begin this day with these words.
For sure! Boy, I needed this
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social
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Oh dear you’re going to want to read this. Looks like DOGErs were caught exfiltrating NLRB data, likely on unions, for private (seemingly Elony) use. This is must read. What we’ve all suspected. But now details. www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/15/nx-s1-5355896/doge-nlrb-elon-musk-spacex-security
There should be a Go Fund Me page for Harvard
They have a huge endowment, I read it was larger than a number of countries.Now if the government goes after colleges without much funding, maybe donate to them.
You are totally right. A "go fund me" for Harvard would be worthy of an SNL skit. My one and only criticism of the coverage of Harvard's brave and very welcome rejection to the Trump demands has been a lack of acknowledgment of how much harder it will be for most other universities with much smaller endowments.
Neither Harvard nor any other university is free to use their endowments as they wish. On paper, it looks as though endowments could easily plug budgetary holes. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Most endowments come with strict guidelines and narrowly-defined objectives.
Do you really think that most of those who endowed the university who are still living, would object to the use of some of the funds? From what I understand the university has more funds than 100 countries. I imagine that funding for certain studies, etc. would have been ordered shut by the Trump administration.
Harvard, the first college in the Massachusetts Bay colony has faced worse, I found today as I sought some background on the University, "In 1684, the royal charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was rescinded by a writ of scire facias for the colony's interference with the royal prerogative in founding Harvard College and other matters." Connecticut also lost its charter in a most interesting manner as the Dominion of New England was founded by James II. I guess that naughty Massachusetts caused all of New England's problems in the 17th century. Wish I knew this when I was writing my book!
Definitely for the smaller 4-year colleges that don’t have lots of resources and usually have a larger percentage of students who receive financial aid
True this. Especially the two-year community colleges which are such a godsend to those whose finances are truly limited. I was very proud to, not only have attended one, but after my master's to have been an adjunct professor in the same community college that I had attended. So many of these students work full-time and still have problems if it wasn't for the financial aid and the very good educational grounding that helps them to continue their education, if that is what they chose to do. So, any money I could scrape up would go to the community college.