We need to emphasise that Congress is negating its responsibilities and that means a lot of them don’t believe in democracy or care about the people they represent. We need to pound that in.
I second what you are writing. Today, there are 219 members of our People's House who are completely unfaithful to their Oath of office. Traitors. And this seems always to be de-emphasized if mentioned at all. Our House was set up to be the First Responders to violations of our Constitution. (We the People are the last guardrail.)
Please define “fight.” I would love to fight for my rights. Now, besides contacting my MOCs every day, and standing in the street weekly, how do I “fight” for my country?
Simon has said in the past that we each find our “thing” then do it. My thing is to dig in at grassroots and plough. In half an hour I will go down to my county bd of supervisors meeting and tonight I will report back to my county Dem Central Committee. Ten months ago I would not have imagined doing this. Today I can’t imagine not doing it. Other people’s thing is writing to local newspapers, advancing resolutions of condemnation, organizing demonstrations, writing postcards for candidates…
I call, I donate. But I've also found a role that suits my age, exhaustion, and infirmity: I document, photographing and posting images of many of the little demonstrations in my part of the world. People are turning out and speaking up. This matters.
It’s very clear that the calls and protests matter. Like, a lot. What you are doing *is* fighting. You didn’t sit down and be quiet.
For more, though, you can contact your local Democratic group or field office. Show up at their meetings. Sign up for their newsletter which will have events and projects. Maybe you will find one or several other things you feel suited for, like voter registration.
There are other groups, though, depending on the issues you care about. Simon has featured Stand Up For Science, for example. There are organizations fighting book banning, helping people get abortions, all kinds of things.
Also, this is a forever fight. There won’t be a quick “win.” We will be doing this for as long as we care about democracy, under whatever circumstances come. So we need to live courageously and be joyful, at least sometimes. That, too, is fighting.
Peggy, I have given this a LOT of thought and will be adding more in a separate post. Take a look at the Ninth Amendment. Consider a truly free people in a republic, and ask: Do we need the government to instruct us on what OUR fundamental rights are? (No. our "village" per Hillary should have driven the concept into us.)
Aside from the "curse of exceptionalism" that I loved hearing in the video, we are also suffering under the curse of believing our government runs on autopilot. Rude awakening time.
Leslie, first thank you for your daily calls to MOCs and weekly protests. One way to fight back is through the Resolutions project, which is part of a rich historical tradition in this country. Sarah Marshall just got a resolution passed in her town. You can learn more about it in the "Resolutions Project" tab on the Hopium home page. https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/hopiums-resolutions-project-draft
I cannot think of an issue greater than the expansion of Federal resources (Military, National Guard, FBI, Homeland Security, etc.) deployed in States, Cities, etc., without Congressional authorization. I am enraged by the failure of Democratic leadership to authoritatively and with a sense of urgency, to condemn what Trump is doing in Washington, D.C. If we cannot find a “fire and brimstone” individual in the House and Senate who can elevate these actions to enrage the public, then we just need to form a new party and build this ability from scratch. It is redundant for me to point out the failures of the Senate and House Democratic leadership but let me just say I think Bernie Sanders is doing more to educate Americans of the war now raging to destroy what we have come to believe is the American Way. Schumer and Jeffries need to be removed and replaced by Democrats who can command the attention and lead the fight for saving our Democracy! ACT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!
Well, you are being an ALARMIST!! and I LOVE it. Realizing that postcards and traditional political tactics aren't cutting it is becoming all the more obvious.
While Trump's polling deteriorates daily, his levers of strength and power expand by the hour. Autocrats don't hold their governing control by public opinion, but by media misdirection and intimidation. What the heck are Dems waiting for? Maybe the alarms against democracy will begin to be heard to provoke meaningful action not just discussion.
True to a point. The further trump's polls decline, the more pressue it puts on MAGA pols facing election in 2026. trump wont be on that ballot. If we get to springtime and he is in the mid to low 30s, the rats will be jumping the ship unless trump can convince them the fix is in. I don't think that will happen. I don't think trump thinks it will happen either as evidenced by his call to Governor abbott about Texas redistricting.
However, if trump realizes he can't redistrict his way to victory in the House, he will try something else, more extreme and more stupid. Just like when he tried to steal back the 2020 election. J6 rioting was not his first choice. It was his last choice after everything else failed.
We need to be ready for the insurrectionist in chief. General Strike is a powerful weapon, our ace in the hole. The Million Rising campaign by Indivisible is laying the groundwork. I encourage everyone here to follow and engage in that effort at www.mobilize.us
Gavin Newsom is on a ROLL. When you wonder where the loud voices are, listen to any You tube or the interview between him and Heather Cox Richardson. He is shouting from the rooftops "WAKE UP AMERICA!!!". It's encouraging.
Yes. People should also look up what Rep. Nicole Collier is doing in the Texas state house now. I do not buy this argument that Democrats are weak and passive now, I don’t think it’s helpful. Ariella Elm is really good at promoting what Democrats are doing. Also Ken Martin on IG.
OK, let's say I'm "awake" -- along with 50,000 other citizens in a district seat filled by someone who took their House seat under false pretenses and refuses to protect and defend our Constitution -- per their oath. Let the facts be presented before a candid state.
"Governor Newsom, upon receiving a petition from these citizens, what are you prepared to DO?" (Still waiting on the reply.)
I agree. No budget agreement and no government without massive cuts to ICE. They've proven they not only don't deserve a penny more than they were getting when Trump arrived, but should have their budget cut to the bare bones like everyone else the Repos have done this to. If Schumer caves on this for the Nth time in the last decade, he not only needs to be removed as Minority Leader, he needs to be removed from office entirely. The third largest state in the country can't do better? Really? And its long past time for Republicans to start feeling the pain they've been inflicting on everyone else. Use the filibuster, use the rules of order, use the levels of law enforcement *we* control.
Thank you for this interview. I’ve called my Dem senator regarding the expansion of ICE and taking away resources from federal personnel - child trafficking, drug enforcement etc
Calls are in to Rep members of congress regarding our 4part agenda.
I’ll call again this afternoon with whatever issue happens to get my hackles up most this afternoon.
We do see what is going on and this is why people are enraged and feel failed by the party establishment. Trump intends to be a dictator, and ICE is his gestapo. The immigrants are only the beginning. The goal is a white supremacist theocracy. We are going to have to remove the son of a bitch through unconventional means and we really need our leaders to show us they understand where we are. This is not just about "imaging" or "messaging" and Trump's broken brain - there is a whole fascist movement he's the front man for. The GOP is the enemy of America. This is not about crime (in the usual sense). The crime they are interested in is the "crime" of refusing to submit to the Project 2025 program for fascism.
It's the "concentration camp" issues that need addressing. It's the removing the vote from women. The deportation/imprisonment of everyone not white - and this includes forced labor. Remember how the "immigrants are taking Black jobs?" So who is going to pick all those crops when they deport the Latino immigrants? The Black jobs will be the jobs that White Supremacist believe are appropriate and Make America Great AGAIN means 1850 - you thought they meant 1950? Umm no...
Thank you Lyn. This is what I think also. I am going to lift your notes above and send them to my senators. and call. This is scary shit. Thanks again.
Bravo Lyn for this crisp and chilling assessment. My thoughts exactly. I am also going to do as Kate and send your note to my senators. We are overdue for dramatic action to counteract the creeping fascism .
I decided based on the convo Simon had with Michael Steele to write to my governor, Kathy Hochul, and take Steele's advice to "break some eggs" and be more aggressive about finding ways to speed up the process of redistricting in New York State. It was an extremely satisfying thing to do. I will keep it up and now encourage my friends in NYC to do the same.
Simon. The thing I am trying to grasp is why? What is the end game? Is it pure and simple to rid the country/world of all people of color and subjugate women again? When I think deeply, it seems like this it. If so, we are back to Hitler and the belief that the Aryan race is superior.... and that genocide is justified. I know you are focused on calling it out and doing something about it, but sometimes I am so flabbergasted that I just need an orientation (again). Thank you for your recent outrage. I think it is appropriate. I am now calling my senators and asking them to be more outraged and more urgent and louder. Where are they????!!!!!
MY question is about THIS - from your post this morning:
The primary goal of the meeting (between DHS and the Pentagon), the memo says, is to foster “new ideas for how the two departments can better plan for national security and illegal immigration.” Then it adds this:
The U.S. military leadership (the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and NORTHCOM) need to feel—for the first time—the urgency of the homeland defense mission. They need to understand the threat, what’s at stake, and the political importance the administration has placed on this issue."
I can’t figure out their end game either. Or if they even have one. They are destroying the exact systems and economy that made them unreasonably wealthy and powerful. What???
Two guesses as to their goals:
1. Be the last people who ever have that kind of wealth and power. Either they think they will never die, or they don’t want anyone to get their assets when they do.
2. They love Big Brother. “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.” ― George Orwell, 1984
I don't think Trump understands or cares about anything other than the accumulation of wealth and power. Power exists for him just to dominate people and to exercise power. That's it. Whatever power he has, he'll do whatever he can to get more.
Ideological forces are elsewhere. You can find many different forces at work, often at cross purposes to each other. Trump is their vehicle, but they don't also control him at all.
it seems that we americans are timid, uninformed, busy with our lives, screen addicted, dont understand that the government is rapidly turning against its citizens. we are in a pickle. lack of imagination that the president has been compromised. msm not connecting the dots.
we have marines deployed in LA, we have national guard being used as props, we have red state national guards being sent to blue cities, we have a well funded 10,000 person private army in ice that does not follow the law, policies or regulations and is run by steve miller. we have project 2025 dismantling our government to the point it is barely functioning. the economy is sinking and stagnant. inflation up. no new jobs, people being laid off. tariffs ruining the global economy. universities, law firms, media being intimidated. and on and on.
we get these stories one day at a time. but if you put them all together, cumulatively, the noose is growing ever tighter.
now we have a tx rep being head against her will in chambers until she agrees to let a police officer follow her around 24/7? is this government sanctioned kidnapping? is this the tx executive branch interfering in the legislative branch? is there such a thing as "house" arrest of an elected rep in this day and age? is it "legalized" extortion? what is this????
the repubs think the dem party is on it's last breathe. they have waited forever for this scenario. now they have the felon in chief to do their bidding. they are undoing everything good that has been done in this country in the last century. they are in the end zone (according to them). they will not relent. they do not care about right, wrong, legal, normal, routine, norms, etc. they are going for the jugular. we will have to fight like hell just to have fair and free elections. felon does not want another impeachment. somehow, we will all, in our own way, meet this moment. as simon says, anything can happen in politics, so there is always luck, persuasion, laws, good conscience, hard coordinated work to prevail.
at least we are now talking out loud about this dire situation. it has to start with us. we have to be brave enough to call a spade a spade and put a spotlight on it. sunlight can cure almost anything.
Thank you Kitkatmia. I agree, trump led maga is going for broke (hmm... interesting double meaning there) and that we are accelerating to meet the moment. He's attacking the country outright in the summer recess lull.
September is around the corner when 1 ) huge Labor day resistance rallies, 2) Epstein Files returns to congressional and national agenda 3) the budget will be due in 30 days and the GOP is hopelessly behind and the blue team is not in a mood for bipartisanship, and 4) October arrives and SCOTUS resumes. Throughout that calendar, tariffs will undermine our economy and inflation will continue to accelerate. That will loosen the ground and improve the mood for general strike.
Remember the Arab Spring in Egypt? The Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia? When the sh*t gets bad, THE PEOPLE find a way to say, "Enough!" You are right, we WILL meet this moment, whatever it takes.
Simon, Thanks for your focus on ICE and the gestapo tactics of trump's drive for a personal police force. Gavin Newsom called it war on America yesterday too... the wartime president
That photo of trump... did he always have such beady little eyes? Brings a whole new meaning to the word sh*tfaced.
He's like the pig Napoleon in Animal Farm, except Napoleon was smart and prevailed in the end. Trump has all the guard dogs around him (Vance, Noem, little Marco, etc.), but he's so weak, pathetic, and rotten, that he will not last much longer. We need to be preparing not just for the day he is gone, but the day his sycophants take over. What I'm hoping is that Trump will sniff out Vance's disloyalty and start to publicly weaken him.
I agree. I think it's possible Trump wont even make it to the midterms, the way he is spiraling, much less 2028. I expect Vance to take over at some point, but he is a terrible frontman. Nobody likes him. He can't even order a box of donuts without looking weird. They need a frontman and they got nobody who can play the roll. Not to mention the infighting. Like clown cars in a dumpster fire. But it's still very dangerous.
I've been talking with organizers from Lexington and I'll be on a monthly zoom tonight with Indivisible group leaders across MA, which usually includes organizers from Lexington and Concord. I agree, I'd love to see what write. Stay tuned...
Just sent your Amherst Resolution to my newly-made contact at my Councilwoman's office here in NYC. What I'm trying to do is push back on the office's statements to me that the single-issue NYC Council Resolutions they've been passing - which no one knows anything about - are not much different from Resolutions I have been proposing that the Councilwoman sponsor. Ours are clearly more of a public exercise in democracy, meant to galvanize, educate, and affirm, creating a dynamic and educated electorate. What they've been passing on to me from their office, to show me what they have been doing (because, duh, obviously, who the hell knew about it - part of the point), have been issues regarding Adams and Trump and Keeping Schools Safe (from Immigration overreach).
Again, my admiration to you for all you've done!!!
Once ICE rids the USA of undocumented people, it will have a huge budget, a huge workforce, and a huge number of detention spaces, and could turn these resources to other targets ... perhaps like us.
The rush of Red state governors to send National Guard troops to DC seems to me like the Confederacy invading the Union.
We need to emphasise that Congress is negating its responsibilities and that means a lot of them don’t believe in democracy or care about the people they represent. We need to pound that in.
I second what you are writing. Today, there are 219 members of our People's House who are completely unfaithful to their Oath of office. Traitors. And this seems always to be de-emphasized if mentioned at all. Our House was set up to be the First Responders to violations of our Constitution. (We the People are the last guardrail.)
You need to be a little more specific and say that the REPUBLICAN members of Congress are negating their duties; the Democrats are doing theirs.
Please define “fight.” I would love to fight for my rights. Now, besides contacting my MOCs every day, and standing in the street weekly, how do I “fight” for my country?
Simon has said in the past that we each find our “thing” then do it. My thing is to dig in at grassroots and plough. In half an hour I will go down to my county bd of supervisors meeting and tonight I will report back to my county Dem Central Committee. Ten months ago I would not have imagined doing this. Today I can’t imagine not doing it. Other people’s thing is writing to local newspapers, advancing resolutions of condemnation, organizing demonstrations, writing postcards for candidates…
I call, I donate. But I've also found a role that suits my age, exhaustion, and infirmity: I document, photographing and posting images of many of the little demonstrations in my part of the world. People are turning out and speaking up. This matters.
It’s very clear that the calls and protests matter. Like, a lot. What you are doing *is* fighting. You didn’t sit down and be quiet.
For more, though, you can contact your local Democratic group or field office. Show up at their meetings. Sign up for their newsletter which will have events and projects. Maybe you will find one or several other things you feel suited for, like voter registration.
There are other groups, though, depending on the issues you care about. Simon has featured Stand Up For Science, for example. There are organizations fighting book banning, helping people get abortions, all kinds of things.
Also, this is a forever fight. There won’t be a quick “win.” We will be doing this for as long as we care about democracy, under whatever circumstances come. So we need to live courageously and be joyful, at least sometimes. That, too, is fighting.
Indivisible is another great source to engage in voter registration. You can join your local chapter.
Peggy, I have given this a LOT of thought and will be adding more in a separate post. Take a look at the Ninth Amendment. Consider a truly free people in a republic, and ask: Do we need the government to instruct us on what OUR fundamental rights are? (No. our "village" per Hillary should have driven the concept into us.)
Aside from the "curse of exceptionalism" that I loved hearing in the video, we are also suffering under the curse of believing our government runs on autopilot. Rude awakening time.
Leslie, first thank you for your daily calls to MOCs and weekly protests. One way to fight back is through the Resolutions project, which is part of a rich historical tradition in this country. Sarah Marshall just got a resolution passed in her town. You can learn more about it in the "Resolutions Project" tab on the Hopium home page. https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/hopiums-resolutions-project-draft
I cannot think of an issue greater than the expansion of Federal resources (Military, National Guard, FBI, Homeland Security, etc.) deployed in States, Cities, etc., without Congressional authorization. I am enraged by the failure of Democratic leadership to authoritatively and with a sense of urgency, to condemn what Trump is doing in Washington, D.C. If we cannot find a “fire and brimstone” individual in the House and Senate who can elevate these actions to enrage the public, then we just need to form a new party and build this ability from scratch. It is redundant for me to point out the failures of the Senate and House Democratic leadership but let me just say I think Bernie Sanders is doing more to educate Americans of the war now raging to destroy what we have come to believe is the American Way. Schumer and Jeffries need to be removed and replaced by Democrats who can command the attention and lead the fight for saving our Democracy! ACT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!
Well, you are being an ALARMIST!! and I LOVE it. Realizing that postcards and traditional political tactics aren't cutting it is becoming all the more obvious.
While Trump's polling deteriorates daily, his levers of strength and power expand by the hour. Autocrats don't hold their governing control by public opinion, but by media misdirection and intimidation. What the heck are Dems waiting for? Maybe the alarms against democracy will begin to be heard to provoke meaningful action not just discussion.
True to a point. The further trump's polls decline, the more pressue it puts on MAGA pols facing election in 2026. trump wont be on that ballot. If we get to springtime and he is in the mid to low 30s, the rats will be jumping the ship unless trump can convince them the fix is in. I don't think that will happen. I don't think trump thinks it will happen either as evidenced by his call to Governor abbott about Texas redistricting.
However, if trump realizes he can't redistrict his way to victory in the House, he will try something else, more extreme and more stupid. Just like when he tried to steal back the 2020 election. J6 rioting was not his first choice. It was his last choice after everything else failed.
We need to be ready for the insurrectionist in chief. General Strike is a powerful weapon, our ace in the hole. The Million Rising campaign by Indivisible is laying the groundwork. I encourage everyone here to follow and engage in that effort at www.mobilize.us
Gavin Newsom is on a ROLL. When you wonder where the loud voices are, listen to any You tube or the interview between him and Heather Cox Richardson. He is shouting from the rooftops "WAKE UP AMERICA!!!". It's encouraging.
Yes. People should also look up what Rep. Nicole Collier is doing in the Texas state house now. I do not buy this argument that Democrats are weak and passive now, I don’t think it’s helpful. Ariella Elm is really good at promoting what Democrats are doing. Also Ken Martin on IG.
Ben Meiseles again captured and summarized yesterday's trolling adventure by Newsom. Brilliant! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv8tvG4CW0o
OK, let's say I'm "awake" -- along with 50,000 other citizens in a district seat filled by someone who took their House seat under false pretenses and refuses to protect and defend our Constitution -- per their oath. Let the facts be presented before a candid state.
"Governor Newsom, upon receiving a petition from these citizens, what are you prepared to DO?" (Still waiting on the reply.)
I agree. No budget agreement and no government without massive cuts to ICE. They've proven they not only don't deserve a penny more than they were getting when Trump arrived, but should have their budget cut to the bare bones like everyone else the Repos have done this to. If Schumer caves on this for the Nth time in the last decade, he not only needs to be removed as Minority Leader, he needs to be removed from office entirely. The third largest state in the country can't do better? Really? And its long past time for Republicans to start feeling the pain they've been inflicting on everyone else. Use the filibuster, use the rules of order, use the levels of law enforcement *we* control.
Hard agree!
Congratulations Sarah Marshall!!
Thanks!
Yes amazing, and thank you!
Thank you for this interview. I’ve called my Dem senator regarding the expansion of ICE and taking away resources from federal personnel - child trafficking, drug enforcement etc
Calls are in to Rep members of congress regarding our 4part agenda.
I’ll call again this afternoon with whatever issue happens to get my hackles up most this afternoon.
THINK ON THE TIMING of the military police force staged while Congress is away and what it will mean as they return . . . .
Are we Hitler yet?
We do see what is going on and this is why people are enraged and feel failed by the party establishment. Trump intends to be a dictator, and ICE is his gestapo. The immigrants are only the beginning. The goal is a white supremacist theocracy. We are going to have to remove the son of a bitch through unconventional means and we really need our leaders to show us they understand where we are. This is not just about "imaging" or "messaging" and Trump's broken brain - there is a whole fascist movement he's the front man for. The GOP is the enemy of America. This is not about crime (in the usual sense). The crime they are interested in is the "crime" of refusing to submit to the Project 2025 program for fascism.
It's the "concentration camp" issues that need addressing. It's the removing the vote from women. The deportation/imprisonment of everyone not white - and this includes forced labor. Remember how the "immigrants are taking Black jobs?" So who is going to pick all those crops when they deport the Latino immigrants? The Black jobs will be the jobs that White Supremacist believe are appropriate and Make America Great AGAIN means 1850 - you thought they meant 1950? Umm no...
Thank you Lyn. This is what I think also. I am going to lift your notes above and send them to my senators. and call. This is scary shit. Thanks again.
Thank you, Kate. I feel seen
Bravo Lyn for this crisp and chilling assessment. My thoughts exactly. I am also going to do as Kate and send your note to my senators. We are overdue for dramatic action to counteract the creeping fascism .
Just posted my edited letter taken from Lyn's writing.
Thank you.
I decided based on the convo Simon had with Michael Steele to write to my governor, Kathy Hochul, and take Steele's advice to "break some eggs" and be more aggressive about finding ways to speed up the process of redistricting in New York State. It was an extremely satisfying thing to do. I will keep it up and now encourage my friends in NYC to do the same.
l also wrote to Gov Hochul to follow Gov Newsom’s lead and get in the fight.
Excellent.
Simon. The thing I am trying to grasp is why? What is the end game? Is it pure and simple to rid the country/world of all people of color and subjugate women again? When I think deeply, it seems like this it. If so, we are back to Hitler and the belief that the Aryan race is superior.... and that genocide is justified. I know you are focused on calling it out and doing something about it, but sometimes I am so flabbergasted that I just need an orientation (again). Thank you for your recent outrage. I think it is appropriate. I am now calling my senators and asking them to be more outraged and more urgent and louder. Where are they????!!!!!
MY question is about THIS - from your post this morning:
The primary goal of the meeting (between DHS and the Pentagon), the memo says, is to foster “new ideas for how the two departments can better plan for national security and illegal immigration.” Then it adds this:
The U.S. military leadership (the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and NORTHCOM) need to feel—for the first time—the urgency of the homeland defense mission. They need to understand the threat, what’s at stake, and the political importance the administration has placed on this issue."
I can’t figure out their end game either. Or if they even have one. They are destroying the exact systems and economy that made them unreasonably wealthy and powerful. What???
Two guesses as to their goals:
1. Be the last people who ever have that kind of wealth and power. Either they think they will never die, or they don’t want anyone to get their assets when they do.
2. They love Big Brother. “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.” ― George Orwell, 1984
I don't think Trump understands or cares about anything other than the accumulation of wealth and power. Power exists for him just to dominate people and to exercise power. That's it. Whatever power he has, he'll do whatever he can to get more.
Ideological forces are elsewhere. You can find many different forces at work, often at cross purposes to each other. Trump is their vehicle, but they don't also control him at all.
Agreed. I read Kate’s question as being about the Republican Party in general, not just the orange one.
it seems that we americans are timid, uninformed, busy with our lives, screen addicted, dont understand that the government is rapidly turning against its citizens. we are in a pickle. lack of imagination that the president has been compromised. msm not connecting the dots.
we have marines deployed in LA, we have national guard being used as props, we have red state national guards being sent to blue cities, we have a well funded 10,000 person private army in ice that does not follow the law, policies or regulations and is run by steve miller. we have project 2025 dismantling our government to the point it is barely functioning. the economy is sinking and stagnant. inflation up. no new jobs, people being laid off. tariffs ruining the global economy. universities, law firms, media being intimidated. and on and on.
we get these stories one day at a time. but if you put them all together, cumulatively, the noose is growing ever tighter.
now we have a tx rep being head against her will in chambers until she agrees to let a police officer follow her around 24/7? is this government sanctioned kidnapping? is this the tx executive branch interfering in the legislative branch? is there such a thing as "house" arrest of an elected rep in this day and age? is it "legalized" extortion? what is this????
the repubs think the dem party is on it's last breathe. they have waited forever for this scenario. now they have the felon in chief to do their bidding. they are undoing everything good that has been done in this country in the last century. they are in the end zone (according to them). they will not relent. they do not care about right, wrong, legal, normal, routine, norms, etc. they are going for the jugular. we will have to fight like hell just to have fair and free elections. felon does not want another impeachment. somehow, we will all, in our own way, meet this moment. as simon says, anything can happen in politics, so there is always luck, persuasion, laws, good conscience, hard coordinated work to prevail.
at least we are now talking out loud about this dire situation. it has to start with us. we have to be brave enough to call a spade a spade and put a spotlight on it. sunlight can cure almost anything.
Thank you Kitkatmia. I agree, trump led maga is going for broke (hmm... interesting double meaning there) and that we are accelerating to meet the moment. He's attacking the country outright in the summer recess lull.
September is around the corner when 1 ) huge Labor day resistance rallies, 2) Epstein Files returns to congressional and national agenda 3) the budget will be due in 30 days and the GOP is hopelessly behind and the blue team is not in a mood for bipartisanship, and 4) October arrives and SCOTUS resumes. Throughout that calendar, tariffs will undermine our economy and inflation will continue to accelerate. That will loosen the ground and improve the mood for general strike.
Remember the Arab Spring in Egypt? The Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia? When the sh*t gets bad, THE PEOPLE find a way to say, "Enough!" You are right, we WILL meet this moment, whatever it takes.
Simon, Thanks for your focus on ICE and the gestapo tactics of trump's drive for a personal police force. Gavin Newsom called it war on America yesterday too... the wartime president
That photo of trump... did he always have such beady little eyes? Brings a whole new meaning to the word sh*tfaced.
He's like the pig Napoleon in Animal Farm, except Napoleon was smart and prevailed in the end. Trump has all the guard dogs around him (Vance, Noem, little Marco, etc.), but he's so weak, pathetic, and rotten, that he will not last much longer. We need to be preparing not just for the day he is gone, but the day his sycophants take over. What I'm hoping is that Trump will sniff out Vance's disloyalty and start to publicly weaken him.
I agree. I think it's possible Trump wont even make it to the midterms, the way he is spiraling, much less 2028. I expect Vance to take over at some point, but he is a terrible frontman. Nobody likes him. He can't even order a box of donuts without looking weird. They need a frontman and they got nobody who can play the roll. Not to mention the infighting. Like clown cars in a dumpster fire. But it's still very dangerous.
Early voting starts today in Virginia I believe. Go Spanberger! 🗳️ 💙 🇺🇸
September 19th, not today. But yes Go Spanberger!
Whoops! Guess I forgot what month it is. Thanks, I fixed that in my calendar now. 🗓️
Is anyone from LEXINGTON or CONCORD Massachusetts here? I’d love to see your towns pass resolutions of condemnation!
I've been talking with organizers from Lexington and I'll be on a monthly zoom tonight with Indivisible group leaders across MA, which usually includes organizers from Lexington and Concord. I agree, I'd love to see what write. Stay tuned...
Just sent your Amherst Resolution to my newly-made contact at my Councilwoman's office here in NYC. What I'm trying to do is push back on the office's statements to me that the single-issue NYC Council Resolutions they've been passing - which no one knows anything about - are not much different from Resolutions I have been proposing that the Councilwoman sponsor. Ours are clearly more of a public exercise in democracy, meant to galvanize, educate, and affirm, creating a dynamic and educated electorate. What they've been passing on to me from their office, to show me what they have been doing (because, duh, obviously, who the hell knew about it - part of the point), have been issues regarding Adams and Trump and Keeping Schools Safe (from Immigration overreach).
Again, my admiration to you for all you've done!!!
Thanks, and good luck!
Add to the list of things to consider is this WaPo article, ICE documents reveal plan to double immigration detention space this year, https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/08/15/ice-documents-reveal-plan-double-immigrant-detention-space-this-year/ . "Billions will be spent to reach more than 107,000 beds, including in mega-facilities, tents and at least two new family detention centers, according to an internal agency roadmap."
Once ICE rids the USA of undocumented people, it will have a huge budget, a huge workforce, and a huge number of detention spaces, and could turn these resources to other targets ... perhaps like us.
The rush of Red state governors to send National Guard troops to DC seems to me like the Confederacy invading the Union.
I believe Trump is sending National Guard troops to cities as a dry run for controlling protests when he announces bogus election results next year.
100%