I've been discussing, calmly, the felon and the danger he posed since he first announced that he was going to run for president ten years ago. I would not bring up the subject unless it became a topic of conversation, as in "don't discuss politics, religion, or money". Many friends thought I was overreacting, some liked him, and others just said that they "didn't want to be political".
When he was elected the second time, I had hoped that people would finally realize what is at risk. I live in a rural, red area awash in white privilege, and I am not seeing enough people who are paying attention, care, or worse, applaud this blatant lawlessness. Maybe they will care when ICE starts pulling THEM from their vehicles and they see that yes, ICE is coming for them, too. By then, it's going to be pretty damn late.
We have met the Ugly American, and he is us, to paraphrase Walt Kelly.
“A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”- Martin Luther King Jr.
Are we finally ready and able to make this man’s vision prophecy? Are we there yet? Are we even close?
What amazes me is that it is not difficult to stand up and be counted. All we have to do is, like the little turtle named Mack in the Dr. Seus allegory of “Yertle the Turtle”, is to cast off the weight of this current oppression by firmly rejecting it. Each and every one of us can do this, and do this we must. We call it ‘The Resistance’ now, but it is plain, old-fashioned patriotism to insist that our leaders stand by their oath of office; the oath they take to protect and defend our Constitution. It is plain old-fashioned patriotism to speak up and speak out against true injustice and government rejection of our most cherished principles. It is plain old-fashioned patriotism to want to have a say in how we are governed.
Enough with the fear of ‘getting out of line’. Enough with the complicit silence or cooperation with unlawful actions. Enough with the complicit silence of watching our fellow citizens be brutalized, tortured and killed. ENOUGH.
Robert Frost said it best, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
Any number of us are trying our level best to shore up and extend the rebellion against the Orange Traitor (yes, traitor) in our midst. Some of us are marching, writing substacks to help educate and encourage people to be both wise and brave, joining groups, donating to organizers to leverage our power, writing letters to our elected reps. And we will do more.
It's so Interesting that you used the word 'malignant' to describe Trump. A cancer is malignant, and grows outside of our awareness at first. A cancer demands energies which would otherwise be used to sustain healthy tissues. And this is how it ultimately kills. We now are sensing the tumor, and starting to understand the state that we're in. There is a period in which people with cancer can begin to see some evidence of it, yet remain in denial, yes. That's the past several years, but we are well past that now. It might be that there won't be one big BOOM that raises a resistance large enough and loud enough to be called a full rebellion. But how about the cold-blooded murder of a peaceful young mother and a failure to investigate her murder, followed by a federal lawsuit against those elected officials in protest of these facts and the threat of dropping a battalion of paratroopers into an American city?
“Tomorrow is the anniversary of Donald Trump’s second-term inauguration, what might be more accurately described as
“America’s Unnecessary Tragedy.”
—-
I feel the “urgency of now” here, right now as you did last year:
I feel we are in a desperate race.
I can’t help speculating something must be strategized to impede the onslaught of Trump’s ICE any further NOW.
I won’t give up
I won’t give in
All of us need all others to not give up.
⬇️
50501
Besides protesting, there are many ways to fight back!
Find your path with the "What Can I Do?" guide from ChooseDemocracy.us.
Boycott strategically: find, join, and share effective boycotts.
Check for the latest No Kings Alliance weekly action.
Contact your representatives daily using 5calls.org or ResistBot.
Use your economic power wisely: support your local community and the most vulnerable in it. Use the Winterboots Chrome extension to support ethical brands when shopping online.
Write an op-ed on a topic you're passionate about.
Amplify our message on social media. Share our posts or participate in discussions on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and Discord.
Make sure to read the 50501 Welcome Guide!
Participate in some of 50501's community-driven initiatives:
I've been discussing, calmly, the felon and the danger he posed since he first announced that he was going to run for president ten years ago. I would not bring up the subject unless it became a topic of conversation, as in "don't discuss politics, religion, or money". Many friends thought I was overreacting, some liked him, and others just said that they "didn't want to be political".
When he was elected the second time, I had hoped that people would finally realize what is at risk. I live in a rural, red area awash in white privilege, and I am not seeing enough people who are paying attention, care, or worse, applaud this blatant lawlessness. Maybe they will care when ICE starts pulling THEM from their vehicles and they see that yes, ICE is coming for them, too. By then, it's going to be pretty damn late.
We have met the Ugly American, and he is us, to paraphrase Walt Kelly.
“A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”- Martin Luther King Jr.
Are we finally ready and able to make this man’s vision prophecy? Are we there yet? Are we even close?
What amazes me is that it is not difficult to stand up and be counted. All we have to do is, like the little turtle named Mack in the Dr. Seus allegory of “Yertle the Turtle”, is to cast off the weight of this current oppression by firmly rejecting it. Each and every one of us can do this, and do this we must. We call it ‘The Resistance’ now, but it is plain, old-fashioned patriotism to insist that our leaders stand by their oath of office; the oath they take to protect and defend our Constitution. It is plain old-fashioned patriotism to speak up and speak out against true injustice and government rejection of our most cherished principles. It is plain old-fashioned patriotism to want to have a say in how we are governed.
Enough with the fear of ‘getting out of line’. Enough with the complicit silence or cooperation with unlawful actions. Enough with the complicit silence of watching our fellow citizens be brutalized, tortured and killed. ENOUGH.
Robert Frost said it best, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
Any number of us are trying our level best to shore up and extend the rebellion against the Orange Traitor (yes, traitor) in our midst. Some of us are marching, writing substacks to help educate and encourage people to be both wise and brave, joining groups, donating to organizers to leverage our power, writing letters to our elected reps. And we will do more.
It's so Interesting that you used the word 'malignant' to describe Trump. A cancer is malignant, and grows outside of our awareness at first. A cancer demands energies which would otherwise be used to sustain healthy tissues. And this is how it ultimately kills. We now are sensing the tumor, and starting to understand the state that we're in. There is a period in which people with cancer can begin to see some evidence of it, yet remain in denial, yes. That's the past several years, but we are well past that now. It might be that there won't be one big BOOM that raises a resistance large enough and loud enough to be called a full rebellion. But how about the cold-blooded murder of a peaceful young mother and a failure to investigate her murder, followed by a federal lawsuit against those elected officials in protest of these facts and the threat of dropping a battalion of paratroopers into an American city?
Yes
I agree with you Steven:
“Tomorrow is the anniversary of Donald Trump’s second-term inauguration, what might be more accurately described as
“America’s Unnecessary Tragedy.”
—-
I feel the “urgency of now” here, right now as you did last year:
I feel we are in a desperate race.
I can’t help speculating something must be strategized to impede the onslaught of Trump’s ICE any further NOW.
I won’t give up
I won’t give in
All of us need all others to not give up.
⬇️
50501
Besides protesting, there are many ways to fight back!
Find your path with the "What Can I Do?" guide from ChooseDemocracy.us.
Boycott strategically: find, join, and share effective boycotts.
Check for the latest No Kings Alliance weekly action.
Contact your representatives daily using 5calls.org or ResistBot.
Use your economic power wisely: support your local community and the most vulnerable in it. Use the Winterboots Chrome extension to support ethical brands when shopping online.
Write an op-ed on a topic you're passionate about.
Amplify our message on social media. Share our posts or participate in discussions on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and Discord.
Make sure to read the 50501 Welcome Guide!
Participate in some of 50501's community-driven initiatives:
https://www.fiftyfifty.one/