I thought Bernie Sanders speech on the floor of the senate was outstanding. He was specific and to the point. He read quotes from several Republic senators, without naming names, demonstrating how they disagree with Trump’s policies toward Ukraine, but now they won’t stand up to him. Bernie still has the fire and passion that we need from our leaders. He did us senior citizens proud. 👏
Bernie is a mensch. So proud of him. Let the ones who are speaking out and standing up know you appreciate them. They must be as war weary as we are but they have a bully pulpit and are using it. Warren, AOC, Crockett, Sanders- and any others you know of. Resist!
So proud of my daughter who joined others in Northampton, MA town hall in minus degree windchills to protest the Musketeers and Donny Convicts illegal, unethical actions.
Who's arguing? It's a fact. I'm just saying that it doesn't look good. When my union boss showed up in his fancy car and pitched us on continuing to vote for the union and pay our dues to the union it didn't land so well. Of course we did, and the factory moved to Mexico a few years later. But I'm sure he still had his fancy car.
And no matter that Bernie says, if he cares so much, how about selling a house and setting up one of the programs he espouses on a small local scale. Clearly he can talk the talk. Not so sure he can walk the walk. Unless it's with someone elses money.
Big talk, little action, and those of us just making ends meet get it in the shorts. Whether it's the tax of inflation or social security and Medicare running out of money, all the good ideas and intentions fall by the wayside because those in power like Bernie didn't suffer the pain. They just talk about it.
Well as a lifelong fighter for the rights of workers, ending up with 3 houses is a little like when my old union boss arrived at the factory in his fancy car with a driver. As Andy Griffith once said to Floyd the Barber "it just don't look right"
Perhaps (although I dont think you can impeach Musk?). But beyond the methods, what do you think about all the dirt, corruption and incompetence that has been uncovered?
But even if we got rid of them, what do we do about the mess they found? I was stunned to find the Government itself admits to making $2.7 trillion in mistaken payments over the last 20 years (link below)
There are 100,000,000 net tax payers in the US. That's $27,000 per. In mistakes. Now add in good old fashioned fraud and grift and why aren't we all calling for every politician to explain themselves?
Why are we arguing over who found it? It's like the neighborhood crack addict found a body in our basement and we're arguing whether he should have broken into our house. There's a serial killer on the loose and we're worried about a little B and E.
And he bought a house. Didn't send a kid to college. Didn't buy some lunches for the unfortunate. Didn't start a jobs training program. Bought a house. Yes Bernie, tell me how you want my money.
As a Vermonter and an American, I love Bernie. He has been warning us about this stuff for many years, and consistently. I sometimes think of how different our country could have been had he been elected when he ran, instead of being pushed out.
Also, I just sent Governor Mills an email of thanks for standing up to the power-hungry Felon47.
Agree completely with everything you say, Jo. Bernie is a hero, and has been one for years. Like you, I'm not one of Governor Mills' constituents, but I'll be sending a note of admiration her way. I've already written to Governors Pritzker and Beshear, along with Senators Warren and Sanders, plus my Congresswoman, thanking them for their courage and service. I, too, believe it's important to send thanks and praise wherever warranted.
As for my two Repug senators and governor, writing or calling them is a thankless task. Never a reply, and often, no one even answers the phone. I let them know my thought anyway, via their online forms. Still, I'd much rather give a boost to the decent, courageous elected officials.
Way to go! I will send thanks to Pritkzer and the others you mentioned. Thanks for the reminder 😉! I agree... I think they probably hear more complaints than they do compliments, and they need to be acknowledged when they take a stand on behalf of the people!
We have a Republican governor, but he has managed to bridge the gap well here. Enough so that Vermonters have kept him in office since 2017, and it was pretty well reported that he voted Harris/Walz. He is kind of a liberal republican, if that's a thing 😄.
Tim Kaine and Chris Murphy also are speaking out daily, without mincing words, about the continued assault on our freedoms and our Constitution...can't say the same for Schumer, however.
Bernie always comes through. Demands must begin for all elected Dems to do the same. Any remnant of past cooperation among the parties has been blown up.
However, I keep reading about how the Dem reps and senators are whining more and more because they're being inundated with phone calls. ICYMI, Representative McCormick of Atlanta was called out at a townhall this week, and was furious that his constituents demanded answers as to what he was doing to resist drumpf. He ended by saying that he hadn't had to hold the townhall, so why were people insisting on asking such questions? Yeah....he's got a bright future in politics....
We all need the therapy that makes us secure enough to LAUGH AT SYSTEMIC HUMAN FLAWS....
First Do No Harm: Stop the Lying... "Don't Sweat It" Is a lie: Exercise and Exposure both cause sweat and both are Mandatory.😁😁😁
99.9% of the US refuses the inoculation recommended by the White House: "Do one thing every day that scares you."--Eleanor Roosevelt...
....instead, Americans were tricked by " Our pills aren't addictive " Purdue Pharma:"You don't have to face your fears anymore, just keep popping our pills!"
Bernie was so specific he would not "out" the Senators who "behind closed doors" are against Trump, but are only saying that to Bernie when they totally believe in Trump's stance on Ukraine, Russia and American workers.
I do not have a lot of money as I am on Social Security, but I sending what I can to Chris Murphy in CT. He challenges the cult mindset that is becoming all too commonplace. We are not powerless. Do not submit to "thought terminating cliches" like, "it is what it is", "don't overthink it", or "we can't do anything about it anyway." That's how insidious this overthrow it...how Hitler gained power in how many days 33? Then he annihilated the first 6 million then annihilated 6 million more. Let's not be lemmings! We can't wait until the midterms.
Asked our Republican representatives in NC for town halls, here in NC. Crickets. I continue to flood them with emails and phone calls, telling them they are cowards and good luck in the midterms.
I'm in NC too, call tillis and Budd every day. I always have an issue, but also always tell them what I think - cowards, spineless, trump toadies. Our House Rep hid out - no town hall.
Same here in Red Kansas. Jerry “Moron” Moran and Dr. Roger “Political Malpractice” Marshall cower like spineless fools. Disclaimer: Marshall’s a blind MAGA maggot. Jerry should know better.
These men, and many men and women in both parties, are true believers in Trump's policies. They are not weak or spineless. They, and the voters who elected them want a strong leader who will bring back the ideals of the Founding Fathers - rule by a few White Men who want equal rights for White Men. No Women, Blacks or Others allowed.
Me too.....all I get back are form letters justifying what they are doing, using the "required" language. It is maddening. We need to do whatever we can to ensure we have elections in 2026. The Save Act and the threat of disbanding the postal service (no more mail in ballots) are big things we need to fight against. Then in 2026 we can dump Tillis.
Defiance looks like two women interrupting a Proud Boys 10-person rally. As the PB leader is speaking into a microphone two women arrive. One is blowing a whistle and the other has a bullhorn. Both are making a lot of noise. As one woman trues to make a video on her phone the PB leader attacks her and he’s arrested. LMAO
The picture of National Guard soldiers laying down their shields and joining a protest. This is a very powerful picture. I remember a different picture of the 1970 Ohio State demonstration where NG troops killed students who were unarmed and protesting Nixon bombing SE Asia.
Those two women have my admiration and my future vote! The video Rachel Maddow had on last night’s show with them making noise while PB tried to talk made my day.
I worry about the one who have their own agenda. We saw it in L’ville when the NG was called in to support LMPD. They were deployed to an area supposedly due to disorderly crowds. It escalated and a restaurant owner was killed — he fired in the air from inside his building - not knowing a trigger happy anti-protest LMPD officer was shooting at his niece (or that it was rubber bullets). An NG shot him. The area was excluded from curfew. No one was “disorderly”.
I remember the Kent State massacre. Reps from their campus traveled telling the story. One came and held a “teach in” where I was a student. It seems like a similar but bigger incident. (Maybe we should revive “teach ins” - in communities not just for universities.)
The OH governor said he would declare martial law. The university & National Guard thought he had done so to get the Guard on campus. The NGs were following students and wound up hemmed in by students & fencing. While the NGs retreated they stopped, loaded firearms & pointed them at protestors (not firing). As they reached the hilltop a group of NGs (70) suddenly turned and fired - most into the air. A small number fired into the protestors. Was there an order? Or an agreement among a group of them?
What happened next stuck with me but is seldom mentioned. When the NGs reached the “Commons Area” they were met by very angry students who knew what had happened and knew the NG had live ammo.
— In their intense anger, many demonstrators were willing to risk their own lives to attack the Guardsmen, and there can be little doubt that the Guard would have opened fire again, this time killing a much larger number of students.
Further tragedy was prevented by actions of a number of Kent State University faculty marshals, who had organized hastily when trouble began several days earlier. Led by Professor Glenn Frank, the faculty members pleaded with National Guard leaders to allow them to talk with the demonstrators, and then they begged the students not to risk their lives by confronting the Guardsmen. After about 20 minutes of emotional pleading, the marshals convinced the students to leave the Commons. —
Kent State University still has the story on the website.
Ann Sharon, thank you for this. Kent State had a profound impact on me -- I was still on campus at MIT then. Profound as it was - I never dug into the details. Time to check out the Kent State U website. We tend to forget what power earnest, concerned citizens in a small group can bring to bear -- or call to witness.
I think their version is fair. It was a chaotic series of events over days — not all sweetness and light. I remember afterward there was discussion about NGs not being trained to deal with that type of situation. Something that is still a topic.
I lived in next to a little town of 3000 with a nest of John Birchers. After we had our first former HS classmate killed in Vietnam we decided to have a candlelight walk to the cemetery on Christmas Eve. A local (well respected) pastor and some recent veterans help plan it.
It was a very cold night. The snow squeaked while we walked. It was the only sound we made & we walked singe file. Out of the blue the “auxilary police” started trailing us with a couple rifles sticking out of the car windows pointed at us. We continued on our way. They couldn’t handle the wind chill and gave up. They had 0 training. Their job was to assist local responders in case of a disaster or tornado & resources went to the “big cities.” That was not us.
Probably lucky everyone stuck to the plan and ignored them. I’ve organized & helped with larger events and had guys with *armbands* act as marshals. But you never know what could happen if someone throws something or acts “weird.”
10 person rally? I suppose one must stand up for your beliefs against noxious groups such as the Proud Boys, but it seems that the 2 brave women could have a better bang for buck resistance. Only so much time in the day.
However, I can help you out. The 2 women were not holding a rally. By being present to protest the PB / Oath Keeper “press event” the 2 of them got more bang for their “buck” after the Tarrio arrest than much larger gatherings & protests that are mostly ignored.
Wish the Democrats were voting against Trump's nominees. They are not! Check senate.gov and see how those MAGA Democrats voted. Also note the Democrats who have time for lengthy interviews on TV, but not time to vote!
Defiance, to me, is not just resistance—it is liberation. It is reclaiming dignity from those who have tried to strip it away. I know this personally, having spent 47 years under the thumb of a narcissistic mother whose erratic, uncalculated, and irrational behavior mirrors what I now see unfolding on a national and global scale. I recognize the patterns, the gaslighting, the cruelty masked as strength, the endless rewriting of reality to fit a fragile ego.
My journey to break free from that oppression was long and grueling, but it taught me something essential: liberation is possible. Not through compliance. Not through waiting for the abuser to change. But through seeing the truth, refusing to participate in the distortion, and reclaiming my own power, step by step.
I see my country wrestling with this same fight. Germany has lived through the consequences of unchecked authoritarianism. The lessons of our past are carved into our laws, our institutions, our very language. And yet, even here, I fear. I fear how close we are to slipping again. How people underestimate what is happening. How they assume the structures will hold because they want to believe in stability more than they want to see the truth.
That is what makes this moment so dangerous—not just in the U.S., but everywhere. The trauma of authoritarianism works the same way whether it is inflicted on an individual or a nation. It isolates. It instills doubt. It makes people question their own reality until they surrender to it. That is what I fought to escape, and that is why I refuse to look away now.
Defiance, then, is more than just resisting Trump or his enablers. It is about refusing to let the trauma they inflict define us. It is about restoring dignity, refusing to accept oppression as normal, and fighting—not just to remove one man, but to dismantle the entire system of coercion, control, and dehumanization that allowed him to rise in the first place.
What have I done to push back? I tell my story. I speak about dignity, about what oppression truly means. I refuse to let the voices of those who understand this firsthand be drowned out by those who still think this is just politics as usual.
Am I encouraged? I want to be. I see acts of resistance—Gov. Mills standing her ground, journalists refusing to soften the truth, everyday people finding small ways to say no. And yet, I see the old power structures still clinging to a reality that no longer exists, still trying to manage the crisis rather than confronting its full truth.
What happens when Trump refuses court rulings? That is the moment that will force the world to decide. The moment that will make clear whether people are truly ready to fight for democracy, or if they will simply watch as it slips away. I know what I will do. The question is: Who else will refuse to comply?
Kay, thank you. Liberation was never a single moment—it was a long, deliberate process of seeing clearly, choosing differently, and refusing to be shaped by what tried to break me. And that’s what I see now on a larger scale. The fight against authoritarianism, against coercion and dehumanization, isn’t just about survival—it’s about reclaiming dignity, agency, and truth. I appreciate you being here in this conversation.
Joining together to voice our dissent is important to show defiance but it's also therapeutic for our own protection against cynicism & isolation. I attended a rally against Musk at the Tesla dealership nearby today and 300 protestors showed up with signs and enthusiasm that was returned by many of the drivers passing by! I have attended protests in the past and earlier this week but many said today was their first time and they were glad that they had done so🎉🎉
Yay!!! We cannot be silent. Showing up is 80% of the battle. And great that there are first timers. 300 at my town demonstration, and this is in a small town in ruby red country. Across the country, the numbers will add up.
Caution to go with the enthusiasm, friends: don't give the mango excrescence any excuse to invoke martial law. Keep it peaceful. Check my post of today: start singing We Shall Overcome. Catchy tune; lots of good verses. And it carries a lot of power. https://redbirdsroost.substack.com/p/we-shall-overcome
musk: a greasy secretion with a powerful odor (American Heritage Dictionary attributing the definition to Sanskrit - testicle or scrotum. Therefore a Stink Bag)
I don’t have a plan—yet, anyway—but am trying to take action in various ways and considering my steps….Joined a protest march in my hometown on Jan. 18 (but not the one at my state capital). Am exploring alternatives to MSM. Am weaning myself from Amazon and next paycheck will open an account with Costco. Have passed on info about the February 28 boycott and plan to participate. Have written/called my politicians—the “5 Calls” app is great! Also emailed Gov. Mills for standing up to Trump. I think it’s really important to show support for the courageous ones! I support candidates when I can. I talk a lot with my brother and sister-in-law about all that’s going on, in hopes of getting a little sleep later. Also keeping tabs on the lawsuits and protests and other actions across the country, which reminds me that the lights are still on in a lot of places out there. My point is not what I’M doing, but to encourage every person who is concerned about what’s going on to find their own way to oppose this coup that is upon us now. If we don’t shine our lights, no matter how small, then we will truly end up in the dark. It’s up to us, the people. It always has been.
As he imagines other heads of state calling him “sir,” I’m certain he fantasizes citizens of the U.S. calling him “sire.” We must take to the streets, torches and pitchforks in hand, and protest King Donald’s and President Musk’s extra-Constitutional actions and continue until they (and Vance and Patel, et al, are vanquished. I only wish there were some way to get rid of them before the midterms.
I'm putting my faith in the American people who stand up for our Democracy, the number is growing each day. Men like Illinois Gov. Pritzker in his recent inspirational speech, and women like Gov. Mills who displayed the courage to look the demented dictator in the eyes, and call him out like no one has had the courage to do so far. If we need inspiration to do the same, I'm with her! My advice to our first dictator, attack women at your own peril you pathetic small man.
I'm heartened by the reports of the crowds turning out for town halls this week, asking hard questions of their congresspersons and making their anger and frustration known. And by the recently fired civil servants who are telling their stories. I'm sharing those stories on social media and encourage everyone to do so where possible. The sleeping public needs to be awakened (woke!) to the pain and suffering caused by this plundering administration.
DeJoy has already broken the post office. In rural Indiana, many of us are not getting our packages, or the packages are spending 2-3 weeks in a facility in Indianapolis. People who get their medications by mail are waiting for those packages. The Indiana delegation has protested to the Post Office, but I worry that this mess will be used as "evidence" for Trump's illegal move. (I wish that the media would call it illegal instead of treating it as inevitable.) DeJoy did not want to send the packages to rural area until a significant number accumulated. He closed sorting centers. He consolidated. Supposedly, it saves money. I doubt it, but the post office is a government service, not a money generating entity.
Don’t feel special. 😊 it is everywhere - not always at the same time. We’re having bouts of the same thing. Hawley was browbeating DeJoy in a committee meeting over it. You are absolutely correct. It is the old strategy. Suck the life out of something, stomp on it and then say — “Look it’s broken. They are so incompetent.” It is a service as you say & the only one that must deliver letters & parcels everywhere to everyone.
This can’t be legal because it violates the 1970 Act that restructured the USPS.
However in the past SCOTUS ruled Congress had the power but *did not have to operate a postal service*. 😱 I suppose that is the route to privatizing. Because it does it must follow the Constitution regarding free speech etc. (per https://constitution.findlaw.com/article1/annotation38.html)
Maybe it’s 2 birds with one stone thing. Lawrence O’Donnell had the ‘breaking news’ when WaPo first reported in the middle of his segment. He first talked about how popular mail in ballots are and why. Then he said think about that as I read this breaking news to you.
- So my questions begin with would there be a privatized USPS? If so would it answer to Congress? Have to deliver to everyone? Be able to limit what you may send?
Privatizing has been a long-time Republican dream, which is why the post office was forced to fully fund pensions for each employee, as that would make it more attractive to private interests but also put an enormous financial strain on the post office. I think that requirement has been rescinded. Trump has had his eye on the post office, as you suggest, to destroy mail-in voting. However, I suspect that people who oppose reproductive rights will want to limit what drugs can be shipped.
As the post office problems hit the rural areas hardest--areas that overwhelmingly voted for Trump--this issue needs to be more widely broadcast. I'm not surprised that it is an issue in Missouri. I hope we will hear from people in other states as well.
Yup. Maybe the biggest reason many of the GOP are quiet. They have donors etc. who want this stuff. Easier to let the Orange Felon do it. (Like cut delivery days in rural areas.)
75 years in advance on the pensions. Biden signed a reform bill in 2022. Yes, a lot of damage was already done while creating a big fat piggy bank waiting to be robbed. https://apwu.org/postal-service-reform-act-2022
I really meant everywhere. I live on the outskirts of a Metro area. Population over 700,000. Mail - especially packages - stack up at the main distribution hub for 2-3 weeks. It’s the result of reducing capacity to the point where any hiccup in the system snowballs.
Under the Biden administration DOJ issued a memo saying mifepristone and misoprostol have multiple uses & intent was unknown for those items when sent and received, so the Comstock Act did not apply. I figured the ‘new’ DOJ would change it. May not have had time yet.
Defiance is Mazie Hirono, Tammy Duckworth, Elizabeth Warren, Tina Smith and Patty Murray voting NO on Trump's nominees. Their vociferous questioning of those nominees in the committees they are on give me hope - unlike those who are interviewed on television (both Men and Women Senators) who say they are fighting Trump, but vote for his deplorables.
I thought Bernie Sanders speech on the floor of the senate was outstanding. He was specific and to the point. He read quotes from several Republic senators, without naming names, demonstrating how they disagree with Trump’s policies toward Ukraine, but now they won’t stand up to him. Bernie still has the fire and passion that we need from our leaders. He did us senior citizens proud. 👏
Bernie is a mensch. So proud of him. Let the ones who are speaking out and standing up know you appreciate them. They must be as war weary as we are but they have a bully pulpit and are using it. Warren, AOC, Crockett, Sanders- and any others you know of. Resist!
So proud of my daughter who joined others in Northampton, MA town hall in minus degree windchills to protest the Musketeers and Donny Convicts illegal, unethical actions.
Bernie is a Socialist with 3 houses. Somehow that has never sat well with me.
Arguing about Bernie’s three houses is a distraction that the GOP/MAGA welcomes. It takes our focus off of their disastrous policies and actions.
Who's arguing? It's a fact. I'm just saying that it doesn't look good. When my union boss showed up in his fancy car and pitched us on continuing to vote for the union and pay our dues to the union it didn't land so well. Of course we did, and the factory moved to Mexico a few years later. But I'm sure he still had his fancy car.
And no matter that Bernie says, if he cares so much, how about selling a house and setting up one of the programs he espouses on a small local scale. Clearly he can talk the talk. Not so sure he can walk the walk. Unless it's with someone elses money.
Big talk, little action, and those of us just making ends meet get it in the shorts. Whether it's the tax of inflation or social security and Medicare running out of money, all the good ideas and intentions fall by the wayside because those in power like Bernie didn't suffer the pain. They just talk about it.
Here we go again
And fun fact, did you know that Pandora's Box was actually a jar? It was translated incorrectly in the 16th century and it stuck.
Well as a lifelong fighter for the rights of workers, ending up with 3 houses is a little like when my old union boss arrived at the factory in his fancy car with a driver. As Andy Griffith once said to Floyd the Barber "it just don't look right"
Aren’t any of these unconstitutional offenses being committed by Trump and musk impeachable??
Sherry, please illuminate us.
Perhaps (although I dont think you can impeach Musk?). But beyond the methods, what do you think about all the dirt, corruption and incompetence that has been uncovered?
I should have worded that differently…Offenses committed by musk at the direction of trump.
But even if we got rid of them, what do we do about the mess they found? I was stunned to find the Government itself admits to making $2.7 trillion in mistaken payments over the last 20 years (link below)
There are 100,000,000 net tax payers in the US. That's $27,000 per. In mistakes. Now add in good old fashioned fraud and grift and why aren't we all calling for every politician to explain themselves?
Why are we arguing over who found it? It's like the neighborhood crack addict found a body in our basement and we're arguing whether he should have broken into our house. There's a serial killer on the loose and we're worried about a little B and E.
So what do you think about all this?
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106927?fbclid=PAY2xjawInggdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABptRELwUMGayN4L_plgBzf3l8znSVcc-nzdR20qCQyxM4v0jKM47dlT5jLw_aem_oQMYsRbPWIPuu9tRn4Ekkw
The money came from his wife, who sold a family home in Maine. https://www.snopes.com/news/2016/08/10/bernie-sanders-buys-summer-home/
And he bought a house. Didn't send a kid to college. Didn't buy some lunches for the unfortunate. Didn't start a jobs training program. Bought a house. Yes Bernie, tell me how you want my money.
As a Vermonter and an American, I love Bernie. He has been warning us about this stuff for many years, and consistently. I sometimes think of how different our country could have been had he been elected when he ran, instead of being pushed out.
Also, I just sent Governor Mills an email of thanks for standing up to the power-hungry Felon47.
Agree completely with everything you say, Jo. Bernie is a hero, and has been one for years. Like you, I'm not one of Governor Mills' constituents, but I'll be sending a note of admiration her way. I've already written to Governors Pritzker and Beshear, along with Senators Warren and Sanders, plus my Congresswoman, thanking them for their courage and service. I, too, believe it's important to send thanks and praise wherever warranted.
As for my two Repug senators and governor, writing or calling them is a thankless task. Never a reply, and often, no one even answers the phone. I let them know my thought anyway, via their online forms. Still, I'd much rather give a boost to the decent, courageous elected officials.
Way to go! I will send thanks to Pritkzer and the others you mentioned. Thanks for the reminder 😉! I agree... I think they probably hear more complaints than they do compliments, and they need to be acknowledged when they take a stand on behalf of the people!
We have a Republican governor, but he has managed to bridge the gap well here. Enough so that Vermonters have kept him in office since 2017, and it was pretty well reported that he voted Harris/Walz. He is kind of a liberal republican, if that's a thing 😄.
Tim Kaine and Chris Murphy also are speaking out daily, without mincing words, about the continued assault on our freedoms and our Constitution...can't say the same for Schumer, however.
Bernie always comes through. Demands must begin for all elected Dems to do the same. Any remnant of past cooperation among the parties has been blown up.
However, I keep reading about how the Dem reps and senators are whining more and more because they're being inundated with phone calls. ICYMI, Representative McCormick of Atlanta was called out at a townhall this week, and was furious that his constituents demanded answers as to what he was doing to resist drumpf. He ended by saying that he hadn't had to hold the townhall, so why were people insisting on asking such questions? Yeah....he's got a bright future in politics....
I'll be even more delighted when names are named.
We remember the Greatest Generation
We all need the therapy that makes us secure enough to LAUGH AT SYSTEMIC HUMAN FLAWS....
First Do No Harm: Stop the Lying... "Don't Sweat It" Is a lie: Exercise and Exposure both cause sweat and both are Mandatory.😁😁😁
99.9% of the US refuses the inoculation recommended by the White House: "Do one thing every day that scares you."--Eleanor Roosevelt...
....instead, Americans were tricked by " Our pills aren't addictive " Purdue Pharma:"You don't have to face your fears anymore, just keep popping our pills!"
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Bernie was so specific he would not "out" the Senators who "behind closed doors" are against Trump, but are only saying that to Bernie when they totally believe in Trump's stance on Ukraine, Russia and American workers.
Defiance looks like Zelensky and the brave Ukrainians. They are defending democracy from fascists like Putin and Trump. I wrote a poem called freedom’s light in tribute to them: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/zelensky-ukraine-freedoms-light
I do not have a lot of money as I am on Social Security, but I sending what I can to Chris Murphy in CT. He challenges the cult mindset that is becoming all too commonplace. We are not powerless. Do not submit to "thought terminating cliches" like, "it is what it is", "don't overthink it", or "we can't do anything about it anyway." That's how insidious this overthrow it...how Hitler gained power in how many days 33? Then he annihilated the first 6 million then annihilated 6 million more. Let's not be lemmings! We can't wait until the midterms.
Asked our Republican representatives in NC for town halls, here in NC. Crickets. I continue to flood them with emails and phone calls, telling them they are cowards and good luck in the midterms.
I'm in NC too, call tillis and Budd every day. I always have an issue, but also always tell them what I think - cowards, spineless, trump toadies. Our House Rep hid out - no town hall.
They will never have town halls, to scared of the people who put them there, that now see the light. They are useless.
At some point, they will have to show up to campaign, unless they think that the R behind their name on the ballot protects them.
Same in North Dakota, insulting interview with Sen, Cramer in my morning paper going gung-ho for Trump and what he’s doing.
Farmers losing funds may rile them up
Pathetic
Same here in Red Kansas. Jerry “Moron” Moran and Dr. Roger “Political Malpractice” Marshall cower like spineless fools. Disclaimer: Marshall’s a blind MAGA maggot. Jerry should know better.
Wait until their constituents finally wake up.
These men, and many men and women in both parties, are true believers in Trump's policies. They are not weak or spineless. They, and the voters who elected them want a strong leader who will bring back the ideals of the Founding Fathers - rule by a few White Men who want equal rights for White Men. No Women, Blacks or Others allowed.
They can run but they can’t hide
Me too.....all I get back are form letters justifying what they are doing, using the "required" language. It is maddening. We need to do whatever we can to ensure we have elections in 2026. The Save Act and the threat of disbanding the postal service (no more mail in ballots) are big things we need to fight against. Then in 2026 we can dump Tillis.
Assuming we have elections in 2026...
They probably want to avoid the tough questions that other GOP reps have faced. Gushing Over Putin, that is.
Bunch of cowards. I will not give up holding them accountable.
I'm right there with you! Calling every day. Durham, NC.
Living in FloriDuh might be even worse
I read in a post to go ahead and hold a town hall yourself...that might get them to show up.
Defiance looks like two women interrupting a Proud Boys 10-person rally. As the PB leader is speaking into a microphone two women arrive. One is blowing a whistle and the other has a bullhorn. Both are making a lot of noise. As one woman trues to make a video on her phone the PB leader attacks her and he’s arrested. LMAO
The picture of National Guard soldiers laying down their shields and joining a protest. This is a very powerful picture. I remember a different picture of the 1970 Ohio State demonstration where NG troops killed students who were unarmed and protesting Nixon bombing SE Asia.
Those two women have my admiration and my future vote! The video Rachel Maddow had on last night’s show with them making noise while PB tried to talk made my day.
I worry about whose orders they will follow, in the end?
I worry about the one who have their own agenda. We saw it in L’ville when the NG was called in to support LMPD. They were deployed to an area supposedly due to disorderly crowds. It escalated and a restaurant owner was killed — he fired in the air from inside his building - not knowing a trigger happy anti-protest LMPD officer was shooting at his niece (or that it was rubber bullets). An NG shot him. The area was excluded from curfew. No one was “disorderly”.
I remember the Kent State massacre. Reps from their campus traveled telling the story. One came and held a “teach in” where I was a student. It seems like a similar but bigger incident. (Maybe we should revive “teach ins” - in communities not just for universities.)
The OH governor said he would declare martial law. The university & National Guard thought he had done so to get the Guard on campus. The NGs were following students and wound up hemmed in by students & fencing. While the NGs retreated they stopped, loaded firearms & pointed them at protestors (not firing). As they reached the hilltop a group of NGs (70) suddenly turned and fired - most into the air. A small number fired into the protestors. Was there an order? Or an agreement among a group of them?
What happened next stuck with me but is seldom mentioned. When the NGs reached the “Commons Area” they were met by very angry students who knew what had happened and knew the NG had live ammo.
— In their intense anger, many demonstrators were willing to risk their own lives to attack the Guardsmen, and there can be little doubt that the Guard would have opened fire again, this time killing a much larger number of students.
Further tragedy was prevented by actions of a number of Kent State University faculty marshals, who had organized hastily when trouble began several days earlier. Led by Professor Glenn Frank, the faculty members pleaded with National Guard leaders to allow them to talk with the demonstrators, and then they begged the students not to risk their lives by confronting the Guardsmen. After about 20 minutes of emotional pleading, the marshals convinced the students to leave the Commons. —
Kent State University still has the story on the website.
https://www.kent.edu/may-4-historical-accuracy
Ann Sharon, thank you for this. Kent State had a profound impact on me -- I was still on campus at MIT then. Profound as it was - I never dug into the details. Time to check out the Kent State U website. We tend to forget what power earnest, concerned citizens in a small group can bring to bear -- or call to witness.
I think their version is fair. It was a chaotic series of events over days — not all sweetness and light. I remember afterward there was discussion about NGs not being trained to deal with that type of situation. Something that is still a topic.
I lived in next to a little town of 3000 with a nest of John Birchers. After we had our first former HS classmate killed in Vietnam we decided to have a candlelight walk to the cemetery on Christmas Eve. A local (well respected) pastor and some recent veterans help plan it.
It was a very cold night. The snow squeaked while we walked. It was the only sound we made & we walked singe file. Out of the blue the “auxilary police” started trailing us with a couple rifles sticking out of the car windows pointed at us. We continued on our way. They couldn’t handle the wind chill and gave up. They had 0 training. Their job was to assist local responders in case of a disaster or tornado & resources went to the “big cities.” That was not us.
Probably lucky everyone stuck to the plan and ignored them. I’ve organized & helped with larger events and had guys with *armbands* act as marshals. But you never know what could happen if someone throws something or acts “weird.”
10 person rally? I suppose one must stand up for your beliefs against noxious groups such as the Proud Boys, but it seems that the 2 brave women could have a better bang for buck resistance. Only so much time in the day.
I would like to help you out, sir. Which way did you come in?
😊 I think he’s more of a ‘hit and run’ guy.
I’m guessing you accidentally replied to me.
However, I can help you out. The 2 women were not holding a rally. By being present to protest the PB / Oath Keeper “press event” the 2 of them got more bang for their “buck” after the Tarrio arrest than much larger gatherings & protests that are mostly ignored.
Defiance is:
Every citizen attending GOP Town Halls & giving Trump's toadies HELL!
Democrats standing tall, opposing MAGA Madness & voting against every Trump nominee
Every Federal Employee standing strong, filing lawsuits & not complying
All US Military who will defy any & all ILLEGAL orders from 2 madmen bent on destroying US Democracy
We the People who are the overwhelming majority who will not be afraid & will stand up to these bullies - #Resistance
COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS
"Courage is Contagious" - what a great motto for our time!
I personally like “ Dissent IS patriotic.”
Perfect combination: Dissent is Patriotic and
Courage is Contagious!
That works too!
Wish the Democrats were voting against Trump's nominees. They are not! Check senate.gov and see how those MAGA Democrats voted. Also note the Democrats who have time for lengthy interviews on TV, but not time to vote!
Support for those who are defiant is defiance 😊
Donating, volunteering & objecting to cuts to non-profits, agencies, research is defiance.
Telling our legislators we aren’t just tired of the chaos we are fed up with the ones allowing this dangerous behavior in silence.
Our data, our privacy, our rights — All more important than their reelection and power games.
Yes! Governor Mills doesn't back down! Good for her. Strength.
Perhaps Governor Mills should find a replacement for Susie Collins!
Steven,
Defiance, to me, is not just resistance—it is liberation. It is reclaiming dignity from those who have tried to strip it away. I know this personally, having spent 47 years under the thumb of a narcissistic mother whose erratic, uncalculated, and irrational behavior mirrors what I now see unfolding on a national and global scale. I recognize the patterns, the gaslighting, the cruelty masked as strength, the endless rewriting of reality to fit a fragile ego.
My journey to break free from that oppression was long and grueling, but it taught me something essential: liberation is possible. Not through compliance. Not through waiting for the abuser to change. But through seeing the truth, refusing to participate in the distortion, and reclaiming my own power, step by step.
I see my country wrestling with this same fight. Germany has lived through the consequences of unchecked authoritarianism. The lessons of our past are carved into our laws, our institutions, our very language. And yet, even here, I fear. I fear how close we are to slipping again. How people underestimate what is happening. How they assume the structures will hold because they want to believe in stability more than they want to see the truth.
That is what makes this moment so dangerous—not just in the U.S., but everywhere. The trauma of authoritarianism works the same way whether it is inflicted on an individual or a nation. It isolates. It instills doubt. It makes people question their own reality until they surrender to it. That is what I fought to escape, and that is why I refuse to look away now.
Defiance, then, is more than just resisting Trump or his enablers. It is about refusing to let the trauma they inflict define us. It is about restoring dignity, refusing to accept oppression as normal, and fighting—not just to remove one man, but to dismantle the entire system of coercion, control, and dehumanization that allowed him to rise in the first place.
What have I done to push back? I tell my story. I speak about dignity, about what oppression truly means. I refuse to let the voices of those who understand this firsthand be drowned out by those who still think this is just politics as usual.
Am I encouraged? I want to be. I see acts of resistance—Gov. Mills standing her ground, journalists refusing to soften the truth, everyday people finding small ways to say no. And yet, I see the old power structures still clinging to a reality that no longer exists, still trying to manage the crisis rather than confronting its full truth.
What happens when Trump refuses court rulings? That is the moment that will force the world to decide. The moment that will make clear whether people are truly ready to fight for democracy, or if they will simply watch as it slips away. I know what I will do. The question is: Who else will refuse to comply?
Jay
Beautifully said. Congratulations on your liberation and thanks for sharin it.
Kay, thank you. Liberation was never a single moment—it was a long, deliberate process of seeing clearly, choosing differently, and refusing to be shaped by what tried to break me. And that’s what I see now on a larger scale. The fight against authoritarianism, against coercion and dehumanization, isn’t just about survival—it’s about reclaiming dignity, agency, and truth. I appreciate you being here in this conversation.
YET ANOTHER woman standing up to Trump. he obviously wasn't expecting it, then just blustered like the school yard bully he is.
I'm getting ready to go look like the defiance. headed to a protest rally in my small town. 40 degrees, but we're showing up any way,
Joining together to voice our dissent is important to show defiance but it's also therapeutic for our own protection against cynicism & isolation. I attended a rally against Musk at the Tesla dealership nearby today and 300 protestors showed up with signs and enthusiasm that was returned by many of the drivers passing by! I have attended protests in the past and earlier this week but many said today was their first time and they were glad that they had done so🎉🎉
Yay!!! We cannot be silent. Showing up is 80% of the battle. And great that there are first timers. 300 at my town demonstration, and this is in a small town in ruby red country. Across the country, the numbers will add up.
Good for you!!!!
Caution to go with the enthusiasm, friends: don't give the mango excrescence any excuse to invoke martial law. Keep it peaceful. Check my post of today: start singing We Shall Overcome. Catchy tune; lots of good verses. And it carries a lot of power. https://redbirdsroost.substack.com/p/we-shall-overcome
No one will EVER VOTE FOR ELON MUSK!!!
Or as I like to call him, Melon Husk. When the hell will he be forcibly deported?!?
He is actually a rabid MuskRat
musk: a greasy secretion with a powerful odor (American Heritage Dictionary attributing the definition to Sanskrit - testicle or scrotum. Therefore a Stink Bag)
Oh, sure, blame the innocent musk-rats!
lol!
I like to think of him as Mush!
Muck.
Muck Fusk!
I actually meant Mush! His face is kinda Mushy. But Muck works too!
I don’t have a plan—yet, anyway—but am trying to take action in various ways and considering my steps….Joined a protest march in my hometown on Jan. 18 (but not the one at my state capital). Am exploring alternatives to MSM. Am weaning myself from Amazon and next paycheck will open an account with Costco. Have passed on info about the February 28 boycott and plan to participate. Have written/called my politicians—the “5 Calls” app is great! Also emailed Gov. Mills for standing up to Trump. I think it’s really important to show support for the courageous ones! I support candidates when I can. I talk a lot with my brother and sister-in-law about all that’s going on, in hopes of getting a little sleep later. Also keeping tabs on the lawsuits and protests and other actions across the country, which reminds me that the lights are still on in a lot of places out there. My point is not what I’M doing, but to encourage every person who is concerned about what’s going on to find their own way to oppose this coup that is upon us now. If we don’t shine our lights, no matter how small, then we will truly end up in the dark. It’s up to us, the people. It always has been.
As he imagines other heads of state calling him “sir,” I’m certain he fantasizes citizens of the U.S. calling him “sire.” We must take to the streets, torches and pitchforks in hand, and protest King Donald’s and President Musk’s extra-Constitutional actions and continue until they (and Vance and Patel, et al, are vanquished. I only wish there were some way to get rid of them before the midterms.
Sing. https://redbirdsroost.substack.com/p/we-shall-overcome
I'm putting my faith in the American people who stand up for our Democracy, the number is growing each day. Men like Illinois Gov. Pritzker in his recent inspirational speech, and women like Gov. Mills who displayed the courage to look the demented dictator in the eyes, and call him out like no one has had the courage to do so far. If we need inspiration to do the same, I'm with her! My advice to our first dictator, attack women at your own peril you pathetic small man.
I can be a better leader than this orange goofball.
Walt Disney’s Goofy can be a better leader. On top of it all, remember he’s a shit businessman!
Pardon my lousy manners!
It’s fine! Nobody’s perfect!
Speak for yourself ! 🤪
I like your style, Chicklet! 😃
Thanks anyway!
*C-H-E-K-L-A-T. Autocorrect?
I'm heartened by the reports of the crowds turning out for town halls this week, asking hard questions of their congresspersons and making their anger and frustration known. And by the recently fired civil servants who are telling their stories. I'm sharing those stories on social media and encourage everyone to do so where possible. The sleeping public needs to be awakened (woke!) to the pain and suffering caused by this plundering administration.
I expect the USPS ever changing story will eventually hit the fan too.
DeJoy has already broken the post office. In rural Indiana, many of us are not getting our packages, or the packages are spending 2-3 weeks in a facility in Indianapolis. People who get their medications by mail are waiting for those packages. The Indiana delegation has protested to the Post Office, but I worry that this mess will be used as "evidence" for Trump's illegal move. (I wish that the media would call it illegal instead of treating it as inevitable.) DeJoy did not want to send the packages to rural area until a significant number accumulated. He closed sorting centers. He consolidated. Supposedly, it saves money. I doubt it, but the post office is a government service, not a money generating entity.
Don’t feel special. 😊 it is everywhere - not always at the same time. We’re having bouts of the same thing. Hawley was browbeating DeJoy in a committee meeting over it. You are absolutely correct. It is the old strategy. Suck the life out of something, stomp on it and then say — “Look it’s broken. They are so incompetent.” It is a service as you say & the only one that must deliver letters & parcels everywhere to everyone.
This can’t be legal because it violates the 1970 Act that restructured the USPS.
However in the past SCOTUS ruled Congress had the power but *did not have to operate a postal service*. 😱 I suppose that is the route to privatizing. Because it does it must follow the Constitution regarding free speech etc. (per https://constitution.findlaw.com/article1/annotation38.html)
Maybe it’s 2 birds with one stone thing. Lawrence O’Donnell had the ‘breaking news’ when WaPo first reported in the middle of his segment. He first talked about how popular mail in ballots are and why. Then he said think about that as I read this breaking news to you.
- So my questions begin with would there be a privatized USPS? If so would it answer to Congress? Have to deliver to everyone? Be able to limit what you may send?
Privatizing has been a long-time Republican dream, which is why the post office was forced to fully fund pensions for each employee, as that would make it more attractive to private interests but also put an enormous financial strain on the post office. I think that requirement has been rescinded. Trump has had his eye on the post office, as you suggest, to destroy mail-in voting. However, I suspect that people who oppose reproductive rights will want to limit what drugs can be shipped.
As the post office problems hit the rural areas hardest--areas that overwhelmingly voted for Trump--this issue needs to be more widely broadcast. I'm not surprised that it is an issue in Missouri. I hope we will hear from people in other states as well.
Yup. Maybe the biggest reason many of the GOP are quiet. They have donors etc. who want this stuff. Easier to let the Orange Felon do it. (Like cut delivery days in rural areas.)
75 years in advance on the pensions. Biden signed a reform bill in 2022. Yes, a lot of damage was already done while creating a big fat piggy bank waiting to be robbed. https://apwu.org/postal-service-reform-act-2022
It looks like the employees knew bad things were coming. A retirement incentive the unions agreed to this year: https://apwu.org/news/voluntary-early-retirement-incentives/apwu-and-usps-agree-one-time-retirement-incentive-early
I really meant everywhere. I live on the outskirts of a Metro area. Population over 700,000. Mail - especially packages - stack up at the main distribution hub for 2-3 weeks. It’s the result of reducing capacity to the point where any hiccup in the system snowballs.
Under the Biden administration DOJ issued a memo saying mifepristone and misoprostol have multiple uses & intent was unknown for those items when sent and received, so the Comstock Act did not apply. I figured the ‘new’ DOJ would change it. May not have had time yet.
You're so right Ann! What a mess.
Defiance is Mazie Hirono, Tammy Duckworth, Elizabeth Warren, Tina Smith and Patty Murray voting NO on Trump's nominees. Their vociferous questioning of those nominees in the committees they are on give me hope - unlike those who are interviewed on television (both Men and Women Senators) who say they are fighting Trump, but vote for his deplorables.