Lately i have been preoccupied with the new political situation in this country. All my alarm bells are on. So much of what is happening here is reminiscent of what happened in Germany decades before i was born. I grew up with parents who were, up to the end of their lives, shocked and terrified by what had happened to their country and their people—don’t forget, the Jews were Germans too before Hitler decided to attack and scapegoat them. Not many had seen it coming or taken the signs seriously.
It took Germany as a nation about 70 years to recover from the unspeakable. This unspeakable happened because the first signs were not taken seriously. Most people could not imagine atrocities of the order Hitler conceived of and powered through with his rule of terror. By the time the German people realized that this was not a temporary show of power but the new horrid reality, there was no room for an influential opposition anymore. Youth had been infiltrated with ideas of heroism that were taken straight from mythical material and put into a context to serve the Nazi agenda.
Today, we know more than people did in 1933. I hope that in this country we collectively do not allow a similar tyranny to happen. The time to make sure of this is NOW.
I don’t think we have a choice. We have to rise and resist, and it has to happen now, before the trap closes and leaves us without room to act. Without freedom. Threatens our lives and those of the people we love and respect, and all life on the planet. Puts this country on the map as a place that is responsible for atrocities that seem to belong to the era of the old testament or the inquisition. Sacrifices our planet to greed.
I have gathered some material from different sources for you if you are interested to learn more about how to resist. Please pick an activity that suits your personality and join in saying NO.
To read about strategies to resist visit http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/stop-trump-10-point-strategy/
Join, donate, support, participate
Set up automatic monthly donations to organizations that resist, such as Greenpeace, NRDC, or Planned Parenthood. Get their newsletters. Support the ACLU and their Constitutional Defense Fund. Most of us can give at least $10 a month, a small amount for you that can make a big difference if we all chip in.
Here is a list to help you become active, compiled by Mark Morford, with some additions.
Indivisible Guide: “A practical guide for resisting the Trump agenda.” Former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen.
The Action Network: The Left’s not-so-secret weapon. Essential organizing tools for progressives. “More than 650 women’s marches in more than 50 countries were organized using the site’s tools, according to the network’s own data.”
The 65: Essential list of actionable issues for the 65 million who didn’t vote Orange, and the millions of others who will, very soon, really regret doing so.
Swing Left: Aiming at the House. Because the 2018 mid-terms are coming fast
5calls.org: Five calls a day to make your voice heard. Specific names, numbers, scripts you can use right now. —— Calling seemed to be a good idea but alternative facts now rule at the White House. On February 7, 2017, when the comment period of the Environmental Impact Study for the Dakota Access Pipeline was abruptly closed 2 weeks early the President claimed that he had not received one single call about the Dakota Access Pipeline.
EarthJustice.org: Because the earth needs a good lawyer.
Daily Action: This one couldn’t be simpler: “Text the word DAILY to the number 228466 (A-C-T-I-O-N). You’ll be prompted to enter your ZIP code and that’s it—you’re signed up. You will subsequently receive one text message every workday about an issue that we have determined to be urgent based on where you live. You tap on the phone number in your message, listen to a short recording about that day’s issue, and from there you’ll be automatically routed to your Senator, member of Congress, or other relevant elected official.” Boom.
One.org
Resistance Manual: Open-source Wiki covering the most pressing issues, updated regularly.
Run For Something: Consider running for a local office.
SecureDrop: Directory of anonymous online drop points set up by various news orgs for safe sharing of insider information. This is where you go when you have the tapes, the docs, the leaks that will bring down the rancid fascist demons. You listening, members of EPA, USDA, HDD, NASA, Trump’s staff, et al?
ProPublica: Journalism in the public interest. Re-dedicated to fighting Trump’s idiotic “alterative facts,” and beyond. (Facebook)
Rogue Twitter accounts: On Tuesday there were 14, now as of this writing there are more than 50, in the first week alone. This is how bad it is. NASA, HHS, EPA, FDA, national parks, you name it – they’re all tweeting the scariest thing of all in the Age of Trump: Facts.
And these are scientists. With PhDs. Creating a sudden swarm of anonymous (“rogue”) Twitter accounts representing their agencies, in response to Trump’s threats and overt muzzling of fact, funding and scientific research.
Are they all legit? Who’s running them? Can they be trusted? No way to know, yet. But so far, they’re all kinds of amazing, and seem to be one hell of a potent counter-attack. After all, no one said the rebellion wouldn’t be a little messy… and hugely ironic, given Trump’s fetish for tweeting hateful bulls–t. Follow them all.
Signal (app) – Private, secure, untraceable text messaging. Ideal for muzzled/threatened federal workers, scientists, aides, muckrakers, journalists and, of course, Russian hookers who might have video of themselves peeing on/in front of the president in a Moscow hotel. Reporters are standing by.
Women’s March: 10 Actions in 100 Days
Don’t you know? The rally was just the beginning. It’s now a global movement. Join it.
News & Guts: Dan Rather, the legendary veteran reporter who posted one of the better, more frightening viral commentaries on FB few days ago, has launched a media production company. He is 85 years old and an excellent example of resilience. Absolutely worth following. Also on Facebook.
Charity Navigator: Guide to intelligent giving.
Photo: this photo was taken at the Women’s March on January 21, 2017 in Oakland.
© Eva Ruland, January 2017
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