A request from an old DU'er (me!) Stop saying "they're trying to destroy the country"

[hamsterjill]

Hell yes, they are purposely trying to destroy the country. That's what Trump has intended all along. We should no longer be surprised by that. Yes, it's truly unbelievable! But it is happening right in front of our eyes.

So, let's accept THAT part, stop dwelling on the surprise, and figure out a way to combat it! The days of innocence are over.

We are literally in a war for the fight for our way of life. We have got to accept that and act accordingly.

And before any sanctimonious person complains - NO, I am not advocating violence. I'm just asking that we accept the current circumstances and figure out what we are going to do about it. The protests are a start as long as they remain respectful and peaceful. The town halls are awesome where constituents are making demands and insisting on being heard. Countering lies and mistruths on social media with facts and truth is a good way.

But we need more ACTION!!!

[bucolic_frolic]

1. There are days I think

Trump is jerking with everyone's emotions. Make them go up, make them plunge. He's all with Putin, but still supplying Ukraine. Tariffs are the greatest, until he reduces them. He's creating maximum fear on the economy, the institutions, science, but some get rehired, and I'll bet there will be more. He's not going to obey any courts, but he's starting to cave.

He's destroying western civilization, almost making himself into a demon, until time rolls by, he softens on many policies while preaching harsh measures to MAGA. Then, by election day 2028, Trump is sweet as one of his German apple strudels.

We are being played. But it's still good for us to make noise. That may be why things don't seem so sticky as they did 6 weeks ago. Managing public opinion by tanking it, giving it time to rebound at the most propitious moment, is a politician's skill. I'm not saying he'll win or be successful at it, but I wonder if it fits what's going on.

[Maru Kitteh]

3. "That may be why things don't seem so sticky as they did 6 weeks ago." I'm sorry, but . . WUT?

Have you been like, very very busy for the last 6 weeks?

[maxsolomon]

2. They're crippling the Fedrul Gubmint with a machete. Just hacking at it, firing anyone they can.

There are a lot of short-sighted, mean-spirited, willfully ignorant Mericans who are going to applaud that.

Hyperbolic declarations ("they're trying to destroy the country&quot are just too ambiguous to translate into concrete impacts on the great mass of American - as long as the SS checks keep flowing.

The bureaucracy will be decimated before the majority of the public understands what the impact will be.

[usonian]

4. How to fight back: charting opposition to the actions of the Trump administration (repost)

Previously posted in: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10114001

There are organizations fighting today for democracy.
https://christinapagel.substack.com/p/how-to-fight-back-charting-opposition


From the article:

Last week I wrote a post where I grouped 69 actions taken by the Trump administration since the 20th January inauguration into five broad domains consistent with authoritarian or proto-authoritarian states and charted these on a Venn Diagram. Since then I’ve updated the list to 76 actions and have investigated which actions are associated with any coordinated opposition. All 76 actions, links to news stories on them, the date they started, and any opposition are listed in this google sheet (worksheet “Actions with links”).

Despite the administration being less than a month old, about half of all the 76 actions are being opposed in some coordinated way, and about a quarter have had legal action taken against them. Some lawsuits have already resulted in temporary or preliminary injunctions (e.g. ending birthright citizenship or ending USAID). There are lot of people and a lot of organisations doing a lot of things.

skip

For individuals wishing to get involved it might be supporting organisations already leading the fights; joining local grassroots organisations to support local communities and build awareness; or working with sectors with less experience or legal protections to build an advocacy platform. Finally of course there is electoral pressure - local and national congressional races matter.

This is not the work of months, but years, perhaps decades, both in the US and abroad. Within countries, the civil rights and labour movements have shown us that it can be done and how to do it. The international organisations established after the second world war show us it can be done on regional and global scales.

GO FOR IT.

If you want to participate individually, here is a "switchboard" of sites that list current
PROTESTS, RALLIES & DIRECT ACTION EVENTS
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10113922

Please find something in your area, share it here and elsewhere, and support organizations mentioned above who are staffed and trained to do battle with wannabe autocrats.

And please do not feed the oligarchs. Bernie calls them out by name. Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg.

[Fullduplexxx]

5. Right and while you're at it stop calling a midterms they're Congressional elections

[mucholderthandirt]

6. They're not trying, they've succeeded. It's a done deal at this point...

with two years before any hope to win enough seats to take some control.

We might as well face it, the America most of us hoped to see continue, even with her faults, is done. It will take years to rebuild the trust of our allies and the respect of our enemies, and that's on top of putting back things Trump, et.al., have ruined.

[JCMach1]

7. In the coming struggle we will need both Martin and Malcolm's approaches

To protest. Let's not kid ourselves, we are in a fight against fascism.

[elocs]

8. An old DUer or a DUer that's old? There's a difference.

I'll be going to the nationwide Hands Off rally this weekend and will be wearing my Anonymous/V for Vendetta mask.

[hamsterjill]

9. How about both? LOL

I’ve been on DU over 20 years and I’m in my sixties!

Good for you for taking action!!!

[elocs]

10. Very true. Next year will be 20 years for me and I am 72. I got old when I wasn't looking.

But fortunately for me I am in better shape now than I likely was 20 years ago with no aches or pains or illnesses. So I'm as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth.

[hamsterjill]

11. That's awesome!

I just retired and one of my goals is to work on getting into better shape. I'm trying to work on stress, but with this political climate, I'm not sure I can be very successful. But I am going to try!