Email, call, write Congress and Senators. I wrote my Congresswoman every day for a month to become more visible and speak out (she was quiet and could not be found). I've seen her on the news 2x in 2 weeks and she just held a town hall. Work in supporting voting and polling. Help distribute info on local candidates and support them in any way possible. Donate to causes, if possible, especially if one can't do anything else due to time constrictions or physical disabilities. Support independent media like Michael and others who have information and are spreading the word. Post and restack articles and links to crucial information and search important terms (Epstein, Maxwell, voting rights, etc.)- algorithms and statistics will pick it up. Indivisible says to organize local events. Work/general strikes, continued protests, economic blackouts (look what happened to Tesla and Target!), more boycotts and sit-ins should be next on the agenda. These were successfully used in other protests. After Rosa Parks was arrested, transportation boycotts were successfully carried out and laws changed. The white south despised it but the campaigns continued. Hippies protested and held sit-ins, eventually changing the Viet Nam War and led to Nixon's stepping down. I was young but I remember hearing about how the atrocities were exposed because hippies attracted the attention of journalists. My grandmother picketed pharmacies with the Gray Panthers, to lower drug costs for seniors, and it worked! These were VERY specific targets for VERY specific purposes. We need to think about what affects THIS regime, THIS WH (which is why Newsom is mocking them). The American Revolutionaries put up with at least 9 years of King George's nonsense (an easy read is King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You about the American Revolution). Sorry for the rant, but I used to ask that question, and now I do everything I can. We can't do everything, but we can do something. Eventually, patience wears thin. In this day and age, it will take a lot less time to get to that point, one that most of us would like to avoid :(
Thanx. I have done most of that (yes, back in 1973 too). But one point you make has apparently slipped by most people: "very specific targets." Back then we protested way too many things at the same rallies, causing the movement to fragment & die out. This made room for the Christofascists to move in & chip away at Roe, which they successfully did. (Back in the '90s I actually found some written information on their secret gatherings, but nobody I told would treat it seriously.) We DO have to concentrate on ONE thing--squashing THEIR influence, not acting like protests are a costume party or a contest for who has the cleverest sign.
Roslyn, thank you for that clever and fun idea! I wish I knew enough people of like minds to do that.
In the 1960s, as teenage students, we held hootenannies and felt the communion of caring souls as we sang the songs and listened to some lovely solos and ensembles as well all evening in that very emotionally motivating environment. It was both hushed and strong, calming yet moving, and at least for me, it felt like we were doing something. In those years and beyond, we shed a lot of tears over Life Magazine’s coverage of lost lives, sacrificed in Vietnam. As time went on, we lost many of our own classmates. I do not know if having the hootensnnies made a difference beyond the difference it made for those of us there, but the fact that we had them remains precious and meaningful. Everybody there shared the great concern, and we knew we were not alone. We also sang freedom songs for people being mistreated in the south.
Today is it a different in many ways, one of them being that many people we care about and must be around, do not share our ideas. Further, there are people we do not know who do not share our ideas, and there are many people whose ideas are known to us, whether we know them or not, and they are proud to have guns. It seems that guns, hot tempers, and opposing ideas are an unhealthy combination. I pray that this serious situation and its horrendous and uncalled for side effects will pass soon. I pray for the safety and freedom of all people and for caring. Beyond all of this, we must stop mistreatments and deportations which are so prominent now and are based only on hatreds and lies.
That's the thing, JP--where is our Bob Dylan? Where is our Phil Ochs? Where is our inspiration? Back in the sixties, people were dying, so action was urgently needed. Well guess what? People are dying now, & will keep dying. But half the population either thinks this is OK or doesn't give a damn? That's pretty dispiriting. What we need is organizers--moderate-ish with spirit, like Ossoff & O'Rourke, but at the local level. A LOT of them.
I used to say "If you don't like what your government is doing, run for office." But do you remember what happened after the Vietnam war ended? Watergate. That's when everybody started hating the government instead of being the government. Who wants to be part of something everybody hates?
Roslyn, somehow, we need to make our government be what we want and need, a government of us, for us, and by us, being The People of the United States of America. We all need to feel and really be a part of it, and we need to care about each other and work together instead of working against each other.
Bullies try to control people, isolate them, set them against each other, and inflate their images in order to gain power. That seems cowardly in reality because they are not strong enough to do good and care about helping make lives better, at least as I see it at the moment.
Yes, I would love the music organizers at local levels, too. Everybody who wants to take part as a group could have heart and soul in it, and the good feelings would spread.
Why do all people not realize that every life being tortured, ruined, or taken is important?
Every life is important. I do think some lives need to be redirected if possible because nobody should bully or cause harm. However, I don’t know how to change that.
Ah, that is the sentiment: the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. So sad to see what is happening today.
Roslyn, thank you for thinking in terms of what we can do. Some people are trying to have an opposing Congressional candidate on the ballot in places where there was no opposition last time.
What else can we do, Michael? When we do not know many people in these later years, and many of them do not think as we do, that is a challenge.
Roslyn, yes, that is exactly what I have seen. In fact I have seen it many times on the same ballot! The machine which accepts The paper balance used to push it back out at everything was not marked. It would only take it after the person running the machine would point out that we didn’t mark everything and check to see if that was intentional. That fax could be considered a kindness. It could also be considered less of a secret ballot which we are guaranteed.
Hi. I'm a senior who was NEVER political until 2016. I stepped up my game in the last 8 months, never thinking that HE who deserves to remain nameless would NEVER get back into office. I convinced 3 Republican family members not to vote for this guy. Most of my immediate family is Republican, with a few of us Independent or Democrat. It seems like SO little, but I'm picking people off one by one by using selective information that appeals to them (i.e.. what they hate that the WH is doing). My hope is that THEY will turn it around with people that they know. Also, please see my post above for more ideas. I have learned these ideas from other proactive Substack people. If everybody can do ONE thing or more, we can move forward. :)
Michael it's so hard to believe you were with trump. I'm so glad you're out of it! It doesn't seem like you'd be a friend of his. Oh well. You got through it in that awful place he put you in. I think he was afraid of you, actually!!!
I was at a doctor’s office with an aging friend where I could see you testifying back then. Not having television service, and because of everything going on, I was totally attentive and was hoping for the best for you. It is wonderful that you have this form of broadcasting. Thank you. It means so much!
Michael, I’m so sorry you went through that and that anybody goes through it. Thank you for all you share. I am glad to hear about the respectful, polite people.
Thank you guys for all of your Truth and for not baking down, despite possibly being the next one “indicted” for some made up crimes. We appreciate you and need your energy to keep from giving up the fight.
That's what I have always heard about cops - that they can find something to arrest you for if they want to: Not enough ID or money in your pocket, loitering... something. I can absolutely believe that it's true about the FBI.
Thats the problem right there! When the Supreme Court gave him the power!!!
I'm still mad at Ruth Bader Ginsburg for not resigning when she should have.
OK, so we have to grow our base. And then we have to do something right now. So what would that something be?
Email, call, write Congress and Senators. I wrote my Congresswoman every day for a month to become more visible and speak out (she was quiet and could not be found). I've seen her on the news 2x in 2 weeks and she just held a town hall. Work in supporting voting and polling. Help distribute info on local candidates and support them in any way possible. Donate to causes, if possible, especially if one can't do anything else due to time constrictions or physical disabilities. Support independent media like Michael and others who have information and are spreading the word. Post and restack articles and links to crucial information and search important terms (Epstein, Maxwell, voting rights, etc.)- algorithms and statistics will pick it up. Indivisible says to organize local events. Work/general strikes, continued protests, economic blackouts (look what happened to Tesla and Target!), more boycotts and sit-ins should be next on the agenda. These were successfully used in other protests. After Rosa Parks was arrested, transportation boycotts were successfully carried out and laws changed. The white south despised it but the campaigns continued. Hippies protested and held sit-ins, eventually changing the Viet Nam War and led to Nixon's stepping down. I was young but I remember hearing about how the atrocities were exposed because hippies attracted the attention of journalists. My grandmother picketed pharmacies with the Gray Panthers, to lower drug costs for seniors, and it worked! These were VERY specific targets for VERY specific purposes. We need to think about what affects THIS regime, THIS WH (which is why Newsom is mocking them). The American Revolutionaries put up with at least 9 years of King George's nonsense (an easy read is King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You about the American Revolution). Sorry for the rant, but I used to ask that question, and now I do everything I can. We can't do everything, but we can do something. Eventually, patience wears thin. In this day and age, it will take a lot less time to get to that point, one that most of us would like to avoid :(
Thanx. I have done most of that (yes, back in 1973 too). But one point you make has apparently slipped by most people: "very specific targets." Back then we protested way too many things at the same rallies, causing the movement to fragment & die out. This made room for the Christofascists to move in & chip away at Roe, which they successfully did. (Back in the '90s I actually found some written information on their secret gatherings, but nobody I told would treat it seriously.) We DO have to concentrate on ONE thing--squashing THEIR influence, not acting like protests are a costume party or a contest for who has the cleverest sign.
Roslyn, thank you for that clever and fun idea! I wish I knew enough people of like minds to do that.
In the 1960s, as teenage students, we held hootenannies and felt the communion of caring souls as we sang the songs and listened to some lovely solos and ensembles as well all evening in that very emotionally motivating environment. It was both hushed and strong, calming yet moving, and at least for me, it felt like we were doing something. In those years and beyond, we shed a lot of tears over Life Magazine’s coverage of lost lives, sacrificed in Vietnam. As time went on, we lost many of our own classmates. I do not know if having the hootensnnies made a difference beyond the difference it made for those of us there, but the fact that we had them remains precious and meaningful. Everybody there shared the great concern, and we knew we were not alone. We also sang freedom songs for people being mistreated in the south.
Today is it a different in many ways, one of them being that many people we care about and must be around, do not share our ideas. Further, there are people we do not know who do not share our ideas, and there are many people whose ideas are known to us, whether we know them or not, and they are proud to have guns. It seems that guns, hot tempers, and opposing ideas are an unhealthy combination. I pray that this serious situation and its horrendous and uncalled for side effects will pass soon. I pray for the safety and freedom of all people and for caring. Beyond all of this, we must stop mistreatments and deportations which are so prominent now and are based only on hatreds and lies.
That's the thing, JP--where is our Bob Dylan? Where is our Phil Ochs? Where is our inspiration? Back in the sixties, people were dying, so action was urgently needed. Well guess what? People are dying now, & will keep dying. But half the population either thinks this is OK or doesn't give a damn? That's pretty dispiriting. What we need is organizers--moderate-ish with spirit, like Ossoff & O'Rourke, but at the local level. A LOT of them.
I used to say "If you don't like what your government is doing, run for office." But do you remember what happened after the Vietnam war ended? Watergate. That's when everybody started hating the government instead of being the government. Who wants to be part of something everybody hates?
Roslyn, somehow, we need to make our government be what we want and need, a government of us, for us, and by us, being The People of the United States of America. We all need to feel and really be a part of it, and we need to care about each other and work together instead of working against each other.
Bullies try to control people, isolate them, set them against each other, and inflate their images in order to gain power. That seems cowardly in reality because they are not strong enough to do good and care about helping make lives better, at least as I see it at the moment.
Yes, I would love the music organizers at local levels, too. Everybody who wants to take part as a group could have heart and soul in it, and the good feelings would spread.
Why do all people not realize that every life being tortured, ruined, or taken is important?
Every life is important. I do think some lives need to be redirected if possible because nobody should bully or cause harm. However, I don’t know how to change that.
Ah, that is the sentiment: the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. So sad to see what is happening today.
Agent #99. thank you so much! Your sharing could help a lot if people.
Roslyn, thank you for thinking in terms of what we can do. Some people are trying to have an opposing Congressional candidate on the ballot in places where there was no opposition last time.
What else can we do, Michael? When we do not know many people in these later years, and many of them do not think as we do, that is a challenge.
This is an important point. In every election I see at least one unopposed candidate on the ballot...& it's usually a Republican!
Roslyn, yes, that is exactly what I have seen. In fact I have seen it many times on the same ballot! The machine which accepts The paper balance used to push it back out at everything was not marked. It would only take it after the person running the machine would point out that we didn’t mark everything and check to see if that was intentional. That fax could be considered a kindness. It could also be considered less of a secret ballot which we are guaranteed.
Hi. I'm a senior who was NEVER political until 2016. I stepped up my game in the last 8 months, never thinking that HE who deserves to remain nameless would NEVER get back into office. I convinced 3 Republican family members not to vote for this guy. Most of my immediate family is Republican, with a few of us Independent or Democrat. It seems like SO little, but I'm picking people off one by one by using selective information that appeals to them (i.e.. what they hate that the WH is doing). My hope is that THEY will turn it around with people that they know. Also, please see my post above for more ideas. I have learned these ideas from other proactive Substack people. If everybody can do ONE thing or more, we can move forward. :)
Thank you, Agent #99!
Our President is a wannabe mob boss.
He is a mob boss.
Michael it's so hard to believe you were with trump. I'm so glad you're out of it! It doesn't seem like you'd be a friend of his. Oh well. You got through it in that awful place he put you in. I think he was afraid of you, actually!!!
I was at a doctor’s office with an aging friend where I could see you testifying back then. Not having television service, and because of everything going on, I was totally attentive and was hoping for the best for you. It is wonderful that you have this form of broadcasting. Thank you. It means so much!
Someone has to stop him Michael!!!!
All of the things I thought were good, like most judges, are not. Why is everything so crooked!!!
We need you too❤️
Horrific!
Michael, I’m so sorry you went through that and that anybody goes through it. Thank you for all you share. I am glad to hear about the respectful, polite people.
You’re and Lev’s insight is invaluable. Thanks for sharing your experiences
B
B
Thank you guys for all of your Truth and for not baking down, despite possibly being the next one “indicted” for some made up crimes. We appreciate you and need your energy to keep from giving up the fight.
That's what I have always heard about cops - that they can find something to arrest you for if they want to: Not enough ID or money in your pocket, loitering... something. I can absolutely believe that it's true about the FBI.
Michael and Lev, we are listening, please be assured. I read the descriptions you mention back in 2015. Why did other people not read?
Yes I agree!!