Millions of individuals would never assemble across the nation, forming hundreds of NO KINGS rallies, to show how they hate America. Only love does that.
By mislabeling Saturday’s “No Kings Day” rallies as “Hate America” protests will actually increase the size of the rallies as we all realize how important it is to show up rather than to watch our local rallies on the news. In a small town, such as mine, being with my neighbors who wish to save democracy forges us into a more stronger cohesive unit.
The Trump gang and its sycophants are causing us to re-examine how important the original intent of the constitution is. Now you, me and everyone who shows up are showing our defiance to the Republican machine. The Trump wing of what was once the Republican party are further alienating those who considered themselves to be “in the middle“ in terms of committing to either side. I can’t believe how incredibly stupid these people are.
Marc, they are also scared and hope that if they don't get involved, they won't be harmed if Trump goes further off the deep end. Alas, they are wrong because they will be easy targets for the hate and resentment.
Yes Marc! I feel that too. When we come together in our towns and communities, it reminds us that democracy isn’t just an idea, it’s a living relationship we build with one another. Standing side by side with neighbors, we rediscover a shared strength that goes deeper than politics. These gatherings remind me that the power to protect what matters most begins in our local circles of care and courage.
I will join the true patriots in Ironwood, Michigan once again to raise the sound of joy, brotherhood, peace and freedom to the best of my ability! Also bringing a citizens' petition to include ranked choice voting on the ballot next year!
They're very upset and scared because they thought all their distractions would have stopped the protests of both 'No Kings" and Jeffrey Epstein files. It hasn't and trump and his idiot followers don't know how to handle it.
The clue on getting along is new Democrats committing to deliver solutions to core problems in America with transformational innovation to get elected in 2026 and 2028. There are two types of transformational innovation: beneficial and harmful. Beneficial transformational innovation is what made America great by being guided by the democratic federal government in the first 200 years of American history to create and sustain transformational innovation across the economy, government, science, technology, healthcare, knowledge, education, and business. But beginning in 1971, Republicans, corporations and the wealthy launched a massive, organized attack on democracy and the rule of law to create harmful transformational innovation in the economy, government, and rule of law that intentionally culminated in the Trump led insurrection forming a lawless, fascist autocracy as planned in Project 2025.
Democrats must commit to deliver transformational innovation to get elected in 2028. In 2025, the Nobel Prize in Economy was awarded for work based on research that analyzed history and explained how transformational innovation drove beneficial economic growth and a better standard of living in America for 200 years. The three noble laureates discovered the requirements to create and sustain beneficial transformational innovation. Read the press release and the cite article.
Stephen Paddock was outnumbered too. As was Patrick Wood Crusius.
The FBI we've depended on to gather and act on intel on those types of plots can no longer be depended upon. The violence-prone are listening to a leader who is telling them the nation is under attack from within. He told this in front of every major military leader.
They don't realize it, but I can be dangerous, too. So can most of us. All it takes is the right circumstances such as trying to traffick a family member or a friend. Then I'm Mama Bear...a polar bear, not a black bear.
Anthony, the ultimate goal is unity, as much as possible. Not everyone will be on board, but we can't afford to let perfection be the enemy of progress.
The ultimate goal should be the reinforcement of Individual initiative. Throughout history the greatest achievement has been articulated by individuals or small groups of people, not angry mobs.
I expect I live in a blue bubble. But most of the Republicans I encounter aren't hostile. I can only hope that the hostile ones are the loudest and in the smallest number.
Most information (both media, and education) has come under control of a small group of blue radicals, so much of the public is encouraged to believe a lot that isn't true. People live in their phone and have no idea what real people are even like anymore. Farmers and people who go to church have a different grasp of reality, and tend to be Republican
Yes! At No Kings 1, a lady was handing out small American flags and I was very glad to take one and wave it proudly. I bought a slightly larger one for this protest.
On January 6, 2021 I remember thinking "I want my flag back!" as I watched in horror as the rioters beat the police with their American flagpoles. I want to take it back as a symbol of love for my country, not a sign that I support the current regime in the White House.
President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan took to Fox News Thursday, where he threatened "bloodshed" over anti-ICE rhetoric. It is about the King.
Every single GOP accusation is a confession. As an aside, the fact that the "Christians" are on board with the MAGA coup is going to need addressing. Trump and his henchmen basically wipe their butts with pages torn out of the Bible, but it's all good? What's with that?
They hate so they assume everyone does. They can't understand the idea that others don't see things like they do. The end of their nose is the end of their understanding.
Thomas, truly I understand being sapped to the point of exhaustion , I do think that out of all of those that back trumpism, the majority do know right from wrong. even trump himself. They have allowed their brains to be so filled with fear, hate and evil they do not have the ability to think in the real world. Brain washing is easier than one thinks. But until trump and his band of traitors are removed from the public eye, it will take time to rehabilitate and some will never rehabilitated. And yes their state of mind does make them extremely dangerous and explosive. DEEP BREATHING DOES HELP
Yes Leslie! The exact reason! They are the hypocrites. They don't like the Constitution, they don't like anything about our country. Or the fact that another Nation was here before the English.
Their idea of making America "great again" is by taking it back to the 1700s when we were still ruled by the English monarchy. Magas didn't understand that's what trump meant at first, but then the brainwashing convinced them a king is better. There are kings in other countries. They can go there.
MAGA knows how much you hate them. MAGA knows we want the country back -- and they are not going to give it to us. MAGA does not see anyone outside their tribe as loving America -- no matter how much someone wants to tell themselves they do.
MAGA believes they are in a "revolution" against an invader -- and that this revolution could be "bloodless" -- with all the responsibility on the "Left."
Dr. King and other civil rights leaders PREPARED their people for violence. They knew who they were dealing with.
This is my worry, that the Administration will send ICE goons into the crowds to disrupt the protest with strong arm tactics, setting off a series of physical defensive reactions. That will give Trump the pretext to invoke The Insurrection Act on a nationwide scale. I have seen nothing from the organizers to prepare the marchers for this.
I go to bed every night with visions of The Freedom March in Birmingham scrolling through my head. Yes, I am old enough to have watched those scenes from Birmingham play out on the nightly news years ago! By labeling it the Hate America Protest, gives him permission from his followers to attack. I pray I am wrong!
There will be "Peacemakers", "De-escalators" at the Indivisible-50501 rallies looking for trouble makers and to keep things peaceful and assist in pedestrian and traffic control at intersections. Buffalo NY will have 60 from several organizations. Many Blue city police departments have good relationships with the various organizations like the League of Women Voters and will head off agitators. No King's 1.0 police kept MAGA trouble makers types blocks away. Keep it peaceful and have fun, this is a national community for a diverse democracy. We are all in this together, this is our country.
Yes, vocalizing my premonition is a way to tilt the balance in favor of me being wrong.
Something the widow said right after the killing still haunts me. "They don't know what they have unleashed." She sang a different tune at the death-a-palooza. But those first remarks brought these protests to mind.
The "ICE goons" are not far removed from the elements in and around January 6.
The leader of the Oath Keepers drew a nearly 20 year sentence, and he was never at the Capitol -- but a short distance away with a stockpile of AR-15s waiting on the call to bring them to the site. And those gallows -- work to construct them starting at 7 AM that morning.
Blowing away boats without provocation proves he's a murderer. Hundreds from the Florida site still missing without a trace.
oh no. Not intimidated. Just using fight flight or freeze. I refuse to run, I will not fight because that's what they want so I'll just freeze and play dead.
I'm convinced that 'they' will send in "agents provacateurs" (ICE) to disrupt and cause havoc as much as they can to get the - self defense - posture that they will call - criminal activity so that the 'Insurrection Act' will be """justifiably""" enacted ..
Because of my disabilities, I won't be attending, but WILL BE THERE IN SPIRIT !!!!!!!!
Look up "kettling" as was done at the G7 demonstrations for many years, and practice doing it on the ICE agents... You'll be outnumbering them by several hundred to one. Grab any one of them who fires a weapon.
It seems strange that any American would be against Making America Great Again.
Manufacturing puts more money into the economy than anything else, but Made in USA has become a thing of the past. Compelling the return of industry through tariffs is not enough, because it won't reconstruct the idea of community that once existed. Many small communities were once relatively self-sufficient, and even big cities were divided into distinct communities where people took care of each other within their own neighborhoods. Its too far past to remember when people were forced by an errant government to deal with other people in a manner that wasn't natural & neighbors quit talking to each other. Small towns fell apart as their livelihood was ripped away and sent off shore. Corporate power and control of media further disrupted society, and now information technology is poised for the total destruction of humanity. So, making America Great Again really is a wonderful idea, but we've gone too far in the wrong direction. Instead of going on a mass protest as if it works to demand the government will fix things, it may accomplish more by forming a reading group or starting a bridge club, and throwing your Smart phone in a river.
Hate is the psychotic child of fear and resentment. Trump created mass psychosis with his fear and hate mongering--and he specifically target those who harbor resentments. Be aware that fear and anger are contagious, and don't be intimidated!
No American with any sense hates what Trump does. People who live in their phone, or get all of their ideas from a controlled media think that Trump is doing something that he isn't.
I consider myself "American" to the extent I will know and defend our Constitution, which I did when I swore the oath of enlistment in our Navy.
Nobody who trashes and violates the letter of the Constitution and laws the way Trump has constantly done can possibly make America (or anything) "great again."
Your statement proves you to be brainwashed in the service of further hurting out country.
That's so true. Only haters hide behind masks, drop from helicopters to invade peoples' homes, lurk in courthouses, openly carry automatic rifles, yank people out of their cars ...
Only people who hate democracy tear it apart piece by piece. Only people who live in outhouses try to disguise their dwellings with gold do-dads.
Cathering, and scared people do all those things and try to hide their fear with hatred, probably because they hate being scared and have to put that hatred out there and focus it on someone who most likely does not deserve it.
A comment from another Leslie. What about wearing a sandwich sign that says on the front “we love America“, and on the back it says “stop hurting a country that we love”. Or a sign that says, “if you love America, Mr. Trump, why do you break so many laws that you have taken an oath to uphold?”
Or another that says, “ Mr. Trump, if you love America, why deprive millions of adequate healthcare? “ or another possibility, “Mr. Trump, do you really love your country? So far you only show love for money, power, and people who kiss your ass“.
Bob, this president only cares about himself and has no room to care about let alone love anyone else. It's too bad his cult doesn't u nderstand that. It will not get better because Trump's dementia is focusing his minimal awareness to himself and what he wants to do to get what he wants, and right now, it'S the Nobel Prize.
And starting a war in his own country isn't Peace Prize worthy. He thinks claiming he had something to do with any sort of agreement between Netanyahu and Hamas when he didn't. They both laugh at him, I'm sure. Saying he's stopped the Russia-Ukraine war because he blamed it all on Ukraine is just stupid. Trump is just stupid.
The Middle East and Trump's ego, oil and water. What our fearless leader is failing to see by his promoting the exchange of prisoners, is who they are. Netanyahu had almost 2,000 killers, murderers, and religious fanatics, who had sworn to Allah that they would give their lives to kill Christians and Jews. Trump's misplaced plan just released 2,000 individuals who will take great pleasure in repeating the slaughter that occured on 10/7. He saved 20 lives but how many did he sacrifice in the process. How many innocent people will be killed in the near future at the hands of those Trump so willingly released. Hamas took the hostages for the exact reason Trump just helped them to accomplish, the release of their fighters held in Isreali prisons. The slaughter is an on going blood bath that will never end, as long as religion rules the the Middle East.
That is true everywhere. Religion inspires fanatics. The worst wars in history are too often religious based. Now we have the same problem with Religious fanatics in this country, with Mike Johnson willing to throw American Democracy on the dumpster heap, because he believes that Christ's Kingdom will replace it. He has chosen the most amoral leader in America to be the usher of this Kingdom. God never works through evil. These evangelicals are such misguided souls!
Louise, you are right! Mikey's actions cannot be called Christian. He has far too much hate, fear, anger, and resentment. He is in a position he should never have been chosen for. He is supposed to be a law school graduate, but ignores the law and our Constitution. He needs to be removed from the post, but Republicans are not exactly courageous and will do nothing to make anything better.
Good point Don. But what would we expect from the man who released all of the Jan. 6th criminal traitors from jail the first day he was in office and then gave them jobs with ICE! Just saying... GH
If Hamas took the hostages to get back Palestinian prisoners, it's hard to believe they were successful since Hamas is out of power and Gaza is completely destroyed and their own innocents were killed by the thousands. It's hard to give trump credit, but ending the destruction of Gaza and getting back the remaining hostages is a good thing. As I wrote before, I just don't understand why trump is being so good to other countries while attacking America.
Margo, Trump is "being good" to only one country, Israel and that is so he can maybe get next year's Nobel Prize. The rest, he has saddled with extreme tariffs, has worked to wreck their economies, and in the case of Canada, he wants to take it over, OK, Greenland too. Trump is just and anti-American ignoramus!
The vile, putrid orange fuehrer is handing 20 BILLION dollars to his fascist cohort Milei in Argentina, to bail him out of his totally FAILED REICHwing austerity BS, while throwing the poor and seniors in this country out onto the streets to DIE with his own draconian cuts to life saving programs.
Of course, his scumbag POS, robber baron Bessent, and their psychotically greedy hedge fund/private equity oligarch henchmen will profit from that since they are all heavily vested in Argentina's economy.
"Margo, Trump is "being good" to only one country, Israel and that is so he can maybe get next year's Nobel Prize"
Well, I sure didn't work for this year; it was clear ol' Tiny Hands was trying to sway the Nobel Prize Committee with his supposed "negotiations" in the Middle East, and the Committee saw right through all this and justifiably spurned him.
Donald, I do not agree. It is Israel this time that has done enormous harm to a group of people nearly all of whom were innocent, large numbers were children, and from reports, some of those children shot in the head by Israeli guns. I can see that those hostages Israel took might be angry, but I suspect most of them just want to get back home with any family that is left and try to rebuild. The hatred of Palestinians is simply appalling and Israel's treatment for decades of Palestinians as inferiors, not worthy of life has encouraged violence against Israel. I keep wondering if Israel had worked a teeny bit harder for a 2-state solution to the insanity, something good could have come of it years ago, trading partners, a strong workforce for both nations and more. Instead, Muslims were set up as though they were animals, in the minds of Israelis. Palestinian Christians were also dismissed as irrelevant. Israel has one of the best intelligence networks in the world, but it couldn't follow up on the US reports of Hamas making plans. I can't help but think that Netanyahu didn't want Hamas stopped on Oct. 7th because he wanted an excuse to destroy the people of Gaza, a genocide while saying "never again" regarding the Holocaust, while treating Gazans as Jewish people were treated by the Nazis in Europe, on a smaller scale, of course. This is a terrible situation all around and Trump has done nothing to make it better. I think the world standing against Israel had a stronger impact and Trump's push was a good excuse.
Well put, Leslie. I'm convinced that the folks who claim to love America, actually hate it as a democracy. It appears to me that today's Republicans would *love* it as an autocracy or oligarchy. A pox on all their houses.
I work every Saturday, but I've found an early-morning rally in my north Texas neighborhood close to work. I will give what time I am able, with my rally sign. If I just had a frog costume!
Leslie, but alas, Republicans and their Donald and his worshipers don't know that the rally is not about hate on the part of the ralliers. For Trump and his toddler pool members, hate is strong and all-encompassing for them.
Hate is the psychotic child of fear and resentment. Trump's fear and hate mongering has created mass psychosis, and he specifically targeted those who harbor resentments. Oh, yes, he got plenty of help from Fox News. Be aware that fear and anger are contagious, and don't be intimidated.
Higgins my man, I hear the fear in your words and rightly so but what brings US out is love of country, not love of chaos. Like the old line goes, “ain’t no love in the heart of the city” unless neighbors make it: we’re showing up so families can keep their rituals, so votes still matter, so kids inherit more than our anxiety.
Dr. Reich, your frame is right: a peaceful, joyful, clear rededication. The folks yelling “hate-America” are the same ones pawning it off for parts; that’s not patriotism, that’s a yard sale. This is about kitchen-table power: fair maps, living wages, health care that doesn’t break us, and schools that feed minds instead of culture wars. We rally because democracy is how we pay the bills and set the table, together. www.xplisset.com.
At the first No Kings Rally (and at other rallies since that one, i have witnessed soulful, peaceful conversations between and among people who've never met before. I've seen humorous posters, and people laughing. I've seen dogs carrying posters on their backs. I've seen a community coming together, a community dedicated to wholesome values of kindness, generosity, respect, honesty, and compassion. We the People!!!
I was gobsmacked at the size of that first rally in south county St Louis. Ginormous. 2 or 3 times the size of what I thought would be a great showing. Emotionally moving and gave me more fatih in our citizens than you get reading all the doomsday stuff on the internet.
Zplisset--You miss read the contents hidden in my voice. I fear no one, and as long as I draw breath I will run to the fray if it means fighting for our Democracy.
Donald, I hear the steel in your words and I respect it. We need that kind of courage in this moment. My only hope is that our fight for democracy keeps its heart open even while our hands stay strong. Because if we lose our mercy, we’ll lose the very thing we’re fighting to save.
I hear you, Victor. Respect is the heartbeat of democracy but so is courage when respect gets twisted into silence. My folks taught me that peace isn’t just the absence of noise; it’s the presence of justice. We come together not just to agree, but to repair. That’s the kind of democracy worth marching for.
Robert: You summed it up perfectly: “We have a constitutional right to demonstrate”. It is obvious that Trump, MAGA and the Republican legislators will do everything they can to slander, criticise, disavow and rubbish the No King’s Day protest. The more people who protest the more pressure on Trump to respect our Constitution.
Susan: If he ignores the Constitution, which he took an oath to uphold that is disrespect. A leader sets the example and he is not setting a positive example. Thus, I do not consider Trump is a leader.
Elliot, I agree with everything you said. The only thing that I do not believe will ever happen is the orange man respecting our Constitution! He has never, ever done that.
Trump respects no boundaries. That is why this Saturday is such a dangerous moment. People need to be aware of this, and leave the baby strollers at home!
Johnson is a small Johnson and he is never truly happy. Trump is about as miserable as a human can be inside - and little Johnson is just as full of self loathing when he is alone
Mike Johnson is a religious fanatic, who believes that Trump is ushering in the Second Coming Of Christ. This is the belief of all these Christian Nationalists. They believe that in the ensuing chaos that Christ will establish his righteous government, therefore no need to preserve this one. He believes that he is one of the chosen! In other words, another Jim Jones. He most be removed from all power too, making the Midterms even more important! Religious Fanatics are so dangerous and all those Mega Church evangelical preachers have bought in to this narrative many out of greed for money and power! Don't underestimate the power these fanatics weld.
My response — as an atheist— is holy Jesus! How did Christians allow their church to become so perverted? These so-called men of the cloth are essentially conman thieves stealing unabashedly from their own adherents. Trump is just riding on their coattails…
Then you see a true man of the cloth peacefully protesting and praying get pepper sprayed and then shot in the head with “nonlethals”.
John Fugelsang, who I see as an actual Christian, has some wonderfully meaty things to say about the perversion of the faith. Guess he'll get pepper sprayed soon? Also a comedian, his wit is pretty 'pepper spray'.
Yes! I've heard him talk about his parents. His pointing out that Jesus told us," New covenant guys!" is one of his big points: ya know, all that feed the hungry, welcome the stranger sort of thing. When he refers to things biblical, he seems to have a very good knowledge. And no incomplete Constitution in his bible either I'm sure.
How come the ICE thug who shot the pastor has not been outed and at least condemned and fired, if not prosecuted for assault? Oh, I’m sorry, he was just doing his job.
Doesn't the second coming also require the obliteration of Israel? Boy is Netenahu going g to be surprised. It's really hard to grasp the extent of the crazy.
I think you make the right point about the strictest fanatics. What are healthcare, nutrition or any of it when Armageddon is nigh? And they 'help' bring it on. Since when, by the way, does an almighty, all powerful god need your f'ing assist to realize his plan?
If you want to talk about religious fanatics, take a look at the Supreme Court. Amy Coney-Barrett was raised in a cult called “People of Praise.” She
married a man who is also in this cult and they are raising their children in the cult. From the website irishcentral. com:
“Justices Amy Coney Barrett, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Samuel Alito either belong to or are close to members of Opus Dei, a secretive lay movement within the church, first created in Spain by Father Josemaría Escrivá in the 1920s.”
“Former U.S. A.G. William Barr is also a member of Opus Dei and Federalist Society chairman Leonard Leo, is a board member of Opus Dei.”
Opus Dei critic Matthew Fox, PhD,
theologian & priest, is in no doubt about the power Opus Dei now has on the Catholic justices.” (on our Supreme Court)
"The Supreme Crt. itself has become a cesspool of religious ideology ignoring the pluralism of American culture in favor of a far-right version of evangelical and Roman Catholic Christianity committed to anti-abortion fanaticism,” writes Fox.
Hearing this many specifics is daunting. I've been aware of the number of them affiliated, though not with Opus Dei specifically. I just saw a bit on Spinoza 'all in one' that is much more for me. If you'll pardon me, I'll just leave my hymnal in the back on my way out. Ta!
He is led I believe by the Anti-Christ as all these religious fanatics are, whether in the US or the Middle East. So many of the Evangelical Christians have been led astray by the MAGA Movement, and they have forgotten about Love Thy neighbor or the Golden Rule of do unto others as you would have done unto you!
Even if Federal agents or military get violent, it is absolutely imperative not to strike back. From my essay (specifically focusing on facing military), https://dialector.substack.com/p/to-support-and-defend "We hold a form of authority that answers theirs, not through rank, but through reciprocated duty. As they have stood ready to suffer for our safety, so now we must stand with clarity and resolve for the Constitution they swore to defend. Our courage does not wear a uniform, but it must carry the same weight. Our role is not to command them, but to mirror back the honor they have pledged, to remind them by the way we carry ourselves, that their oath is not forgotten, not abandoned, and not in vain. We meet their sacrifice with our own, showing them that the Republic still lives in the hands and hearts of its people.
When facing the military in the streets, instead of reacting like agitated victims, venting emotional frustration, shouting, provoking, or collapsing into irrational chaos, we can become something far more powerful. We can embody the force of committed citizenship rightly lived. In our discipline, in our lawfulness, in our refusal to return insult for insult or threat for threat, we have the power to shine a light of American greatness into the soul of every soldier standing before us, by showing them that we, too, know what it means to support and defend the Constitution not in theory, but in blood-earned dignity and principled restraint. We can stir in them a reckoning. When they see that we do not lash out, that we do not desecrate their uniform with dishonorable displays of anxiety, but instead honor it with our own calm courage and unwavering devotion to the law they too swore to uphold, something sacred awakens in them."
I often wonder WHAT would happen if the march or marches or protests were SILENT. SILENT vigils in every town and city….with one message only …whatever that message may be in support of peace, resistance and justice with the most important part of the message being RESILIENCE: A huge number of Resilient Groups across the globe and in the movement are things that become really worth celebrating and protecting, like learning about democracy and what it really means and so on because a resilient community is a RESPONSIVE and not REACTIVE MOVEMENT and is a precious RESOURCE to push against the current political and economic and social system that seeks to divide and rule in order to keep us from becoming a stronger nucleus of all that is respectful of our liberties, freedoms and our rights.
If the Social Contract between the leadership and the people is not one of mutual interest at the very least and mutual benefit at the most fundamental level, then there can be no healthy ‘nationhood’ ….
Resistance becomes the most powerful weapon but Resilience is the key….this is where Responsibility, Accountability and Social Justice comes into play….has the meaning of SERVICE literally been shredded or replaced by the twisted principle of all consuming Power that serves the Favoured Few?
Do we start by honouring our promises and our allegiance to the Constitution or the laws of our own countries or do we support those who would batter, dismiss and dismantle them in order to serve THEMSELVES?
Resilience is somethng that people can train themselves to manifest. The civil rights movement provides a lot of useful information about that. From my essay E Pluribus Unum https://dialector.substack.com/p/e-pluribus-unum "The Freedom Riders, who deliberately rode buses into segregated bus terminals in the 1960s trained for months to endure beatings, taunts, and jail time without retaliating. They didn't just hope they'd be strong enough, they prepared.
The Freedom Riders did not step onto those buses with no training, they trained their bodies, minds, and spirits to withstand the violence they knew was coming. They gathered in workshops led by experienced civil rights organizers, where they were taught the philosophy of nonviolence, not just as an idea, but as a discipline. They practiced sitting in rigid, upright postures to endure long bus rides and avoid flinching under physical assault. They drilled in role-playing exercises, where volunteers would shove them, scream racial slurs, and even pretend to strike them. The goal was to desensitize them to provocation so that when the real attacks came, their instinct would not be to fight back but to remain steadfast.
They practiced being dragged from seats, knocked to the ground, and spit upon without reacting. They rehearsed how to go limp when arrested to avoid escalating encounters with police. They studied legal rights and jail procedures, knowing many of them would be locked away for their defiance. They read about Gandhi's Satyagraha Movement and Martin Luther King Jr.'s principles of peaceful resistance, fortifying their belief that nonviolence was not weakness but an unbreakable force that would expose injustice."
Max, I so remember the awful abuse Freedom Riders and peaceful protesters endured during the Civil Rights Movement. The late, great Rep. John Lewis endured a lot of abuse when he worked with Martin Luther King in that movement. He always said "When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something, you have to do something." That is what we will be doing this Saturday. The republicans call it a "hate" America rally when in actuality, they are the ones who hate America and are hell bent on changing everything that makes America so great into an authoritarian regime. I love my country and the way I know best to show that love is to get out there this Saturday and stand for my country. Thank you for that reminder of people who stood up and continued to stand up for equality and the rights afforded American citizens in this country.
I’m going to digest your message properly by rereading it again…. I got quite excited by it and dashed off my reply….!
I’ve always dreamed of creating groups that strive to actively engage with and interact with more courage in order to TALK to each other….. and I think the equality that might just vibrate between people who want to do this, is a big step towards resilience in our communities.
Resilience can support Resistance in creating Respect. There is much use know but much we still have to learn.
The unnerving power of Silent Resistance is perhaps a fantasy but it flies in the face of the mindless chatter that masquerades as Political Leadership today.
Win, this is from the other side of the world where we will be watching. We are with you all in spirit. I recently read on the "George Lakey Collection" web pages, that sitting down was less provocative to the opposition than standing. So wonder what might happen if all you people took a picnic to the protest.
George Lakey is an old neighbor and long time family friend. His work grew out of a national network of leaders Max references. My late FIL was another, Vinton Deming. Their knowledge and practice is invaluable in the current challenge we have. Definitely recommend reading George's recommendations.
Real talk, as I learned the art of it (from Plato), requires resilience. Critically examining one's own perspectives and character is quite the task. In your first note, you mentioned Jesus and "two or three are gathered". You might be interested in my essay on Politics-First Christianity. Although I detail James and Jesus' take on spirituality such that MAGA Christianity is indefensible, the essence of the message is in the last two paragraphs, which show that extraordinary resilience is required just to be a real Christian.
"Christians can offer a better public witness and a more powerful contribution to the nation’s politics, not by seizing secular power, but by living lives so faithful to Jesus that His love and truth cannot be ignored.
The most powerful way for Christians to “Make America Great Again” is to obey His commandments again. Make the love of God visible again. Take up your own cross and follow Him again. Make Jesus your Lord again to lift Christ up above our worldly politics, above our fear, our anger, our lust for power, and our thirst for control so that everyone can clearly see that the love of God is not dead, that mercy triumphs over judgment, that peace is stronger than fear, that forgiveness heals what vengeance cannot, and that the way of Jesus leads to life."
I don’t support silent protests.My husband and I have been to four protests in our community since Trump won this past election, and we have appreciated people with percussion instruments leading chants. The chants are never ugly, and chanting with others can be unifying and motivating.
Win, I was reminded of the phrase "Silence is golden". Silence can say so very much. With just signs and peaceful, quiet demonstrators - wow, what a message!
Wouldn't hurt to occasionally sing America the Beautiful to show liberals love America, but not what Trump et al are doing to it. Or the Pledge of Allegiance.
That song always fills me with pride, Camille! If only our politicians would commit to the Pledge of Allegiance, we would be on a path to get rid of this corrupt regime!
Peggy, I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know who wrote it, so I looked it up. Katharine Lee Bates, an author, poet, social activist and teacher...just like yourself. I think that makes it even more worthy to sing her song.
She was inspired by viewing Pikes Peak after a long journey.
Whenever I say that pledge, I purposely leave out the part that the fascist scumbag who had 'no shame' (Joseph McCarty) had installed into it (where it had NOT been before!) in the early to mid 1950s (i.e.; "under God") during his 'red scare' purges, black listings, and persecutions.
I also do not appreciate pledging to a piece of cloth, especially one which has been co-opted by rightwing fascist fanatics as solely their own, when it should state an 'allegiance' to our CONSTITUTION, and NOT to the stars and stripes (even if it is used as symbolism for just that).
I respect your principles and share some of your views. I was merely suggesting something to show that protesters don't hate America and each person is free to choose any patriotic song that fits their beliefs about GOD, who the flag represents and more.
Or takes it turn with others….no shouting, no screaming slogans….Silence apart from the scarves around necks (tucked in!) in whatever colours you choose …..but all the same colours!
The Supreme Court justices know the Constitution better than you or me, but the conservative majority denies any connection between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, specifically the proclamation of human rights. Their wilful "textualist" reading of the Constitution enables and empowers Trump.
Jeannie Suk Gersen wrote yesterday in the New Yorker about the legal ways that Trump could use the military to enforce his policies. She identifies judicial deference as the reason why, despite the facts on the ground, judges could still allow Trump's deployments for any least show of resistance that results in an altercation.
Worse still, Wired has reported that right-wing influencers have been busy creating their own content to back up the administration's claims that Democrat-run cities are crime-ridden and hotbeds of insurrection and flooding social media with it. Here's an example, posted by a former USA Turning Point staffer:
Everyone, please read the comments in these videos. Especially, the second one referencing ICE violence (on FOX). Bridging the gaps between people is so critical with these protests. As RR and so many in these comments have shared, any element of violence or confrontation will get used to make a case against the protests. Stay disciplined and react with tools and strategies. Cameras and FOX mentality is everywhere.
Great advice! There are going to be people there looking to start trouble. One of the right-wing influencers, Nick Sortor, accompanying Kristi Noem on her visit to an ICE facility in Portland was arrested by Portland police for disorderly conduct for his alleged involvement in a fight. He wasn't charged, but that didn't stop the DoJ from launching an investigation into the Portland police or an attorney acting for Sortor threatening to sue them for allegedly 'silencing conservative media'.
Thank you so much for this…. I’m really hoping that exactly THIS will find its way into our hearts and minds and from there, a flexible and effective response will be seeded and sown where even ‘two or three are gathered’.
I wonder if this is what was so missed and completely misunderstood about one ‘Jesus Christ’ who was in fact one of the greatest Resistance Heroes and Revolutionaries of all time whose message, embodied by peaceful resistance has been misunderstood and misinterpreted……I can think of others too who carried the same message of peace and justice….eg. Mahatma Gandhi? Martin Luther King? Mandela?
Perhaps there is a little but unwavering light now being shone in the engulfing darkness and that is that great American, Leo of Rome??? Head of the universal RC Church and I believe, leader of ALL who believe in democracy in its best sense and who are not of just ONE tribe, nation, faith or political system?
Win, I never really thought about it, but you are right! Jesus Christ was a Resistance Hero and a Revolutionary. The message of love and peace he carried has endured for centuries! All of the brave souls you mentioned did carry that same message of love, peace and justice. We are all in this together no matter the party, no matter the faith and no matter the tribe! Thank you for putting that so eloquently!
I was a cradle RC and still have allegiance to the ‘faith’ but I’m not a believer in pure dogma or religion in its entirety or its emphasis on the sacramental rituals over the essence of what I think was Christ’s essential message: Get past the illusions and the divisions and the belief in a hierarchy of power and ritual. Love is not pretty, not always‘kind’ and definitely not easy.
That’s just mere form and even theatre….albeit with centuries of history behind it! He challenged ALL that and yes, look what happened to him (for God’s sake!) but I love the fact that JC was the greatest revolutionary of all time ….in my mind….and I can’t help but wonder that IF we humankind had been able to understand it differently, we may well not have had the same outcomes ever since…..the pogroms, the reenactments of these savage times and the subsequent events in history.
No, that’s not true….we’re quite savage under the layers! Shucks!
Pope Leo was born and bred middle class Chicago..he must speak up for his homeland and his very own Chicago! And he must spread the word of peace over and over.
Max ….we’re in dialogue and I hope this continues and spreads. You strike the metal when you said ‘Critically examining one’s own perspectives and character is quite the task’.
Indeed, it is the TASK and does not require a confessional or deep analysis but yes, those things can help.
I think raw power and crude politics is the most damaging thing in our time now. If only we humans were structurally more able to transcend the limitations and (artificial) constraints of our environment, our histories and our legacies….including the transmission of inter generational trauma but most of all, the way we don’t make the journey between head and heart…in a manner of speaking.
We limit ourselves so much and fall in line with the dominant narrative and if we’re not careful, we become The Great Unthinking….no, no’ no. This must not happen, beautiful people. Thx xxxx
Absolutely So. It can have such positive effects….its a discipline though ….but worked out well, with good stewardship, it’s possibly a an impactful way to experience something that might have a profound impact on all of us….. wherever we are…just imagine in my Two Favourite Words “WHAT IF..” people gather in silence with torches (not the burning kind 🥵) and silence or in song?? Challenging I know, but troubled times require superpowers of all kinds!
Whatever Trump and his cult call October 18th, flip it. Everything they accuse the Democrats of doing is either what they have done or what they are planning to do. We have to have the world’s largest protest on October 18th to show humanity that we love our country and our freedoms.
I may be wrong but I read that Qatar, MAGATrump Inc.’s new bestie have funded Hamas. The accusation that every accusation by this Trump corporate authoritarian takeover is a confession is fast becoming canonic.
Memo to Mike Johnson: you are indeed correct! This will be a “hate America” rally. But the only America we hate is the anti-democratic one currently being erected by you amoral idiots on the radical far right! You are so far right that it is your party that has become radicalized.
I agree - I don’t necessarily hate this country, but definitely hate what’s going on - people don’t protest because they like stopping their daily activities and/or being subservient to the man - protesting is about protecting our rights and freedoms. I think the “government” (and I use the term loosely) is more fearful of citizens rightfully holding signs than they are about people holding AR-15s.
I agree too. And it was more than chilling to see subservience in action when I saw today's L.A. Times headline that the University of California and the California State University Systems both turned over faculty information to the "government." How can we not hate what is going on? This is Nazi Germany redux.
Mass protests to demand that the government do something generally accomplishes nothing, but at best might get the government to act like they are going to help you, yet cause problems instead that get you to demand more government again. Small groups of people can help each other effectively. An angry mob driven by lies will serve no good purpose.
George Orwell explored the relationship between love and hate in 1984, where the Party uses both to control the populace through rituals like the "Two Minutes Hate". In his view, the ruling powers "fear love because it creates a world they can't control" and instead promote a manipulated love for "Big Brother" that is intertwined with a manufactured hate for enemies like Emmanuel Goldstein. For individuals, the Party suppresses genuine love and passion, viewing it as a force for rebellion and a threat to its absolute power
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
― George Orwell, 1984
In this Orwellian times, truth is just an illusion. Only the Party will tell you what to believe and how to think! This Orwell 1984 T is perfect for these tyrant times 👇
Heather.B, the quote you relate to from '1984' mirrors perfectly the trumpist tactic of projecting the supreme fallacy of fascist doctrine onto the opposition - as in "lies is truth, truth is lies". To double down endlessly on every lie is the mark of the totalitarian regime of 'Big Brother'. You know the regime is concerned when in unison all the sycophants cry with one voice "hate rally" (lies is truth) - the grand inquisitor accuses the "Marxists, Communists, Radical Leftists" of "living like vermin within the confines of our country" - is this not hate speech directed at freedom-loving people? The regime mirrors the historical reference to the Final Solution as propagated by the soulless messengers from his inner circle. Huge masses of citizens risen in peaceful protest, as Dr. Reich says, now is the most effective way to defang the violent tactics of the nihilists. The namesake of the Edmund Pettis Bridge had it in for this nation to fail, and we are at the entryway to that bridge again in 1,000 places around this country. A person would be with the ancients of Athens to employ satire with heavy doses of sarcasm to counteract the regime's endless stream of lies.
Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day we only hope since the actor for genocide of these peoples Andrew Jackson's portrait again defiles the Gallery of Presidents in the White House.
I've been feeling those 1984 feelings since the smartphone. Big brother is always watching. No teen can get away with any of the usual mischief. Ah. Must be time for some Rage Against the Machine....."Killing in the Name of"
That was precisely what Hitler and Stalin had done. Note also how RFK Jr first blamed autism on vaccines in general, then on mRNA vaccines only, the on acetaminophen, none of it based on evidence. The whole point was to undermine people's confidence in science and scientific institutions. In a recent White House announcement Trump brazenly stated that all scientific publication will be vetted by his government. After he croaks Trump will be seated next to Hitler and Stalin, on right hand of Satan.
I was just thinking last night that George was what, just over 20 years too soon in his predictive year for the dystopian totalitarianism of that iconic novel.
WE are the true patriots, disgruntled Republicans, betrayed independents, and determined Democrats.
We may not want all the same things, but we do demand to have our fully functioning government back, our ACA subsidies intact, and the Epstein files no longer hidden away to protect the guilty.
We are #PolarOppositePatriots.
LET EVERYONE ACROSS THE BOARD SHARE THAT LABEL, because we know in our hearts that our patriotism is stronger than all the issues that divide us.
Job one is to stop this #TrumpProject2025 #RepubloFascism in weeks not years.
This is no time to go nose to nose with perceived foes. When we go wallet to wallet and understand why all of us have been victimized, we can stand together looking forward and worry about all those other details later.
Don't forget, there are Americans worldwide who love America enough to rally for a sane pro-democratic America, too. In Lisbon, Portugal, AMPT UP (Americans in Portugal United in Protest) will be raising our voices at Praça do Comércio at 3:00pm. We've got a brand new megaphone, and we hope they'll be able to hear us loud and proud in DC! Every voice counts!
Professor Reich: you wrote: "it’s likely to generate a huge number of news clips on local television" to which i respond: THANK THE GODDESS for the local TV news! cuz we know that news of this protest will not appear (much) in national news, unless all hell breaks loose, of course.
i am looking forward to this protest, not least of which is because this may in fact, be the last protest we can legally have, if the orange rapist, his regime and his gestapo have their way, so i hope everyone can turn out and make sure the message is sent AND RECEIVED: NO KINGS! give back our country, our laws and our government! and RELEASE THE TRUMPSTEIN FILES!!
[EDIT] oh, i forgot to add: War is Peace! Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength! LOVE IS HATE!
Right you are GrrlS. If only one protestor does something stupid it will repeat on Fox Fake News for days while they ignore the millions of peaceful people. The Murdochs, Sinclare and other right-wing broadcasters are at the core of traitorous activity in our country. Show up, be peaceful... GH
Rachel usually does a great job of showing both the massive in metro area protests, as well as the smaller (but potentially much more brave) ones in tiny bright red state hamlets all over.
Of course I refuse to watch even MSNBC anymore, so I will miss her broadcast coverage until it is put up on YouTube.
Many in the Washington DC GOP, including their ring leader, have called the January 6th insurrection ‘a day of love’ and the perps of that day were labelled ‘hostages’. What comes out of their mouths is just babble at best; this has been their choice and reflective of their bad conduct. They are a vicious cartel and if I’m being kind, I might add they border on being a terroristic gang.
Certainly there were enough deaths and serious injuries caused by the rioters to justify calling it what it truly was; an insurrection.
We now know that it was planned and funded by people who have not been held accountable. Many of the rioters were given funds for transportation to DC and for hotel rooms by people who have never been held accountable.
Julie Fancelli, heir to the Publix supermarket fortune and Richard Ulhlein, a packaging supplies magnate who has given $4 million to the Tea Party Patriots, as well as a number of non-profit and “dark money” groups also funded the rioters.
In addition to all the Professor says here, the general consensus in making it easy to identify an agitator if you’re in the middle of a crowd, is to immediately put down your sign and sit in place. If you’re in the periphery, consider removing yourself from the area.
I remember a day in our past when a group of Palestinian terrorists stormed the compound where the Israeli athletes were assigned in Munich during the 1972 Olympics. The animals who took the Israeli athletes hostage slaughtered them all during a fight at the airport. These misguided Muslims hate the Cristians and the Jews alike, and you really think they can be trusted. I fear what happens today will bring a deep sense of regret to all concerned. Plan for the worst while hoping for the best, with Fingers crossed.
I’m beginning to believe that the only people who can be trusted are not Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist or those of no faith but those who are respectful to others, who believe in the sanctity of life and the preservation of it, those who can distinguish between Good and Evil and who have every intention to do their utmost to protect and respect others and themselves too. In other words, those who live and strive to honour their personal and professional principles and who make restoration and reparation a priority, when they offend against their own promises and obligations.
Political parties everywhere are proving to not be as trustworthy as they proclaim to be nor are they often willing or able to stand by their fervent promises and policies made in general election cycles.
We must WAKE UP to the grim reality of the failures of our governments and institutions to not do any if not all, of the above.
Politics and Religions that make Gods of those who profit and promote themselves and their own interests, are False Gods, not to be trusted.
Hello Win. I agree with you except the comment about "people of no faith". I am included in that group, meaning, no faith in most religions. I have countless relatives and friends who have walked away from organized religions because of the hypocrisy most of them represent. I have found the "no faith" folks are the kindest and most open minded people with the biggest hearts that I know. Just saying... GH
No, Gary, you are not "just saying." Your argument was Peter" and James" criticism of Paul and his emphasis on faith. Even the devil has faith in God, they stated. Paul agreed with them that "loves comes first."Read Acts in the Bible. Luther's stance is to be understood in the context of the Church's corruption. Madison and Jefferson held that atheists can be just as moral as believers.
There's a saying I read, this isn't exact, but the gist is, the nice thing about nice atheists is that they're nice to you despite not believing they are going to be rewarded for it somehow.
That should be despite NOT believing that they are going to be rewarded for it in that fantasyland in the sky, correct?
As a total non-believer, that is what I do, as I help people whenever I can and I do not ask their worldviews, religious proclivities, or ideologies beforehand, for no other reason than that is what I do.
Now of course, if they are wearing a red hat, have YOOOGE <-(as their putrid orange vile fuehrer would say) SCUMp, Gadsden, confederate or swastika flags billowing in the beds of their coal rollers, with 'libtard hunting license', and Punisher skull stickers on their back windows, and are wearing 'Camp Aushwitz' shirts (like that effing J6 scumbag did) I will make an exception to that above tenet of mine. ;)
Hi Gary ….you’re so right. Apologies…I meant people of no organised faith in terms of clerical and religious practices but who are faithful to the teachings of what is called Spirituality however that works for them and a shared belief in a moral code and compass, who have consciences and who believe in something beyond themselves even if it’s love of their country. So perhaps I really ought to describe it differently…. Humanism perhaps?
Part of the problem is that we must STOP deifying the psychotically greedy wealthy oligarchs, as is the standard operating procedure in our society.
They most certainly are NOT 'perfect gods', unless 'gods' are exclusively vile and evil by compulsive nature.
Of course, the rightwing will proceed to label YOU as a "godless commie socialist Antifaaahh" if you do not passively (and enthusiastically) go along with their regime's Project 2025 BS, and refuse to worship their oligarchs as they expect to be adulated.
Thank you. I think there are so many delusions in so many things….the good thing is it’s being thrown up in the air now it’s really time to be honest and searching within ourselves….well, I can only really speak for myself ….so I must say Within Me!!
Before the rally, we need to define “American Democracy”, because what we consider democracy is not democracy at all.
A democracy is a collective decision making system and process, where collective decision making is what is governed and the governor is the legislative process to determine those collective decisions by a majority consensus of All that are Assembled!
Why did you leave out the Articles of Confederation? It is our most important founding document, because it tells us what they did when forming the Union and why.
The Declaration of Independence established the purpose of government, to make the decisions of a Free and Independent State with the Full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do All Acts and Things Independent States may of Right do.
The Articles of Confederation converted the assembly of the States in a general Congress into a legislative assembly of the States in a Congress, where each State ceded the Power of a Free and Independent State to Form the Union, and the equal vote in the legislative assembly, a democracy of the States, is at once the recognition of the residual sovereignty of each State to participate in the legislative process, consensus choice.
The Constitution of the United States balanced the legislative process to make laws by normalizing the States by a common factor, each States proportion of the aggregate population of the Union, creating an iterative legislative process which balanced the power of the large and small States and creating legislative checks and balances where each house of Congress is a check on the other and the Senate is doubly checked by each States own State legislature creating a convenient interface between the state and federal governments. The apportionment of direct taxes on each State was changed from an assessment based upon the different forms of property within each State as a proportion of the aggregate property value of All the States in the Union, to the same CV per capita apportionment for representation in the House creating no taxation without representation, as every State agreed to pay their proportion of all expenditures that they themselves participated in making. These changes formed a More Perfect Union.
Our founding documents must be considered together as one founding document to be understood.
Darrell, the Declaration of Independence is a lot more than what you state. It contain the first proclamation of human rights in modern times. Those who give priority to states, ethnicity, and/or business rights deny any connection between the Constitution and the Declaration. You can count the majority of justices in the Supreme Court among them. This is why Trump mocks them, and the entire judiciary on a daily basis. Without basic, foundational rights, the Constitution is just a piece of paper, to be opportunistically interpreted to serve one special interest or another. Without foundational values our country will disintegrate like the defunct Soviet Union.
No it isn’t! The actual declaration is in the last paragraph of the Declaration of Independence:
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
These changes formed rest of the Declaration of Independence is just a statement of grievances to justify and support their right to sever ties with the State of Great Britain.
Darrell Eldridge, the Declaration of Independence is whole. Why do you break it? Implicit in your statement is a claim that the proclamation of human rights was just a pretext, hence of no bearing after independence was achieved. You are accusing the Founders of hypocrisy, and you are also implying that there was no connection between the Declaration and the abolition of slavery. Are you a son of the Confederacy?
I’m not breaking anything! And as you can read for yourself it says right there in the last paragraph what they declared and published and what they were seeking by declaring their independence from the State of Great Britain. It’s you that is try to add something that isn’t there to interpret it the way you want!
A 'representative' democracy is way, way, WAY too easy to corrupt and criminalize at the hands of power and wealth lusting fascist oligarchs, as we have seen and experienced so horrifically lately.
The effing Electoral College (as well as Corporations United) we must suffer is (are) about THE most anti-democracy entities in existence, save for outright despotic fascism.
Wrong! There is no such thing as a representative democracy, in a democracy all must participate in person, in a Republican Form of Government, all must participate through an exact representation of All to be assembled to participate!
A democracy, and all democratic and republican forms of government cannot be influenced, interfered with, or corrupted, that’s why they chose a Democracy assembled as a Republican Form of Government, where even the unicameral Senate is a Republican Form of Government because it is the Confederation of Republics, as each State must constitute their own State legislature as either a simple republic in a unicameral legislature or a compound republic in a bicameral legislature as a condition of membership in the Union!
There’s no such thing as a “representative democracy”! Either all are assembled in person, which is a democracy, or all are assembled through an exact representation, which is a republic. The only democracy that is a Republican Form of Government is a Democracy that is assembled as a Confederation of Republics which requires All the members to be constituted as either a simple republic in a unicameral legislature or a compound republic in a bicameral legislature as a condition of membership in the democracy.
In the United States we have a compound republic assembled in a bicameral legislature established by Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States, and a Democracy assembled as a Republican form of Government in a unicameral legislature established by Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of the United States, which operate independently and simultaneously in Congress and the Senate has the power of concurrence over both systems.
Neither system can be corrupted, influenced, or any way controlled by individuals and factions as you elude to in your comment.
Furthermore, the Electoral College is not established by, or in compliance with, the electoral process established by the Constitution of the United States!
Millions of individuals would never assemble across the nation, forming hundreds of NO KINGS rallies, to show how they hate America. Only love does that.
By mislabeling Saturday’s “No Kings Day” rallies as “Hate America” protests will actually increase the size of the rallies as we all realize how important it is to show up rather than to watch our local rallies on the news. In a small town, such as mine, being with my neighbors who wish to save democracy forges us into a more stronger cohesive unit.
The Trump gang and its sycophants are causing us to re-examine how important the original intent of the constitution is. Now you, me and everyone who shows up are showing our defiance to the Republican machine. The Trump wing of what was once the Republican party are further alienating those who considered themselves to be “in the middle“ in terms of committing to either side. I can’t believe how incredibly stupid these people are.
Marc, they are also scared and hope that if they don't get involved, they won't be harmed if Trump goes further off the deep end. Alas, they are wrong because they will be easy targets for the hate and resentment.
In a way, we’re lucky that they are incredibly stupid.
Yes Marc! I feel that too. When we come together in our towns and communities, it reminds us that democracy isn’t just an idea, it’s a living relationship we build with one another. Standing side by side with neighbors, we rediscover a shared strength that goes deeper than politics. These gatherings remind me that the power to protect what matters most begins in our local circles of care and courage.
I will join the true patriots in Ironwood, Michigan once again to raise the sound of joy, brotherhood, peace and freedom to the best of my ability! Also bringing a citizens' petition to include ranked choice voting on the ballot next year!
I hope you are right, Mark. I dream of a national turnout of 30 million at the rallies. That would make even these deadheads sit up and take notice!
As a long-time fan of the Grateful Dead, I resemble that remark! :-)
The major news outlets won't cover it.
Hadn’t thought of that part. Invigorating!
They're very upset and scared because they thought all their distractions would have stopped the protests of both 'No Kings" and Jeffrey Epstein files. It hasn't and trump and his idiot followers don't know how to handle it.
Me too! I feel the same when I'm with those in my community. Rallies and protests are connective and that is what they fear most.
🙌🫶
But the other side only sees hate. Existential hate.
At this point, they are incapable of telling right from wrong, good from evil. And so they are very dangerous.
They’re dangerous, but greatly outnumbered.
Outnumbered, and they have NOT A CLUE how to get along together!
They can form plots together, yes, but they are always competing for power
Carlotta
The clue on getting along is new Democrats committing to deliver solutions to core problems in America with transformational innovation to get elected in 2026 and 2028. There are two types of transformational innovation: beneficial and harmful. Beneficial transformational innovation is what made America great by being guided by the democratic federal government in the first 200 years of American history to create and sustain transformational innovation across the economy, government, science, technology, healthcare, knowledge, education, and business. But beginning in 1971, Republicans, corporations and the wealthy launched a massive, organized attack on democracy and the rule of law to create harmful transformational innovation in the economy, government, and rule of law that intentionally culminated in the Trump led insurrection forming a lawless, fascist autocracy as planned in Project 2025.
Democrats must commit to deliver transformational innovation to get elected in 2028. In 2025, the Nobel Prize in Economy was awarded for work based on research that analyzed history and explained how transformational innovation drove beneficial economic growth and a better standard of living in America for 200 years. The three noble laureates discovered the requirements to create and sustain beneficial transformational innovation. Read the press release and the cite article.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2025/press-release/
https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2025/10/popular-economicsciences2025-3.pdf
The transfomational innovation can begin in 2025.
Read my post.
https://williamlmiller.substack.com/p/how-to-stop-trump-republicans-and
Hi, William, thanks for the links to the Nobel Economics prize winners.
Yes, William AND we cannot rely on Dems as we have in the past
Maintaining our courage and solidarity has everything to do with how hard our easy it is for our elected officials to do the right thing
We take them for granted, many of them drift. I know I don’t need to name names.
Stephen Paddock was outnumbered too. As was Patrick Wood Crusius.
The FBI we've depended on to gather and act on intel on those types of plots can no longer be depended upon. The violence-prone are listening to a leader who is telling them the nation is under attack from within. He told this in front of every major military leader.
They don't realize it, but I can be dangerous, too. So can most of us. All it takes is the right circumstances such as trying to traffick a family member or a friend. Then I'm Mama Bear...a polar bear, not a black bear.
Yes they are, Leslie. Yes they are.
Hi Thomas. Take heart, Leslie is right, ‘you’ outnumber ‘them’, and it’s ‘your’ America as much as it is theirs. I wish each & all good luck.
Anthony, the ultimate goal is unity, as much as possible. Not everyone will be on board, but we can't afford to let perfection be the enemy of progress.
The ultimate goal should be the reinforcement of Individual initiative. Throughout history the greatest achievement has been articulated by individuals or small groups of people, not angry mobs.
They see hate because they hate.
Hate starts with fear. So, give love.
Easier said than done.
I expect I live in a blue bubble. But most of the Republicans I encounter aren't hostile. I can only hope that the hostile ones are the loudest and in the smallest number.
Most information (both media, and education) has come under control of a small group of blue radicals, so much of the public is encouraged to believe a lot that isn't true. People live in their phone and have no idea what real people are even like anymore. Farmers and people who go to church have a different grasp of reality, and tend to be Republican
the right wing is projecting again. Why can't the clueless Dems just repeat that??....over and over.
We can be rubber and they are the glue.
Yes, Thomas, this is why participants must carry American flags and be unarmed.
Yes! At No Kings 1, a lady was handing out small American flags and I was very glad to take one and wave it proudly. I bought a slightly larger one for this protest.
On January 6, 2021 I remember thinking "I want my flag back!" as I watched in horror as the rioters beat the police with their American flagpoles. I want to take it back as a symbol of love for my country, not a sign that I support the current regime in the White House.
My sign says "Free Hostages Held By ICE Terrorists"
That's a legal issue. Stay focused on what the rally is about: No Kings!
President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan took to Fox News Thursday, where he threatened "bloodshed" over anti-ICE rhetoric. It is about the King.
One word: “Projection”
Every single GOP accusation is a confession. As an aside, the fact that the "Christians" are on board with the MAGA coup is going to need addressing. Trump and his henchmen basically wipe their butts with pages torn out of the Bible, but it's all good? What's with that?
They hate so they assume everyone does. They can't understand the idea that others don't see things like they do. The end of their nose is the end of their understanding.
Thomas, truly I understand being sapped to the point of exhaustion , I do think that out of all of those that back trumpism, the majority do know right from wrong. even trump himself. They have allowed their brains to be so filled with fear, hate and evil they do not have the ability to think in the real world. Brain washing is easier than one thinks. But until trump and his band of traitors are removed from the public eye, it will take time to rehabilitate and some will never rehabilitated. And yes their state of mind does make them extremely dangerous and explosive. DEEP BREATHING DOES HELP
"out of all of those that back trumpism, the majority do know right from wrong"
Dietrich Bonhoeffer would disagree with you. I trust his experience. He was working with a much more educated and cultured society too.
Bonhoeffer‘s Theory of Stupidity
https://youtu.be/ww47bR86wSc?si=AYvyJ8NfJILV3xAu
https://ojaiohana.substack.com/p/portland-emergency?r=5chxge
Yes Leslie! The exact reason! They are the hypocrites. They don't like the Constitution, they don't like anything about our country. Or the fact that another Nation was here before the English.
Happy Native American Day to you, too! (Columbus...what a problematic "hero"! And Columbus Day has an opinionated political history as well)
Their idea of making America "great again" is by taking it back to the 1700s when we were still ruled by the English monarchy. Magas didn't understand that's what trump meant at first, but then the brainwashing convinced them a king is better. There are kings in other countries. They can go there.
"America" is burned into MAGA's name. Love?
MAGA knows how much you hate them. MAGA knows we want the country back -- and they are not going to give it to us. MAGA does not see anyone outside their tribe as loving America -- no matter how much someone wants to tell themselves they do.
MAGA believes they are in a "revolution" against an invader -- and that this revolution could be "bloodless" -- with all the responsibility on the "Left."
Dr. King and other civil rights leaders PREPARED their people for violence. They knew who they were dealing with.
This is my worry, that the Administration will send ICE goons into the crowds to disrupt the protest with strong arm tactics, setting off a series of physical defensive reactions. That will give Trump the pretext to invoke The Insurrection Act on a nationwide scale. I have seen nothing from the organizers to prepare the marchers for this.
I go to bed every night with visions of The Freedom March in Birmingham scrolling through my head. Yes, I am old enough to have watched those scenes from Birmingham play out on the nightly news years ago! By labeling it the Hate America Protest, gives him permission from his followers to attack. I pray I am wrong!
There will be "Peacemakers", "De-escalators" at the Indivisible-50501 rallies looking for trouble makers and to keep things peaceful and assist in pedestrian and traffic control at intersections. Buffalo NY will have 60 from several organizations. Many Blue city police departments have good relationships with the various organizations like the League of Women Voters and will head off agitators. No King's 1.0 police kept MAGA trouble makers types blocks away. Keep it peaceful and have fun, this is a national community for a diverse democracy. We are all in this together, this is our country.
Yes, vocalizing my premonition is a way to tilt the balance in favor of me being wrong.
Something the widow said right after the killing still haunts me. "They don't know what they have unleashed." She sang a different tune at the death-a-palooza. But those first remarks brought these protests to mind.
The "ICE goons" are not far removed from the elements in and around January 6.
The leader of the Oath Keepers drew a nearly 20 year sentence, and he was never at the Capitol -- but a short distance away with a stockpile of AR-15s waiting on the call to bring them to the site. And those gallows -- work to construct them starting at 7 AM that morning.
Blowing away boats without provocation proves he's a murderer. Hundreds from the Florida site still missing without a trace.
Hate is the psychotic child of fear and resentment. People hate when they are afraid. Fear is contagious, be aware of that, and don't be intimidated!
I will lay down on the ground and play dead. Good luck throwing me into an ICE truck.
No, stand up and don't be intimidated!
oh no. Not intimidated. Just using fight flight or freeze. I refuse to run, I will not fight because that's what they want so I'll just freeze and play dead.
Non-violent resistance is very effective. Especially when caught on video.
I'm convinced that 'they' will send in "agents provacateurs" (ICE) to disrupt and cause havoc as much as they can to get the - self defense - posture that they will call - criminal activity so that the 'Insurrection Act' will be """justifiably""" enacted ..
Because of my disabilities, I won't be attending, but WILL BE THERE IN SPIRIT !!!!!!!!
While they called the actual insurrection a tour.
Learn the song and sing it - soft and serious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaZ1qiYT6U8
carry US flags!
Yes, but LET THEM COME. Demonstrate peacefully, but boldly. They cannot intimidate us into submission.
Look up "kettling" as was done at the G7 demonstrations for many years, and practice doing it on the ICE agents... You'll be outnumbering them by several hundred to one. Grab any one of them who fires a weapon.
Seriously? Perfect way to provoke retaliation from ICE, and then escalation on Rump's part.
If you feel that way, then maybe, you should stay home.
It seems strange that any American would be against Making America Great Again.
Manufacturing puts more money into the economy than anything else, but Made in USA has become a thing of the past. Compelling the return of industry through tariffs is not enough, because it won't reconstruct the idea of community that once existed. Many small communities were once relatively self-sufficient, and even big cities were divided into distinct communities where people took care of each other within their own neighborhoods. Its too far past to remember when people were forced by an errant government to deal with other people in a manner that wasn't natural & neighbors quit talking to each other. Small towns fell apart as their livelihood was ripped away and sent off shore. Corporate power and control of media further disrupted society, and now information technology is poised for the total destruction of humanity. So, making America Great Again really is a wonderful idea, but we've gone too far in the wrong direction. Instead of going on a mass protest as if it works to demand the government will fix things, it may accomplish more by forming a reading group or starting a bridge club, and throwing your Smart phone in a river.
Leslie--They don't hate America, they hate what Trump has done to it.
Hate is the psychotic child of fear and resentment. Trump created mass psychosis with his fear and hate mongering--and he specifically target those who harbor resentments. Be aware that fear and anger are contagious, and don't be intimidated!
No American with any sense hates what Trump does. People who live in their phone, or get all of their ideas from a controlled media think that Trump is doing something that he isn't.
I consider myself "American" to the extent I will know and defend our Constitution, which I did when I swore the oath of enlistment in our Navy.
Nobody who trashes and violates the letter of the Constitution and laws the way Trump has constantly done can possibly make America (or anything) "great again."
Your statement proves you to be brainwashed in the service of further hurting out country.
That's so true. Only haters hide behind masks, drop from helicopters to invade peoples' homes, lurk in courthouses, openly carry automatic rifles, yank people out of their cars ...
Only people who hate democracy tear it apart piece by piece. Only people who live in outhouses try to disguise their dwellings with gold do-dads.
Cathering, and scared people do all those things and try to hide their fear with hatred, probably because they hate being scared and have to put that hatred out there and focus it on someone who most likely does not deserve it.
The tackier and poorer people like trump are, the more gold paint they spray around. Tacky an classless.
A comment from another Leslie. What about wearing a sandwich sign that says on the front “we love America“, and on the back it says “stop hurting a country that we love”. Or a sign that says, “if you love America, Mr. Trump, why do you break so many laws that you have taken an oath to uphold?”
Or another that says, “ Mr. Trump, if you love America, why deprive millions of adequate healthcare? “ or another possibility, “Mr. Trump, do you really love your country? So far you only show love for money, power, and people who kiss your ass“.
just carry an American flag!
The US President is supposed to love ALL 350 million Americans.
and he does, Bob, but he doesn't count you as an American.
Bob, this president only cares about himself and has no room to care about let alone love anyone else. It's too bad his cult doesn't u nderstand that. It will not get better because Trump's dementia is focusing his minimal awareness to himself and what he wants to do to get what he wants, and right now, it'S the Nobel Prize.
And starting a war in his own country isn't Peace Prize worthy. He thinks claiming he had something to do with any sort of agreement between Netanyahu and Hamas when he didn't. They both laugh at him, I'm sure. Saying he's stopped the Russia-Ukraine war because he blamed it all on Ukraine is just stupid. Trump is just stupid.
So true, Leslie, so true!
Trump's sick ego is bursting at the seams.
The Middle East and Trump's ego, oil and water. What our fearless leader is failing to see by his promoting the exchange of prisoners, is who they are. Netanyahu had almost 2,000 killers, murderers, and religious fanatics, who had sworn to Allah that they would give their lives to kill Christians and Jews. Trump's misplaced plan just released 2,000 individuals who will take great pleasure in repeating the slaughter that occured on 10/7. He saved 20 lives but how many did he sacrifice in the process. How many innocent people will be killed in the near future at the hands of those Trump so willingly released. Hamas took the hostages for the exact reason Trump just helped them to accomplish, the release of their fighters held in Isreali prisons. The slaughter is an on going blood bath that will never end, as long as religion rules the the Middle East.
That is true everywhere. Religion inspires fanatics. The worst wars in history are too often religious based. Now we have the same problem with Religious fanatics in this country, with Mike Johnson willing to throw American Democracy on the dumpster heap, because he believes that Christ's Kingdom will replace it. He has chosen the most amoral leader in America to be the usher of this Kingdom. God never works through evil. These evangelicals are such misguided souls!
Louise, you are right! Mikey's actions cannot be called Christian. He has far too much hate, fear, anger, and resentment. He is in a position he should never have been chosen for. He is supposed to be a law school graduate, but ignores the law and our Constitution. He needs to be removed from the post, but Republicans are not exactly courageous and will do nothing to make anything better.
The ChristoFASCISTS have NO 'souls' to be misguided.
Mike Johnson's religion is his self.
Good point Don. But what would we expect from the man who released all of the Jan. 6th criminal traitors from jail the first day he was in office and then gave them jobs with ICE! Just saying... GH
If Hamas took the hostages to get back Palestinian prisoners, it's hard to believe they were successful since Hamas is out of power and Gaza is completely destroyed and their own innocents were killed by the thousands. It's hard to give trump credit, but ending the destruction of Gaza and getting back the remaining hostages is a good thing. As I wrote before, I just don't understand why trump is being so good to other countries while attacking America.
Except....it wasn't Rump's plan. Netanyahu just let Rump take credit to suck up.
Margo, Trump is "being good" to only one country, Israel and that is so he can maybe get next year's Nobel Prize. The rest, he has saddled with extreme tariffs, has worked to wreck their economies, and in the case of Canada, he wants to take it over, OK, Greenland too. Trump is just and anti-American ignoramus!
The vile, putrid orange fuehrer is handing 20 BILLION dollars to his fascist cohort Milei in Argentina, to bail him out of his totally FAILED REICHwing austerity BS, while throwing the poor and seniors in this country out onto the streets to DIE with his own draconian cuts to life saving programs.
Of course, his scumbag POS, robber baron Bessent, and their psychotically greedy hedge fund/private equity oligarch henchmen will profit from that since they are all heavily vested in Argentina's economy.
"Margo, Trump is "being good" to only one country, Israel and that is so he can maybe get next year's Nobel Prize"
Well, I sure didn't work for this year; it was clear ol' Tiny Hands was trying to sway the Nobel Prize Committee with his supposed "negotiations" in the Middle East, and the Committee saw right through all this and justifiably spurned him.
Behind Trump's effort to bring peace to the Middle East is probably his plan to rebuild Gaza into a seaside resort.
Hamas deploys armed fighters and police across parts of Gaza https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/13/hamas-deploys-armed-fighters-and-police-across-parts-of-gaza?CMP=share_btn_url
is he good to other countries?
No. You're right: good to only one other country.
Donald, I do not agree. It is Israel this time that has done enormous harm to a group of people nearly all of whom were innocent, large numbers were children, and from reports, some of those children shot in the head by Israeli guns. I can see that those hostages Israel took might be angry, but I suspect most of them just want to get back home with any family that is left and try to rebuild. The hatred of Palestinians is simply appalling and Israel's treatment for decades of Palestinians as inferiors, not worthy of life has encouraged violence against Israel. I keep wondering if Israel had worked a teeny bit harder for a 2-state solution to the insanity, something good could have come of it years ago, trading partners, a strong workforce for both nations and more. Instead, Muslims were set up as though they were animals, in the minds of Israelis. Palestinian Christians were also dismissed as irrelevant. Israel has one of the best intelligence networks in the world, but it couldn't follow up on the US reports of Hamas making plans. I can't help but think that Netanyahu didn't want Hamas stopped on Oct. 7th because he wanted an excuse to destroy the people of Gaza, a genocide while saying "never again" regarding the Holocaust, while treating Gazans as Jewish people were treated by the Nazis in Europe, on a smaller scale, of course. This is a terrible situation all around and Trump has done nothing to make it better. I think the world standing against Israel had a stronger impact and Trump's push was a good excuse.
Well put, Leslie. I'm convinced that the folks who claim to love America, actually hate it as a democracy. It appears to me that today's Republicans would *love* it as an autocracy or oligarchy. A pox on all their houses.
I work every Saturday, but I've found an early-morning rally in my north Texas neighborhood close to work. I will give what time I am able, with my rally sign. If I just had a frog costume!
You’d be adorable! The frog has become the spokescritter for the Constitution.
SOLIDARITY. That's what we're showing. ARTICLE 1.
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of 1789.
And Trump can go to hell!
Right, Leslie!
Leslie, but alas, Republicans and their Donald and his worshipers don't know that the rally is not about hate on the part of the ralliers. For Trump and his toddler pool members, hate is strong and all-encompassing for them.
Hate is the psychotic child of fear and resentment. Trump's fear and hate mongering has created mass psychosis, and he specifically targeted those who harbor resentments. Oh, yes, he got plenty of help from Fox News. Be aware that fear and anger are contagious, and don't be intimidated.
...and $$ from Soros
Anything that is bad for this country is exactly what Trump stands for. Johnson is a small man who is content upon kissing the King's ass.
Higgins my man, I hear the fear in your words and rightly so but what brings US out is love of country, not love of chaos. Like the old line goes, “ain’t no love in the heart of the city” unless neighbors make it: we’re showing up so families can keep their rituals, so votes still matter, so kids inherit more than our anxiety.
Dr. Reich, your frame is right: a peaceful, joyful, clear rededication. The folks yelling “hate-America” are the same ones pawning it off for parts; that’s not patriotism, that’s a yard sale. This is about kitchen-table power: fair maps, living wages, health care that doesn’t break us, and schools that feed minds instead of culture wars. We rally because democracy is how we pay the bills and set the table, together. www.xplisset.com.
At the first No Kings Rally (and at other rallies since that one, i have witnessed soulful, peaceful conversations between and among people who've never met before. I've seen humorous posters, and people laughing. I've seen dogs carrying posters on their backs. I've seen a community coming together, a community dedicated to wholesome values of kindness, generosity, respect, honesty, and compassion. We the People!!!
I was gobsmacked at the size of that first rally in south county St Louis. Ginormous. 2 or 3 times the size of what I thought would be a great showing. Emotionally moving and gave me more fatih in our citizens than you get reading all the doomsday stuff on the internet.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Amen, Xplisset, amen!
Well written. Thank you!
he does have a gift
He's one of the best writers on Substack.
Zplisset--You miss read the contents hidden in my voice. I fear no one, and as long as I draw breath I will run to the fray if it means fighting for our Democracy.
Donald, I hear the steel in your words and I respect it. We need that kind of courage in this moment. My only hope is that our fight for democracy keeps its heart open even while our hands stay strong. Because if we lose our mercy, we’ll lose the very thing we’re fighting to save.
No, Xplisset. Democracy is how we come together and resolve our difference with due respect to each other.
I hear you, Victor. Respect is the heartbeat of democracy but so is courage when respect gets twisted into silence. My folks taught me that peace isn’t just the absence of noise; it’s the presence of justice. We come together not just to agree, but to repair. That’s the kind of democracy worth marching for.
Well said!
Well stated, no name calling instead calling what are certainly unconstitutional acts. Thanks
Robert: You summed it up perfectly: “We have a constitutional right to demonstrate”. It is obvious that Trump, MAGA and the Republican legislators will do everything they can to slander, criticise, disavow and rubbish the No King’s Day protest. The more people who protest the more pressure on Trump to respect our Constitution.
Elliot, I don’t think Trump respects or disrespects the Constitution. He ignores it. He also ignores laws. He
will continue to ignore the Constitution and all laws until the day
he dies.
Susan: If he ignores the Constitution, which he took an oath to uphold that is disrespect. A leader sets the example and he is not setting a positive example. Thus, I do not consider Trump is a leader.
He certainly isn't my leader!
Agreed.
SAME difference
Elliot, I agree with everything you said. The only thing that I do not believe will ever happen is the orange man respecting our Constitution! He has never, ever done that.
Peggy: I agree with you. The fact that he does not respect the Constitution, illustrates that he is not a leader. A leader sets a positive example.
The Constitution? what's that? (orange anus uses it for toilet paper)
Trump respects no boundaries. That is why this Saturday is such a dangerous moment. People need to be aware of this, and leave the baby strollers at home!
Hi Elliot. You’ve nailed it. Good luck on the protest.
While we demonstrate peacefully, the NUMBERS of demonstrators will be a silent form of intimidation.
Johnson is a small Johnson and he is never truly happy. Trump is about as miserable as a human can be inside - and little Johnson is just as full of self loathing when he is alone
Mike Johnson is a religious fanatic, who believes that Trump is ushering in the Second Coming Of Christ. This is the belief of all these Christian Nationalists. They believe that in the ensuing chaos that Christ will establish his righteous government, therefore no need to preserve this one. He believes that he is one of the chosen! In other words, another Jim Jones. He most be removed from all power too, making the Midterms even more important! Religious Fanatics are so dangerous and all those Mega Church evangelical preachers have bought in to this narrative many out of greed for money and power! Don't underestimate the power these fanatics weld.
My response — as an atheist— is holy Jesus! How did Christians allow their church to become so perverted? These so-called men of the cloth are essentially conman thieves stealing unabashedly from their own adherents. Trump is just riding on their coattails…
Then you see a true man of the cloth peacefully protesting and praying get pepper sprayed and then shot in the head with “nonlethals”.
That’s where we are — praying preacher assaulted.
John Fugelsang, who I see as an actual Christian, has some wonderfully meaty things to say about the perversion of the faith. Guess he'll get pepper sprayed soon? Also a comedian, his wit is pretty 'pepper spray'.
He was raised by a former Franciscan priest and nun who fell in love, so I'd imagine he'd know a great deal about religion.
Yes! I've heard him talk about his parents. His pointing out that Jesus told us," New covenant guys!" is one of his big points: ya know, all that feed the hungry, welcome the stranger sort of thing. When he refers to things biblical, he seems to have a very good knowledge. And no incomplete Constitution in his bible either I'm sure.
might it be that he was praying for the wrong people? Christian nationalism is tribal.
How come the ICE thug who shot the pastor has not been outed and at least condemned and fired, if not prosecuted for assault? Oh, I’m sorry, he was just doing his job.
Doesn't the second coming also require the obliteration of Israel? Boy is Netenahu going g to be surprised. It's really hard to grasp the extent of the crazy.
The poor shriveled Johnson can't recognize that ol' Tiny Hands is actually the ANTI-Christ.
I think you make the right point about the strictest fanatics. What are healthcare, nutrition or any of it when Armageddon is nigh? And they 'help' bring it on. Since when, by the way, does an almighty, all powerful god need your f'ing assist to realize his plan?
If you want to talk about religious fanatics, take a look at the Supreme Court. Amy Coney-Barrett was raised in a cult called “People of Praise.” She
married a man who is also in this cult and they are raising their children in the cult. From the website irishcentral. com:
“Justices Amy Coney Barrett, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Samuel Alito either belong to or are close to members of Opus Dei, a secretive lay movement within the church, first created in Spain by Father Josemaría Escrivá in the 1920s.”
“Former U.S. A.G. William Barr is also a member of Opus Dei and Federalist Society chairman Leonard Leo, is a board member of Opus Dei.”
Opus Dei critic Matthew Fox, PhD,
theologian & priest, is in no doubt about the power Opus Dei now has on the Catholic justices.” (on our Supreme Court)
"The Supreme Crt. itself has become a cesspool of religious ideology ignoring the pluralism of American culture in favor of a far-right version of evangelical and Roman Catholic Christianity committed to anti-abortion fanaticism,” writes Fox.
Hearing this many specifics is daunting. I've been aware of the number of them affiliated, though not with Opus Dei specifically. I just saw a bit on Spinoza 'all in one' that is much more for me. If you'll pardon me, I'll just leave my hymnal in the back on my way out. Ta!
I like to think of Johnson as mini-Mike.
I've been calling him Moses Mike but I like the Little Johnson moniker too!
I'm just calling him greasy Mike lately. Watching him twist and squirm in the presence of reality checks.
Me too!
Holy Mike
he's nothing but a tool.
It's situated at a convenient height for him.
That’s as far as he can reach.
There is a hellish lot of butt smooching going on.
He's also a liar, a sham of a man who claims to be a follower of Christ.
He is led I believe by the Anti-Christ as all these religious fanatics are, whether in the US or the Middle East. So many of the Evangelical Christians have been led astray by the MAGA Movement, and they have forgotten about Love Thy neighbor or the Golden Rule of do unto others as you would have done unto you!
So true
Even if Federal agents or military get violent, it is absolutely imperative not to strike back. From my essay (specifically focusing on facing military), https://dialector.substack.com/p/to-support-and-defend "We hold a form of authority that answers theirs, not through rank, but through reciprocated duty. As they have stood ready to suffer for our safety, so now we must stand with clarity and resolve for the Constitution they swore to defend. Our courage does not wear a uniform, but it must carry the same weight. Our role is not to command them, but to mirror back the honor they have pledged, to remind them by the way we carry ourselves, that their oath is not forgotten, not abandoned, and not in vain. We meet their sacrifice with our own, showing them that the Republic still lives in the hands and hearts of its people.
When facing the military in the streets, instead of reacting like agitated victims, venting emotional frustration, shouting, provoking, or collapsing into irrational chaos, we can become something far more powerful. We can embody the force of committed citizenship rightly lived. In our discipline, in our lawfulness, in our refusal to return insult for insult or threat for threat, we have the power to shine a light of American greatness into the soul of every soldier standing before us, by showing them that we, too, know what it means to support and defend the Constitution not in theory, but in blood-earned dignity and principled restraint. We can stir in them a reckoning. When they see that we do not lash out, that we do not desecrate their uniform with dishonorable displays of anxiety, but instead honor it with our own calm courage and unwavering devotion to the law they too swore to uphold, something sacred awakens in them."
I often wonder WHAT would happen if the march or marches or protests were SILENT. SILENT vigils in every town and city….with one message only …whatever that message may be in support of peace, resistance and justice with the most important part of the message being RESILIENCE: A huge number of Resilient Groups across the globe and in the movement are things that become really worth celebrating and protecting, like learning about democracy and what it really means and so on because a resilient community is a RESPONSIVE and not REACTIVE MOVEMENT and is a precious RESOURCE to push against the current political and economic and social system that seeks to divide and rule in order to keep us from becoming a stronger nucleus of all that is respectful of our liberties, freedoms and our rights.
If the Social Contract between the leadership and the people is not one of mutual interest at the very least and mutual benefit at the most fundamental level, then there can be no healthy ‘nationhood’ ….
Resistance becomes the most powerful weapon but Resilience is the key….this is where Responsibility, Accountability and Social Justice comes into play….has the meaning of SERVICE literally been shredded or replaced by the twisted principle of all consuming Power that serves the Favoured Few?
Do we start by honouring our promises and our allegiance to the Constitution or the laws of our own countries or do we support those who would batter, dismiss and dismantle them in order to serve THEMSELVES?
Resilience is somethng that people can train themselves to manifest. The civil rights movement provides a lot of useful information about that. From my essay E Pluribus Unum https://dialector.substack.com/p/e-pluribus-unum "The Freedom Riders, who deliberately rode buses into segregated bus terminals in the 1960s trained for months to endure beatings, taunts, and jail time without retaliating. They didn't just hope they'd be strong enough, they prepared.
The Freedom Riders did not step onto those buses with no training, they trained their bodies, minds, and spirits to withstand the violence they knew was coming. They gathered in workshops led by experienced civil rights organizers, where they were taught the philosophy of nonviolence, not just as an idea, but as a discipline. They practiced sitting in rigid, upright postures to endure long bus rides and avoid flinching under physical assault. They drilled in role-playing exercises, where volunteers would shove them, scream racial slurs, and even pretend to strike them. The goal was to desensitize them to provocation so that when the real attacks came, their instinct would not be to fight back but to remain steadfast.
They practiced being dragged from seats, knocked to the ground, and spit upon without reacting. They rehearsed how to go limp when arrested to avoid escalating encounters with police. They studied legal rights and jail procedures, knowing many of them would be locked away for their defiance. They read about Gandhi's Satyagraha Movement and Martin Luther King Jr.'s principles of peaceful resistance, fortifying their belief that nonviolence was not weakness but an unbreakable force that would expose injustice."
Max, I so remember the awful abuse Freedom Riders and peaceful protesters endured during the Civil Rights Movement. The late, great Rep. John Lewis endured a lot of abuse when he worked with Martin Luther King in that movement. He always said "When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something, you have to do something." That is what we will be doing this Saturday. The republicans call it a "hate" America rally when in actuality, they are the ones who hate America and are hell bent on changing everything that makes America so great into an authoritarian regime. I love my country and the way I know best to show that love is to get out there this Saturday and stand for my country. Thank you for that reminder of people who stood up and continued to stand up for equality and the rights afforded American citizens in this country.
I’m going to digest your message properly by rereading it again…. I got quite excited by it and dashed off my reply….!
I’ve always dreamed of creating groups that strive to actively engage with and interact with more courage in order to TALK to each other….. and I think the equality that might just vibrate between people who want to do this, is a big step towards resilience in our communities.
Resilience can support Resistance in creating Respect. There is much use know but much we still have to learn.
The unnerving power of Silent Resistance is perhaps a fantasy but it flies in the face of the mindless chatter that masquerades as Political Leadership today.
The Signs of Fascism protests are silent, and I think very effective, having done it on very crowded NJ boardwalk.
https://youtu.be/KfRZEyiSq6g?si=SfDgxHZujwlLTq0x
Yes I like. Thought about doing my own burma shave signs in my front yard. Maybe for the election.
best done in areas where people pass slowly--lots of reading! Good luck with it! (You must be older or know about old stuff to reference Burma Shave!)
Win, this is from the other side of the world where we will be watching. We are with you all in spirit. I recently read on the "George Lakey Collection" web pages, that sitting down was less provocative to the opposition than standing. So wonder what might happen if all you people took a picnic to the protest.
George Lakey is an old neighbor and long time family friend. His work grew out of a national network of leaders Max references. My late FIL was another, Vinton Deming. Their knowledge and practice is invaluable in the current challenge we have. Definitely recommend reading George's recommendations.
Real talk, as I learned the art of it (from Plato), requires resilience. Critically examining one's own perspectives and character is quite the task. In your first note, you mentioned Jesus and "two or three are gathered". You might be interested in my essay on Politics-First Christianity. Although I detail James and Jesus' take on spirituality such that MAGA Christianity is indefensible, the essence of the message is in the last two paragraphs, which show that extraordinary resilience is required just to be a real Christian.
https://dialector.substack.com/p/politics-first-christianity-in-the
From the essay,
"Christians can offer a better public witness and a more powerful contribution to the nation’s politics, not by seizing secular power, but by living lives so faithful to Jesus that His love and truth cannot be ignored.
The most powerful way for Christians to “Make America Great Again” is to obey His commandments again. Make the love of God visible again. Take up your own cross and follow Him again. Make Jesus your Lord again to lift Christ up above our worldly politics, above our fear, our anger, our lust for power, and our thirst for control so that everyone can clearly see that the love of God is not dead, that mercy triumphs over judgment, that peace is stronger than fear, that forgiveness heals what vengeance cannot, and that the way of Jesus leads to life."
I don’t support silent protests.My husband and I have been to four protests in our community since Trump won this past election, and we have appreciated people with percussion instruments leading chants. The chants are never ugly, and chanting with others can be unifying and motivating.
That’s fair enough…there’s democracy in protest.
Well said, Win!
Win, I was reminded of the phrase "Silence is golden". Silence can say so very much. With just signs and peaceful, quiet demonstrators - wow, what a message!
Wouldn't hurt to occasionally sing America the Beautiful to show liberals love America, but not what Trump et al are doing to it. Or the Pledge of Allegiance.
That song always fills me with pride, Camille! If only our politicians would commit to the Pledge of Allegiance, we would be on a path to get rid of this corrupt regime!
Peggy, I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know who wrote it, so I looked it up. Katharine Lee Bates, an author, poet, social activist and teacher...just like yourself. I think that makes it even more worthy to sing her song.
She was inspired by viewing Pikes Peak after a long journey.
Thank you Katharine Lee Bates! A beautiful song! Thanks, Camille!
Whenever I say that pledge, I purposely leave out the part that the fascist scumbag who had 'no shame' (Joseph McCarty) had installed into it (where it had NOT been before!) in the early to mid 1950s (i.e.; "under God") during his 'red scare' purges, black listings, and persecutions.
I also do not appreciate pledging to a piece of cloth, especially one which has been co-opted by rightwing fascist fanatics as solely their own, when it should state an 'allegiance' to our CONSTITUTION, and NOT to the stars and stripes (even if it is used as symbolism for just that).
I respect your principles and share some of your views. I was merely suggesting something to show that protesters don't hate America and each person is free to choose any patriotic song that fits their beliefs about GOD, who the flag represents and more.
I have a fantasy that every single person who hates what is going on here goes down to the Mall in Washington and sits there until things change.
WOW! Now I've got that vision in my head, Joanne, and it is lovely!
yes it is a wonderful vision.....with porta potties, food trucks and everything!
Hahahahahahaha! Now that is my kind of sit-in!
Or takes it turn with others….no shouting, no screaming slogans….Silence apart from the scarves around necks (tucked in!) in whatever colours you choose …..but all the same colours!
The Supreme Court justices know the Constitution better than you or me, but the conservative majority denies any connection between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, specifically the proclamation of human rights. Their wilful "textualist" reading of the Constitution enables and empowers Trump.
Silence with something depicting: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
Peaceful protest is the best way forward.
Way to go, Chicago!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XmYL9FZUwII
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c97ztdBp4q8
Compare this with the violence that ICE has often displayed.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vdQg7DjQUoI
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GeRjv2nkdiU
Jeannie Suk Gersen wrote yesterday in the New Yorker about the legal ways that Trump could use the military to enforce his policies. She identifies judicial deference as the reason why, despite the facts on the ground, judges could still allow Trump's deployments for any least show of resistance that results in an altercation.
Worse still, Wired has reported that right-wing influencers have been busy creating their own content to back up the administration's claims that Democrat-run cities are crime-ridden and hotbeds of insurrection and flooding social media with it. Here's an example, posted by a former USA Turning Point staffer:
https://x.com/KatieDaviscourt/status/1973851819744112852
Everyone, please read the comments in these videos. Especially, the second one referencing ICE violence (on FOX). Bridging the gaps between people is so critical with these protests. As RR and so many in these comments have shared, any element of violence or confrontation will get used to make a case against the protests. Stay disciplined and react with tools and strategies. Cameras and FOX mentality is everywhere.
Great advice! There are going to be people there looking to start trouble. One of the right-wing influencers, Nick Sortor, accompanying Kristi Noem on her visit to an ICE facility in Portland was arrested by Portland police for disorderly conduct for his alleged involvement in a fight. He wasn't charged, but that didn't stop the DoJ from launching an investigation into the Portland police or an attorney acting for Sortor threatening to sue them for allegedly 'silencing conservative media'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksJTm-461KQ
Good point Russell. This is the Hitler playbook brought to us in the updated version of Project 2025 and the Christian Nationalists. Cheers... GH
Thank you so much for this…. I’m really hoping that exactly THIS will find its way into our hearts and minds and from there, a flexible and effective response will be seeded and sown where even ‘two or three are gathered’.
I wonder if this is what was so missed and completely misunderstood about one ‘Jesus Christ’ who was in fact one of the greatest Resistance Heroes and Revolutionaries of all time whose message, embodied by peaceful resistance has been misunderstood and misinterpreted……I can think of others too who carried the same message of peace and justice….eg. Mahatma Gandhi? Martin Luther King? Mandela?
Perhaps there is a little but unwavering light now being shone in the engulfing darkness and that is that great American, Leo of Rome??? Head of the universal RC Church and I believe, leader of ALL who believe in democracy in its best sense and who are not of just ONE tribe, nation, faith or political system?
Win, I never really thought about it, but you are right! Jesus Christ was a Resistance Hero and a Revolutionary. The message of love and peace he carried has endured for centuries! All of the brave souls you mentioned did carry that same message of love, peace and justice. We are all in this together no matter the party, no matter the faith and no matter the tribe! Thank you for putting that so eloquently!
I was a cradle RC and still have allegiance to the ‘faith’ but I’m not a believer in pure dogma or religion in its entirety or its emphasis on the sacramental rituals over the essence of what I think was Christ’s essential message: Get past the illusions and the divisions and the belief in a hierarchy of power and ritual. Love is not pretty, not always‘kind’ and definitely not easy.
That’s just mere form and even theatre….albeit with centuries of history behind it! He challenged ALL that and yes, look what happened to him (for God’s sake!) but I love the fact that JC was the greatest revolutionary of all time ….in my mind….and I can’t help but wonder that IF we humankind had been able to understand it differently, we may well not have had the same outcomes ever since…..the pogroms, the reenactments of these savage times and the subsequent events in history.
No, that’s not true….we’re quite savage under the layers! Shucks!
Pope Leo was born and bred middle class Chicago..he must speak up for his homeland and his very own Chicago! And he must spread the word of peace over and over.
I think he’s doing that almost daily….
He did, just last week.
How did that work out in Germany, 1932?
Apart from a few isolated acts, there was no nonviolent resistance to Hitler in 1932.
Get video of everything. That's the key.
Well said, Max. Carry an American flag!
Max ….we’re in dialogue and I hope this continues and spreads. You strike the metal when you said ‘Critically examining one’s own perspectives and character is quite the task’.
Indeed, it is the TASK and does not require a confessional or deep analysis but yes, those things can help.
I think raw power and crude politics is the most damaging thing in our time now. If only we humans were structurally more able to transcend the limitations and (artificial) constraints of our environment, our histories and our legacies….including the transmission of inter generational trauma but most of all, the way we don’t make the journey between head and heart…in a manner of speaking.
We limit ourselves so much and fall in line with the dominant narrative and if we’re not careful, we become The Great Unthinking….no, no’ no. This must not happen, beautiful people. Thx xxxx
Beautifully said, Max!
Absolutely So. It can have such positive effects….its a discipline though ….but worked out well, with good stewardship, it’s possibly a an impactful way to experience something that might have a profound impact on all of us….. wherever we are…just imagine in my Two Favourite Words “WHAT IF..” people gather in silence with torches (not the burning kind 🥵) and silence or in song?? Challenging I know, but troubled times require superpowers of all kinds!
I can only imagine what an absolutely powerful statement that would make, Win!
Whatever Trump and his cult call October 18th, flip it. Everything they accuse the Democrats of doing is either what they have done or what they are planning to do. We have to have the world’s largest protest on October 18th to show humanity that we love our country and our freedoms.
I may be wrong but I read that Qatar, MAGATrump Inc.’s new bestie have funded Hamas. The accusation that every accusation by this Trump corporate authoritarian takeover is a confession is fast becoming canonic.
Yes, they have for decades.
Thanks.
How ironic that would be.
Every day is the GOP's Hate America Rally !
They have a vision of an America that you would hate, and rightfully so.
Basically, a 4th Reich is their 'vision'.
They are also delusional enough to truly believe that it could last a thousand years, even though the last one only made it what, 12 years.
Exactly!
Republicans lie about everything so of course they would call it a hate rally
Memo to Mike Johnson: you are indeed correct! This will be a “hate America” rally. But the only America we hate is the anti-democratic one currently being erected by you amoral idiots on the radical far right! You are so far right that it is your party that has become radicalized.
I agree - I don’t necessarily hate this country, but definitely hate what’s going on - people don’t protest because they like stopping their daily activities and/or being subservient to the man - protesting is about protecting our rights and freedoms. I think the “government” (and I use the term loosely) is more fearful of citizens rightfully holding signs than they are about people holding AR-15s.
I agree too. And it was more than chilling to see subservience in action when I saw today's L.A. Times headline that the University of California and the California State University Systems both turned over faculty information to the "government." How can we not hate what is going on? This is Nazi Germany redux.
Ugh.
That is a tell, for sure. They don't care about us. tRump makes sureof it with his constant lying hate speech and accusations.
Mass protests to demand that the government do something generally accomplishes nothing, but at best might get the government to act like they are going to help you, yet cause problems instead that get you to demand more government again. Small groups of people can help each other effectively. An angry mob driven by lies will serve no good purpose.
Respectfully, disagree.
Hate is contagious. Beware!
George Orwell explored the relationship between love and hate in 1984, where the Party uses both to control the populace through rituals like the "Two Minutes Hate". In his view, the ruling powers "fear love because it creates a world they can't control" and instead promote a manipulated love for "Big Brother" that is intertwined with a manufactured hate for enemies like Emmanuel Goldstein. For individuals, the Party suppresses genuine love and passion, viewing it as a force for rebellion and a threat to its absolute power
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
― George Orwell, 1984
In this Orwellian times, truth is just an illusion. Only the Party will tell you what to believe and how to think! This Orwell 1984 T is perfect for these tyrant times 👇
https://libtees.dashery.com/products/78000640-orwell-1984-t-shirt
Heather.B, the quote you relate to from '1984' mirrors perfectly the trumpist tactic of projecting the supreme fallacy of fascist doctrine onto the opposition - as in "lies is truth, truth is lies". To double down endlessly on every lie is the mark of the totalitarian regime of 'Big Brother'. You know the regime is concerned when in unison all the sycophants cry with one voice "hate rally" (lies is truth) - the grand inquisitor accuses the "Marxists, Communists, Radical Leftists" of "living like vermin within the confines of our country" - is this not hate speech directed at freedom-loving people? The regime mirrors the historical reference to the Final Solution as propagated by the soulless messengers from his inner circle. Huge masses of citizens risen in peaceful protest, as Dr. Reich says, now is the most effective way to defang the violent tactics of the nihilists. The namesake of the Edmund Pettis Bridge had it in for this nation to fail, and we are at the entryway to that bridge again in 1,000 places around this country. A person would be with the ancients of Athens to employ satire with heavy doses of sarcasm to counteract the regime's endless stream of lies.
Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day we only hope since the actor for genocide of these peoples Andrew Jackson's portrait again defiles the Gallery of Presidents in the White House.
First Nations day!
I've been feeling those 1984 feelings since the smartphone. Big brother is always watching. No teen can get away with any of the usual mischief. Ah. Must be time for some Rage Against the Machine....."Killing in the Name of"
That was precisely what Hitler and Stalin had done. Note also how RFK Jr first blamed autism on vaccines in general, then on mRNA vaccines only, the on acetaminophen, none of it based on evidence. The whole point was to undermine people's confidence in science and scientific institutions. In a recent White House announcement Trump brazenly stated that all scientific publication will be vetted by his government. After he croaks Trump will be seated next to Hitler and Stalin, on right hand of Satan.
...or in bed with Satan himself, as in South Park this season...
I was just thinking last night that George was what, just over 20 years too soon in his predictive year for the dystopian totalitarianism of that iconic novel.
Orwell spoke and wrote from experience.
WE are the true patriots, disgruntled Republicans, betrayed independents, and determined Democrats.
We may not want all the same things, but we do demand to have our fully functioning government back, our ACA subsidies intact, and the Epstein files no longer hidden away to protect the guilty.
We are #PolarOppositePatriots.
LET EVERYONE ACROSS THE BOARD SHARE THAT LABEL, because we know in our hearts that our patriotism is stronger than all the issues that divide us.
Job one is to stop this #TrumpProject2025 #RepubloFascism in weeks not years.
This is no time to go nose to nose with perceived foes. When we go wallet to wallet and understand why all of us have been victimized, we can stand together looking forward and worry about all those other details later.
As long as everyone knows. There will be “False Flag Actors”. They are very dangerous and effective.
Stay away from them!
"Hate America?" Once again, with these guys every accusation is a confession.
the Republican projectionists
About all they are good at, besides hate and hypocrisy.
Don't forget, there are Americans worldwide who love America enough to rally for a sane pro-democratic America, too. In Lisbon, Portugal, AMPT UP (Americans in Portugal United in Protest) will be raising our voices at Praça do Comércio at 3:00pm. We've got a brand new megaphone, and we hope they'll be able to hear us loud and proud in DC! Every voice counts!
In Britian the organizers have a group just labeled Stop Trump.
Professor Reich: you wrote: "it’s likely to generate a huge number of news clips on local television" to which i respond: THANK THE GODDESS for the local TV news! cuz we know that news of this protest will not appear (much) in national news, unless all hell breaks loose, of course.
i am looking forward to this protest, not least of which is because this may in fact, be the last protest we can legally have, if the orange rapist, his regime and his gestapo have their way, so i hope everyone can turn out and make sure the message is sent AND RECEIVED: NO KINGS! give back our country, our laws and our government! and RELEASE THE TRUMPSTEIN FILES!!
[EDIT] oh, i forgot to add: War is Peace! Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength! LOVE IS HATE!
Right you are GrrlS. If only one protestor does something stupid it will repeat on Fox Fake News for days while they ignore the millions of peaceful people. The Murdochs, Sinclare and other right-wing broadcasters are at the core of traitorous activity in our country. Show up, be peaceful... GH
the oiligarchs!
Rachel usually does a great job of showing both the massive in metro area protests, as well as the smaller (but potentially much more brave) ones in tiny bright red state hamlets all over.
Of course I refuse to watch even MSNBC anymore, so I will miss her broadcast coverage until it is put up on YouTube.
Many in the Washington DC GOP, including their ring leader, have called the January 6th insurrection ‘a day of love’ and the perps of that day were labelled ‘hostages’. What comes out of their mouths is just babble at best; this has been their choice and reflective of their bad conduct. They are a vicious cartel and if I’m being kind, I might add they border on being a terroristic gang.
Certainly there were enough deaths and serious injuries caused by the rioters to justify calling it what it truly was; an insurrection.
We now know that it was planned and funded by people who have not been held accountable. Many of the rioters were given funds for transportation to DC and for hotel rooms by people who have never been held accountable.
Julie Fancelli, heir to the Publix supermarket fortune and Richard Ulhlein, a packaging supplies magnate who has given $4 million to the Tea Party Patriots, as well as a number of non-profit and “dark money” groups also funded the rioters.
"useful idiots."
In addition to all the Professor says here, the general consensus in making it easy to identify an agitator if you’re in the middle of a crowd, is to immediately put down your sign and sit in place. If you’re in the periphery, consider removing yourself from the area.
“Democracy needs you.” - Robert Reich
NOKINGS.ORG
Good reminder. Thank you.
I remember a day in our past when a group of Palestinian terrorists stormed the compound where the Israeli athletes were assigned in Munich during the 1972 Olympics. The animals who took the Israeli athletes hostage slaughtered them all during a fight at the airport. These misguided Muslims hate the Cristians and the Jews alike, and you really think they can be trusted. I fear what happens today will bring a deep sense of regret to all concerned. Plan for the worst while hoping for the best, with Fingers crossed.
I’m beginning to believe that the only people who can be trusted are not Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist or those of no faith but those who are respectful to others, who believe in the sanctity of life and the preservation of it, those who can distinguish between Good and Evil and who have every intention to do their utmost to protect and respect others and themselves too. In other words, those who live and strive to honour their personal and professional principles and who make restoration and reparation a priority, when they offend against their own promises and obligations.
Political parties everywhere are proving to not be as trustworthy as they proclaim to be nor are they often willing or able to stand by their fervent promises and policies made in general election cycles.
We must WAKE UP to the grim reality of the failures of our governments and institutions to not do any if not all, of the above.
Politics and Religions that make Gods of those who profit and promote themselves and their own interests, are False Gods, not to be trusted.
Hello Win. I agree with you except the comment about "people of no faith". I am included in that group, meaning, no faith in most religions. I have countless relatives and friends who have walked away from organized religions because of the hypocrisy most of them represent. I have found the "no faith" folks are the kindest and most open minded people with the biggest hearts that I know. Just saying... GH
No, Gary, you are not "just saying." Your argument was Peter" and James" criticism of Paul and his emphasis on faith. Even the devil has faith in God, they stated. Paul agreed with them that "loves comes first."Read Acts in the Bible. Luther's stance is to be understood in the context of the Church's corruption. Madison and Jefferson held that atheists can be just as moral as believers.
There's a saying I read, this isn't exact, but the gist is, the nice thing about nice atheists is that they're nice to you despite not believing they are going to be rewarded for it somehow.
That should be despite NOT believing that they are going to be rewarded for it in that fantasyland in the sky, correct?
As a total non-believer, that is what I do, as I help people whenever I can and I do not ask their worldviews, religious proclivities, or ideologies beforehand, for no other reason than that is what I do.
Now of course, if they are wearing a red hat, have YOOOGE <-(as their putrid orange vile fuehrer would say) SCUMp, Gadsden, confederate or swastika flags billowing in the beds of their coal rollers, with 'libtard hunting license', and Punisher skull stickers on their back windows, and are wearing 'Camp Aushwitz' shirts (like that effing J6 scumbag did) I will make an exception to that above tenet of mine. ;)
I fixed it. Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Gary ….you’re so right. Apologies…I meant people of no organised faith in terms of clerical and religious practices but who are faithful to the teachings of what is called Spirituality however that works for them and a shared belief in a moral code and compass, who have consciences and who believe in something beyond themselves even if it’s love of their country. So perhaps I really ought to describe it differently…. Humanism perhaps?
some of the ancients called it "virtue."
Part of the problem is that we must STOP deifying the psychotically greedy wealthy oligarchs, as is the standard operating procedure in our society.
They most certainly are NOT 'perfect gods', unless 'gods' are exclusively vile and evil by compulsive nature.
Of course, the rightwing will proceed to label YOU as a "godless commie socialist Antifaaahh" if you do not passively (and enthusiastically) go along with their regime's Project 2025 BS, and refuse to worship their oligarchs as they expect to be adulated.
False gods???
IF you are a believer, yes.
I personally believe that ALL 'gods' are man made/invented to control the masses with fear, loathing, and supposed answers to the great unknown.
that's why we have the 1st Amendment!
Thank you. I think there are so many delusions in so many things….the good thing is it’s being thrown up in the air now it’s really time to be honest and searching within ourselves….well, I can only really speak for myself ….so I must say Within Me!!
Before the rally, we need to define “American Democracy”, because what we consider democracy is not democracy at all.
A democracy is a collective decision making system and process, where collective decision making is what is governed and the governor is the legislative process to determine those collective decisions by a majority consensus of All that are Assembled!
Let’s start there!
How about starting with what the Declaration of Independence states and the US Constitution?
Why did you leave out the Articles of Confederation? It is our most important founding document, because it tells us what they did when forming the Union and why.
The Declaration of Independence established the purpose of government, to make the decisions of a Free and Independent State with the Full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do All Acts and Things Independent States may of Right do.
The Articles of Confederation converted the assembly of the States in a general Congress into a legislative assembly of the States in a Congress, where each State ceded the Power of a Free and Independent State to Form the Union, and the equal vote in the legislative assembly, a democracy of the States, is at once the recognition of the residual sovereignty of each State to participate in the legislative process, consensus choice.
The Constitution of the United States balanced the legislative process to make laws by normalizing the States by a common factor, each States proportion of the aggregate population of the Union, creating an iterative legislative process which balanced the power of the large and small States and creating legislative checks and balances where each house of Congress is a check on the other and the Senate is doubly checked by each States own State legislature creating a convenient interface between the state and federal governments. The apportionment of direct taxes on each State was changed from an assessment based upon the different forms of property within each State as a proportion of the aggregate property value of All the States in the Union, to the same CV per capita apportionment for representation in the House creating no taxation without representation, as every State agreed to pay their proportion of all expenditures that they themselves participated in making. These changes formed a More Perfect Union.
Our founding documents must be considered together as one founding document to be understood.
Darrell, the Declaration of Independence is a lot more than what you state. It contain the first proclamation of human rights in modern times. Those who give priority to states, ethnicity, and/or business rights deny any connection between the Constitution and the Declaration. You can count the majority of justices in the Supreme Court among them. This is why Trump mocks them, and the entire judiciary on a daily basis. Without basic, foundational rights, the Constitution is just a piece of paper, to be opportunistically interpreted to serve one special interest or another. Without foundational values our country will disintegrate like the defunct Soviet Union.
No it isn’t! The actual declaration is in the last paragraph of the Declaration of Independence:
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
These changes formed rest of the Declaration of Independence is just a statement of grievances to justify and support their right to sever ties with the State of Great Britain.
Darrell Eldridge, the Declaration of Independence is whole. Why do you break it? Implicit in your statement is a claim that the proclamation of human rights was just a pretext, hence of no bearing after independence was achieved. You are accusing the Founders of hypocrisy, and you are also implying that there was no connection between the Declaration and the abolition of slavery. Are you a son of the Confederacy?
I’m not breaking anything! And as you can read for yourself it says right there in the last paragraph what they declared and published and what they were seeking by declaring their independence from the State of Great Britain. It’s you that is try to add something that isn’t there to interpret it the way you want!
A 'representative' democracy is way, way, WAY too easy to corrupt and criminalize at the hands of power and wealth lusting fascist oligarchs, as we have seen and experienced so horrifically lately.
The effing Electoral College (as well as Corporations United) we must suffer is (are) about THE most anti-democracy entities in existence, save for outright despotic fascism.
Wrong! There is no such thing as a representative democracy, in a democracy all must participate in person, in a Republican Form of Government, all must participate through an exact representation of All to be assembled to participate!
A democracy, and all democratic and republican forms of government cannot be influenced, interfered with, or corrupted, that’s why they chose a Democracy assembled as a Republican Form of Government, where even the unicameral Senate is a Republican Form of Government because it is the Confederation of Republics, as each State must constitute their own State legislature as either a simple republic in a unicameral legislature or a compound republic in a bicameral legislature as a condition of membership in the Union!
There’s no such thing as a “representative democracy”! Either all are assembled in person, which is a democracy, or all are assembled through an exact representation, which is a republic. The only democracy that is a Republican Form of Government is a Democracy that is assembled as a Confederation of Republics which requires All the members to be constituted as either a simple republic in a unicameral legislature or a compound republic in a bicameral legislature as a condition of membership in the democracy.
In the United States we have a compound republic assembled in a bicameral legislature established by Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States, and a Democracy assembled as a Republican form of Government in a unicameral legislature established by Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of the United States, which operate independently and simultaneously in Congress and the Senate has the power of concurrence over both systems.
Neither system can be corrupted, influenced, or any way controlled by individuals and factions as you elude to in your comment.
Furthermore, the Electoral College is not established by, or in compliance with, the electoral process established by the Constitution of the United States!