A short list of my helpful and not so helpful every day actions in defiance of Trumpists and their enablers.
Fact Check Your Friends and Yourself:
If it sounds awesomely bad and fun, it’s probably being twisted or it’s a flat out lie. US Uncut? Occupy Democrats? I see you. This is really annoying and really irritates people, but it’s also EXTREMELY important. If you are posting from clickbait sites of dubious origin, I consider you a vodka-swilling Russian infiltrator dancing “Kalinka” atop the corpse of American democracy and you will be called out. I urge everyone to do the same. Source-shaming is an act of defiance and the truth is on our side.
Poop Bags:
Dumps for Trump bags for my Corgi. It won’t topple governments, but it feels really satisfying.
Reading List:
I subscribe to the New York Times, The Washington Post, The L.A Times, and Jacobin Magazine. I’m also currently reading Spain in Our Hearts by Adam Hochsman and The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt. All my literary consumption is either supporting the free press or reading up on the dangers of fascism and totalitarianism. Make sure as you’re buying your books, you boycott Simon & Schuster. They know why.
Ruin A White Supremacist’s Day:
Did you know that certain middle aged white rockabilly dudes in their 40’s with terrible tattoos are really sensitive about the Confederate flag? Neither did I until i dragged someone for it online. See something? Say Something. No micro-agression is too micro, and no niche is safe. Racists are feeling empowered, and it’s up to us to call them out everywhere. You don’t get to enjoy yourself and be a racist. Not anymore. While we’re at it, let’s just stop pretending like Civil War reenacting as Confederates is somehow OK, and that people who wear Nazi uniforms on weekends are somehow just educators. Find another hobby.
Make calls, but more importantly, SHOW UP!
All the lines are tied up, That’s awesome! but you know what’s even more important? What happened to Jason Chaffetz in Utah and what happened to Tom McClintock in California. If your representative isn’t a tone-deaf partisan like Messrs. McClintock and Chaffetz, then show up to other things. Did you read about the protests outside of ICE detention centers last week? There were only about 50-100 people there. We need more! My wife and I ran out the door w/ our dog in tow that night. There were families with babies there. This isn’t always about well-coordinated Women’s and Science marches on a weekend. It’s a resistance, dammit. Get out of your house on a cold Thursday and go shout. It’s therapeutic and almost always makes local if not national news.
Yup. I took these pictures on a Thursday when we had planned to make dinner and watch Murder She Wrote. Instead we shouted, made the news, and ate hot dogs and pie.
Support Your Local Organizations
New to the fight? Welcome! There are groups who have been fighting injustices for a very long time that are organized and ready to assist the very people who are under attack. Support the groups that are leading this fight. For me, it’s California-centric. I’m all over THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, CHIRLA, Kevin De León, Ted Lieu, and Kamala Harris. Nationally, I follow UNDOCUMEDIA, EMILY’S LIST, PLANNED PARENTHOOD, among literally hundreds of other organizations. Get IN there. There’s always something proactive you can be doing and getting informed is the best way to start.
#StayLoud
They are counting on us to get burned out. Don’t stop. Keep up the pressure, because we know they can’t handle pressure. May the odds be ever in our favor.
