The Decisions You Need to Make Now
What 'cha gonna do?
We’re closing in on the end of the year. Some people start thinking about their New Year’s resolutions1. But this year, each of us actually does need to think about what we are going to do next year.
For many of us, this will be a seminal year.
For some people, they will leave the country, or else stay as invisible as possible. Those are choices, but for many of us, we believe that America, and American democracy, are worth fighting for, and will do all that we can.
An easy choice will be to attend the March on Washington on 18 January 2025. There will likely be marches in other cities, similar to the Women’s March in 2017. Official plans are still underway, for example, permits will be required. But if you are interested, get with your local groups and reserve buses, get bus sign-ups, decide if you want to have a march near you and if so, work on getting permits. Then will come the advertising (likely through social media) with all the details.
A side note: at the Women’s March in Philadelphia in 2017, an enterprising Girl Scout troop set up a table along the route, and really cleaned up. Always look for ways to be inclusive!
Seriously, it will be important for there to be more people out and marching on the 18th than show up for the inauguration on the 20th. While the Orange Menace will never allow his people to tell the truth about crowd sizes, he knows, and it destroys him inside when our counts beat his.
Not everyone can attend the Marches. Some people will have to work, and others have physical limitations that preclude their attendance. But please consider attending if you can.
2025 Elections
I keep hearing dismayed people say that we’ll never have another election. THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED. There are elections scheduled throughout the country next year. There’s a high probability that some are scheduled in your town, city, county and/or state district.
One option for your 2025 is to either run for an office, work on a campaign, or work to register and turn out voters.
In the past, people worked their way up: first as a council member, then mayor, then county commissioner, then state assemblyperson or senator, and then on to Congress and maybe higher. Local offices are how elected officials learn how things work, and how to build their networks. These elections MATTER. Their outcomes decide what books are in your schools, and what is taught. Also, how tax dollars are spent. Not to mention whether the local/county/state government will accede to the thugs, or refuse to participate.
Each vote counts more in an odd year than in an even year because so many fewer people vote. Some local elections come down to a difference of 5 votes, 2 votes and sometimes 1 vote.
Consider running, or at least working on a local campaign. IT MATTERS!!!!
Gentle Resistance
You may have a skill that can help other people. For example, with the incels coming into power, we can expect more assaults on women and girls. If you know self-defense, teach your female family, friends and neighbors. While there are self-defense courses, they are not always financially possible, nor located in a place that women and girls can access. But you live where you live, and if you know self-defense/martial arts, there are likely women and girls within walking distance whom you could help.
Re-establish Neighborhood Watch. There used to be Neighborhood Watch programs throughout the US. People would walk around their neighborhoods (often with their dogs) and keep an eye on what was going on. Sometimes they would drive around and utilize CBs radios. Their goal was to keep an eye on things and report suspicious activity to the local cops.
This is still a thing in some places, but with Ring doorbells, and local social media sites, often people rely more on technology than other humans.
So I’m thinking of a modification of Neighborhood Watch. Pairs of people (with dogs) walking around their neighborhood to keep an eye on things, but also knocking on neighbors’ doors. First, to recruit more walkers. (If people don’t have dogs, all neighborhoods have dogs that would be glad to go out multiple times with people they know.) Second, to say, “We have a neighborhood watch, and we want to check in on people.” If someone is elderly, perhaps they need help picking up their medications. There may be young families that could set up babysitting co-operatives. If a neighbor was in a car accident, perhaps they temporarily need some help getting to physical therapy. You may be able to connect students with tutors. Set up a “borrow system” for various tools.
The more “organized” a neighborhood, the better it is. Think about the possibilities.
There are a lot of help lines for all sorts of things - here are just a few:
Three things you can do:
Add to this list with local phone lines in your area and then share them with everyone you know.
Volunteer to work the lines. Most organizations provide training.
Donate money. These are all non-profits.
Consider joining Democracy 2025. From their press release:
Democracy 2025 — a project resourced by Democracy Forward — is a coalition of 280+ organizations representing millions of people, dedicated to ensuring the Trump administration’s harmful actions are countered with strategic, effective legal actions.
Serious Resistance
The initial thing that the fascists are going to do is to undertake raids, imprison people, and attempt to deport them. While we all hate this, some people are geographically located closer to where the worst will start. This includes locations with poultry and meat processing plants, farms, and areas with large immigrant populations. Remember, they’re sending out jack-booted thugs, and if there’s an immigrant community, they will like take not just undocumented people, but people with green cards, and some citizens.
There are organizations that are working under the radar to help with raid packs (information for kids who may need new guardians if their parents are taken when the kids are in school), as well helping arrange housing for kids left behind. In addition, other groups will form human chains around certain houses.
If you want to help with these endeavors, reach out to local organizations that serve immigrant communities. Understand that you may risk arrest.
The second thing they will try to do is to ban all abortions in all situations. There are currently several underground networks (organized in Mexico) that help get abortion pills to women who need them. There are also clinics in Mexico, if the women can get there. There is a chain where the pills are sent from Mexico to helpers in the US, who mail them on. There are many people in the US now who are buying stashes of Plan B who will be willing to send them where they are needed. This is something you can participate in, and again, understand that you may risk arrest.
Your Choice
What you decide to do is entirely up to you. If you are reading this blog, there is a huge percentage chance that you live indoors, can afford an internet connection, and likely have food to eat every day.
But imagine that’s NOT you. You are in potential danger because you have to walk home alone after work. You are a 16-year-old trans kid whose parents said you were no longer welcome after you told them. You live in a household with both documented and undocumented human beings. You get the idea.
NOW think about what you are willing to do to help your fellow human beings. The answer to isolation and despair is action.
My annual New Years resolution is to quit drinking alcohol. Since I don’t ever drink alcohol, this is always a win for me. Your mileage may vary.
Good info but sad to have to consider,