Today’s actions are a blend of reflection and outreach, especially to those communities that are impacted by Trump’s actions this week.
Here are the actions for Saturday, Jan 28 — 9 days after Trump’s Inauguration:
Help a friend or family member become more politically active: assist a technophobe with getting Congressional phone numbers in their “Favorites,” write out postcards to send together, invite someone to an Indivisible Team meeting — and especially look for signs that a Trump supporter may be wavering based on this week’s disarray, cruelty and willful disbelief in facts that are easily proved. Do something to support our Muslim sisters and brothers: Send a postcard or letter to a local Muslim or refugee settlement group to let them know that you have their backs, donate to Immigration Rights groups, and if there is a local action to support them, consider attending it, too. Reflect on the first week of resistance to this Administration: what did you do that worked? What do you want to do more of? What do you want to stop to free up energy for other things? What will you do next week? Consider reading this diary from RevKatie yesterday: Take Care of Yourself -- We Need Each Other for the Long HaulKey Messages Today:
We are all immigrants, except for Native Americans and that continues to be a source of strength, energy and innovation. Trump has proven this week that our fears of dangerous incompetence, cruelty and hypersensitivity are true — and no one on his team can curb his worst instincts. America is so much better than this — if we want the world to trust us, we need to take action to address this gigantic elephant in the room before he starts killing people.What I Did Yesterday:
I spent my activism time making a mailing list for postcards, making some tweaks to the Women’s March postcard template and getting it printed, and researching the state legislature so that I can talk intelligently to my representatives when I call them.
The postcards weren’t printed in time for me to get them out yesterday. They will go out in the mail today and I’ll post pictures to prove it.
Context: Trump’s Cruelty
Yesterday’s Executive Order banning immigration from certain Muslim countries was not unexpected. We did not expect the harshness.
Today, there are Green Card holders — permanent residents of the United States — who are trapped overseas. Airlines won’t let them board planes and if they make it here, Border Security agents won’t let them enter. They have lives here - families, careers, communities, bank accounts, etc. Some have been here for decades.
Others are trapped here, because if they leave, they may not be able to come back. So they’ll miss out on major family events and career opportunities that require overseas travel. They have to put on hold any dreams they have of reuniting with family by bringing parents, sisters and brothers here.
The timing of the announcement — on a day dedicated to Pro-Life demonstrations and Holocaust remembrance — only increases the pain. People shared pictures of those who were denied entry into the States in the 1930s and later perished in concentration camps. A Jewish synagogue learned that a refugee family they were sponsoring, and that was scheduled to arrive within days, was not going to be able to come after all.
An Unnecessarily Cruel Decision
Set aside the evidence that since 9-11, there have been no domestic terror attacks perpetrated by Muslims. Set aside the fact that we have home-grown white nationalist terrorists who have perpetrated acts of violence against minorities and takeovers of government facilities. They don’t care about these facts because they don’t fit the narrative they are trying to push.
On the face of it, this action is overly broad, and cruel in its willingness to throw away protocol, treating Green Card holders and graduate students with the same disdain as it treats tourists and unvetted refugees. There will be consequences for Americans abroad: tightening of border controls against us, more questions when we pass through Passport Control even in countries where it’s legal for us to come without visas, increased risk of being targeted for terrorism.
The order’s cruelty to the people who helped us fight in Iraq — people who risked their lives to help us — is breathtaking.
But in hindsight, we should have known, because it’s of a piece with other actions this week.
This is a Pattern of Unnecessary Harshness and Pettiness
I follow the maxim “Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.” But that maxim fails in the face of an Administration that rejects any evidence that does not confirm its preexisting beliefs. At some point, willful incompetence becomes malice. We’re there.
Social media gag orders and hiring freezes threaten public safety by making it more difficult for important information to reach decision-makers, and making it harder for important decisions to get communicated. Orders to immediately cancel grants and defund programs pulls the rug out from under graduate students and the centers that do federally-funded research. The attempts to politicize science that government scientists are resisting in ways big and small, threaten our ability to maintain leadership in innovation, protect public safety and mitigate harm which have far-ranging consequences.These are just three examples where the Trump administration is lashing out blindly at people and policies, doing a lot of damage without accomplishing much in the way of results.
If you’re not part of the resistance, you’re complicit in the cruelty.
The Republicans who collaborate with this, and the Democrats who remain silent or still hope to cut deals, will not be remembered kindly by history. The time for “politics as usual” probably expired when we learned that Trump tried to pressure the National Parks Service to falsify information to make the crowds look bigger, if it had not already died when we learned about Russian interference.
I can forgive those who voted for Trump out of the belief that the weight of the Presidency would change him — but only if they admit their mistake and start working with Congress to remove him before he hurts anyone else. A lot of Christian people I know personally voted for Trump because abortion. But they now see that Trump’s anti-Christian actions against immigrants trump even that issue. I welcome them to our struggle.
People are already suffering — it won’t be long before people start dying. Their blood will be on the hands of anyone who is complicit with such cruelty.
Resources to Bookmark:
The Indivisible Guide web site. If you haven’t downloaded and read this yet, please do so now. The web site now has links to Action Groups. Autocracy: Rules for Survival. This article by Masha Gessen seems to have more relev Sarah Kendizor’s media site. She has been writing relentlessly about the need to resist Trump on all fronts. ”Take Care of Yourself — We Need Each Other for the Long Haul” This excellent diary from RevKatie offers practical advice for self-care and avoiding overload so that we can all keep up our energy for the long fight ahead of us.Help Spread the Word!
Thank you for all the recommends, shares, callouts and tweets!
If you’re new to this, it’s the latest in a series of diaries with action items specific to resisting Trump’s takeover of America. You can see the entire series at the Kos Group “Sons and Daughters of Liberty.”
Bonus #1: Share the original diary and this one on Facebook, Twitter, etc to amplify the effects of our efforts. Bonus #2: If you are dedicated to this fight, please consider following the Kos Group “Sons and Daughters of Liberty.” I’ll post these Action Lists there, as well as other diaries that offer concrete opportunities to take action. That way, you’ll be able to read them even if they don’t make the Rec List. If you’d like to play a more active role, send me a Kosmail and I’ll add you to the group. Bonus #3: Sign up for Twitter and let us know you’re there. If you’re not on Twitter already, consider signing up with your DailyKos handle. My handle is @Kascade_Kat - share yours in the comments so that we can amplify each others’ messages. Bonus #4: Share your plans for Inauguration Day and the day after. If you’re going to the protest in DC and want to meet up with other Kossacks, post something in the comments thread. I’m going to DC and I’m bringing two people with me. Parallel marches are happening on other major cities.Remember - history has its eyes on us this time.
