Been pondering this conversation for days now, as the destruction that we’re facing adds up. Do I have definitive answers on how to fight back? No. But I do know a few things for certain.
We’re all dealing with a massive amount of uncertainty and fear. We don’t know how to protect ourselves, loved ones, and communities right now. We do not yet know how to protect our country from the ravages of Trump, Musk, and the rest.
There’s too much we don’t know. And that is deliberate. Trump promised he would begin with a campaign of “shock and awe.” He’s doing just that. It’s a campaign designed to make us feel overwhelmed and powerless. He may be temporarily succeeding with the former. He will not with the latter.
The simple fact we must not forget is that we outnumber him and his cabal.
The second simple fact is that we have more courage and determination than we realize. Fear can blind us to that fact. Ask a combat Vet. It’s only doing what is necessary in spite of fear that we learn courage.
That is this time’s lesson — a hard-fought lesson in courage. For it will be hard fought. The dark forces arrayed against us, against our children’s futures, against our democracy, have been planning their assault for years.
Nothing about our fight will be easy. No one is coming to save us. It’s up to every decent, patriotic American to stand together. No matter the threats. No matter the fear.
I know. Easy for me to say.
Not really. I earned being able to say that. The nine-year-old I was that woke to the sounds of my mother trying to fight back against her husband’s rape earned that. Hearing his threat of further violence. The terror of that night. The desperateness to protect her from him knowing I could be hurt too. Walking to the bathroom, running the water, flushing the toilet, all in hope of stopping him if he knew someone was awake.
It worked. That time. The following years were spent trying to protect her and my younger siblings from that man. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it did not. But each time mattered. Each time it worked harm was prevented.
There are other examples from this life of mine. I know what fear is. I also know how important it is to never let fear stop us.
Trump, Musk and the rest are counting on fear making us cower. Bullies and abusers always do, and that is fundamentally what they are.
We must never, ever, give them what they want.
Instead, let’s focus on what we can do to stop them. Must do. Protecting this community is crucial. We are wide open to manipulation right now and must guard against it. We must not allow ourselves to be played against one another. '
What about our communities in the “real” world? Are we taking care of them. Connecting. Expanding. Are we talking to family, friends, and neighbors?
What organizations are fighting back that we can support? Let’s get a list of them together.
Democracy Docket is one that does vitally important and successful work.
The ACLU, Vote Vets, Planned Parenthood, and the NAACP are others.
Common Cause was highly recommended by a fellow Kosack.
Supporting Daily Kos and this community matters. We need this site more than ever.
What organizations do you want supported and added to the list?
Are each of us sharing solid information and helping get it out there? In this day and age of misinformation doing so is essential. We are millions. If each of us shared one piece of solid information a day, we could drown out misinformation and lies.
This is the beginning of an on-going conversation we must have in order to fight back. We need a strategy that works, even if it begins with what feels like small steps.
In this fight, each step matters. No effort is too small. They can all add up to something unstoppable. Believers or non-believers, male or female, gay or straight, all the colors of the rainbow — together we are the answers we’ve been searching for.