Thank you for quoting Tressie McMillan Cottom. For those wanting to oppose this takeover of our democracy by authoritarian forces, find a way to do so. Grumbling and giving up is not an option, even for those who see the dire reality of the present moment. Check out your local Indivisible group, the 50501 movement, your local Democratic party (at the local level, YOU have a big influence). Follow Jessica Craven at Chop Wood/Carry Water for daily actions. Get involved in activism in some way.
There is canvassing, voter protection, phonebanking, protests, leafletting, learning to work against ICE, postcards, making phone calls to representatives, registering voters, mutual aid, posting on social media. All are important. In my part of NC, there are daily protests at different locations in the Triangle. Those make a difference; making visible to others that yes, indeed, there is something wrong here and you are not alone.
There are more of us than there are of them; the stony silence of the military yesterday was somewhat reassuring. Let’s show them that the citizens of this country are behind our democracy and also pledge our fealty to the Constitution, not a supreme leader.
If you are not actively working to show your opposition, you are part of the problem (to paraphrase an old saying.)
It will be very interesting in October (or by year end) to learn who among the 800 plus admirals, generals and other senior attendees announce resignations. Hopefully the media and substack writers will provide updates. For extra credit the various supposed “red lines” get revealed too.
To those encouraging others to get involved, being an active ActBlue donor (state, national,local) notably since 8/24 UNABLE to get ANY response from The Demo National Committee on three creative ideas presented via email, DNC response form and voice messages to Martin, board members, strategy group and recently the Searchlight Institute.
One of the many quotes and perhaps best of Judge Wm. Young's ruling on First Amendment rights for pro-Palestinian visa-holders:
"Can you imagine a masked marine? It is a matter of honor — and honor still matters. To us, masks are associated with cowardly desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police. Carrying on in this fashion, ICE brings indelible obloquy to this administration and everyone who works in it.”
The undertones of donalds mechanizations are getting dangerous. We are letting donald's actions be the norm, but we should not let that happen. He was very subtle about his threat to the military to vow their fealty to the "CHOSEN ONE" or else!!!! What say you?
The flip-side to those "military guardrails" mentioned in today's MM is vividly illustrated by the NYT report on the Army's Special Ops people in Afghanistan and their many acts of lawless conduct. And in fact, how that lawlessness was transported back to the States and concentrated round Fort Bragg, NC. These are the "exemplars" that Kegsbreath and tRump want the generals and admirals to instill in those under their command, and the criminal "ethos" associated with this mindset.
"The article reveals that the vision of unbridled power held by the Trump administration has its roots in the lawlessness of the United States’ wars overseas."
Since I'm going extra dark this week, let me throw this out apropos the shutdown:
The Republicans have no desire not to have one for the short-to-mid term. In no particular order:
Shrinking government is a goal that goes back over one hundred years.
There is minimal electoral risk, at least from this shutdown.One ca October 2026 might be something else.
Past as prologue tells me R voters have an extremely, questionably sane tolerance for being screwed by the unfit people they elect. Sure, someday something might turn them away from the party in significant numbers. But I'd have to see it happen to believe that this is the issue that will do that.
The inability to negotiate anything makes the Democrats look yet worse, yet more repellant to voters.
The response from the national Democrats to the shutdown will further make them repellant to voters.
My call: Eventually the Democrats will give in in sufficient numbers in exchange for absolutely nothing. (Full disclosure: I never thought trading votes for a short term extension of ACA subsidies was particularly brilliant. I mean delaying getting screwed by six months is how awesome now? It's up there with the tease of Biden's one year child tax credit. Do it correctly or don't do it. Yes, I know a relatively small number of people are helped--at a god awful cost to the nation.)
Fun fact: When the Rs were practically out in the wilderness in the mod-60s, they fought like hell to get back in power. The national Democrats are essentially doing the opposite, with our complicity.
Thank you for quoting Tressie McMillan Cottom. For those wanting to oppose this takeover of our democracy by authoritarian forces, find a way to do so. Grumbling and giving up is not an option, even for those who see the dire reality of the present moment. Check out your local Indivisible group, the 50501 movement, your local Democratic party (at the local level, YOU have a big influence). Follow Jessica Craven at Chop Wood/Carry Water for daily actions. Get involved in activism in some way.
There is canvassing, voter protection, phonebanking, protests, leafletting, learning to work against ICE, postcards, making phone calls to representatives, registering voters, mutual aid, posting on social media. All are important. In my part of NC, there are daily protests at different locations in the Triangle. Those make a difference; making visible to others that yes, indeed, there is something wrong here and you are not alone.
Plan to find a march/rally on October 18 and show up. https://www.nokings.org/#map
There are more of us than there are of them; the stony silence of the military yesterday was somewhat reassuring. Let’s show them that the citizens of this country are behind our democracy and also pledge our fealty to the Constitution, not a supreme leader.
If you are not actively working to show your opposition, you are part of the problem (to paraphrase an old saying.)
It will be very interesting in October (or by year end) to learn who among the 800 plus admirals, generals and other senior attendees announce resignations. Hopefully the media and substack writers will provide updates. For extra credit the various supposed “red lines” get revealed too.
To those encouraging others to get involved, being an active ActBlue donor (state, national,local) notably since 8/24 UNABLE to get ANY response from The Demo National Committee on three creative ideas presented via email, DNC response form and voice messages to Martin, board members, strategy group and recently the Searchlight Institute.
Kudos to the quote of the day. We must continue to use all tools in the toolbox!
One of the many quotes and perhaps best of Judge Wm. Young's ruling on First Amendment rights for pro-Palestinian visa-holders:
"Can you imagine a masked marine? It is a matter of honor — and honor still matters. To us, masks are associated with cowardly desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police. Carrying on in this fashion, ICE brings indelible obloquy to this administration and everyone who works in it.”
The undertones of donalds mechanizations are getting dangerous. We are letting donald's actions be the norm, but we should not let that happen. He was very subtle about his threat to the military to vow their fealty to the "CHOSEN ONE" or else!!!! What say you?
The flip-side to those "military guardrails" mentioned in today's MM is vividly illustrated by the NYT report on the Army's Special Ops people in Afghanistan and their many acts of lawless conduct. And in fact, how that lawlessness was transported back to the States and concentrated round Fort Bragg, NC. These are the "exemplars" that Kegsbreath and tRump want the generals and admirals to instill in those under their command, and the criminal "ethos" associated with this mindset.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/magazine/afghanistan-war-green-berets-trump-hegseth.html?nl=The+Morning
And the conclusion?
"The article reveals that the vision of unbridled power held by the Trump administration has its roots in the lawlessness of the United States’ wars overseas."
It's called "bringing the war back home".
Since I'm going extra dark this week, let me throw this out apropos the shutdown:
The Republicans have no desire not to have one for the short-to-mid term. In no particular order:
Shrinking government is a goal that goes back over one hundred years.
There is minimal electoral risk, at least from this shutdown.One ca October 2026 might be something else.
Past as prologue tells me R voters have an extremely, questionably sane tolerance for being screwed by the unfit people they elect. Sure, someday something might turn them away from the party in significant numbers. But I'd have to see it happen to believe that this is the issue that will do that.
The inability to negotiate anything makes the Democrats look yet worse, yet more repellant to voters.
The response from the national Democrats to the shutdown will further make them repellant to voters.
My call: Eventually the Democrats will give in in sufficient numbers in exchange for absolutely nothing. (Full disclosure: I never thought trading votes for a short term extension of ACA subsidies was particularly brilliant. I mean delaying getting screwed by six months is how awesome now? It's up there with the tease of Biden's one year child tax credit. Do it correctly or don't do it. Yes, I know a relatively small number of people are helped--at a god awful cost to the nation.)
Fun fact: When the Rs were practically out in the wilderness in the mod-60s, they fought like hell to get back in power. The national Democrats are essentially doing the opposite, with our complicity.