In Charles King’s 2020 essay on the work of Andrei Amalrik, a Soviet dissident who predicted the Soviet Union’s collapse two decades before it happened, he said that "the antidote to hopelessness isn't hope; it's planning."
After reading Corbin's piece, I've resolved to set aside time to create an individual, daily plan for how I will try to do my part in resisting what is happening: to make the calls Corbin suggests, to take to the streets to protest, to network and coordinate with friends, family, and neighbors to prepare an action plan of resistance, and an action plan for mutual support if everything goes upside down. One idea I've not heard anyone propose: a march on Washington. Shut the place down with civil disobedience. Block intersections; occupy public spaces. People from all over this country.
We have to be as clear-minded about this as Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney in his speech in Davos on Tuesday -- what we had before January 20, 2024, is not coming back. Using Carney's analogy, we've all been putting signs in our storefront for decades that merely echo the myths of American exceptionalism, and we have ignored for too long the reality: predatory, rapacious capitalism; war as entertainment; the gutting of public services and education; the desperation of so many of our people in the richest country on earth. That's why we're at where we are now. We have the chance now to either create something better, or resign ourselves to the dystopia that we're seeing all around us but refuse to believe.
Yes plan and strategize. Collaborate in encrypted groups and strategize. For years I have been hearing the same type of headlines, the cracks in MAGA, the in fighting, the attacks against each other, the signs of their demise. It gets old, it's hubris. If the liberal media is to be trusted why don't they use the correct words? Why do we not hear the word coup, or kleptocracy every day? Why is cartel only used for foreign drug trafficking? The narrative is controlled inside the Overton window.
This is a psychological war. So what are the tactics: divide and conquer— red vs blue, this is an extension of black vs white, the white wage, W.E.B. Du Bois.
I think the first rule is DON'T UNDERESTIMATE your opponent, except every day that is what I see; Calling them stupid is stupid. Logically they can't be that stupid if they are the ones in charge and they are the ones in control!
Discernment is the key, look at the language, understand psychological warfare, understand propaganda, if you can't see the tactics, if you can't spot the moles you aren't looking hard enough.
The news is designed to divide, enrage, stress and distract. Real journalists who care can get together and beat the drum of real issues again and again, over and over. This is how psychology works, we believe what we hear enough. The algorithms and bots make "them" think their ideas are the majority, to defeat that isn't hard but it takes a consistent message, unwavering.
Use Resistbot to very easily send letters to elected officials. I’m up to over 350 letters. Text RESIST to 50409 and follow the prompts to set up an account. It truly couldn’t be easier.
Then your communication is a waste of time unless you like talking to a wall. It’s only if you leave your personal information that proves you are one of their constituents that your call will be documented. They care about constituents, not randos five states away. When an elected official receives thousands and thousands of properly documented calls, then they might start to listen.
Thanks for the encouragement. Ive never been eager to prove anythingbto anybody. It could be debated that this ignoring of what you call a "rando" is part of the problem and it could be debated that all of us are talking to a wall maybe the same wall we'll be standing in front of when we pledge our allegiance to something other than trump and take our final breath. Anyway thanks. Its what I get for communicating with a goat.
what is that "resistbot"? set up by whom? a bit hesitant to send a text to sth i don't know where it originated and have my phone number "collected". please enlighten me.
Resistbot is a texting tool that allows you to write to your elected representatives. There are a variety of grouped contact options like all of your US House and Senate members, your state legislators and governor, etc. You choose your target audience. Then you write a letter, and Resistbot sends it via email, snail mail, or fax. Emailing is free. You can turn your letter into a petition which you can then share on social media with an assigned code that others can text Resistbot with. That code tells Resistbot to send your petition again to the sender’s choice of recipients. I have been using it for years. I routinely get responses from my antique US House Rep, Virginia the Lying Foxx and from My Head is Up Trump’s Ass Ted Budd. If you’re worried about your phone number getting out there, don’t worry, it’s already out there everywhere. That ship has sailed. Go to Resistbot.com to learn more. There are tools to use to do more with your letter. There is a short learning curve, but don’t be a quitter. You can sign onto letters others write which lets them do the work and counts as a constituent contact with your elected official. I know I sound like a paid advertiser, but I’m not. I just believe in bombarding assholes daily using the simplest, most time efficient and effective means possible. This is way faster than Five Calls and creates a written record which I’m not sure a phone call does.
Talk to your state reps about passing campaign finance laws that don’t allow corporations that are allowed to operate in your state the ability to donate
Like they're not all just puppets. Most are compromised before they get the funding to run.
Cut off the money, that's the only thing they will understand. Start with one company like Victoria Secret or Hiltion and shut off every single dollar.
We might get there. But calls to elected officials, en mass, will help us get there quicker. I think general strikes are the only way, but I’m still making the calls.
The system is corrupt. The DNC is corrupt. It's a reality TV show. You think because they "attack" the bad guy that makes them the good guys? No that's just part of the show. They'll even give you small wins—relief valve "yay we won the day."
"The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves" Vladimir Lenin
And…. Still making the calls. Still going to protests, even though that, like voting, is largely performative.
Pieces of the puzzle.
“The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose, because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins. In order for somebody to win an important, major fight 100 years hence, a lot of other people have got to be willing — for the sheer fun and joy of it — to go right ahead and fight, knowing you’re going to lose. You mustn’t feel like a martyr. You’ve got to enjoy it.” - I. F. Stone
Absolutely Tom, great quote! The greatest warrior is the one that continues to fight in spite of losing many battles. I think about heros like RBG who kept losing and kept fighting!
I'll be calling. And general striking on 1/23. Something we could all very easily do to shock the system, something that's easily reversed, is transfer all of our money from our savings to our checking. This isn't a bank run, but it still strains our financial system because the money in our savings accounts is a substantial a lot banks use as leverage for other things. We can very easily open new savings accounts and transfer the funds back.
Agreed. We need our electeds to have half as much courage as Renee Good. She understood that dangerous times require real sacrifice and risk to fight back. Dems only seem to understand comfort.
A simple, very hard thing to do is acknowledge and truly understand the role of the Democrat Party in US decline and the rise of Trump. Democrat supporters and voters are in MASSIVE denial about this.
Agreed. I have already sent messages - personal, not NGO orchestrated - to my Senators and right wing representative (fat lot of good that does with my brainless, MAGA boosting fool). DHS has to stop, and if they won't stop, unplug it.
Another great post. I am going to be so pissed if Democrats compromise on this. We/They must realize we are not playing by the old rules. Radical action is essential. I will call and share this. Thanks!
I have felt since the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic that the compilation of a list of demands, followed by a nationwide general strike, is in order. It's a tall order, no doubt, but I believe more than ever that it needs to happen.
Yes, David it's imperative to keep consistency on a schedule and to keep calling whether it be daily or 1x weekly... but, keep on calling so they know you're serious and invested in not only your future but We the People's future as a whole!
Not to sound hyperbolic and certainly it's not a joke given the political climate here in the US and globally, but #1 in my lifetime of 66-1/2 years, for over the past five (5) decades now, the uber-wealthy have been counted on their financially invested influences of elected leaders with plans for dumming-down our US Public Education System; and, #2 George Orwell's classic novel "1984" was required reading in the English curriculum of public high schools when I attended in the 70s. If interested and don't have your paperback from high school, check the local library, a bookstore, run a Google search for this book or for any school postings and/or reviews plus Cliff Notes on "1984." Here is a free pdf version of Orwell's "1984": https://www.clarkchargers.org/ourpages/auto/2015/3/10/50720556/1984.pdf
Also, a movie was created based on Orwell's "1984" and can be viewed at no cost across numerous platforms. On one familiar platform where the classic can be viewed for FREE is "YouTube" (not YouTube TV which charges a monthly premium fee). There are several "1984" movies and videos also of the entire book read outloud. ALL of them are FREE of charge!
I've elaborated on this subject because of how relevant Orwell's "1984" book, published in 1949, happens to be in relation to today's political climate globally but, particularly, here in the USA today. The takeaway after reading or viewing the movie will prove to be an example of Orwell's deep insight into political climates or he was a pure genius who governments have modeled behind! That's for the reader and/or viewer to decide.
Corbin is right, "simple and yet difficult" I find this true mainly because I dont regularly make scheduled calls and definitely not to a group of people that I do not frequently speak to or have contact with otherwise. That notwithstanding I do intend to make more calls and hopefully articulate my purpose for doing so a little more effectively. On a different note, ive read 1984 and other dystopia genre. One can find parallels in many books whether allegorical or literal. C.S. Lewis , " that hideous strength" or even Tolkiens "the return of the king". Im honestly not a fan of dystopia literature but must be honest, fan or no, we are in a dystopia place.
The fracture you describe runs deeper than political tribes. When communities lose their shared stories about who they are, they become consumers of narratives rather than authors of them. What would it take to rebuild the local spaces where we might practice disagreeing without retreating into curated information bubbles?
In Charles King’s 2020 essay on the work of Andrei Amalrik, a Soviet dissident who predicted the Soviet Union’s collapse two decades before it happened, he said that "the antidote to hopelessness isn't hope; it's planning."
After reading Corbin's piece, I've resolved to set aside time to create an individual, daily plan for how I will try to do my part in resisting what is happening: to make the calls Corbin suggests, to take to the streets to protest, to network and coordinate with friends, family, and neighbors to prepare an action plan of resistance, and an action plan for mutual support if everything goes upside down. One idea I've not heard anyone propose: a march on Washington. Shut the place down with civil disobedience. Block intersections; occupy public spaces. People from all over this country.
We have to be as clear-minded about this as Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney in his speech in Davos on Tuesday -- what we had before January 20, 2024, is not coming back. Using Carney's analogy, we've all been putting signs in our storefront for decades that merely echo the myths of American exceptionalism, and we have ignored for too long the reality: predatory, rapacious capitalism; war as entertainment; the gutting of public services and education; the desperation of so many of our people in the richest country on earth. That's why we're at where we are now. We have the chance now to either create something better, or resign ourselves to the dystopia that we're seeing all around us but refuse to believe.
Yes plan and strategize. Collaborate in encrypted groups and strategize. For years I have been hearing the same type of headlines, the cracks in MAGA, the in fighting, the attacks against each other, the signs of their demise. It gets old, it's hubris. If the liberal media is to be trusted why don't they use the correct words? Why do we not hear the word coup, or kleptocracy every day? Why is cartel only used for foreign drug trafficking? The narrative is controlled inside the Overton window.
This is a psychological war. So what are the tactics: divide and conquer— red vs blue, this is an extension of black vs white, the white wage, W.E.B. Du Bois.
I think the first rule is DON'T UNDERESTIMATE your opponent, except every day that is what I see; Calling them stupid is stupid. Logically they can't be that stupid if they are the ones in charge and they are the ones in control!
Discernment is the key, look at the language, understand psychological warfare, understand propaganda, if you can't see the tactics, if you can't spot the moles you aren't looking hard enough.
The news is designed to divide, enrage, stress and distract. Real journalists who care can get together and beat the drum of real issues again and again, over and over. This is how psychology works, we believe what we hear enough. The algorithms and bots make "them" think their ideas are the majority, to defeat that isn't hard but it takes a consistent message, unwavering.
Use Resistbot to very easily send letters to elected officials. I’m up to over 350 letters. Text RESIST to 50409 and follow the prompts to set up an account. It truly couldn’t be easier.
I just made my calls, feels really weird but did it anyway. I didnt leave my address or none of that just repeated what Corbin said.
If you don’t leave your address your communication won’t be counted in their constituent contact counts.
Not sure i want to be
Then your communication is a waste of time unless you like talking to a wall. It’s only if you leave your personal information that proves you are one of their constituents that your call will be documented. They care about constituents, not randos five states away. When an elected official receives thousands and thousands of properly documented calls, then they might start to listen.
Thanks for the encouragement. Ive never been eager to prove anythingbto anybody. It could be debated that this ignoring of what you call a "rando" is part of the problem and it could be debated that all of us are talking to a wall maybe the same wall we'll be standing in front of when we pledge our allegiance to something other than trump and take our final breath. Anyway thanks. Its what I get for communicating with a goat.
what is that "resistbot"? set up by whom? a bit hesitant to send a text to sth i don't know where it originated and have my phone number "collected". please enlighten me.
Resistbot is a texting tool that allows you to write to your elected representatives. There are a variety of grouped contact options like all of your US House and Senate members, your state legislators and governor, etc. You choose your target audience. Then you write a letter, and Resistbot sends it via email, snail mail, or fax. Emailing is free. You can turn your letter into a petition which you can then share on social media with an assigned code that others can text Resistbot with. That code tells Resistbot to send your petition again to the sender’s choice of recipients. I have been using it for years. I routinely get responses from my antique US House Rep, Virginia the Lying Foxx and from My Head is Up Trump’s Ass Ted Budd. If you’re worried about your phone number getting out there, don’t worry, it’s already out there everywhere. That ship has sailed. Go to Resistbot.com to learn more. There are tools to use to do more with your letter. There is a short learning curve, but don’t be a quitter. You can sign onto letters others write which lets them do the work and counts as a constituent contact with your elected official. I know I sound like a paid advertiser, but I’m not. I just believe in bombarding assholes daily using the simplest, most time efficient and effective means possible. This is way faster than Five Calls and creates a written record which I’m not sure a phone call does.
Both Republicans and Democrats are beholden to and answer to billionaires. Something needs to be done about them. Our Oligarchs rule.
Talk to your state reps about passing campaign finance laws that don’t allow corporations that are allowed to operate in your state the ability to donate
In this friggin' country, money isn't just a thing; it's the ONLY thing.
Like they're not all just puppets. Most are compromised before they get the funding to run.
Cut off the money, that's the only thing they will understand. Start with one company like Victoria Secret or Hiltion and shut off every single dollar.
Sorry but I believe this is the ONLY way.
We might get there. But calls to elected officials, en mass, will help us get there quicker. I think general strikes are the only way, but I’m still making the calls.
The system is corrupt. The DNC is corrupt. It's a reality TV show. You think because they "attack" the bad guy that makes them the good guys? No that's just part of the show. They'll even give you small wins—relief valve "yay we won the day."
"The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves" Vladimir Lenin
Agree with everything you write.
And…. Still making the calls. Still going to protests, even though that, like voting, is largely performative.
Pieces of the puzzle.
“The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose, because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins. In order for somebody to win an important, major fight 100 years hence, a lot of other people have got to be willing — for the sheer fun and joy of it — to go right ahead and fight, knowing you’re going to lose. You mustn’t feel like a martyr. You’ve got to enjoy it.” - I. F. Stone
Absolutely Tom, great quote! The greatest warrior is the one that continues to fight in spite of losing many battles. I think about heros like RBG who kept losing and kept fighting!
I'll be calling. And general striking on 1/23. Something we could all very easily do to shock the system, something that's easily reversed, is transfer all of our money from our savings to our checking. This isn't a bank run, but it still strains our financial system because the money in our savings accounts is a substantial a lot banks use as leverage for other things. We can very easily open new savings accounts and transfer the funds back.
Thank you Corbin-
Phoned all, and my state's Representative, left a message-
Tomorrow day two
"Action is the antidote to despair" Joan Baez
I feel like the more I do this the easier it might get. Must admit the first time I felt like I was doing something creepy.
Agreed. We need our electeds to have half as much courage as Renee Good. She understood that dangerous times require real sacrifice and risk to fight back. Dems only seem to understand comfort.
A simple, very hard thing to do is acknowledge and truly understand the role of the Democrat Party in US decline and the rise of Trump. Democrat supporters and voters are in MASSIVE denial about this.
But yes, absolutely #GeneralStrike
got those numbers written down. ima start calling on my break! feels good, real good.
Agreed. I have already sent messages - personal, not NGO orchestrated - to my Senators and right wing representative (fat lot of good that does with my brainless, MAGA boosting fool). DHS has to stop, and if they won't stop, unplug it.
Corbin, I am sharing your message with my email list. Can you please give more detail as to why we are calling each target? Thank you.
Another great post. I am going to be so pissed if Democrats compromise on this. We/They must realize we are not playing by the old rules. Radical action is essential. I will call and share this. Thanks!
We pay the taxes. Not the rich. Stop the source. The IRS is underfunded. They can't even answer the damn phone. They can't lien everybody.
I have felt since the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic that the compilation of a list of demands, followed by a nationwide general strike, is in order. It's a tall order, no doubt, but I believe more than ever that it needs to happen.
now thats inspiration brother! do we call and keep calling?
Yes, David it's imperative to keep consistency on a schedule and to keep calling whether it be daily or 1x weekly... but, keep on calling so they know you're serious and invested in not only your future but We the People's future as a whole!
Not to sound hyperbolic and certainly it's not a joke given the political climate here in the US and globally, but #1 in my lifetime of 66-1/2 years, for over the past five (5) decades now, the uber-wealthy have been counted on their financially invested influences of elected leaders with plans for dumming-down our US Public Education System; and, #2 George Orwell's classic novel "1984" was required reading in the English curriculum of public high schools when I attended in the 70s. If interested and don't have your paperback from high school, check the local library, a bookstore, run a Google search for this book or for any school postings and/or reviews plus Cliff Notes on "1984." Here is a free pdf version of Orwell's "1984": https://www.clarkchargers.org/ourpages/auto/2015/3/10/50720556/1984.pdf
Also, a movie was created based on Orwell's "1984" and can be viewed at no cost across numerous platforms. On one familiar platform where the classic can be viewed for FREE is "YouTube" (not YouTube TV which charges a monthly premium fee). There are several "1984" movies and videos also of the entire book read outloud. ALL of them are FREE of charge!
I've elaborated on this subject because of how relevant Orwell's "1984" book, published in 1949, happens to be in relation to today's political climate globally but, particularly, here in the USA today. The takeaway after reading or viewing the movie will prove to be an example of Orwell's deep insight into political climates or he was a pure genius who governments have modeled behind! That's for the reader and/or viewer to decide.
Corbin is right, "simple and yet difficult" I find this true mainly because I dont regularly make scheduled calls and definitely not to a group of people that I do not frequently speak to or have contact with otherwise. That notwithstanding I do intend to make more calls and hopefully articulate my purpose for doing so a little more effectively. On a different note, ive read 1984 and other dystopia genre. One can find parallels in many books whether allegorical or literal. C.S. Lewis , " that hideous strength" or even Tolkiens "the return of the king". Im honestly not a fan of dystopia literature but must be honest, fan or no, we are in a dystopia place.
With you 100% on this, Corbin. Thank you for helping to start this movement. Sharing widely and asking my friends personally to join in.
The fracture you describe runs deeper than political tribes. When communities lose their shared stories about who they are, they become consumers of narratives rather than authors of them. What would it take to rebuild the local spaces where we might practice disagreeing without retreating into curated information bubbles?