A Recipe for Resistance
How a bad choice for president made us all activists. And maybe revolutionaries. March 31, 2025
Note: I planned to spend these years with cats and books, yarn and paint, music and beautiful landscapes. Because I expected peace and prosperity to continue.
Silly me.
Revolution it is.
"When you send innocent people to a foreign gulag, you are not fighting terror.
You are practicing it."
- Timothy Snyder
No Headline is Strong Enough for our Feelings, is it?
By Sabra Briere, editor
This week, I learned that Timothy Snyder, one of two historians everyone I know (it seems) loves to quote these days, has quit his prestigious University and, together with his wife (also a professor at the same University) is moving to Canada.
The other historian (if you are wondering) is Heather Cox Richardson. I quote her a lot, because she speaks to this moment too, and ties the past to today.
Today’s piece by Timothy Snyder seems particularly apt, given his decision. I’ve included a link below. As we move into more intense protests — and that’s where we are heading — I hope you will embrace his #13.
13. Practice corporeal politics. Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.
(Nota bene, jumping away from the text for a moment: there will be chances to practice corporeal politics all over the USA on April 5th).
One of the regular readers of this newsletter contacted me to share a little bit of correspondence from a friend who is currently in Europe. I share it here with you:
On April 5, we will be doing a Paris demonstration, also thanking Europe for their Tesla boycott. French sales off 64% and German sales off over 70%. It is theoretically possible to burst Elon's bubble. Ask your economist friends what happens if Tesla hits $120.
So far on the 5th, I see actions announced in 7 cities in the UK, 2 each in Germany and France, 3 in Holland. There will be more.
We were out in force to support Federal workers and the Post Office.
We are planning for a big rally on Saturday, April 5. I hope to see you there. Sunny weather will bring out the best of us. Be bold and loud. Come early to lead the crowd.
How to bake a revolution: 1 part abandoning democratic principles.
President 2.0 has announced that he intends to find a way to circumvent the Constitution (again). This time, to run for election a third time in 2028. It doesn’t really matter whether this is legal or possible, it matters that anyone treats this as an option. And they are.
Speaker of the House Johnson has suggested that, in response to too many judges finding that President 2.0’s administration is acting un-Constitutionally, Congress ought to just dissolve Federal courts, starting with the DC Circuit and, if that doesn’t intimidate the rest, keep going. Because what Congress has created, Congress can taketh away.
Elon Musk is busy buying votes in the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, and so far the courts are letting him even though paying for voting is against the law. I can’t figure this one out.
2 parts ignorance and misinformation
We feel isolated because our media markets are starving us. They are just beginning to acknowledge the protests, the uproars at Town Halls, the outrages conducted by this government — and how the cuts to our safety net make so many people frozen and afraid to speak up.
Our social media — if we are young at heart enough to follow BlueSky and Threads and whatever else appeals — shows protests and rallies and people in the streets. But we see these things barely make a ripple in national news. And we hear almost no international news.
Add a dollop of fear
Social Security offices closed. Telephones remain unanswered. Food pantry shelves empty. School lunch programs ever more limited. People kidnapped off the streets without due process. Courts ignored. Lawyers intimidated. Legislators, corporations, religious leaders, news and entertainment sources — all becoming followers. Suddenly everyone agrees to eliminate references to Black heroes and the Gulf of Mexico. Speaking out means losing your job, your security, your health care.
The plan is and has been to hit us with so many changes, so many threats, big and small, that we don’t know which way to turn. How to fight back. Where to look for the next blow coming.
Mix well. This is how to build a revolution.
This was always their plan. They just didn’t expect us to unite and resist.
The movement is growing. As it should. Every day more people join Indivisible and groups like it, realizing that something must be done, and that they are willing to do something.
There are those who look around and ask, ‘Why aren’t (those other people) here with us?
They are waiting for you. They are looking to you to lead the way. To show strength. To let them know that it’s safe.
Those of us who can, must.
We are stronger together. Together we are Indivisible.
See you on April 5. And beyond.
Signalgate
When the news broke about all those Intelligence and Military Security and Secretaries (oh, and the VP) chatting about the bad very bad decision making of the current President 2.0, and how they were going to bomb the living *&(&$#!!!& out of Yemen to make nice with Europe, those bums — all while the best reporter the Atlantic has was reading every word because they’d included them in their illegal chat … well. First I laughed. Then I got angry.
I know people who offer grace to this group of clowns (no offense meant to clowns) believing they acted in ignorance. I am certain they did not act in malice when they were using SIGNAL to discuss these plans, although even this administration admits it is not a secure system. Nope. I’m convinced they just don’t care.
They don’t care about who overhears their discussion. They aren’t concerned if anyone random gets the messages. That’s because they just don’t care whether anyone gets hurt. Whether it’s soldiers or grandmothers, children or working people. They just don’t care. Not about plans for war or plans for the budget or, heck, plans for our country in any way.
And so they act like a bunch of unformed adolescents who haven’t yet grown a sense of responsibility.
I understand, by the way, that there’s a TV show about that. And it’s focused on the violence, the way boys treat girls, and the way everyone in the show uses social media.
The people in charge of our government fit right in.
That’s what makes me angry. You too?
Heather Cox Richardson’s letter on March 27 about SignalGate. She does it so much better than I ever could. Why should we ever want to be without historians?
We’re All Bozos Under This Bus
By Tom Benthin
In a recent meeting with a member of Congress, I emphasized how critical it is for all Democrats to stand united against the fascist Republican party at all times. He replied that it was imperative when protecting Social Security and Medicare, but not for other issues. We disagree about that, I said. Here’s why.
The essence of fascism is bullying. And bullies thrive by finding someone to pick on. They pretty much have a bottomless appetite for it. The way fascists gain power is by convincing their followers that some group that is easy to pick on is actually dangerous and the source of everything bad that is happening to them. That allows the fascists to claim that what is actually bullying is “defense” and that only they are strong and cruel enough to do it. There’s a hitch, of course, because the group they’ve decided to pick on wasn’t causing the problems in the first place and also, if they’re so easy to pick on, sooner or later the bullies will run through them. Their followers will still have problems. They’ll need a new victim.
See where this is going?
Although it may look like trans people, or immigrants, or Muslims can be sacrificed (there aren’t that many of them, the polls say people are starting to not like them), doing so is telling the fascists, we’re with you; keep going. And, since by definition you’re not a fascist yourself, eventually - it really won’t take that long - the next one they pick on will be you.
It may look on the surface like we don’t have that much in common with trans people or immigrants. Maybe not with Palestinian students. People of color, even. We do, of course. We’re human, after all, for all its joys and sorrows. But, if you’re not sensitive enough to see and feel our common bond, there’s at least one thing we most certainly share that should concern you: we are - all of us - equal in the eyes of the fascists. And not in a good way.
People are being abducted and thrown into prison, with no legal justification or recourse. Stripped of their rights and their freedom. That this can happen to one of us means it can - and will - happen to all of us. Your family. You.
There is no such thing as an acceptable compromise with fascists; the only choices are surrender or opposition. Throwing one group under the bus only hastens the day when your turn will come. We’re all in this together. We’d better act like it.
Direct Actions
Free America from Tyranny
It’s time for us to build this movement together. There is a role for each of us to play. Our task is to build a large, broad coalition of citizens who will confront and oppose fascism both through actions and in their daily lives.Here are some ways to get started now.
Attend a protest rally. Rallies are popping up all over - see our calendar and action listings to find the one(s) that’s a fit for you. Be peaceful, but be visible and loud. We need to let everyone know that we’re in danger, now - and we are here to fight back. Find the right rally for you in our calendar.
Join a Hands Off! Protest on April 5th. Hands Off! protests will be happening all over the nation on April 5th. In Sonoma County, there are several - and times are staggered, so you can go to more than one, if you want. You can find them on our calendar . And you can sign up for the big one - in Santa Rosa’s Old Courthouse Square at 3 pm - here.
Take the lead on forming neighborhood or cafe gatherings. Go local. Invite people in your immediate neighborhood to get together, get to know each other, and plan actions. Meet in your home (easier for confidential conversations) or at a cafe (move visible for drawing others to you). If you’re willing to lead, write to us here [need email address] and tell us where you live. We’ll help put out the word that there’s a new group forming there.
Bob Burnett in Occidental is interested in hosting. You can reach him via email at bburnett@sonic.net
Dave Ransom in the Junior College neighborhood in Santa Rosa is assembling a neighborhood group. Contact him via email at dransom391@gmail.com
Join Bob’s music group. Bob Hahn is helping put together a group to bring music and singing to protest events - and to get together to play for the sheer joy and pleasure of it (which is also a blow against fascism, btw). If you’re interested in joining, let him know. Send him an email at: rfh511@gmail.com.
Jim Wilder is starting a project encouraging people around Sonoma to “Stand Together, Stand Sonoma Strong” to regain our democracy and to symbolize this by growing sunflowers. He has a goal of seeing 10,000 sunflowers growing this season around the county as a sign. People can contact him at jim@pfpros.com or 707-529-0228 for seeds or seedlings.
Come to an Activists’ Support and Brainstorm meeting. There is one this week, Thursday at 6:00. Find out more in our calendar.
More actions coming soon. The pivot from constituent pressure to direct action is a big one for us. We’re moving as fast as we can, so expect new actions to pop up. If you have ideas for actions, write to us. And if you want to help lead actions, let us know!
Guest Editorial
Editor’s Note: I’m lucky. I get to read all the emails sent to IndivisibleSoCo@gmail.com. And when someone clicks that ‘Leave a Comment’ button (there’s one just above this) I get to read those comments, too. One reader shared her opinion, and agreed I could share it with you. I’ve kept her name private, because I think that’s appropriate. It’s her words that matter…
I wish there was some way that the message of the various arms and legs of our movement that is based on the demolishing of our Democracy and its Rule of Law ~ could be more unified ~ and more specific.
Also, in terms of messaging, movements that have worked relatively well in this country were focused on principles and not personalities.
By staying on point we give this “protest” movement its credibility and strength. The point is: DO NOT PRIVATIZE human services ~ or, said differently: STOP DEHUMANIZING HUMAN SERVICES.
Also historically speaking, the most effective movements have had effective leadership ~ usually intelligent, articulate, and charismatic individuals who were willing to sacrifice their lives and/or their freedom for the movement ~ whether the issue was civil rights, women’s voting rights, or ending our part in the war in Vietnam.
It’s incredibly tricky to discern and develop true leaders. They may rise to the top like cream, or they may be “false prophets” who show up for misdirected reasons and create havoc.
But there are true leaders who are known to follow their people as opposed to taking over ~ and who nurture power within the group ~ and do not assume power over the group.
Thank you for being there.
For more actions, click here:
Check our website for more information and to learn more about Indivisible. Don’t forget to bookmark our calendar (yes, it’s on the website!) Every protest, rally, action, postcard party, phonebank, and letter writing campaign we hear about we share with you. Rely on our calendar to get you started. Rely on us to keep you engaged.
We will see you all April 5, and before and beyond.
We are fortunate to also increase our support to Sonoma county mutual aid groups, especially for at-risk and targeted populations. Times are likely going to get hard for many of our neighbors in the coming months as social services are slashed.
Thank you for sounding the call for we the people to practice "corporeal politics." The academy, independent law firms & judges, government workers, and protesters are classic targets in the first stage of authoritarian rule, and we will be lost if we let ourselves be bullied by thugs who are already calling certain protests "terrorism." The increasing number of rallies recently, and the increasing number of people participating in them, is heartening — and we must continue to mobilize!
As Professor Henry Giroux of McMaster University in Canada said in an interview that I cannot recommend highly enough (3/31 Background Briefing with Ian Masters podcast), "...we can have a mass movement that is too powerful to simply put in jail, that is too powerful to shoot, that is too powerful to abduct."