We can weep or we can dance. I choose to dance.
There is no way to resist without risk. Risk many things, but not your soul. March 24, 2025,
Editor’s Note: The sad truth is, I don’t really dance. I never have. But I dance in my heart.
If you get up every day wondering what fresh hell you will face, know that you are not alone. We are right there with you. That’s why we write postcards and make phone calls, changing the equation, altering the balance — or trying to.
And we don’t stop there.
As President 2.0 is acting without the support of the law to target permanent residents and visa holders because he doesn’t like them, we have a peaceful revolution to build. Let’s build it while dancing.
Who will be there for us in the end?
We will.
By Sabra Briere, editor
The people who imagined this country, back in the 1770s and 1780s, never imagined a day when the people as a whole would elect a buffoon, a thief, and a traitor, all rolled into one person. Or a day when he would be able to surround himself with like minded people, strip-mine the government, and sell pieces of it off to the highest bidder.
To be clear, that’s because they saw the control of the vote in the hands of a narrow, self-interested body of well-educated property owning men who would guard their wealth and privilege, and dole out justice and limited democracy as a form of noblesse oblige. But still. They designed the Constitution with a strong Congress, a weak Presidency, and a Court system to keep everybody honest.
250 years is a good run. But it’s not long enough. And we never realized our true potential.
Now President 2.0 has nearly dismantled the entire federal government. It’s true that much of what he’s done is illegal and breaks the Constitution. It’s true that the lower Federal Courts have told him he has to fix what he’s broken. But once he has broken it, he’s not going to mend it so it’s stronger. That’s up to us.
Goodness, it makes me grumpy.
I could (and really want to) get really wordy about all the very bad decisions that have been made in the first two months (!) of this man’s pursuit of kingship. But that just depresses us all.
Indivisible was formed, not to elect Democrats, but to hold Congress (and other elected office holders) to account.
They aren’t doing their jobs. And the people know it.
This unattributed text came through social media. We’re here to hold our Members of Congress accountable. And I’d like some answers.
Liberty and Justice for all (not just a few)
Some days, it’s hard to lift my head above the flood of tide of really bad things that President 2.0 and this Congress are doing to pick out one or two to fight against. Fighting them all, all at the same time, by name and crime, is insane.
And that’s the plan.
Let’s break the offenses down.
Challenging the Rule of Law — the concept, however poorly implemented and badly applied — that no person is more important than the law. And by extension, that the Federal legal system works for the government, not for the president, and that judges are considered neutral players and are to be held to that standard.
Challenging the Constitution. So many examples.
Dismantling the structure of the government.
Providing aid and comfort to our enemies, and destroying our political and economic alliances with our friends.
In two months. With a complicit Congress. And a stunned Judiciary.
This is why we resist.
Why are you people so upset over the Federal Government?
Our neighbors are angry. They see what we see.
They know that very few in Congress have any idea what to do. And fewer of them are talking.
What will our leaders do to meet the moment? So far, for most of them,
Crickets
Rise Up and Reclaim Our Democracy
Tesla Takedown Saturdays
Protect the Post Office
Protect our Safety Net (March 30)
The crowds are swelling. We want you to join us in making ever larger crowds calling for accountability.
If you can only make one rally a week, you are still making your voice heard. If you can do more, wear your best walking shoes and carry a big sign. And always, always, bring your friends. A little rebellion is fun at all ages.
Carpool. Have a friend or spouse or child drop you off. Make it a date.
We’ll be there, waiting to greet you.
Join In (and make it fun)
Trans Rights rallies.
Veterans’ rallies.
Federal workers’ rallies.
Gay Pride Parade.
If there was ever a time when you passed by a protest, a demonstration, or a celebration and thought, ‘that’s for them’ this is not that year. Because this year, we are remembering that our government, the one we grew up trusting, is coming for us. And first, they are coming for immigrants. And LGBTQIA people. And Veterans and Federal workers (who are often the same). And the educated and liberal — and that’s all of us.
Join the rallies, the protests, the demonstrations, and the parades! Don’t stand on the sidelines — be part of the movement.
All Those Marches Make A Difference
We are having another rally in protest on Sunday, March 30. 3-5 pm, Old Courthouse Square. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Food banks and Elder meals, Clean Air and Clean Water — it’s all on the chopping block.
As the current government takes away food, shelter, education, and safety, we will bring solidarity. Sign up here.
There is a national protest on Saturday, April 5.
3-5 pm.
Look for more details in the next few days. You can sign up for that one here.
We don’t win until we all win. Bring friends.
And let’s have our own parade!
On April 19, we will hold a parade and rally to remember that Paul Revere (and others) alerted the Minute Men that the British military was on the march — leading to the first battles of the Revolution. We won’t be firing guns, but we will be dancing and singing, wearing funny hats, carrying signs, and being RESISTERS.
We are looking for bike brigades and puppet masters and makers. Be creative and think about how much we really need a giant Putin’s head right about now.
Look for more information in the next editions of this newsletter.
Guest editorial
No Excuse
by William Kristol
You’re an elected official. The Trump administration has rounded up individuals and sent them, without any due process and with much carelessness about who’s been seized, to a mega-prison in El Salvador. The administration is boasting about what it’s done and heralding it a prelude to further actions in the same vein.
You’re thinking of condemning these truly grotesque violations of constitutional rights and human decency. Maybe I should say this isn’t right?
Whoa, Nellie! Not so fast, your political advisers hasten to instruct you. The polls on this issue aren’t great. This really isn’t the hill to die on.
You take their advice. But you tell yourself, and you assure others, that of course you will fight one day—on some other hill, on some faraway hill, some time far in the future.
But to fight now? Bad idea. That would simply play into Trump’s hands. After all, Trump and his allies are good at fighting. If you try to do something, there’s a risk they’ll turn it against you. Whereas if you say nothing, nothing can be used against you.
You can read the rest of this essay here:
How do we win? Erica Chenoweth has some ideas
By Leah Halper
When non violent resistance movements —like ours—coalesce around the world, they often study Erica Chenoweth’s work. So it’s no surprise that Indivisible’s national organizers cite their findings, as did our Sonoma Indivisible team at the March meeting.
Maybe it’s wise to familiarize ourselves with Chenoweth's research on resistance!
Chenowith, the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and a public policy professor at Harvard Kennedy School, studies non violent and violent resistance. They and researcher Maria Stephan started collecting data in 2006 on 323 mass actions for social change between 1900 and 2023. They studied 160 variables and published Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict in 2011.
The book offers fascinating answers to activists’ questions about what works in the face of Trump-like authoritarianism and fascism. Chenoweth thought they would find that the violent struggles have been most successful in overthrowing regimes. But non-violent movements won, in the end, far more often, if winning is defined as transitioning to democracy.
They outline four conditions for success of non-violent movements worth considering as we march and protest. Building a sustainable movement, they suggest, will require more:
A large and diverse population of participants that can be sustained over time.
The ability to create loyalty shifts among key regime-supporting groups such as business elites, state media, and—most important—security elites such as the police and the military.
A creative and imaginative variation in methods of resistance beyond mass protest.
The organizational discipline to face direct repression without having the movement fall apart or opt for violence. (source: Harvard Kennedy School, "Erica Chenoweth illuminates the value of nonviolent resistance in societal conflicts,” by Ralph Ranalli, Summer 2019.)
There are no guarantees, though, and their more recent research examines a recent, unsettling decline in the success of non violent resistance movements. For one thing, governments are now “smart” at monitoring social media and using its power to their own advantage. Protestors must also build strong organizational capacity so they have something positive to offer as alternative, and ways to offer it.
For anyone who wants to defend our democracy and resist its dismantling, Chenoweth’s books are well worth exploring in all their nuance. Their excellent research page has many great links: https://www.ericachenoweth.com/research/wcrw
Check out their Open Letter to Activists https://www.ericachenoweth.com/open-letter; it is well worth reading, and also links to a great resources page.
For more actions, click here:
Check our website for more information and to learn more about Indivisible.
We have 2 people at the head of this administration who are mentally deficient. Both are narcissistic, and think the world revolves around them. Both substitute money for everything else lacking in their character. One who has some serious physical and mental problems and will not disclose his health records, the other has asperberger's disease that we already knew about. The word empathy has no definition in their vocabulary. Inevitably djt & muskrat will clash over power. Muskrat is playing djt for all he's worth, and djt will resent all the publicity and money muskrat has. He will try to get rid of him, but he can't let go because of all he sees when he looks at him is more $$ in his pocket.
Now, it's up to us to get rid of both of them while we have the chance, starting with the election in Wisconsin. In order to make this happen non-voters, independents, all registered voters have to turn out.The message has to be what is this administration is doing to help you personally? Could you live without Medicare, Social Security? Can you afford to send your kids to private schools? Etc. Turn the administration's negative approach to issues that will affect the majority of people and address them by stating a positive solution. Remind them that this isn't a matter of politics, but of human rights granted to everyone in this country under the Constitution.