The resistance rises

1 April 2025

Source

This post contains excerpts from an essay by journalist Dan Rather:

The Republican Party has long claimed to be the party of free speech. If that claim was specious before, it is outright ridiculous now. Trump has suggested opposing him could land you in jail. He has threatened to pull funding from colleges and universities that allow illegal — his word — protests on campuses. He has promised to arrest, expel, and/or deport students and faculty who participate, citing supposed national security concerns.

It has already happened. Some university students, in the country legally, have been yanked out of their homes or grabbed off the street because of possible objections to the war in Gaza. One does not have to approve of what they have done to say that, at the very least, they are entitled to legal due process.

Trump’s inclination toward curtailing freedom of speech extends to everyday Americans. The head of the National Republican Congressional Committee told his caucus to cancel in-person town hall meetings. As videos posted on social media have shown, growing numbers of people are angry, and they want answers from their elected representatives. Rather than face the proverbial music, Republican members are running scared. Representative Bill Huizenga of Michigan even told his constituents to stop calling his office. One hopes they are ignoring that request.

. . .

Many members of this new coalition are organizing. A nationwide mass mobilization, dubbed ‘Hands Off,’ will take place on Saturday, April 5, to protest Trump, Musk, and their policies.

According to HandsOff2025.com, “Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. They’re taking everything they can get their hands on, and daring the world to stop them. On Saturday, April 5th, we’re taking to the streets nationwide to fight back with a clear message: Hands off!”

Labor unions, student organizations, and public interest groups are helping to organize more than 600 planned actions, including rallies, marches, and protests, across all 50 states.

When an authoritarian doesn’t like or is afraid of the narrative, he tries to change it. When that doesn’t work, he silences it. Trump is attempting to silence dissent. Will Americans allow it? Or will they rise up as they did in the Vietnam era? And if they do, will it make a decisive difference? Complete essay.

I plan to participate in a HandsOff rally near me - how about you? If you cannot attend, I suggest you consider:

• Donating to a blog that supports this resistance, such as Robert Reich, Chris Bowers, The Contrarian, Heather Cox Richardson or Jessica Valenti.

• Volunteering for other activities with groups you support.

• Starting to shift your spending from large to small businesses. I have:

  • Shifted from large banks to small banks or credit unions.

  • Shopped at local stores instead of large chains or Amazon for groceries, household cleaners and home improvement).

  • Used cash instead of credit cards (owned by large banks).

  • Used drivers I know instead of Uber or Lyft (many drivers have a private service also). I also will cancel rides if the driver has a Tesla (there is no “non Tesla” option that I am aware of).

  • Each week, I try to identify another purchase to shift. This week I am planning to try a local pharmacy that is not part of a national chain.

  • It may cost a little more time and money, but at least to me, it is preferable to the Trump / Musk governance, which big business helped bring about.

Your suggestions are welcome!

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The index to my prior essays (mostly post 5 November 2024) is here.

I have another blog on Cancer and Medicine.

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Email me at Nat@PathologyOutlines.com.

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