It’s a good sign that Musk and Trump feel they have to defend their work with a hasty press conference. They sense the tide against them and need to spin their administrative coup attempts. (And yes, it is a coup — the coup-o-meter has officially moved.)

Thus far, a key check on this administration has been courts. While the administration is publicly saying they are complying, they are egregiously skirting around court orders. For the moment, we agree with Vox that “slipperiness like this — rather than explicit, unambiguous defiance of court authority — may be the way the Trump administration will try to circumvent court orders they dislike. That way, they can claim they’re complying with the letter of a ruling, while not exactly following the spirit of it.”

This is a severe enough redline that the American Bar Association now says Trump is attacking the rule of law. These are indeed perilous times.

And if you look, there are people resisting at every level. More and more calls to protests and boycotts (we’re having trouble keep tracking!). A group called the Visibility Brigade has a template for activists we strongly recommend — they organized these photos now seen by millions. (It’s easy to replicate with a small group of people!)

Mainstream institutions are shaking off and beginning to use what they have. Past Treasury secretaries penning strong op-eds. The Pope slamming VP Vance’s theology (“Jesus Christ … did not live apart from the difficult experience of being expelled from his own land because of an imminent risk to his life, and from the experience of having to take refuge in a society and a culture foreign to his own”).

Some movement leaders have written about these beehive of activity: Trump-Musk Overreach Has Ignited the Opposition. Viva La Resistance! by the heads of MoveOn and Indivisible. And We are stronger than we think by Maria Stephan.

WHAT DO WE DO?

The basic: Resist every unjust, unfair, and unconstitutional policy at every level.

We’re hearing more people are now unfreezing and looking for ways to plug in. Since we keep getting asked “what can I do” we created this resource.

We’ve organized a few simple actions onto one page:

THE NEED FOR MORE PEOPLE

To displace Musk — the primary target right now — we’re going to need more people doing more things then we have right now. Building a big movement isn’t easy — and one way to accelerate it: make a movement that’s invitational.

See someone doing something new for them? Encourage them to do more. See someone taking a risk, even if you think it’s not totally productive? Nudge them with encouragement. See a past opponent making a positive move? Reel them in.

Educators know that people take risks and learn more when they feel support and encouragement. Condemnation, especially in an environment like this, is more likely to return people to passivity or to switch to the opposing side.

In Serbia, Otpor kept using the phrase “you’ll have a chance to join us” — even with police who were beating them. This is an attitude we need to adopt, fast.

Pan-Africanist Ahjamu Umi recently said, “Oppression breeds resistance.” But nothing says that resistance will necessarily be directed against Musk and Trump’s coup. It could rebound against us — especially if we push people away or can only condemn them because they voted for Trump / didn’t vote / don’t like the things you like / etc.

Recently we were reminded of the poem, “First they came for the Communists / And I did not speak out / Because I was not a Communist…” And then they came for the Socialists, the trade unionists, the Jews… “And there was no one left / To speak out for me.”

That poem’s story is important. It was written by Pastor Martin Niemöller. Niemöller was anti-Semitic and one of the early supporters of Hitler. However, as Hitler began consolidating power, Niemöller grew resistant. Eventually his outspokenness led him to jail and eventually a concentration camp where he was kept until near the end of the war. During this time his views dramatically shifted.

He openly and regularly apologized for his and his church’s support of the Nazi regime. He became an advocate for Germany to take responsibility: “We must openly declare that we are not innocent of the Nazi murders, of the murder of German communists, Poles, Jews, and the people in German-occupied countries.”

The point is this: we have to build a large body of people ready to resist this regime — so that people like Niemöller get their wake up call as early as possible.

Because what’s coming next is these awful politics will trickle down to more and more people’s livelihoods and safety. As they are negatively impacted by it, they’re going to ask themselves: who can explain what is happening to me?

If we’re only condemnatory (“you voted for the wrong guy” or “you just don’t get it”), they will turn elsewhere for answers. If we’re invitational in explaining what’s happening to them and the crimes committed by their leaders, we may be able to win them over.

If you don’t have the patience or interest in that? No problem — that role isn’t for everyone. But you can help those who do by not condemning bridge builders and focusing your wrath on the people most deserving of it: the billionaires, Musk and Trump.

TAX RESISTANCE EXPLORATION: SAVE THE DATE

A crew of people is forming to explore tax resistance as a strategy. A training about tax resistance is February 20th at 8:30pmEST.

If you want to learn with us — even if you can’t make the date, let us know by signing this: No Taxes to a King.

Thanks for all you do.

Warmly,

– Choose Democracy