It's Different This Time

[angrychair]

Anyone that has been living under the illusion that you can just keep your head down and ride this out for the next four years because you think "it's going to be like last time" has just been proven horribly and unequivocally wrong today.
Now what are you going to do? Do something. Anything.
We are stronger together. You are not alone.

[edhopper]

1. There is little I can do

But protect myself and my family.
I can't change what is about to happen.

[hannah]

3. Yes you can

Send a letter to your Senators and Representatives. Write a letter to the editor. Post on Social Media. We can stop this!

[edhopper]

4. If they haven't decided to oppose what is happening

A letter from me won't o a thing.

[angrychair]

9. That's ok too

Obviously my OP is not meant to shame anyone.
I've said many times "I, as an individual, cannot change what is happening. Also do not have a lot money.
That said I'll do the things I can do. I can resist with all my body and soul. I can write on social media websites and be that voice.
I like to think of it as the Hopper speech from A Bug's Life. We out number them 4-1 we can do it.

[edhopper]

10. You weren't shaming

I understand the motivation.
I just feel a lot of despair and foreboding right now.

[leftieNanner]

12. Actually,

According to Indivisible, contacting your Senators and Representative can make a difference. You don't need to write a letter, just call their offices and tell them that you want them to vote no on every nominee. That you want them to stand up for the rule of law and the Constitution that tDump is currently smashing.

It is effective!

[summer_in_TX]

19. It's far more effective than petitions.

Individual letters and phone calls are counted, because they need their constituents to stay in office. So if they get lots of calls or emails, it matters.

[soldierant]

15. It might if the politician also receives

similar letters from the entire population of your state - or if the representative receives letterd from the entire population of your district.

And if your letter to th editor gets publishes, it ca reach more pwoplw than you think.

[Felicita]

14. I just sent letters to my Senators

and donated to Indivisible, Public Citizen and Earth Justice. Thanks to encouraging previous posts like "hannah's". I have cut almost all spending to right wing companies and plan to join Costco this week for the first time. I will continue do more as the momentum of the resistance continues. If you can't donate, you can still boycott companies that donate to right wing causes as much as possible (Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, Publix, etc) and email or call you Senators a Representative.

[Cirsium]

20. Sure there is

Share your thoughts and feelings. Express support for others. Talk about protecting your family, it might benefit others. I am not telling you what to do, but rather I am merely suggesting that you might have much more to offer than you realize.

[edhopper]

22. I know there is much I can do to survive this

and keep my sanity. I just don't think there is any thing I can do to change what will happen.

[Lovie777]

2. Word by mouth ....

Life.

[Amaryllis]

5. Indivisible just sent email with action items to do right now and RAchel talked about it tonight.

Indivisible just sent email with action items to do right now and more info on funding freeze:

https://indivisible.org/omb

Go to the link for specific action items!!

I copied the text but go to the link above so you can see all the links in the message below.
And if you arent signed up with Indivisible, do it now! I can't say this enough. They are the best thing going for staying up to date and for action.

Text of message:
Trump has signed a number of illegal orders during his first week in office. But his decision to issue a broad freeze on federal spending allocated by Congress is among the most radical, brazenly unconstitutional, and harmful acts by a president of the United States in modern history.

It’s not alarmist to say that if this is allowed to stand -- if the president can usurp the powers of Congress and unilaterally withhold government services to suit his own political agenda -- we’ll be entering the realm of dictatorship.

And it’s not just our democracy under threat in this moment. The chaos Trump has unleashed with this freeze has already touched millions of Americans as agencies, nonprofits, and people who rely on government grants for education, housing, and food assistance try to figure out what the hell is going on.

Throughout the country today, Medicaid portals were shut down, preventing people from accessing care.
Meals on Wheels program directors were unsure whether they could legally deliver meals to seniors this evening.
Preschools couldn’t access Head Start reimbursements, threatening paychecks to teachers.
Nonprofits serving veterans were unsure whether they could help provide emergency housing to homeless vets tonight or assistance to cover rents.
Domestic violence shelters are considering closing their doors.

These things happened before the freeze was set to go into effect. What happens when the freeze begins at 5pm ET today? Chaos. The White House has been intentionally vague about what programs will be impacted, guaranteeing massive disruptions and hardship for millions.

Amidst the chaos and harm, remember: Trump does not have the constitutional authority to do any of this. It’s all illegal. The Constitution says so, and the Supreme Court agrees. This is a dictatorial power grab and we need to fight it accordingly.
What you can do now

If you have a Democratic senator: They need to know we expect them to fight with every tool they have. This isn’t a moment for half-measures or mealy-mouthed statements. They need to sound the alarm and grind Senate activity to a halt until this freeze is lifted. Call your Democratic senator(s) now >>
If you have a Republican representative: Tell them that their silence makes them complicit in this unconstitutional act and they'll be held accountable for the harm it causes if they refuse to speak up. Call your Republican representative now >>
If you are impacted by the freeze: Share your story. Go to social media and share a video or a post talking about how Trump’s seizing of funds impacts you. More than the illegality, it’ll be the stories of harm that generate backlash to Trump’s overreach. Consider tagging your elected officials and sharing with us.
If you want more to do: Visit our resource page where we’ve got info you can share and call scripts for your other elected officials.

This is just the start. If this thing continues, we’re going to be ramping up the defiance in order to save lives and our democracy. No compromise with dictatorship. Period.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team
Indivisible Facebook
Indivisible Bluesky
Indivisible Instagram
Indivisible TikTok
Indivisible Mastodon

Indivisible Project is a locally-led, people-powered movement of thousands of local groups in red, blue, and purple states, and in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Our mission is to power and lift up a grassroots movement of local groups to defeat the Trump agenda, elect progressive leaders, and realize bold progressive policies.

[ReRe]

17. There are good people among us

And you are one, Amaryllis! Thank you for sharing this info!
I knew nothing about the "Indivisible Project" until your post.
Didn't see Rachel because of hometown NCAA basketball game.

[orangecrush]

6. Called my 2 Senators and Rep this a.m.

Contributing to the ACLU.

[yellow dahlia]

7. I'm with you.

Doing what I can.

Getting the word out on social media (still on the forum belonging to that Z guy)

Emailing my reps in Congress, particularly Senators re: confirmation hearings. (They keep track of the numbers. The calls and emails matter.)

I am keeping an eye on the watchdog groups engaging in litigation to protect democracy. We will donate to some of them doing the work on behalf of "we the people".

We can contribute and unite in whatever ways possible. Team Democracy!

Thank you for the community of information and encouragement, DU!

[writerJT]

8. What is being done

What is being done by the people who have been warning us of the end of democracy, etc? I believe this is the most important question to ask at this point.

They went to the inauguration. They applauded after he took the oath. Then what?

What is being done by our leaders? Or do we have to lead ourselves?

From what I can tell, they’re just talking and saying the same thing they’ve been saying for years about this disaster.

As for the tv talking bozos, they just want views. Social media blowhards just want clicks and subscriptions. They do this via fear. But what are they doing to stop this guy?

ALL of these people doing NOTHING concrete undercuts their message. No wonder people are apathetic. Unless it’s all just theater.

[Lulu KC]

13. A number of solid steps have been taken today

They're buried under the garbage. Court cases have been filed and EOs have been blocked. Press conferences have happened. It's building.

[Hekate]

16. Watch Rachel Maddow. Take notes. Go to DU's new forum The Way Forward. Contact Indivisible...

Call your Senators and Representatives.

Start here, but do not end here:

Get on the mailing list for Indivisible. https://indivisible.org/
They are the Dem’s rebuttal.

See if there’s any way you can support Planned Parenthood, or the Brigid Alliance, or the ACLU. They are the Dem’s rebuttal.

Look up the Electronic Frontier Foundation and scan through their various projects, which include a section on reproductive rights (would you like to make a clinic visit without being tracked? ) https://www.eff.org/
They are the Dem’s rebuttal.

SPLC, the Southern Poverty Law Center has been around forever, and will direct you to ways to organize wherever you live, not just the South. They also have a page with a Hate Map that indicates the 1,430 hate and antigovernment groups that SPLC tracks across the US.
https://www.splcenter.org/
They are the Dem’s rebuttal.

If you wait for our elected officials to rise up and rally the mob um the troops um I mean the citizenry, you will wait a long time. There are innumerable existing groups. As President Obama says, “Don’t boo — organize! “ You don’t even have to start from scratch.

We are the Dem’s rebuttal.

[ReRe]

18. Well , for one...

Last edited Wed Jan 29, 2025, 01:14 AM - Edit history (1)

Rachel had Tim Walz on tonight and he was his regular old ball-of-fire self
and I enjoyed the heck out of him. If you have a chance to see the repeat,
or look it up on youtube, you will be more than pleased with his rousing message.

[sdmatch]

11. It is very different this time.

Because of the failure of our Judiciary, Trump feels invincible. But even more dangerous, he has nothing to lose. He will do as he feels, he will destroy our world, and he could care less if he kills what’s left of the Republican Party.

[Septua]

21. I knew it would be worse...

..but not to the degree we're seeing. Trump's testing the limits this time just seeing how far he can go and how much the opposition will bare...

He won my state by 65%; both Senators and the Congressman are MAGA puppets and election deniers...

All I can do is go on X & Bluesky and trash the entire lot, which I do.