Democracy Out Loud #419.2: Facing the consequences of voter suppression

And fighting back.

Dear friends,

I used to do this newsletter only once a week. Now things are moving too fast for that, so this is the third newsletter in week #419.

I don’t have to tell you what is happening. You know about Musk and his minions’ illegal activities, Trump’s crazy executive orders (50 and counting, I believe), and the massive resistance to all of that last week, on the street and in those 1,400 calls per minute to Congress.

(Below, USAID headquarters sign being removed in DC on Friday NBC photo)

Check out Representative Eric Swalwell’s TickToc video encouraging us to keep fighting. All those calls are making a difference, friends! We need to continue to pressure Democratic Representatives to fight back and to call Republicans as well. If you haven’t already, find all your elected representatives and put them on speed dial.

Watch this quick video, “Four Paths to Resist Trump” that Lib got from George Lakey.

Some really important posts on Substack: by Timothy Snyder, “The logic of destruction and how to resist it” and by Arturo Dominguez, “Marco Rubio’s Priority at the State Department: White Nationalism.” Also Robert Reich, “What you can do.”

It is becoming clear that white supremacy is the core motivation of most of the actions by the administration now. This article sent by Cliff about Trump’s prioritization of white South African resettlement is especially chilling, and every day, the demonization and erasure of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion screams out the need to stand up to this insanity every way we possibly can.

Jane sent this important article from Greg Palast: “Trump Lost. Voter Suppression Won.” His movie, Vigilantes, Inc is available on YouTube.

Thank you, Libby, for finding this excellent short video about Trump’s deportation plan in relation to North Carolina in Representative Marcia Morey’s newsletter. Thank you, Elena, for sending your notes from the Rapid Response training in Raleigh last month.

You can sign up for Siembra NC’s upcoming Defend and Recruit trainings at this link.

Thank you, everyone who showed up to pack the court on Thursday. Alison Riggs won but the fight is not over. Please plan to attend one of the People vs Griffin rallies on February 17. You can find one near you and sign up here.

Trump’s ”plans” for Gaza must be seen in the context of the progressive ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians since 1947. You can register at this link for the Voices from the Holy Land online film salon: “Made homeless in the homeland: Lawfare, Demolition, and Land Theft” on February 16 at 3:00 pm. Once you register, you will be able to watch the film online.

On February 20 at 5 pm in Durham, the NC Budget and Tax Center will present Economy for All 2025. This is a great organization with great programs. Register here.

Thank you, Marci, for your amazing work on the book study group. Every other month, we will read one of the top three books in the following order::

1. Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism- and What Comes Next Bradley Onishi (2023) Available, 237pp

2. White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy

William Barber (2024) Available, 288pp

3. This is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century

Mark Engler and Paul Engler (2017) Available, 384pp

Check out the ballot results.

Marci will lead our discussion of Preparing for War on Wednesday, March 26th at 3:00 pm at our usual zoom link. (She says, “The February 25th spot is open if anyone wants to lead a conversation on a book of their choosing. Somebody mentioned On Tyranny at a meeting, which would be a quick read and interesting topic.”)

(Below, us at the Federal Building on Tuesday. Photo by Greg Stewart)

We have lots of new subscribers to this newsletter this week. Welcome! We have weekly meetings, now on zoom, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm every Tuesday, and all are welcome to join. This Tuesday we will “open the doors” early, at 10:30 am, because there is a lot to debrief from last week and as we grow larger we need to expand opportunities for people to share. If you don’t have the zoom link, email Jewel at DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com and please add a line or two about why you want to join us. We also have a guided meditation every Thursday at 10 am at the same zoom link.

Thank you for reading this and for being in this fight. Take good care of yourself, and keep pushing.

love, Karen

“The people who now dominate the executive branch of the government . . . are acting, quite deliberately, to destroy the nation. For them, only a few people, the very wealthy with a certain worldview, have rights, and the first among these is to dominate.

“For them, there is no such thing as an America, or Americans, or democracy, or citizens, and they act accordingly. Now that the oligarchs and their clients are inside the federal government, they are moving, illegally and unconstitutionally, to take over its institutions.” - Timothy Snyder, “The logic of destruction and how to resist it,” Substack, February 2, 2025

“I don’t have a silver bullet solution. We simply have to keep pushing back, supporting each other, and insisting on the value of caring about our communities. What’s happening to our democracy is wrong and deeply harmful, but it doesn’t have to be permanent. What we do now may not yield immediate results, but it will matter.” - NC Representative Lisa Grafstein

“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last”. - Winston Churchill in 1940 while speaking to Parliament, expressing his regret over the neutrality of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Holland

(below, more of our protest on Tuesday; photo by Greg Stewart)