Democracy Out Loud #423:The war against all of us

Every single one of us is under attack now. We can fight back.

Right after the President of the United States turned against our allies in that mob boss scene with President Zelensky in the Oval Office, the US Defense Secretary halted the Pentagon’s cybersecurity operations against Russia. Thom Hartmann wrote, “Cyberwar is sort of the opposite of neutron bombs. Instead of killing the people, it takes out the infrastructure with the goal being to disrupt society so severely as to bring down governments (the ultimate goal of most warfare).”
Isn’t that exactly what Musk is doing with DOGE? He is disrupting society, for sure, by harvesting all of our personal and government data and removing, piece by piece, the infrastructure of the government of the United States.

Perhaps the goal of Putin’s puppet is to destroy democracy and the goal of Musk is to help himself to the US treasury, which are two different things, but one thing is clear. The cruel and violent actions of Trump and Musk are not in the interest of anyone except billionaires, corporations, and (especially) Putin.

It does not take a lot of imagination to know what will come next if we fail to take action. Now is not the time to act out of fear. Maybe martial law, assassinations and disappearances will come. But they are not yet here, and all of us who understand what is happening need to push back now as forcefully and creatively as possibly.

I did not watch Trump’s speech last night, so I read a lot of commentary today. I especially appreciated Steve Schmidt on Substack, called “A glimmer of hope.” The whole thing is worth reading.

(Below, this week in Chapel Hill, photo by Jenny Warburg, used by permission)

WHAT TO DO

First: find out who represents you in state and federal government and call them, repeatedly. This does not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference if enough of us are doing it. Using 5 calls makes it really easy.

Watch “Courts and Crowds, not Kings: Two Ways to Keep from Falling into an Authoritarian Abyss” by Andrea Pitzer. She explains why protests and the courts are crucial and why we should not be intimidated by threats of martial law. A lot of people are new to protesting. Welcome! You will find that it helps you feel better.

From Karen and Joe: On Friday March 7 from noon to 4 pm, there will be a Stand Up for Science protest in Raleigh. You can get more information and sign up at this link.

On Wednesday March 12 from 12 to 2 pm, the NC Democrats are having an Anti DOGE rally in Raleigh. You can get more information and sign up here.

Sign up for the Third Act Training Series on March 17 at 5 pm. Third Act empowers elders to “protect the climate and strengthen Democracy.”

Use Third Act’s incredibly helpful tool to write a Letter to the Editor.

Sign up for the next Tesla dealership protest in Raleigh this Thursday March 6 from 4 to 6 pm at 7101 Glenwood Avenue. The last one was really fun and well-attended and this one will be much bigger.

(Below, the previous protest at Tesla, photo by Jenny Warburg, used by permission.)

Senator Elizabeth Warren said during an interview on CNN this week, “Our best strategy is to make sure everybody knows exactly what the Republicans are trying to do.” Let’s keep learning about what is actually happening underneath all the gaslighting and lies, and keep talking about it to everyone who will listen.

Leigh suggested that we need bystander intervention training, and I agree. Right to Be offers free online training. We just witnessed a woman hauled out by private security guards in a town hall meeting and a Congressman being escorted out of Trump’s address while colleagues remained seated. Please watch the chilling scene as 78-year-old Representative Al Green was ejected while Republicans, standing, jeered unanimously and Democratic colleagues remained seated.

In September 2019, NC Representative Deb Butler refused to yield the floor when GOP leadership called for a vote to override Governor Cooper’s veto after assuring the Democrats that there would be no vote. Her colleagues came and peacefully stood up in solidarity, some of them around her. We have to learn and exhibit and teach this kind of behavior.

SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice) is offering “Do not comply: A training to organize resistance in your neighborhood” on Wednesday March 19 from 8 to 9 pm. You can get more information and sign up at this link.

Below, the “Die-in” Protest at the US House by HIV activists and fired foreign aid workers at the House of Representatives. In the next ten years, 500,000 people will die of AIDS without the lifesaving medications provided by USAID. During the first Trump term, hundreds of us were arrested in that same place in that exact same way.

Mark is leading a group which is tracking the legislation coming up in the General Assembly. The goal is to learn about and fight the worst ones every way we can. If you are interested in joining this group, email DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com.

Please email me if you are interested in creating town halls or office visits to US Senators and Representatives and did not attend our meeting last Saturday. There will be another one this Saturday at 11 am and everyone is welcome.

Everyone is welcome to join us every Tuesday on zoom from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm; if you need the zoom link, email Jewel at DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com. If you are new, come early so we can welcome you. “Doors open” at 10:45 am.

Everyone is also welcome to our guided meditation on zoom every Thursday at 10 am. Jewel can send you the link to that, too (see above).

As things get more intense, taking action will help us get braver and stronger. If we can also keep getting better at nourishing and caring for ourselves and each other, we can be in this for the long haul and know that we are not alone.

love, Karen

“When you worship power, things like mercy, empathy, and compassion sound like weakness.” - Rev. Benjamin Cremer

“It’s going to be a long four years, but Black women are going to continue to call Trump, Musk, and this administration out at every turn. We’re not going to sit here and take it. We’re not going to let them get away with murder because, in the words of Zora Neale Hurston — 'If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it.'“ - Zuri Stevens, Substack, March 5, 2025, The Many ‘Digs’ on Black People in Trump’s Congress Address

Important resources:
from Elena, Everything you need to know about the NCGA

Our Crowdsourced list of Alternative news sources and commentary, curated by Jeff

From Mark and his team, Legislation we are following at the NCGA