Mondays, 4:00-5:15, in front of Tesla building.
4330 S Macadam Ave. Portland Oregon
March 09, 2025
We Stand Strong
We are strong. We are here. We are standing.
and the words of Robert Reich
The choice is democracy or dictatorship. Self-government or oligarchy. Everyone must choose sides. Not to choose is to accept the forces now in control — to allow Trump to become even more of a dictator and his billionaire backers and cronies to siphon up even more oligarchic wealth and power.
One of the best way of coping with this nightmare is to fight it
Keep calling the White House: 1-202-456-1414 (switchboard). 1-202-456-1111 (comments). Jam it.
Keep calling your senators and representatives. The Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121. The switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate or House office you request.
Organize and mobilize for downballot elections this year, and for House and Senate elections next year.
Protect the vulnerable in your community: undocumented workers. LGBTQ+ people. Vocal anti-Trumpers who may need protection from Trump vigilantes. Refugees from Ukraine. Others who need your help.
March 07, 2025
Amazon Blackout
Amazon Blackout March 7-14
And while you are not using their services,
go even further, and
disengage from them completely!
Fire Amazon!
Our Voices WILL be heard
I tried to give Democratic congresspeople feedback about joining in the censure of Al Green. But, I was blocked on their webpages because I don't live in their districts.
So, I found them on Facebook! And guess what? I was among MANY who did the same!
Use all your social media outlets to speak to the congresspeople, including the Republicans.
Our VOICES will be heard!
Contact them!
Ed Case of Hawaii
Tom Suozzi of New York
Jim Costa of California
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington
Jared Moskowitz of Florida
Ami Bera of California
Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania
Marcy Kaptur of Ohio
Laura Gillen of New York
Jim Himes of Connecticut
March 06, 2025
Trump Power Grab Tripped up by Distinctly American Resistance
It's important that we see that we are standing up!!
We can do this! We can fight back the coup!!!
Powerful information from Rachel Maddow on this segment.
Read also Robert Reich, 10 Reasons for Modest Optimism.
March 05, 2025
Positive, Righteous Incivility
On Thursday, Green gave an impassioned speech calling for
“positive, righteous incivility” in the face of
“ignoble incivility” from Trump.
Republicans Fail to Show Up for Meetings
As their constituents wait to talk to them,
Republican congresspeople fail to show up.
I wonder why...
Hundreds look to confront Emmer at packed town hall
Congressman is a no-show at Indivisible gathering in Monticello
March 04, 2025
Make Your Voice Heard
Hit the streets today in protest!
During or after Trump’s speech tonight, call the White House
and tell the operator that you disagree with what Trump has said.
White House operators keep track of positive and negative responses.
(The White House switchboard is 202-456-1414.)
March 03, 2025
Standing Against the Oligarchy...a Story and a Reality
This poem is from my book, Spirit Walk: Journey of a Soul Embodied, 2013.
I republish it here to honor all those who now stand against the coup.
I republish it here to honor all those who now stand against the coup.
There once was a man…
Mind you, I mean it literally, a man.
As we all know, women are not running the world
so play a supporting role in this story, not the lead.
Anyway, there was a man.
This man suffered the fortune of being born
into extravagant wealth.
For that accident of birth,
we can bear him no malice.
Through his youth,
he did not experience hunger nor thirst,
nor, in fact, need of any kind.
Of course, he had many wants,
boats, toys, more variety of boats and toys,
unlimited oil for his boats and toys…
But, somewhere along the line,
he lost the capacity ability to discern between want and need.
Or, perhaps he never learned the difference
in the first place,
having never actually experienced need.
In his youth, this man was strong and virile,
spawning children who, as he, knew not of need,
but who, also as he, suffered from insatiable want.
But, forgive me.
I have not given you the name of this man and his family.
We shall call him Ubank Sovereign,
Ubank for short.
His family name is Plutocs. The family is
the U.S. Oligarchy.
Together, this family celebrated their good fortune,
new wealth,
new power,
new toys.
So many reasons to celebrate.
And celebrate they did,
with feasts of such variety and enormity
that there was always extra to be discarded.
And as the Ubanks before him,
Ubank combined strategy, wile and cunning
with his enormous wealth
to accumulate yet more wealth.
This, after all, is the US Oligarchy family dream,
to accumulate wealth…
all of it.
To his great delight, wealth generation came easily,
for, as we all know, you can’t generate wealth
without first having wealth,
wealth defined as income above and beyond
that required for sustenance.
And, as he already owned the lion’s share of the wealth,
well, quite frankly,
it was (like) stealing food from a baby.
Of course, he made contributions to earn
these immense rewards.
To his credit we now have ‘forced obsolescence’,
and a ‘throw away economy’,
not to mention a thriving industry of waste removal,
and yes, waste storage, what with vast rivers
flowing downstream from his penthouse,
and the oceans and sky at his behest,
or should I say disposal?
But, his greatest accomplishment
was the vast network of friendships
he developed in a burg called Washing town.
As required of any good relationship,
he and his friends shared with each other
in compassionate and enduring camaraderie.
Nothing could break this (iron) triangle of friends.
Now, a few things happened in the course of Ubank's life
that disturbed his otherwise unmitigated pleasure-taking,
(or rent-seeking, which ever term suits you)
and proved a lifelong nuisance.
‘What were these annoyances?’ you ask.
Well, first it was appropriating resources to feed
his family’s gluttonous appetites.
With his enormous wealth,
he built ships of the sea and sky,
and sailed to appropriate those
resources from heathens around the globe.
His good and abiding friends in that burg,
Washing town, lent their assistance to this noble cause
through agreements with Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos
and other Ubanks around the world.
But, what irritated him the most was the pervasive whining
of the unwanted rabble gathered on his front steps.
So he developed brilliant, well-funded strategies
to contend with the whining masses.
‘Manifest destiny’ moved many off his doorstep
and located them where he could no longer
be bothered by their inexorable whining.
Anointing avarice
with moral and constitutional legitimacy
busied the many who believed they, too,
could live as did he.
Yet, all his sleepless nights and devoted work
could not quiet the drone of the whining masses.
Worse, the whining rose not just from his stoop,
but increasingly from all corners of the world.
And out of the cacophony of riotous whining,
there arose a voice,
a voice that could be silenced neither
with the pen of his Washing town friends,
nor with the arms that generated much of his wealth.
The voice shouted, ‘No more!’
‘No more shall you pillage the poor and defenseless!’
No more shall you steal the birthright of every human
to food and water and a livelihood and safety!
No more shall your vile lies, depraved self glorification
and profligacy feed on the human spirit and
desecrate her mother Gaia!’
'No more!' say the people of the United States in 2025
We are standing up…NOW.
The birthright of all human beings
food, water, a livelihood, freedom, safety,
a world abundant in life and rich in blessings -
the birthright of ALL human beings.
NOW.
March 02, 2025
Americans are Standing Up
The Contrarian is posting incredible videos of Americans Standing Up...all across America!
You are NOT alone.
We are the people of America.
We stand together against the billionaire coup.
We stand together for OUR Democracy.
Check it out!!! Feel the power of the people...US!
The Ideals of Our Country STILL Alive
I am reposting a portion of Robert Reich's letter today as it is so very moving.
I have always believed America is not a nation of bullies. We have protected the vulnerable, comforted the afflicted, granted refuge to those fleeing violence and persecution, and given voice to those who otherwise would not be heard.
These ideals are found in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Emma Lazarus’s poem affixed to the Statue of Liberty, FDR’s second inaugural address, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” sermon at the 1963 March on Washington.
They connect us with previous generations of Americans who risked everything —some of whom sacrificed their lives — to preserve democracy and achieve a greater good.
Do not feel shame in America. Feel pride in the ideals we share. Feel honored that you are an activist warrior on the right side of history. Feel strength in our conviction. Feel power in our cause.
We will prevail against Trump — against his bullying, his brutality, and his barbarity.
The Second American Revolution???
This coming April 19 will mark the 250th anniversary
of the battles of Lexington and Concord,
which began the American Revolution and
our war against monarchical power.
This coming April 19...
What if we stage massive peaceful protests in every city and town — crowds of Americans:
- celebrating the anti-monarchical uprising of 1775 and
- denouncing Trump’s increasingly autocratic rule
.jpg)
February 28, 2025
February 26, 2025
Vote With Your Pocketbook
USE YOUR VOICE - BOYCOTT!
In Trump’s America, the Oligarchy Is Done Pretending to Care About You
This is my current (and growing) boycott list.
Amazon
Paypal
Anything Musk
X
Target
February 25, 2025
We, the People, Say "NO"!!!
Tyranny cannot prevail over people who refuse to succumb to it.
Robert Reich
February 24, 2025
A Thief and a Robber
“When tyranny becomes Law, rebellion becomes duty.”
Attributed to Thomas Jefferson, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence of the United States
John Locke, in his 1690 Second Treatise on Government, noted that
when a leader disregards constitutional order, he gives up legitimacy and the people are justified in treating him as a “thief and a robber.”
“[W]hosoever in authority exceeds the power given him by the law and makes use of the force he has under his command…
ceases in that to be a magistrate;
and, acting without authority, may be opposed, as any other man, who by force invades the right of another,” Locke wrote.
February 23, 2025
Oust the Oligarchy Protest
Peaceful Rush Hour Protest in front of PDX Tesla
Date/Time
Monday, February 24
3:45 – 5:15pm PST
Location
4330 S Macadam Ave
Portland, OR 97239
The Only Thing More Powerful than the Oligarchy is the People, United
This is not just a cliché or a naïve words of a dreamer.
It is true. It is based in solid research and demonstrated through real outcomes across time and nations and people.
Here is one source. I did international research on civil society coming together to fight for various causes. I learned many important lessons from our sisters and brothers in activism. But most importantly, I learned that
There is Nothing More Powerful than the People, United
Here is a snippet from an article I published. The takeaway...if they can do it, so can we!!!
GCS is a significant international force, exemplified by its sheer size, its infiltration into international governance organizations, its ability to generate global public opinion and its proven success in transforming policy issues into international regimes.
Its growing status is further portrayed through changes in language, e.g., its designation as the third pillar of modern society (Galtung, 2000, p. 148), Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s recognition of it as a full participant in international life (Weiss & Gordenker, 1996), and the United Nation’s reference to it as a social partner, signifying equality of status with governments (Willetts, 2000).
GCS theorists provide incontrovertible evidence
of the active force of global civil society in historic progress on
international regimes from human rights, international corruption, democratic
governance, development and peace to environmental conservation (Brown,
Khagram, Moore, & Frumkin, 2000; Clark, 1995; Khagram, Riker, &
Sikkink, 2002; Rosenau, 1990; Wapner & Ruiz, 2000).
Magis, K. (September, 2010). Global civil society: Finding collective
voice in diversity. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 21(3),
317-338.
February 22, 2025
Maine Stands Up!!!
Today, Maine governor Janet Mills took the fight against Trump’s overreach directly to him. At a meeting of the nation’s governors, in a rambling speech in which he was wandering through his false campaign stories about transgender athletes, Trump turned to his notes and suddenly appeared to remember his executive order banning transgender student athletes from playing on girls sports teams. The body that governs sports in Maine, the Maine Principals’ Association, ruled that it would continue to allow transgender students to compete despite Trump's executive order because the Maine state Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination on the grounds of gender identity. Trump asked if the governor of Maine was in the room. “Yeah, I’m here,” replied Governor Mills. “Are you not going to comply with it?” Trump asked. “I’m complying with state and federal laws,” she said. “We are the federal law,” Trump said. “You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t….” “We’re going to follow the law,” she said. “You’d better comply because otherwise you’re not going to get any federal funding,” he said. Mills answered: “We’ll see you in court.” As Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times put it: “Something happened at the White House Friday afternoon that almost never happens these days. Somebody defied President Trump. Right to his face.” Hours later, the Trump administration launched an investigation into Maine’s Department of Education, specifically its policy on transgender athletes. Maine attorney general Aaron Frey said that any attempt to cut federal funding for the states over the issue “would be illegal and in direct violation of federal court orders…. Fortunately,” he said in a statement, “the rule of law still applies in this country, and I will do everything in my power to defend Maine’s laws and block efforts by the president to bully and threaten us.” “[W]hat is at stake here [is] the rule of law in our country,” Mills said in a statement. “No President…can withhold Federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will. It is a violation of our Constitution and of our laws.” “Maine may be one of the first states to undergo an investigation by his Administration, but we won’t be the last. Today, the President of the United States has targeted one particular group on one particular issue which Maine law has addressed. But you must ask yourself: who and what will he target next, and what will he do? Will it be you? Will it be because of your race or your religion? Will it be because you look different or think differently? Where does it end? In America, the President is neither a King nor a dictator, as much as this one tries to act like it—and it is the rule of law that prevents him from being so.” “[D]o not be misled: this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.” |
.jpg)
Saving Democracy: A Crowdsourced Plan for Effective Action
4️⃣ Don’t Get Distracted by the Chaos
Trump and Elon want you distracted. Their constant scandals and outrage-bait tactics are designed to:
❌ Keep us talking about them instead of organizing
❌ Flood the media with noise so real issues get buried
❌ Exhaust us into apathy
Instead of reacting to every insane thing they do, we need to focus on what they don’t want us talking about:
✔ The lawsuits that could take them down
✔ The organizations fighting back
✔ The ways we can help
Rather than just sharing the chaos, make sure to amplify the individuals doing the heavy lifting—those filing lawsuits and taking real action against Trump and his criminal affiliates. It’s so easy to fall for the drama—I’m guilty of it too. But right now, we need laser focus.
Final Thought: Time Is Running Out
If we don’t act powerfully right now, the courts may not work in the future. For context, it only took Hitler 53 days to dismantle democracy in Germany. Trump and Musk have far more resources, influence, and technology than Hitler ever did. If we don’t push back now, we may not get another chance.
Every person who values democracy needs to be all in right now. Speak up, get involved, and support the lawsuits. The window to stop them is closing fast.
Protect Your Mental Health
Trump and Elon are using the same aggressive political gaslighting strategy as Putin, designed to create maximum division, confusion, and chaos. This tactic is deliberate and takes a toll on our mental well-being. Spending time in nature, exercising, taking deep breaths, and experiencing moments of stillness can help keep you grounded, clear-headed, and at peace.
February 21, 2025
March 4th Protest
March 4th Against Oligarchy and FOR Democracy
Call to Action:
Every State Capitol & Major City
March 4th, 12PM - 9PM.
Announcements for the 5th to come later.
IG: @50501movement, Bluesky, Discord, and Reddit. #3E #USprotests #March4Liberty #FiftyFiftyOne #Mar4
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)