Voting doesn't work, and protesting as you point out is insufficient. We need strikes and boycotts as well. The oligarchs blood is money, we must deprive them. Even that won't be enough. It took blood to make this nation independent of King George III. This situation will demand blood as well.
I feel I have to say it again, perhaps in a slightly different form:
You will know when you are being effective against Trump and MAGA because they will arrest you, beat you, shoot at you. Up to that point they will simply ignore you.
Yes, it was great that maybe 7 million people turned out onto the streets for the No Kings day. Everyone felt great afterwards. That is 2% of the population. 98% didn't bother.
So, what has changed? What accommodations have been made? What has Trump said to reduce the anger that put so many people on the streets? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Just a vid of him shitting the crowds.
The protests did nothing. No one in power was scared. No ICE thug was intimidated into changing his ways. No arrest was delayed by more than a day.
Your last comment about blood being spilt is literally true. Until the violence is reciprocated, then all other actions, including strikes and protests and marches, will ALL be ignored.
It is only when ICE thugs start to believe the crowds will attack them, rip off their masks and photograph them, pepper spray or taser them, ram their cars, beat them up, take pot shots at them every time they get out of a vehicle, only then will they take the resistance seriously.
And the same with Trump's lapdog Republicans. They would need to be harassed, threatened, too scared to go out in public, scared that they be treated like they and their ICE stormtroopers are treating other Americans, even as they steal money from everyone's pockets and bank accounts.
Anything else is irrelevant. And deep down you know that is the truth.
Beautiful piece. The best quote I ever read on organising is that organising doing that which you can do today so tomorrow you can do that which you cannot do today. Every day building power.
Thank you for posting your journey and including the part of trying to include more people without belittling them! Great work!
Community IS Strength
Voting doesn't work, and protesting as you point out is insufficient. We need strikes and boycotts as well. The oligarchs blood is money, we must deprive them. Even that won't be enough. It took blood to make this nation independent of King George III. This situation will demand blood as well.
I feel I have to say it again, perhaps in a slightly different form:
You will know when you are being effective against Trump and MAGA because they will arrest you, beat you, shoot at you. Up to that point they will simply ignore you.
Yes, it was great that maybe 7 million people turned out onto the streets for the No Kings day. Everyone felt great afterwards. That is 2% of the population. 98% didn't bother.
So, what has changed? What accommodations have been made? What has Trump said to reduce the anger that put so many people on the streets? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Just a vid of him shitting the crowds.
The protests did nothing. No one in power was scared. No ICE thug was intimidated into changing his ways. No arrest was delayed by more than a day.
Your last comment about blood being spilt is literally true. Until the violence is reciprocated, then all other actions, including strikes and protests and marches, will ALL be ignored.
It is only when ICE thugs start to believe the crowds will attack them, rip off their masks and photograph them, pepper spray or taser them, ram their cars, beat them up, take pot shots at them every time they get out of a vehicle, only then will they take the resistance seriously.
And the same with Trump's lapdog Republicans. They would need to be harassed, threatened, too scared to go out in public, scared that they be treated like they and their ICE stormtroopers are treating other Americans, even as they steal money from everyone's pockets and bank accounts.
Anything else is irrelevant. And deep down you know that is the truth.
This is such a good point. I have been holding local meetings for over a year and haven’t really gotten anywhere. I wonder what I can do differently.
Beautiful piece. The best quote I ever read on organising is that organising doing that which you can do today so tomorrow you can do that which you cannot do today. Every day building power.
your words are always so poignant. thank you JP!
Thank you for this, JP. Wise words. And I enjoyed seeing your journey laid out like this.
May we all get more plugged in, however we can
A lot of this work is like being in the army, hurry up and wait. In waiting you’re usually preparing for what’s coming.
Describe the steps in organizing, what an end goal would look like, how to handle petty squabbles.