Resistance Dance: Step #1: End Denial

Step #2 is much easier: Connect ... we are not alone

WCK in fire-ravaged Altadena, CA (click here)

We here in the United States are not well-educated in resisting governments gone rogue … or even admitting that it could happen here. However, when the question of the day is whether or not to follow the rule of law, we have reached fail-safe. With Vice-President Vance’s suggestion that the court rulings be ignored, we are officially a country in crisis.

So far we are only seeing cracks … troubling cracks indeed, however, the center is still holding. We’ve prided ourselves on peaceful transitions of power after elections. And, for almost 250 years that has worked.

Now there’s a new tune playing. An unelected, unAmerican, wrecking ball has been given the keys to our country. We need to take them back before his tantrums turn into violence.

Wondering how to most effectively resist this insurrection, I asked Perplexity**: “What methods of resistance have worked in past insurrections?” What it came back with seems spot-on: non-violent civil resistance … however, there is one major piece needed for success: momentum.

It's important to note that even peaceful resistance can fail if it doesn't gain enough support or momentum to erode the power base of the adversary.

We need to be connected. We need to find ways to be informed and resist. We need to be able to communicate with each other. Fortunately, we have two relatively new social media platforms not owned by billionaires: Substack and Bluesky. Both are free and the most amazing leaders, journalists, strategists, and legal minds are writing there. Staying informed is a must for today and the times to come. Each one of us has a voice and we can talk to friends, relatives, and neighbors.

Here’s the full recommendation from Perplexity:

Throughout history, various methods of resistance have been employed in insurrections, with varying degrees of success. Nonviolent civil resistance has proven to be particularly effective, being twice as likely to succeed as violent campaigns. Some successful methods include:

1. Strikes and boycotts: Polish workers used factory-occupation strikes in 1980 to win the right to organize a free trade union.

2. Mass protests: Large-scale demonstrations have been instrumental in bringing down dictators, such as Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines and Augusto Pinochet in Chile.

3. Civil disobedience: The anti-apartheid movement in South Africa employed boycotts and other nonviolent sanctions for decades, ultimately weakening the white-dominated government.

4. Diverse tactics: Successful campaigns often use a variety of methods beyond just protests, including economic non-cooperation and political non-cooperation3.

5. Loyalty shifts: Effective resistance often involves eliciting loyalty shifts among security forces and other elites, disrupting the pillars that support the status quo3.

While violent methods have also been used, research indicates that nonviolent campaigns are more likely to achieve their goals and lead to longer-term democratic reforms.

Remember: for every Elon Musk wrecking stuff, there is a Jose Andrés leading World Central Kitchen that shows up at every disaster to feed people.

Coming Saturday: The ONE reason why we are in this mess … and it’s not Trump, Musk, MAGATs or LIBs. Here’s a clue:

**After thought: Because of the world we find ourselves in, I wondered who owned/controlled Perplexity and got this answer from Wikipedia:

Perplexity was founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats and Johnny Ho, engineers with backgrounds in back-end systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning:

• Srinivas, the CEO, worked at OpenAI as an AI researcher.

• Konwinski was among the founding team at Databricks.

• Yarats, the CTO, was an AI research scientist at Meta.

• Ho, the CSO, worked as an engineer at Quora, then as a quantitative trader on Wall Street.^[5]

There is a troubling connection to Jeff Bezos and, while the company is currently private, it’s part of the incestuous world of tech bros so I will remain vigilant.