The Borg was wrong, resistance is not futile. Captain Picard proved that in science fiction, and it has been proven many times over during the course of mankind. But, it only works when we all get involved.
This week, watching what is happening in LA with ICE, the Federalized National Guard, and LAPD police abuse, and also in other parts of the country, it feels as if we are at the tipping point. We the people are either going to stand up in peaceful protest of this authoritarian White House and Congress, or we are going to become a Russia, a Hungary, a North Korea. The choice really is ours. The United States was formed to stand up to a King, the people can do it again by standing against a wannabe King.
As we go into this time of turmoil and protest, we do have to stop and remember history. In our world of instant gratification, or needing a dopamine hit from our phones, and expecting instant answers in the time of Google, we have to visit history to know things do not happen overnight. For peaceful protest to work, it must be consistent, persistent, and large.
The forming of our nation did not happen overnight. The suffrage movement did not succeed overnight. The civil rights movement did not succeed overnight. The pulling out of Viet Nam did not happen overnight. The gay rights movement and so many other causes to bring about equality have not happened overnight.
And many involved physical violence against us, the people. With the exception of the forming of our nation, the Revolutionary War, all have succeeded through peaceful protest with the government and when anti-fill-in-the-blank forces have been the aggressors (there were, of course, fringe protesters conducting violence, as there have always been throughout history, but their efforts did not bring the change needed; research has proven non-violent protest succeeds twice as often as violent protest).
Each of the movements bringing about change and further equality have been met with resistance by the old guard and antiquated thinking. Non-violent protesters have been met with fire hoses, beatings, assassinations, arrests, and smear campaigns. These things are happening right now. This is what ICE is, this is what federalizing the National Guard is, this is what a military parade is, this is what police brutality is, and always has been.
However, there are two main changes from the past protests have to contend with more now than then. The first is usually the major political parties have believed in and supported democracy and the Constitution, the rule of law. We have seen in the U.S. Congress, the current White House, and in State Houses across our country this is no longer true. But I would argue this is because the majority of people have chosen not to use their voice, their vote.
The second major change is legacy, or main stream media. We used to have journalists with integrity. Journalists believed in telling and showing what was occurring. Were there slants, of course. But, what was happening was almost always factually reported. Media used to also call for impeachment and to show the atrocities and violence happening as it actually happened.
We’ve all seen photos of violence against people by those in power. Those such as dogs attacking blacks in the south. Whites taunting and shouting at a young Ruby Bridges on her way to school or young students sitting at a lunch counter. We’ve seen pictures and heard songs about lynchings in the south and the brutal murders of gays, lesbians, and trans people. We’ve read the history of suffragettes being forced feed during hunger strikes.
Power does not like to give up power easily. It is only when forced to do so by the peaceful protest of the people in large numbers and over periods of time. All have been reported by true journalists in the past, but modern journalists are “owned” by corporate media, or who want to be famous themselves and appear on TV, or who hold valuable information to be placed in a book to buy.
Luckily many journalists, independent journalists, are showing integrity, gaining the trust of the people, and truly showing what is happening in our nation. They have adapted to the times and still believe in the 4th Pillar, speaking truth to power.
As we work through this time of trying to save democracy. Remember, it was our founding fathers who stated we all, “…have inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This was written directly in the Declaration of Independence. Remember too, the very first amendment of the Constitution reads, “”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
We need to do our duty as citizens, as the Constitution directs, which is to exercise our right to speak out, to peacefully protest, to report what we are seeing, and to let the government know we are not in support of what they are doing, to let them know we demand our right to life, our right to liberty, and our right to pursue happiness.
Stand proudly, speak loudly, and be on the right side of history. Be able to tell your grandchildren, who are able to live in a free and just society, you did not stay silent during a time when democracy and the Constitution were at stake.
I’ve often said we all need to be involved in saving democracy in the ways which fit our lives and our comfort levels. These can be blogging, reposting on social media, calling your elected officials, letters to the editor, donating to organizations, and/or marching in the streets. Nothing is too little or too much. Here are some ways to get involved whether from the comfort of your own homes, or on the streets, over the next few weeks:
- Call your U.S. Senator to demand they vote against the “big beautiful bill” that will harm most everyone living in the United States. The switchboard number is 202-224-3121. They will connect you with the correct senators. If you get their voicemail, which I do often, make sure to leave your name and address for your call to be registered as received.
- Call your U.S. Senator to demand they fight the Republican administration’s defiance of the court in following laws and the Constitution. The switchboard number is 202-224-3121. They will connect you with the correct senators. If you get their voicemail, which I do often, make sure to leave your name and address for your call to be registered as received.
- Call your congressional members and let them know as one of the people they represent, it is past time for DOGE to be dismantled. Call this number and the switchboard will connect you to your representative or senator: 202-224-3121. Even if you don’t know who your members are, they will find them for you based on your address, which they will ask you to provide.
- Call the White House switchboard to express your disappointment in what is happening and that DOGE must go: 202-456-1414 (switchboard) or 202-456-1111 (comments). I recommend the switchboard myself.
- Sign up for General Strike and commit to participating.
- Download the app Five Calls to help let your elected officials know you are paying attention and don’t approve. Website: https://5calls.org/
- Join a local group of Indivisible.
- Participate in the action items of50501: 50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Movement.
- Continue to boycott companies who have bent the knee or no longer believe in equality. Don’t buy from national chains or companies, such as Target, Amazon, Tesla, Walmart and any others who are bending the knee and capitulating to authoritarianism and the billionaire class.
- Write letters to your local papers expressing your disappointment and tell your stories of how the Republican administration is harming your families.
- Please say thank you in some way to the universities, law firms, companies, and organizations not bending the knee and capitulating to the Republican Administration.
- Mark your calendar for the next big nationwide protest, Saturday, June 14.
- Do something, anything, peaceful to fight back!
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 
