How to Protect Our Democracy from Trump

"Democracy? I don't think so..."

Yes he's nuts. But because he could trigger his army of fellow nut jobs (AKA MAGA crazies) to show up in primary political races and polling booths all over the country, Trump is essentially intimidating reasonable Republicans who might otherwise oppose him. So he continues to stomp along, crushing any opposition, as the egomaniac who would be king of a country that rejected Kings long ago. 

So what can we do? See the four strategies below. Then dive deeper in the references presented with each. Then, most importantly, get involved at your state and local levels to actively protect our democracy. 

Core Strategies Summarized

With the 2026 midterms approaching, the Trump administration and its allies have intensified a sweeping campaign to erode the safeguards that keep our elections free, fair and secure. These efforts form a clear pattern: undermining the rule of law; destabilizing election administration; and weakening our institutions and election protections.

In response, organizations and legal groups have published analyses, legal frameworks, and safeguarding strategies to protect the 2026 midterm elections from executive and partisan interference. These include:

• Legal Litigation: Filing lawsuits to block unauthorized federal collection of state voter registration lists and restrictive postal service rules.

• Voter Education: Helping eligible citizens understand their voting rights and countering false narratives about noncitizen voting or ballot integrity.

• Community Mobilization: Deploying trained volunteers and nonpartisan monitors to polling places to assist voters and document irregularities.

• State-Level Safeguards: Supporting state lawmakers and attorneys general who pass local protections against unauthorized federal law enforcement presence or sudden rule changes near Election Day. 

Core Strategies: The References

• The Trump Administration Is Interfering in the 2026 Midterm Elections To Entrench the Imperial Presidency  -- Details 15 potential tactics involving executive and federal actions around elections and outlines structural responses.

• The Fight to Protect the Midterms (Brennan Center for Justice) -- Examines ongoing legal challenges regarding mail-in voting rules, voter roll demands, and post-election certification safeguards. 

• Defending Our Vote: The ACLU’s Election Safeguarding Program (American Civil Liberties Union) -- Outlines a multi-million-dollar initiative focused on volunteer training, legal monitoring, and fighting voter roll purges in court.

• Are President Trump and His Allies Laying the Groundwork to Undermine Our Elections? (Campaign Legal Center)  -- Focuses on litigating against unconstitutional executive orders and defending independent voting access organizations.

• Protecting Free & Fair Elections (Protect Democracy) -- Tracks and litigates against federal data seizures and attempts to compile private voter files without state authorization.

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See also this video:  Democrats' Midterms Move Shocks Trump, New Bill Seeks Ban on Armed Agents at Polling Sites

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Bonuses: Need a little pep talk to nudge you to action? Check out these articles & podcasts:

• A Year Later: Team Trump's Drive from Democracy to Autocracy
• The Trump Resistance: Fighting Back Against Fascism
• 21 Lies Per Day? Really?! Fact Checking Tools Help You Find the Truth.
• 5 Things You Can Do to Get Positive Political Results in a Soul-Numbing, Negative Media World (w/ links to tools & resources)
• Be the Change You Want to See  (the audio podcast)
  “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” –  Mahatma Gandhi
• Take the Risk  (the audio podcast)
• Just Do It!  (the audio podcast)
• (Why you can trust your judgement...) Inside the Black Box: Thoughts on Judgement, Intuition, Synthesis & Artificial Intelligence
• Trust Your Judgment (book chapter w/graphic of "your internal wisdom filter") or listen to the podcast

21 Lies Per Day? Really?! Fact Checking Tools Help You Find the Truth.

 

"... 30,573 false or misleading claims during his first presidential term..." (Wikipedia source) 

"During and between his terms as President of the United States, Donald Trump has made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims. Fact-checkers at The Washington Post documented 30,573 false or misleading claims during his first presidential term, an average of 21 per day. Commentators and fact-checkers have described Trump's lying as unprecedented in American politics and the consistency of falsehoods as a distinctive part of his business and political identities. Scholarly analysis of Trump's tweets found significant evidence of an intent to deceive." [Source: False or misleading statements by Donald Trump wikipedia article]

So... If the chief executive officer of our government is a chronic liar, what are we to do? Well, the solution is to fact check him -- fact check him often and regularly and then publicize our findings wherever and whenever we can. In particular, share them on our social media sites. 

The good news: It's easy to fact check anyone! Below are some excellent sources that will help get the job done. 

5 Excellent Fact Checking Resources

Here are five especially useful web sources for checking the truth of assertions, each best suited to a different kind of claim.

1. Snopes

Snopes is one of the broadest and most recognizable fact-checking sites, with a long track record of investigating rumors, viral posts, hoaxes, and internet myths. It is especially useful when a claim is circulating widely on social media, in email chains, or through word-of-mouth, because it often provides context as well as a clear verdict. It is a strong first stop for “Is this real?” questions about everyday misinformation, including odd stories, scams, and conspiracy-style claims.

2. FactCheck.org

FactCheck.org focuses heavily on U.S. politics and public policy, monitoring the factual accuracy of statements made by major political figures in speeches, debates, ads, interviews, and news releases. It is best for checking claims about legislation, elections, government actions, and politicians’ statements, especially when you want a nonpartisan explanation with supporting evidence. Its value is less about viral rumors in general and more about carefully dissecting political assertions.

3. PolitiFact

PolitiFact is a political fact-checking outlet known for rating claims with its Truth-O-Meter and for publishing source-backed analyses of statements by elected officials and other public figures. It is especially well suited to claims about U.S. politics, campaign rhetoric, public speeches, and policy talking points. If you want a quick sense of whether a political statement is mostly true, misleading, or false, PolitiFact is one of the most useful places to look.

4. Reuters Fact Check

Reuters Fact Check is useful for claims appearing in the news or spreading on social media, and it emphasizes accuracy, transparency, and direct verification through primary sources and experts. It is particularly strong for time-sensitive claims, breaking-news rumors, and public statements that need a neutral, newsroom-style check. Because Reuters is a global wire service, it is often a good choice when the claim is not just political but tied to a current event or widely shared headline.

5. Google Fact Check Tools

Google’s fact-check tools are not a fact-checker in the same sense as the others, but they are very useful for finding whether a claim has already been checked by trusted publishers. They work best when you want to search across many existing fact checks on a topic or person, especially for recurring rumors or claims that have appeared in multiple places. In practice, this is a fast way to discover whether reputable outlets have already investigated the assertion before you spend time searching manually.

When to Use What...

A practical rule: Use Snopes for broad viral claims, FactCheck.org and PolitiFact for U.S. political statements, Reuters Fact Check for news and public-figure claims, and Google’s tools to locate prior fact checks quickly.

 

A Year Later: Team Trump's Drive from Democracy to Autocracy

Emperor Trump by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay 
"I alone can fix it."

Last year, in my article titled "Team Trump's Drive from Democracy to Autocracy: Are we there yet?" I explored these questions: 

• Is our democracy weakening under the Trump administration's many efforts to undermine it? 
• Could Trump actually reduce our democracy to an autocracy? 

I asked Perplexity AI to help me find the answers. Specifically, I gave Perplexity two assignments: 

1. List the specific stages through which a democracy moves towards an autocracy and fascism, then explain each stage. 

2. For each of the specific steps listed describe how the current executive branch is implementing this step.

Stages of Democratic Decline to Autocracy and Fascism  

Below are Perplexity's responses from one year ago. Included with each is Perplexity's new (updated) assessment of progress that Trump has made in the first year toward implementing this step and consolidating power. (Quotation marks denote direct responses from Perplexity.)

1. Normalization of Anti-Democratic Rhetoric -- Leaders exploit post-truth narratives and cultural conservatism to erode trust in institutions, often framing opponents as threats to national identity.

From last year: "The current administration has amplified divisive rhetoric, portraying political opponents as threats to national security and identity. This polarizing language undermines trust in democratic institutions and fosters a 'us vs. them' mentality."

Latest analysis: "Trump has repeatedly framed opponents, critics, and parts of the state as enemies, explicitly promising 'retribution' against perceived foes and casting his role as punishing those who 'betrayed' his movement. This matches the statement’s description of polarizing 'us vs. them' language that undermines democratic norms and paints opponents as existential threats to the nation."

2. Dismantling Checks and Balances - Judicial and legislative constraints on executive power are weakened, enabling centralized control. Media and civil society face censorship or repression.

From last year: "The administration has expanded presidential immunity, limiting the judiciary's ability to hold the president accountable for potentially illegal acts. This weakens legislative and judicial oversight, consolidating executive power. Congressional reluctance to act as a check further accelerates this erosion."

Latest analysis: "In 2024, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States created broad 'presumptive immunity' for presidents’ official acts and absolute immunity for a core set of them, substantially raising the bar for holding presidents criminally liable for abuses of official power. This legal shift effectively strengthens the presidency relative to the judiciary and Congress, and it aligns with the statement’s concern that 'expanded presidential immunity' weakens oversight and moves toward an executive above the law, even though Congress has not itself enacted these changes."

3. Exploiting Crises - Emergencies (e.g., pandemics, economic instability) are used to justify authoritarian measures, such as restricting civil liberties or suspending democratic norms.

From last year: "Emergencies like economic instability have been used to justify executive overreach, sidelining Congress and centralizing decision-making in the presidency."

Latest analysis: "Analyses over the past year describe the Trump administration pushing the outer limits of executive authority and benefiting from sympathetic Supreme Court 'shadow docket' decisions that allow contested actions to proceed while litigation drags on. This dynamic fits the pattern of leveraging legal ambiguity and ongoing 'crises' (for example, security, immigration, or economic pressures) to expand executive discretion and sideline effective congressional checks, although it has not yet amounted to formal suspension of elections or emergency rule."

4. Populist Mobilization - Mass movements coalesce around a charismatic leader promising to restore order, often through nationalist or anti-establishment rhetoric.

From last year: "The executive has cultivated mass support by framing itself as a defender of 'ordinary Americans' against elites, leveraging populist narratives to consolidate political loyalty."

Latest analysis: "Trump continues to mobilize a mass base through populist, anti‑elite rhetoric, presenting himself as the champion of 'ordinary Americans' against corrupt elites and the 'deep state.' His explicit governing focus on retribution—pressuring the Justice Department to investigate rivals, targeting critical law firms, and punishing civil servants who dissent—goes beyond normal partisan conflict and is consistent with the stage describing populist mobilization fused with the use of the state against perceived enemies."

5. Project 2025 and constitutional manipulation - Leaders amend or rewrite constitutions to consolidate power, bypassing democratic safeguards and enabling autocratic rule.

From last year: "Proposals like 'Project 2025' outline plans to restructure the federal government, concentrating power in the executive branch and bypassing traditional checks and balances."

Latest analysis: "Project 2025, developed by allied conservative groups, lays out a blueprint to put the entire executive branch—DOJ, FBI, independent agencies—under direct presidential control, grounded in a maximalist 'unitary executive' theory. Analysts warn that implementing this plan would gut traditional checks and balances by politicizing the civil service, subordinating independent regulators, and enabling more direct presidential control over law enforcement and federal funds, which aligns with the statement’s concern about 'restructuring' government to concentrate power in the executive, even though the Constitution itself has not yet been amended."

6. Oversight, dissent, and early authoritarian consolidation - Elections become controlled, dissent is criminalized, and opposition is suppressed, establishing autocratic governance.

From last year: "Efforts to weaken independent oversight bodies and suppress dissent through legal mechanisms reflect a move toward authoritarian governance."

Latest analysis: "Reporting on Trump’s second term describes efforts to use administrative tools and disciplinary measures to punish civil servants and other critics, such as EPA staff who opposed environmental rollbacks being placed on leave or pushed out. There are also documented efforts to pressure media and revoke licenses or government contracts for institutions seen as hostile, which reflects movement toward controlled information environments and legal harassment of dissent but still falls short of outright bans on opposition parties or fully controlled elections."

7. Fascist transformation? - Totalitarian control intensifies with hypermodern propaganda, mass mobilization, and violent suppression of dissent. Ideological indoctrination and radical societal transformation are enforced.

From last year: "While not fully realized, there are signs of ideological enforcement through propaganda and suppression of opposition narratives, setting the stage for more radical control."

Latest analysis: "The statement’s final stage—totalitarian control, systematic violent suppression of dissent, and comprehensive ideological indoctrination—has not been reached in the U.S. context. Elections still occur, opposition parties operate, and courts and civil society organizations (including groups like the ACLU) continue to challenge administration actions, even if under increasing strain. However, observers note that the combination of retribution rhetoric, plans like Project 2025, and expanded presidential immunity 'set the stage' for a more radical concentration of power if future crises or political decisions further weaken remaining checks, which is broadly consistent with the statement’s warning about preconditions for a more authoritarian turn."

So... Are we there yet? 

Perplexity summarized (somewhat optimistically?) as follows: "Trump’s rhetoric, legal environment, and policy agenda over the last year align with many early and mid‑stage patterns in that 'stages of democratic decline' framework, but the U.S. has not yet reached the final stages of full authoritarian consolidation or fascist transformation."

Conclusion

In "How democracies prevail: democratic resilience as a two-stage process" the authors tell us: "Ominously, we find that once autocratization begins, only one in five democracies manage to avert breakdown."

So what do you think? Given the analysis above, are we on our way to an autocratic takeover by a man who once said, "I alone can fix it?" 

Action Item: All those who would save our democracy must take steps to band together to amplify their individual voices and then locate and apply maximum pressure on all the available political levers of power. So do your own search for "Trump Resistance" to locate like-minded organizations and figure out how you can get involved. Nothing less than our democratic freedom is at stake.

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For links to lots of activist resources and organizations, see: 

• [from the archives] From Political Hobbyist to Political Activist: Why and How to Make the Shift

Governors Newsom (CA) and Pritzker (IL) warn: Trump's goal is to destroy our democracy.

In the last few weeks, Donald Trump has blown past all the norms that make our democracy possible, activating reluctant members of our military against our own citizens and removing everyone who would speak out against him or act to stop him. He's well on his way to realizing his vision of a fascist authoritarian regime under his complete control. 

In response, Governors Gavin Newsom (CA) and J.B. Pritzker (IL) have each issued an urgent call to action for all of us. These are below. Please watch them. Then figure out how you can join them in opposition to Trump, the wannabe dictator.

Team Trump's Drive from Democracy to Autocracy: Are we there yet?

Emperor Trump by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay 
"I alone can fix it."

"Autocracy: a system of government by one person with absolute power."
(From Google’s English dictionary by Oxford Languages.) 

The Systemic Weakening of Our Democracy?

Is our democracy weakening? Given the many unilateral decrees by team Trump and his supporters many feel that he has moved much too fast to reduce or eliminate government agencies and the services they provide, trash relationships with our allies and cozy up to dictators who have traditionally been our enemies. He appears to be operating without the usual constraints that check presidential power. In short, he's behaving like an autocrat. So the central question emerges: Could Trump actually reduce our democracy to an autocracy?

To explore this question, I decided to use the AI assistant Perplexity to help me discover how democracies typically devolve into autocracies.

As context, consider this warning from one analysis: "Ominously, we find that once autocratization begins, only one in five democracies manage to avert breakdown." [1]  

So how will we know if we are actually moving towards autocracy and fascism? After all, autocratic rule doesn't appear overnight. And we can only prevent it from taking over if we are aware of how it gradually, insidiously, evolves and then disempower it before it becomes unstoppable.  

Enlisting the Help of Perplexity AI

I asked Perplexity AI to explore this problem. Perplexity AI is a conversational search engine that uses large language models to provide answers to user queries, offering features like real-time web search, transparent source citation, and the ability to toggle between different AI models for varied responses. Specifically, I gave Perplexity two assignments: 

1. List the specific stages through which a democracy moves towards an autocracy and fascism then explain each stage. 

(Note that Perplexity summarized the key differences between autocracy and fascism as follows: Autocracy focuses on centralized power, while fascism involves ideological radicalization, mass mobilization, and systemic coercion[4][6].)

2. For each step listed describe how the current executive branch is implementing this step.

Below are the seven specific stages that Perplexity provided. 

As you examine each of these stages, you might keep in mind news about Trump's latest decrees and ask yourself: Autocracy? Are we there yet?  

----------------------------------------------------------------

[Begin Perplexity AI response below: I simply cut and pasted it directly from Perplexity's answer.]

Stages of Democratic Decline to Autocracy and Fascism  

1. Normalization of Anti-Democratic Rhetoric 

  Leaders exploit post-truth narratives and cultural conservatism to erode trust in institutions, often framing opponents as threats to national identity[2][3].  

...............

The current administration has amplified divisive rhetoric, portraying political opponents as threats to national security and identity. This polarizing language undermines trust in democratic institutions and fosters a "us vs. them" mentality[a][e].

2. Dismantling Checks and Balances 

   Judicial and legislative constraints on executive power are weakened, enabling centralized control. Media and civil society face censorship or repression[2][3][5].  

.....

The administration has expanded presidential immunity, limiting the judiciary's ability to hold the president accountable for potentially illegal acts. This weakens legislative and judicial oversight, consolidating executive power[e][h]. Congressional reluctance to act as a check further accelerates this erosion[f].

3. Exploiting Crises

   Emergencies (e.g., pandemics, economic instability) are used to justify authoritarian measures, such as restricting civil liberties or suspending democratic norms[3][5].  

......

Emergencies like economic instability have been used to justify executive overreach, sidelining Congress and centralizing decision-making in the presidency[f][g].

4. Populist Mobilization 

   Mass movements coalesce around a charismatic leader promising to restore order, often through nationalist or anti-establishment rhetoric[3][4]. 

......

The executive has cultivated mass support by framing itself as a defender of "ordinary Americans" against elites, leveraging populist narratives to consolidate political loyalty[a][g]. 

5. Constitutional Manipulation  

   Leaders amend or rewrite constitutions to consolidate power, bypassing democratic safeguards and enabling autocratic rule[3][7].  

......

 Proposals like "Project 2025" outline plans to restructure the federal government, concentrating power in the executive branch and bypassing traditional checks and balances[g].

6. Authoritarian Consolidation 

   Elections become controlled, dissent is criminalized, and opposition is suppressed, establishing autocratic governance[3][7].  

......

 Efforts to weaken independent oversight bodies and suppress dissent through legal mechanisms reflect a move toward authoritarian governance[a][e].  

7. Fascist Transformation  

   Totalitarian control intensifies with hypermodern propaganda, mass mobilization, and violent suppression of dissent. Ideological indoctrination and radical societal transformation are enforced[4][6].  

.......

 While not fully realized, there are signs of ideological enforcement through propaganda and suppression of opposition narratives, setting the stage for more radical control[g].  

[End of cut and pasted response from Perplexity AI]

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Conclusion

To reiterate: "Ominously, we find that once autocratization begins, only one in five democracies manage to avert breakdown." [1]  

So what do you think? Given the analysis above, are we on our way to an autocratic takeover by a man who once said, "I alone can fix it?" 

Action Item: All those who would save our democracy must take steps to band together to amplify their individual voices and then locate and apply maximum pressure on all the available political levers of power. So do your own search for "Trump Resistance" to locate like-minded organizations and figure out how you can get involved. Nothing less than our democratic freedom is at stake.

----------------------------------------------------------------

References

Citation List 1 (1-8):

[1] How democracies prevail: democratic resilience as a two-stage 

[2] How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship 

[3] Democratic backsliding - Wikipedia 

[4] Kurt Weyland Distinguishes Between Fascism and Authoritarianism 

[5] When democracies autocratise 

[6] The Five Stages of Fascism - 

[7] Measurement Levels & Regime Typology - Democracy Matrix 

[8] Fourteen Steps to Fascism - The Tyee

Citation List 2 (a-h):

[a] Donald Trump and the Collapse of Checks and Balances /

[b] The Erosion of Our Checks and Balances - Senator Chuck Grassley 

[c] [PDF] Separations of Wealth: Inequality and the Erosion of Checks and ... 

[d] Inequality and the Erosion of Checks and Balanc" by Kate Andrias 

[e] Presidential Immunity’s Weakening Impact on U.S. Checks and Balances

[f] The Unconstrained Presidency: Checks and Balances Eroded Long ... 

[g] Project 2025 Would Destroy the U.S. System of Checks and Balances 

[h] Eroding Checks and Balances: The Immunity Decision 

Goodbye Facebook. Hello Bluesky!

My Account on Bluesky

Overview

After nearly 15 years as a Facebook user, I've completely deleted my account. And I've also stopped posting or signing in to my Twitter account. My new (and only) active social media account is Bluesky. In this article I'll review the why and how of all this. 

Toxic Trumpism

As we all know, Donald Trump lies... frequently and with little regard for those who suffer from those lies. Worse, Trump's zealous followers take their cues from him and either repeat his lies or invent lies of their own that support his themes. These lies place the social media platforms who publish them in a difficult position. They can catch them and publish disclaimers, verified by their fact checkers. Or they can simply pass them along, inadvertently amplifying them and causing them to "go viral." In the recent past, the platforms' fact checkers worked overtime and beyond, feverishly trying to keep up with it all. They were trying to do the right thing by their readers and honor the truth.  Sadly, they burned out quickly and it was difficult and costly to replace them. 

In his second term, Donald Trump is essentially unconstrained by any administrative or institutional guardrails. Supported by congressional sycophants and a cadre of others who would lay waste to all such guardrails, Trump is an existential threat to all those who publish. Crossing him or his propaganda agenda, even in the noblest pursuit of truth, risks getting bogged down in a public war of words or worse, costly and time-consuming lawsuits. 

Zuckerberg and Musk Surrender

In an era of endless Team Trump lies, Facebook and Twitter find that it's easier and cheaper to simply eliminate fact checking. And that's just what they have done. Not only does this allow their founders to suck up to Trump and get a seat at White House dinners, but it saves them money and effort. So what if their users are subjected to lies, weird conspiracy theories, etc.?  

Given all this, I have decided that I can't and won't help either of these platforms by posting or engaging on them in any way. So I've effectively disappeared from both. 

Here are some references: 

• Mark Zuckerberg takes a cue from Elon Musk: Facebook and Instagram will ditch fact-checking and instead rely on community notes
• The broligarchs have a vision for the new Trump term. It’s darker than you think: The real reason Musk, Zuckerberg, and Bezos are supporting Trump.
• Deleting Facebook:  Why I’m Deleting Facebook Tomorrow
• How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

Enter Bluesky

These days I've decided to get my social media fix exclusively from Bluesky. And while it's true that not all of my former Facebook friends have made the leap to Bluesky, many have and I've invited many others to join us there. 

What's so good about Bluesky? I put this question to Google Search Labs AI and it answered as follows:

"Bluesky is a decentralized social media platform that gives users more control over their content and experience. It's built on the AT Protocol, an open network that allows developers to build on top of it. 

Features

• Custom feeds: Users can create custom feeds based on their interests, such as a feed for cat photos or a feed for mutual followers 
• Content moderation: Users can create custom keyword lists to mute certain types of content, and control who can interact with them 
• Starter packs: Users can create curated lists of suggested accounts to share with others 
• Website addresses as handles: Users can use their website address as their handle, which could act as a verification tool 
• Transparency: Bluesky is built on an open network, so no single company has complete control over the platform 
• Open API: Bluesky has an open API, which makes it easier to automate with third-party tools 

Benefits

• More democratic approach to content curation: Bluesky offers a more democratic approach to content curation, with less reliance on algorithmic feeds 
• Safer spaces: Bluesky's moderation tools help to filter out harmful interactions and create safer spaces for meaningful engagement 
• Transparency and open standards: Bluesky is built on an open network, which promotes transparency and collaborative improvements "

Conclusion

So that's it. I have no more Facebook account and I've stopped using my Twitter account. Below is a powerful quote from Brian Boland, a former Facebook developer, in his article Deleting Facebook that makes it clear why we should all consider leaving these two behind:

"The latest news that Meta is ending its fact-checking program and scaling back user protections is the final straw for me. This is the same company whose platform contributed to genocide in Myanmar, harmed teenage users and enabled political and racial polarization across the globe. Instead of addressing these harms, Meta consistently prioritizes its growth over public safety..."

Unfortunately, the same can be said of Musk's Twitter. So that's it. I'm out. These days you can find me at Bluesky. As Google's Search AI says regarding Bluesky:  "... many appreciate the feeling of a more controlled and personalized social media experience compared to other platforms... [and] a lack of algorithmic manipulation in the feed, a more positive and less toxic community compared to other platforms." 

See you on Bluesky! 

___________________________________________

Previous, Related Articles

• The Trump Resistance: Fighting Back Against Fascism
• PLAN TO VOTE & STOP TEAM TRUMP from Implementing Their "Fascist Playbook!"

• Reality Check: Practical Tools for Finding the Truth

• From Political Hobbyist to Political Activist: Why and How to Make the Shift
• 5 Things You Can Do to Get Positive Political Results in a Soul-Numbing, Negative Media World (w/ links to tools & resources)

The Trump Resistance: Fighting Back Against Fascism

A Trump Resistance is Born!

Many of us watched in stunned disbelief that so many of our fellow citizens had been seduced by, voted for and elected a 34-count convicted felon, misogynist and insurrectionist to be our next president. For a lot of us it was a gut punch that left us reeling! But now it's time to regain our balance and fight for this democracy that the cult-leader Donald Trump has managed to steal from us. 

The Trump Resistance movement is already organizing and swinging into action, even as Trump and his core team assembles and plots to destroy democratic norms and the government organizations that defend them. The Resistance Movement needs our help, both as volunteers and as donors. Below is a list of articles describing the prominent organizations that are now up and running. Check them out and then connect with them and give what you can of your effort or cash to support them. Nothing less than the future of the country is at stake! 

"Here are 26 organizations fighting Donald Trump that you can donate to"

https://www.advocate.com/politics/anti-donald-trump-charities?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic

Quoting: 

"A second term under Donald Trump endangers the well-being of LGBTQ+ people, women, immigrants, people of color, and everyone else. It will also most likely lead to more censorship and rolling back protections against climate change. But the activists and organizations advocating for these causes aren't going quietly — they're getting louder. Many have resisted during Trump's first term, and are ready to do so again..."

"New wave of movements against Trumpism is coming"

https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/a-new-wave-of-movements-against-trumpism-is-coming/

Mission:

"Our job is to translate outrage over his agenda into action toward a truly transformational vision."

TRM - Trump resistance movement on Facebook

https://m.facebook.com/TrumpResistanceMovement/

Mission: 

"Please join us in Peaceful Resistance to the criminality, intolerance, racism and bigotry of trumpism."

[Background from NBC News] "A reformed anti-Trump resistance movement seeks to move forward under his second administration"

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna179115

DONATE TO (or otherwise support) the ACLU 

The ACLU is legally savvy, fired up and ready to go! In fact they are already battling Herr Trump all over the place! But they need volunteers and money to do the work.  How you can help:  https://www.aclu.org/how-you-can-help

FOLLOW Robert Reich (former Secretary of Labor) on Facebook

 In particular, check our his daily "Resistance Report" quick videos: 

 https://m.facebook.com/pg/RBReich/videos/?mt_nav=1 

CALL Your Congresspeople!

READY TO ACT? Use and share these tools with your allies to help influence your member of congress: 

Find your House of Representatives member (& CALL them!!): 

• https://www.house.gov/htbin/https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.findrep

Find your Senator's contact info: (& CALL them!!): 

• https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Fun fact: I was once told by a congressperson's staffer that they assume that the opinion expressed by a single caller is shared by about 10 other constituents who are simply not bothering to call... but may bother to vote on the issue! So make that call!! It really counts!

Lots of Republicans are bailing on Trump.

 

Harris-Walz Campaign Event, August 2024 
[Image via BBC News]

The dumpster fire full of crazies that is otherwise known as the Trump-Vance campaign is losing the support of normal, sane Republicans. In fact, many Republicans are openly vowing to vote for Harris-Walz, rather than support the fascist loony a.k.a. Donald Trump. These members of the GOP are giving freedom, democracy and patriotism a higher priority than loyalty to their former party leader.  

The articles below provide details. If you know any folks who are blindly following Trump, whom many consider the number one enemy of U.S. democracy, you might want to share these articles with them. 

Lincoln Project Drops First Ad Supporting Kamala Harris: "The Warrior America Needs"

"Harris is the warrior America needs to soundly defeat Donald Trump and Project 2025. While we thank President Biden for his outstanding presidency and tenure of service, it’s time to turn a new leaf and re-energize voters towards achieving the goal Lincoln Project has held from Day 1–stop MAGA once-and-for-all at the ballot box this November."

More than 200 Bush, McCain, Romney alums endorse Harris for president, criticize Trump [from USA Today]

"More than 200 Republicans who previously worked for either former President George W. Bush, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., or Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in an open letter Monday obtained exclusively by USA TODAY... At least five former aides to former President George H.W. Bush also signed the letter, which has 238 signatures in all... A similar group of about 150 anti-Trump former staffers of Bush, McCain and Romney pledged support for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election."

See the open letter here:  "Bush, McCain, and Romney Alumni for Harris Statement"

Republicans who have endorsed Kamala Harris and spoken out against Trump [from CBS News]

"Vice President Kamala Harris has seen a growing number of Republicans endorse her in the 2024 election in the days leading up to and following the presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, as the two candidates are locked in a tight race..." 

Action Item: 

Share the links above and spread the word, especially among your right-leaning friends, that a whole lot of very smart, conservative members of the GOP are bailing on Trump and supporting Harris-Walz with their votes. So they should consider doing the same. And, while you're at it, consider getting involved in GOTV (get out the vote) efforts in your area. Remember, when Democrats turn out and vote in large numbers, we inevitably win. As Kamala says, FREEDOM is on the ballot!

Summer Reruns: Six Articles You Might Have Missed

This month I'm taking a break from creating a new article. Instead, I'm re-sharing my most recent six articles that you might have missed. I hope you find them entertaining, informative or thought provoking. 

• PLAN TO VOTE & STOP TEAM TRUMP from Implementing Their "Fascist Playbook!"

John Oliver dug into the "Project 2025" strategy document put together by Trump's supporters and then put together an engaging (fun!?) and enormously informative look at the real dangers that a second Trump term poses for our democracy. 

• From fear-driven anger to understanding: It takes effort.

"... when fear gets a glimpse of itself it often begins blustering and posturing to hide its true nature. In an effort to maintain its dignity, fear morphs into quasi-ferocious anger... like a chihuahua about to be sniffed by a Great Dane..."

• A Frank Zappa Sampler: Meet My Favorite Musical Genius

To know Zappa's stuff you have to pop in your earbuds, get comfortable, close your eyes and just enjoy the ride. Here's my curated playlist to get you started.

• 10 of My Most-Accessed Items at Internet Archive

I have uploaded over 90 items to the Internet Archive. Some of them are downloaded and used more than others. This article links the top 10 items accessed there.

• On AI Authorship: What's the meaning of this? 

In this article I share the results of my experimenting with the AI authoring tool ChatGPT. It was a fascinating process.

• 11 Apps I Use Almost Every Day

... the apps that I find indispensable and use almost everyday... sometimes many times a day.

PLAN TO VOTE & STOP TEAM TRUMP from Implementing Their "Fascist Playbook!"

 

John Oliver on the Dangers of a Trump Second Term

Background

When Trump was president, career civil servants (typically experts in many scientific and legal specialties such as weather forecasting, constitutional law, medicine, etc) at the environmental protection agency, Department of Justice and other agencies stopped him and his right wing cabinet members from breaking laws that were meant to protect the environment, civil rights, healthcare and more. Team Trump was so frustrated by this that they resolved to develop a plan to neutralize these experts as soon as they take office. Project 2025 is their detailed strategy to dismantle the administrative entities and the laws that protect our civil rights, the environment, abortion access, the healthcare system and more. Project 2025 is supported by all sorts of special interests such as the Koch brothers, big oil, white supremacists and others. If it's implemented, it could destroy our democracy. 

Forewarned is Forearmed!

Critics are calling it the fascists' playbook!

They say the devil is in the details. So what devilish evils await us in a second Trump presidency? 

Project 2025 playbook

The detailed plans of those who hope to capitalize on a Trump victory in November are laid out in black and white for all to see in a document called Project 2025. Input from white supremacists, misogynists, and all manner of right-wing nut-jobs are represented in this detailed strategy document to be implemented following Team Trump's takeover. John Oliver has dug into this document and put together an engaging and enormously informative look at the real dangers that a second Trump term poses for our democracy. 

John's video is fun, yet it's fact-filled. Check it out and then please share it with everyone you know! 

Go Deeper & Share:

• What is project 2025 and why is it dangerous? [4:33 video]

• It's a manifesto: the most terrifying details in project 2025 [8:36 video]

• Wikipedia's detailed overview of Project 2025

Why It's Pointless to Argue about Politics or Religion

"My experience tells me... You're wrong!"

I used to argue a lot, especially in The Before Times.. before Trump... before Covid... before the January 6th Insurrection. I'm ashamed to say I disrupted many a dinner or visit with extended family and friends by holding forth with my rants and my "well thought out" positions on the political issues of the day. And worse, sometimes these drifted into my noisily defending my half-baked religious philosophy. 

Predictably, this left a trail of broken, or at least slightly dented, relationships. After a while I realized that I came away from these confrontations not feeling better but worse, having stubbornly held my ground and made my points come hell or high water. When the dust settled, I felt a little sad and sometimes ashamed that I was leaving behind post-brawl wounds that might never fully heal. 

Like most writers, I sometimes write to figure out what I'm really thinking. That was the case when I created the rather lengthy essay "Why Its Pointless To Argue About Politics Or Religion."  I decided to revive it from the archives at this time when we are so very fractured as a nation. And I'm also sharing this just in time for the holidays. Maybe it can help you avoid inflicting scars on relationships that are important to you. 

Related Articles: 

• Forgive Them. It’s Just Their Inner Chihuahua. (chapter in my free book Worth Sharing: Essays & Tools to Help Project Managers & Their Teams
• From Political Hobbyist to Political Activist: Why and How to Make the Shift
• 5 Things You Can Do to Get Positive Political Results in a Soul-Numbing, Negative Media World (w/ links to tools & resources)
• The Truth Finder: 3 Questions & Lots of Links to Help You Distinguish Fact from Fiction
• Media-Induced Ignorance & How to Neutralize It  
• Political Polarization & Media Habits -- This is a great article based on Pew Research Center's surveys. It helps show where particular media outlets lie along a liberal/conservative continuum. You could use this to search for opposing points of view on any topic!  
• FactCheck.org's special report & video:  How to Spot Fake News  
• Curate Your Own News: Why You Should & How You Can (chapter in my free book Worth Sharing: Essays & Tools to Help Project Managers & Their Teams

The Best of 2018: Seven Posts Worth a Second Look

I began 2018 with the hard (and tedious!) work of moving all my websites to Google's Blogger platform.  (It's a long story... But the move was necessary due to relentless and expensive-to-defend-against attacks by hackers at my old hosting service.) Finally, after the dust settled in April, I was able to gather my energy for creating some new posts.

Looking back over the year, I am proud to say that this new WORTH SHARING website has produced some reasonably good stuff. The following seven posts are the best of the year. You'll find reviews of some simple, useful tools, as well as a couple of meatier posts that will challenge you or shift your perspective. Enjoy! 

Reality Check: Practical Tools for Finding the Truth

Our Own Set of Facts? 

Those of us who live in democracies are facing a couple of crucial questions: Are we going to keep allowing ourselves to be "played" against each other by sophisticated hacker-propagandists who distort our reality with cherry-picked half-truths and outright lies? Or will we take responsibility for finding verifiable truths so we can make good decisions as well-informed voters?

What's congress up to? Countable helps you track & nag your senators & representatives!

Tell me: What are they about to vote on? What are the pros & cons? How can I contact them... right now?

If you're trying to be politically active and push your elected reps to action, timing is everything! At any given moment, there are so many debates and bills and initiatives before Congress that it's completely overwhelming to track them all. The best you can do is find out what's immediately pending so you can call them and make sure your voice is heard. But this is almost impossible without some sort of automated tracking. 

That's where Countable comes in. While it can do all sorts of great stuff, I use this app/website to help me with three main tasks: 
1. Find out what is immediately pending and ready for a vote in the Senate or House.
2. Research the item that is up for a vote by reading a summary of it, as well as pro and con perspectives, so I can make up my own mind. 
3. "Click through" a dialing link and immediately phone my particular Senators & members of the House of Representatives and urge them to vote the way I want them to vote!