Mastodawn

2/ For those who say “courts can’t stop him”… re-read my first post: Each time they throw a roadblock up, it slows his momentum, it weakens him, it strengthens us, emboldens us, creates room for more blowback. He’s not invulnerable. Each court ruling against him proves that. TAKE ADVANTAGE of that.

3/ Via @StaceyCornelius:

I watched AOC's Insta stories yesterday. She said phone calls are making a difference. She has acquaintances across the aisle who are noticing the outrage.

And that people need to up their phone calls, b/c conservatives are much better at it and in much bigger numbers.

The pressure is working.

4/ Via @Nonya_Bidniss:

Heard on a podcast this week, I believe it was Dahlia Lithwick's: Yes the courts will be very important & esp it's critical that many, many lawsuits be brought bc even if the SCOTUS is in Trump's/oligarchs' pockets, they can't & won't take every case that comes through the appeals process. They'll take a few. But if there's a flood, it means Federal courts will be able to stop a lot of the malicious shenanigans, and SCOTUS won't end up involved in the majority of cases.

5/ Even if we lose court cases, each ruling against them knocks them down a peg, provides public information that FOIAs may not be able to access anymore, and encourages more people to get out and do something.

EVERY single time we slow them down, they lose momentum, they become a little weaker, & we become stronger & more inspired to fight back even harder.

It's incremental, folks. Courts are 1 component, protests are another, pressuring Congress is another, joining school bds, unions, etc

6/ Via @msbellows:

It IS incremental! Every lawsuit, every work stoppage, every protest is like a single bullet.

"Hmph. One bullet won't stop the Nazis!"

Maybe not (though it could have, had it been aimed in precisely the right direction). But the US produced 47 BILLION bullets during World War II. One by one, they added up.

𝐿𝒶𝓃𝒶 "not yet begun to fight"Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff @msbellows one bullet WILL stop *a* Nazi.

punIssuer Feb 10, 2025

@Lana well, can/might.
@GottaLaff @msbellows

TC Won't Give In To Lies Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff @msbellows

Agreed! One more important point, every small action reduces the MAGA share of people's headspace - reducing their perceived "inevitability". More than anything, real change requires winning the disinfo war.

@TCatInReality Absolutely right. @msbellows

JWcph, Radicalized By Decency Feb 9, 2025

@TCatInReality @GottaLaff @msbellows Indeed - which also requires flooding, since the mainstream media makes every effort to avoid reporting on resistance; enough initiatives either overpowers this resistance, or makes it irrelevant because people will hear of the resistance anyway by other channels.

TC Won't Give In To Lies Feb 9, 2025

@jwcph @GottaLaff @msbellows

In addition to the actions Laffy mentions above, I think protestors need to take a page from the past ...sit in, which of course means arrests ...and news coverage.

I'd love to see some brave US federal employee stage sit ins and lock out Musk's henchmen, like the old union sitins.

Or protestors doing sitins in public spaces like the Capitol, GOP offices or Tesla dealerships.

JWcph, Radicalized By Decency Feb 10, 2025

@TCatInReality @GottaLaff @msbellows Indeed - strikes & sit-in demos are disruptive, peaceful & extremely difficult to ignore, they're an important tool in the toolbox.

- and yes, to make a difference in this fight protesters have to be prepared for consequences like getting arrested & fired. This is why unions have strike funds; when it's come to a conflict, change doesn't happen without some risk.

TC Won't Give In To Lies Feb 10, 2025

@jwcph @GottaLaff @msbellows
💯

punIssuer Feb 10, 2025

@TCatInReality oh, I think it would be great if government workers would throw every wrench at their disposal into Musk's companies' machineries – market watchdogs, because he now has tons of information his competitors won't, if possible, suspending his government contacts because conflict of interest, and the likes..
@jwcph @GottaLaff @msbellows

faraiwe Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff @msbellows by extension, the idiots going "harumph, one bullet, why should we bother" would guarantee that ZERO BULLETS would be fired against nazis.

Fire ALL BULLETS against any, all and every nazi.

Laffy Feb 10, 2025

6/ Via Brad Moss:

The one thing the various pieces of litigation are starting to do is bring to light in sworn affidavits what did occur behind the scenes, and bring clarity to situations that currently rely on anonymously sourced leaks…

You S Blues Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff Agreed. That’s why Tom Cotton and all are whining like they are the ones being oppressed. Separation or powers? Let’s talk about the IGs then.

@patmikemid Yep

M.S. Bellows, Jr.Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff It IS incremental! Every lawsuit, every work stoppage, every protest is like a single bullet.

"Hmph. One bullet won't stop the Nazis!"

Maybe not (though it could have, had it been aimed in precisely the right direction). But the US produced 47 BILLION bullets during World War II. One by one, they added up.

@msbellows I'm adding this to the thread. Thank you!

Ande Jacobson Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff

Every little bit helps. As individuals, we can only do so much, but collectively, with everyone doing their little bit, it makes a huge difference. This is how we stop fascism. This is what those Germans who just went along should have done a century ago. We can't wonder why they didn't, we just have to do better this time around.

Laffy Feb 10, 2025

@goodreedAJ You always swoop in to say the right thing.

Ande Jacobson Feb 10, 2025

@GottaLaff

Aw shucks - you are too kind. 💙

@goodreedAJ : )

@goodreedAJ @GottaLaff Oh, they did. There are quite a few stories of little successes here and there.

It was not enough.

Ande Jacobson Feb 10, 2025

@Ardubal @GottaLaff

True, and many did nothing. We need to learn from history.

PG1958WILLNOTCOMPLY 🇺🇸🇷🇴🇺🇦🇵🇸Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff @Nonya_Bidniss appreciate you keeping us apprised of the news. I'm going to step back and chill before bed!

@pg1958 Good idea! I hope you sleep well. @Nonya_Bidniss

@GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius My mother is 96 years old and lives in a senior home in a red state. The residents of the home are writing their senators and representatives, sometime by snail mail, and calling them. If they can do this at their advanced age, so can we.

@tobie1 Boosted @StaceyCornelius

@GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius Thanks. Gotta love the spunk of elderly Dems!

@tobie1 And I sure do! @StaceyCornelius

@tobie1 @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius "Why aren't you out there protesting?" Because I work two jobs, do the daily school pickup and babysit, etc. But just because we are not doing something visible doesn't mean we are not doing anything. Contacting our representatives is something we can do on our own time. We wonder sometimes, "Is that enough, when others are doing so much more?" To hear that these kinds of contacts are helping, that's encouraging, telling us to keep it up.

@CommonSparrow @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius You've got a full plate. Thanks for making the time to call your representatives. The right to petition our govt is one we have to exercise and protect! 💪

@tobie1 @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius Thanks to the folks who make it easy for us to do that, posting phone numbers, addresses, and e-mails, setting up templates of what to say, etc. I appreciate all those helpers so much!

Darwin Woodka Feb 9, 2025

@CommonSparrow @tobie1 @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius

https://5calls.org/

5 Calls

Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.

5 Calls

@darwinwoodka @tobie1 @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius Thank you! Bookmarked this!

Joyce Bell 🇺🇦🇨🇦🇲🇽🇬🇱🚫🧊Feb 9, 2025

@darwinwoodka @CommonSparrow @tobie1 @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius 5 Calls even has scripts you can use to talk to you rep or senator.

@CommonSparrow @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius I don't know what state you reside in but I devote a little bit of every Saturday to writing a template for a letter to be sent to GOP Reps and Senators on the outrage of the day. This Saturday's template was about the mega-cuts in NIH grants. I'm screen-shotting the FL version. It can be adapted to any state.

@tobie1 @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius Luckily I live in a blue state where Democrats represent me. But lighting a fire under them is still a way to keep the pressure on, to keep pushing them to do something and not slack off. Your template is a good one!

@CommonSparrow My member of parliament once told me that 12 messages meant something was an issue (during an ordinary session of government up here in Canada). Every action has an impact and everyone does what they're able to. All the seemingly small things add up to a lot.

It's like the pebbles that roll down the mountain... which are the start of an avalanche.

@tobie1 @GottaLaff

@StaceyCornelius @tobie1 @GottaLaff Ok, just gotta get 11 friends to join the effort! Let's all be disruptive pebbles!

Peter Brown Feb 9, 2025

@tobie1 @GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius not snail mail. Real Mail

Jo H ✈️Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius Even I have started making calls, and I do not enjoy making calls to people I don’t know.

Raindrops and Roses Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff @StaceyCornelius

That's interesting. Makes sense. Talk people.

tootbrute Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff fatalism lets them win.

i hate the same fatalism that Taiwanese have about our 'inevitable' takeover by China. they've been going to invade any moment since 1949.

i always think about the awesome book title about the umbrella movement in HK.

"as long as there is resistance, there is hope."
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44804861-as-long-as-there-is-resistance-there-is-hope

don't give up.

As long as there is resistance, there is hope: Essays o…

Kong Tsung-gan’s seminal A Political Tale from Hong Ko…

Goodreads

Kid Mania Feb 9, 2025

@tootbrute @GottaLaff
☠️ 🇹🇼
Fuck the KMT.
(Warning: Watching this video may reduce you to tears.)
https://youtu.be/kta4ZAwI6rY?si=BFdkDhbp7714cLRC

閃靈、元千歲-暮沉武德殿(民謠版) CHTHONIC-Defenders of Bú-Tik Palace(acoustic)

YouTube

@GottaLaff I watched AOC's Insta stories yesterday. She said phone calls are making a difference. She has acquaintances across the aisle who are noticing the outrage.

And that people need to up their phone calls, b/c conservatives are much better at it and in much bigger numbers.

The pressure is working.

@StaceyCornelius What would I do without you?

@GottaLaff 😁 I wish she'd bridge her bsky account. She's brilliant and so grounded. She was knitting a sweater the whole time, too.

We need more people who are committed to public service.

@StaceyCornelius I know. I tried to help Rupar bridge, but he ran into issues because he has more than one instance here, and it gummed everything up. So he gave up.

@GottaLaff Sigh. Leadership needs to be way more visible.

@StaceyCornelius It kills me that they aren’t. I don’t get it.

@GottaLaff I suspect it's a numbers game combined with perceived difficulty. I wish tech wizards would help them get set up. I'm certain they have those skills within the party/volunteer structure.

@StaceyCornelius All they have to do is order billboards all over the US. Not high tech, not expensive.

@StaceyCornelius I’m adding this to my thread.

Jennifer Em Feb 9, 2025

@GottaLaff
Anything that weakens the regime is good for the American people. ✊