Now you have to convince weak, feeble, squeamish, aimless elected democrats to do the same. They need to fight like Newsome and AOC and not run silent and run scared as so many have learned to do..
This, 100%, it is "we the people's" greatest weapon, it is the only way to tell them unequivocally, "without us, you are nothing!", make them stock tickers stop ticking, the sooner we send that message, the better.
If the idea of a general strike is more than wannabe hyperventilating, consider a couple of practical questions, starting with "Whose participation is crucial to making a general strike?" Clue: It's not people who regularly work from home. It's people who are most vulnerable to retaliation, e.g., those who were forced to work during the worst of COVID so the more privileged could stay home, and those who work for government agencies. Follow-up question: How to reach people who aren't already connected through existing networks, e.g., activist groups, churches and other religious centers.
Bingo. What does that look like? I also thought of a campaign along the lines of, "We've been neighbors for 25 years. We went through September 11 together. Clinton, Bush, Obama. Why am I the enemy when Trump came to town?"
One of the most disappointing and, I believe harmful, problems you’ve acknowledged is the overtaking of communication resources by Musk and others with private manipulating agendas that do NOT include the Truth.
Excerpt from your words:
“Pro-dictator oligarchs dominating major media”
“This is already happening to a large extent, leaving news consumers with limited alternatives. The Murdochs’ Fox News attracts a huge cable TV audience. Elon Musk and Twitter/X spread disinformation on behalf of Trump and promote white supremacy worldwide. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos is in a contest with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and the Los Angeles Times' Patrick Soon-Shiong to see who can suck up to Trump most enthusiastically. TV networks are vulnerable to a pressure campaign from a Trump-friendly”
>>>As Trump installs lackeys in key positions and expels responsible public servants, he may be able to cook the books on federal data to help his failing regime deny reality. Look for statistics that seem dodgy.
Mark Jacob: thank you for your list of what we need to watch out for as america slides ever farther down the slope into fascism under the thumb of an oligarchic dictatorship. I am saving this and plan to review it at least weekly.
Thank you, Mark. Your concern, in spelling out these warnings, is evident in every word.
We have to stay united. We have to call out the lies - with our voices and with our feet. We will have to organize national strikes, if necessary, to shut this country down and bring the regime to its knees.
My best hope is in people like you, Mark, and the many, many others who will never take the barrage of fascist lies at face value. I'm going to guess that many other countries that have slid into fascism didn't have the robust network of dedicated, educated and decent people who will get the truth out there, even if they don't have huge platforms. Even as lousy as the NYT can be and some of their more questionable choices, I can't see them rolling over and not reporting most truth through excellent investigative reporting. Then there are places like the New Yorker, etc., who will always stand up for reality. Fox is already on the fascist train, and other TV networks don't get much viewership, so it's hard to imagine their turns right will have much of an impact.
Democrats and Republicans are brothers in arms. The liberal left have sided with fascism. Everything we know about Western 'civilization' has been a lie. The ruling class owns the world's media (see Murdoch pictured with Trump), as well as the police, the politicians, the military, the judiciary and academia. It's game over. We will lose, so I'm hoping for an asteroid.
Now you have to convince weak, feeble, squeamish, aimless elected Republicans to vote for democracy, the rights of all people - including LGBTQ. women (Equal Rights, Abortion Rights, Non-Violence toward Women, Rights to a job in the Military) and immigrants - and continuing our place in the World (NATO, WHO, Paris Climate Accord). All Branches of Government are controlled by Repubs. Just a few can vote with the Democrats to change Musk/trump's evil to good..
'Now you have to convince weak, feeble, squeamish, aimless elected [democrats] to do the same.' - was written by someone else in the comments too. The words are identical lol
I don’t think that will be hard now they are seeing that criminals like Stuart Rhodes and Tarrio getting released from prison today. Rhodes family is terrified as are others. This is what the ignorant voted for. The poor didn’t even bother voting because neither party spoke to them or for them.
Now you have to convince weak, feeble, squeamish, aimless elected democrats to do the same. They need to fight like Newsome and AOC and not run silent and run scared as so many have learned to do..
What will it take for us to have a general strike?
What can we do to organize one?
What do you think about Biden's preemptive pardons this morning?
I think it was probably necessary, and absolutely disgusting that it was.
Holy shit, Mark.
This is insanity.
We will win.
We are antifa.
E Pluribus Unum
People need to consider the possibility of a general strike if it gets bad enough, as it well might.
This, 100%, it is "we the people's" greatest weapon, it is the only way to tell them unequivocally, "without us, you are nothing!", make them stock tickers stop ticking, the sooner we send that message, the better.
If the idea of a general strike is more than wannabe hyperventilating, consider a couple of practical questions, starting with "Whose participation is crucial to making a general strike?" Clue: It's not people who regularly work from home. It's people who are most vulnerable to retaliation, e.g., those who were forced to work during the worst of COVID so the more privileged could stay home, and those who work for government agencies. Follow-up question: How to reach people who aren't already connected through existing networks, e.g., activist groups, churches and other religious centers.
Bingo. What does that look like? I also thought of a campaign along the lines of, "We've been neighbors for 25 years. We went through September 11 together. Clinton, Bush, Obama. Why am I the enemy when Trump came to town?"
"Trump got them," or something to that effect.
Thank you for these words Mark.
And your comments are truthful .
One of the most disappointing and, I believe harmful, problems you’ve acknowledged is the overtaking of communication resources by Musk and others with private manipulating agendas that do NOT include the Truth.
Excerpt from your words:
“Pro-dictator oligarchs dominating major media”
“This is already happening to a large extent, leaving news consumers with limited alternatives. The Murdochs’ Fox News attracts a huge cable TV audience. Elon Musk and Twitter/X spread disinformation on behalf of Trump and promote white supremacy worldwide. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos is in a contest with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and the Los Angeles Times' Patrick Soon-Shiong to see who can suck up to Trump most enthusiastically. TV networks are vulnerable to a pressure campaign from a Trump-friendly”
>>> Fictional government statistics
>>>As Trump installs lackeys in key positions and expels responsible public servants, he may be able to cook the books on federal data to help his failing regime deny reality. Look for statistics that seem dodgy.
One place to start:
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-real-threat-of-fake-numbers
Mark Jacob: thank you for your list of what we need to watch out for as america slides ever farther down the slope into fascism under the thumb of an oligarchic dictatorship. I am saving this and plan to review it at least weekly.
Watch for talk of rescinding the 22nd Amendment or working around it to allow him to stay in office beyond two terms.
Thank you, Mark. Your concern, in spelling out these warnings, is evident in every word.
We have to stay united. We have to call out the lies - with our voices and with our feet. We will have to organize national strikes, if necessary, to shut this country down and bring the regime to its knees.
Silence is complicity.
My best hope is in people like you, Mark, and the many, many others who will never take the barrage of fascist lies at face value. I'm going to guess that many other countries that have slid into fascism didn't have the robust network of dedicated, educated and decent people who will get the truth out there, even if they don't have huge platforms. Even as lousy as the NYT can be and some of their more questionable choices, I can't see them rolling over and not reporting most truth through excellent investigative reporting. Then there are places like the New Yorker, etc., who will always stand up for reality. Fox is already on the fascist train, and other TV networks don't get much viewership, so it's hard to imagine their turns right will have much of an impact.
Here is what happens when plutocrats in America try to use their wealth and government control on the common folk.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Rent_War
Democrats and Republicans are brothers in arms. The liberal left have sided with fascism. Everything we know about Western 'civilization' has been a lie. The ruling class owns the world's media (see Murdoch pictured with Trump), as well as the police, the politicians, the military, the judiciary and academia. It's game over. We will lose, so I'm hoping for an asteroid.
I will never resist, Mark. My parents were Holocaust victims and my grandparents were gassed in 1942 at the camp known as Chelmno. I speak for them!
Now you have to convince weak, feeble, squeamish, aimless elected Republicans to vote for democracy, the rights of all people - including LGBTQ. women (Equal Rights, Abortion Rights, Non-Violence toward Women, Rights to a job in the Military) and immigrants - and continuing our place in the World (NATO, WHO, Paris Climate Accord). All Branches of Government are controlled by Repubs. Just a few can vote with the Democrats to change Musk/trump's evil to good..
'Now you have to convince weak, feeble, squeamish, aimless elected [democrats] to do the same.' - was written by someone else in the comments too. The words are identical lol
I don’t think that will be hard now they are seeing that criminals like Stuart Rhodes and Tarrio getting released from prison today. Rhodes family is terrified as are others. This is what the ignorant voted for. The poor didn’t even bother voting because neither party spoke to them or for them.
Not to add, but Fort Liberty sounds a little cheesy. Why not call it Fort Hannibal or Fort Boudicca?