The Crackdown: What Is Your Red Line?
No one wants to be a dissident.
I didn’t want to be a dissident. It was never on my bucket list to spend five years of my life furiously and futilely raging against the machine, first under Trump, then four years under Biden, and back again. I didn’t sign up to be sued and stalked and smeared. Nevertheless, the circumstances lined up such that I felt I had no choice. I saw a monster. It was coming for my kids. It wasn’t a complicated decision.
My goal was always to stop this madness, so I could get back to a normal life. I used to make things for fun. I went work every day to delight people, not to frighten them. Alas, I fear I have to bid that old life adieu. There will not be a normal America for a long time. I just hope to see it in my lifetime, again.
At some point in the near future, maybe as early as April, there will be a violent crackdown. Donald Trump laid it out in a speech last year — a new Kristallnacht.
“One rough, really violent day… One rough hour. And I mean real rough. The word will get out. And it will end immediately... You know, it'll end immediately.”
The question we all have to ask is, when that happens — and it will — what are you going to do about it?
I don’t mean this rhetorically. I mean that you should really think about what’s coming, prepare yourself for it mentally, emotionally, and physically — and plan your affairs accordingly. In other words, what line in Niemöller’s poem “First They Came For” will you stop on? Or will you wait until they come for you?
Again, this is not rhetorical. All I’m saying is be honest with yourself. If you are going to ride this fascist regime all the way down to the ground, know that now. Understand that you will be playing defense for a long time and get ready for it. If, on the other hand, you choose not to succumb to a violent fascist takeover passively, you have to ask yourself:
Is your red line when they defy a court order? When they declare martial law? When they arrest political opponents? When people start being disappeared off the streets?
Do they have to target your family, your neighbor, or your community before you decide it’s worth your effort to take action? Do they have to start arresting journalists? Politicians? Judges? When will you feel, “OK, that’s the last straw”?
The next set of questions is a whole lot harder.
What, exactly, do you plan to do when they cross your red line. Who will you call? What actions will you take? If the regime starts beating people in the streets or we get another Kent State, how will you fight back? Do you have the physical wherewithal to protect yourself, your family, and your community? If not, what are the other ways you can resist?
The first rule in a fascist takeover is not to panic. The less surprised you are, and the more prepared you are, the better your outcomes will be. If you have no idea what you plan to do, you will be in a fight-or-flight mode the whole time and may be incapable of thinking rationally when the time comes. That is exactly the goal of the enemy. Do not let them win that battle.
I know many of my readers are already fully engaged in legal, non-violent resistance, and I’m so grateful for your activism. This is not a lecture or a cheerleading message. It’s just a realistic one, for all of us, including myself.
What is your red line? And what do you plan to do about it?
Long Live Free America. Glory to Ukraine.
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The question is, what can I do here in the middle of Pennsyltucky? I'm not giving up, just looking for something do-able.
The talk of impeaching judges, is copied from Birchers in the 60s who wanted Earl Warren impeached, for the Brown v Board of Ed decision.
This played into distrust of the Warren Commission (JFK investigation).