What are you doing to protest Trump’s destruction of the United States of America?
There’s really nothing that I can do, other than to write my congressional representatives. I posted in one thread or another, the letters I’ve already sent; but I don’t remember which one. (So many threads!) So I’m making this catch-all thread for people’s letters and other protest activities.
Here is the letter I’ve just sent to Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA 2nd Congressional Dist.):
It is very likely that November 2024 saw our last free and fair elections.
Donald Trump is committing myriad illegal acts, and consolidating all power into the Office of the President. He has packed the Supreme Court of the United States with his own supporters. Thus SCOTUS is irrelevant. The Democratic Representatives in the house say, ‘Tut, tut! The President is behaving badly!’ The Republican Representatives are so afraid of losing their jobs that they support our new Authoritarian Dictator. And I haven’t heard anything you Senators are doing to stop the destruction of the United States. Thus Congress is now irrelevant. With the removal of the Legislative and Judicial branches of government, it may already be too late to save the country.
We have one chance: Donald Trump must be impeached, convicted, and removed from office. And put Vice President Vance on notice that he’s next, unless he returns power to the People.
I say nasty things about him to my congressional representatives, and… my once-apathetic-about-politics-conservative-Christian-war veteran-wife. She used to roll her eyes whenever I brought up politics. She used to think I was joking. Now she brings things up, and she’s joined a ‘Christians Against Trumpism’ group on FB.
The last time I ‘protested’ politically was when I filled out my ballot on November 5. I feel like that is the most effective thing I can do without wasting my/others’ time.
I do my best to discuss the subject in an objective and factual way, with citations and reason, as opportunities arise so as to best encourage people to understand the situation, what the likely outcomes are, and what alternatives there were that we chose against and how we would have expected those to perform.
Anything more or less than that isn’t going to do a damn thing but either make someone fist bump you for being on the same side or cheer that they’ve succeeded in trolling you, if they’re not.
There are a hundred businesses I avoid doing business with because of their political alignment with, or kowtowing to, the Trump Administration. Beyond that, nothing but voting and complaining. I don’t kid myself that any of that makes a difference. I’m still waiting for a groundswell of organized resistance to emerge that I can throw my full support behind.
I’m exploring other places to live out my retirement. Nothing I can say or do is going to change anything here… it’s clearly time to move on. The only questions are where to go, and when to leave?
I also contacted my blue state attorney general’s office and congratulated him for filing lawsuits against Trump’s illegal activities. Also contacted Senators: see my thread above.
Whenever someone posts something nice about a certain diner in Blaine, WA, I reply that my wife and I won’t go there because it’s too Trumpy. About half of people who reply to my reply agree, and the other half of them don’t.
Not to put a damper on your sentiment but every Democratic Senator voted to convict Donald Trump in 2021, including both of yours. Must be nice. But I think the impeachment ship has sailed.
Democrats in Congress don’t have the votes to do anything legislative except partially obstruct the legislative agenda for at least two years. So, for example, Senator Cantwell has resorted to letters requesting protection for critical federal employees. And Senator Murray has sent letters requesting protection for critical federal programs. &etc. But that’s all they are - requests, which are being ignored.
It is. It reminds me that for all of the Trump signs we see, we’re still a Blue state/county.
What, ‘It didn’t work last time, so we’re not even going to try now that he’s worse’? Even some Trump voters are becoming worried. I think the Republicans in both houses of Congress know what a danger Trump is. They’re just afraid to do anything unless they know it will work. Democratic representatives need to approach their rational Republican colleagues, and urge them to work on their – not so rational – colleagues.
More like it didn’t work last time and now you don’t even have the votes to try. I also think you are severely overestimating the number of rational Republicans, assuming by rational you mean willing to vote to impeach Trump, that number is between 0 and 1.
I’m doing the same and even my wife is no longer ordering stuff from Amazon.
It’s not necessary to totally boycott businesses, simply cutting down the usual volume will get the message across. Most of them aren’t in bed with Trump, they’re just run by corporate lackeys who will do whatever they can that looks like it’s in the company’s interest. And they’ll turn on a dime if things don’t work out that way.
However, naive as they might be, I think it is very important that businesses blatantly supporting the Trump’s policies be punished by the public by avoiding them and supporting any that stand up for our country. That assumes it’s not too late though, they and we and everybody stands at the edge of precipice, all of us may be carried into the abyss by the stupidity of the few.
I set up monthly donations to the ACLU, FIRE, Public Citizen, and the State Democracy Defenders Fund, and I’m donating and writing postcards for candidates in various upcoming elections (three Congressional specials and WI-Supreme Court). I’m also buying a lot less stuff from Amazon (not absolutely zero, but close) and trying to be mindful about corporate spending in general.
I wrote to Haltbakk Bunkers commending them for refusing to refuel American warships. On Facebook I support any anti-Trump thread I see, giving support to Canada and Mexico. I wrote to MSNBC protesting the removal of Joy Reid.
I donate to good causes like Black Lives Matter, the ACLU, Color of Change, the Urban League just to name a few.
I look to find other more effective ways of doing something about Trump and his policies. People on the SDMB are for the most part good, wise people and their guidance helps me.
My wife and I went to a protest today, holding up signs with about 50 others outside an open town meeting with the staff of our MAGA congressperson. It was the first such protest I (or my wife) have ever attended. The event went well until some random guy walked up and started screaming at us for our supposed hypocrisy and our supposedly wanting WWIII. A few tried to engage the yeller in debate but that was of course pointless. In any case, we plan to continue to attend local non-violent protests and hope that the response will be similarly non-violent.
I’m making monthly donations to both the ACLU and Lambda Legal. I’ve been burned out with protesting since I’ve been doing it consistently since 2018 with very little to show for it in the end, so I’m trying to do what I can that might actually have an impact and isn’t just performative.