A short, Must-do list before next Saturday's, Hands-Off protests
TAT readers,
First and foremost, because it is Friday, I’m wishing you a restful and productive weekend. I also wish that it may include a few minutes to ponder this “to-do” list for next Saturday’s anti-fascist, Hands-Off protests. Due to covering some of this in my Coup Series, 1-6 and a crazy busy Friday, today’s article will be straight to the point.
The Coup Series:
Trump, Musk and the MAGA GOP's, coup attempt: fighting back! Part II in a series
Part III in the Coup series: The clock is ticking on Trump’s coup
Wednesday, I wrote, A threat advisory about April 19th and 20th, by Trump & the far-right GOP, which was a threat assessment regarding the rumors surrounding social media claims about Trump and his GOP co-conspirators, declaring martial law on April 20th. While I rated this threat a “low probability” on Wednesday, I also insisted that things could change rapidly. due to the GOP’s history of aggressive activities, most especially their first coup attempt, on January 6th, 2021.
This week’s draconian and aggressive intimidation tactics against dissidents great and small, like law firms, media, individuals and highly vocal critics across the board, are due to the GOP’s rabid dedication to implementing Project 2025’s, unconstitutional 180-Day Transition Playbook and, intimidating the 5.2 million patriots participating in the first nationwide protests of April 5th. In the unconventional warfare world of the USSOCOM, United States Special Operations Command, my home for most of my career, increased intimidation as we’ve seen this week, is generally considered an indicator of success for the protesters. In this case, I would agree.
This means that next Saturday, the 19th, we must also better prepare for increased success in the face of increased resistance from Trump, Musk, Vance and the entire Republican Party. The assault on everything that could halt, reverse or even slow their pursuit of the 180-Day Transition Playbook has been in their activities this week. Take a moment please to scan some of this week’s attempts to minimize next Saturday’s protests. Remember, intimidation and chaos are at the heart of each activity. These are tried and true tactics around the world, by despots, dictators, authoritarians, autocrats etc. Most of Putin, Trump, Xi’s and Modi’s efforts to subdue dissent at home reverberate with these same tactics.
Illegal and unconstitutional roundups of non-white, Christian immigrants, even those with legal residency, are in the government specified pipeline for Asylum Hearings, etc.
Massive fear and chaos via Trump/ GOP Tariffs used as a fear tactic and a diversion for protesters
SCOTUS rulings that are increasingly difficult to accept due to their support for GOP fascism, not the constitution
More firings and across the board disruptions in consumer confidence to push citizens into defensive self-protection actions rather than going on offense against this fascist coup
Refusals of the Trump administration to obey court rulings, demonstrating that tyranny is the GOP’s intention, not governance
Removing people from Social Security rolls without due cause
The targeting of opposition politicians and high-level government officials with fraudulent motivations
Perpetual assaults against universities, research, curriculum and students, especially foreign students
Patently heinous activities all across the immigration sector, like the case of the innocent residents sent to El Salvador’s most infamous prison
My friends, this is just the short list. What all of these things have in common is that they are meant to frighten us away from protesting next Saturday. I want to make sure everyone understands that all of this fascist GOP activity, means that we won last Saturday on April 5th.
The salient points that are important for April 19ths protests, are that we have a wide variety of obstacles from the GOP designed to put an end to our success. Three in particular must be addressed for increased success and the good news is that with a small amount of planning, these obstacles could be significantly diminished.
They are:
Take the fight directly to elected GOP elected officials
Take the fight directly to your media choices
Brand the GOP along with Trump, Musk and Putin
The exploitation of these obstacles to freedom, require but a tiny amount of explanation and is why they are relatively easy to overcome. All we have to do is do a small amount of planning.
First, the tactics to overcome Republicans and media, are mostly the same, simple and have long been successful in fights against other insurgencies. Yes folks, a couple of simple tactics offer us a much higher expectation of success, next time out.
The most important thing for the Hands-Off founders and organizers, is to dedicate some of the protests to loud and massive protests outside of your local GOP offices, especially those of elected congressmen and by all means, your senators. Every one of them are complicit in this coup, if for no other reason than they have stood by cowardly without lifting a finger to put an end to their party leader and his Russian accomplices.
These protests against GOP entities and officials, require media to be successful. Most have already noticed that most mainstream media, has spinelessly been cowering in the shadows due to Trump and Republican intimidation. Well, let me tell you something of deep importance. Most Americans don’t cower in the face of fascism. A week ago, 5.2 million Americans proved that. Invite the media to the protests, offer to drive them, buy them lunch and drinks but make sure that they are there and cover the stories. If not, the next round of protests must include surrounding media headquarters with protesters and daring other outside media sources to cover your protests against their timid journalism colleagues.
Finally, we must include protests against the Republican Party itself, and as much as we focus on Trump, Musk and Vance. They are hiding and hoping that no one notices while Trump and his cronies take the majority of the heat. This is simple common sense, because without the party machinery, funding and congressional majority, this administration could just be ignored and waited out. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s lack of a moral backbone and subservience to the coup leaders in now infamous. He’s neither a Christian nor a patriot. If he was, he had the power to shut down the coup. As we now know, he continues to enable the coup.
Senate majority leader, John Thune, is little different. Those who had high hopes for Thune, have been proved dead wrong. The clown show of traitors and clowns that make up Trump’s Cabinet, were all passed through by the Republican controlled Senate. Sexual predators, fascists like Noem and Homan, incompetents like Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education and let’s not forget all of the billionaires and that Signalgate bunch of buffoons in charge of our national security, who are in office to support this coup of oligarchs, not the constitution that they are sworn to uphold.
As I have written often, for this version of the GOP, cruelty and chaos is the point. Here is where I also repeat my time honored and deep belief in real American patriots. I have long said that; “there is only so far that you can push an American with oppression before they make the oppressors regret it.” Last Saturday was only the beginning of making them pay for their coup. To be clear, I’m not looking for revenge against Republicans, just the spineless ones that still swamp us daily with conspiracy theories and intimidation and most importantly, accountability for all of the GOP leadership, bar none.
Okay my fellow patriots, I will wrap this short piece but ask that you consider the three specific recommendations made above for increasing our success, April 19th. Also, do not be as dismayed as we often feel. The harsher the response against us, is a clear indicator that we’re beginning to win. Now… let’s keep up the pressure until these traitors are run out of office and must deal with the consequences.
Have a great weekend my friends,
Paul
You have a great sense of political cartoon choices. :>) Your point about aligning Trump with Putin, Vance, and Musk is useful since they have caused a lot of damage.