April 5th protests were inspiring. Keep it going!

Keep pressure on the GOP and their support for Trump and Putin's coup

Happy Monday TAT readers,

Frankly, no Monday under the thumbs of the Trump, Putin, MAGA GOP regime is a good one but, last Saturday’s 5.2 million citizen turnouts for Saturday’s, “Hands-Off” protests, needs be acknowledged and celebrated. Most inspiring for me, next to the massive turnout is that hardly any signs in media photographs show the protests to be partisan. It was just Americans doing what we do best, unifying to protect our nation, it’s constitution and our fellow citizens, regardless of party.

Today’s piece will be fairly short, and I will be attempting to shorten these essays a bit over time. There is so much to cover, that consistently long essays just won’t serve the purpose of publishing all the truths required to shut down this second GOP coup attempt.

Let’s talk about momentum, truth, branding and solidifying the original narratives of the 50501 movement, which is a collective of a wide variety of activist organizations opposed to the Project 2025 coup strategy.

Where Did The Movement Originate?

"The movement's origins can be traced to grassroots activists who initially mobilized in response to Trump's executive orders. The earliest discussions of a nationwide protest began circulating on social media in late 2024, with activists sharing concerns over immigration policies, government restructuring and civil liberties. As momentum grew, various progressive groups, local advocacy organizations and independent activists coordinated efforts to expand the movement's reach."

- What Is the '50 States' Anti-Trump Protest Movement? What to Know About 50501
- Newsweek
- Jenne deJong
- February 4th, 2025

Just like the US prior to WW II, today’s America is deeply partisan, and there were large extremist and other un-American organizations working against the national government. Organizations like the German Bund (NAZIS) the KKK, and other far right groups numbering in the millions collectively. Then there were the Socialists, fighting for responsible legislation to ensure workers’ rights in a country devastated by the Oligarchically underpinned, Great Depression. The socialist movements peaked at 113,000 members by 1912 unlike the Klan/ Bund movements that numbered at least ten times larger. Like today, the pre-war GOP, originally opposed to fighting Nazi Germany, opposed Lend-Lease agreements to our allies and placed as many obstacles before FDR as they possibly could. In fact, their rhetoric for their 1940 GOP Platform, echoes some of today’s bizarre, anti-American rhetoric of the Trump administration’s platform.

The Republican Party is firmly opposed to involving this Nation in foreign war.

"We are still suffering from the ill effects of the last World War: a war which cost us a twenty-four billion dollar increase in our national debt, billions of uncollectible foreign debts, and the complete upset of our economic system, in addition to the loss of human life and irreparable damage to the health of thousands of our boys.

- Republican Party Platform of 1940
- The American Presidency Project
- University of California at Santa Barbara

The remarkable thing that occurred on December 8th, 1941, was that nearly all of the extremist movements became patriotic Americans again and worked together to win the Second World War against global fascism. After the 2016 US election, the GOP refused to acknowledge Russia’s role in Trump’s win and still do, to this very day. It was the first time in US history that we did not come together to fight off an external adversary. Now, today’s MAGA GOP actually supports Putin’s Russia against the US and our allies.

Being pro-Putin, is now part of the GOP brand. So, speaking of branding, I want to take just a minute to talk about the branding of the 50501 Movement. In my professional opinion, last Saturday’s “Hands Off” protests, were a brilliantly insightful way to “brand” their movement. Unlike the in-your-face Occupy Democrats organisation, that loves their garish bright yellow memes in media, last Saturday, I saw very few “left” cheerleading signs and placards. This is the right answer, not the Occupy Democrats media. The crisis at hand is an American threat, not a partisan threat. Those Occupy folks and their garish yellow memes are tantamount to waving red capes at angry bulls. They, like the DNC are a generation behind on understanding America.

The more anyone makes this about political parties, the less voice they have in this critical stage of our history. Yes, it is my professional expertise with ethical influence that underpins my professional opinions here. Today’s threat has nothing to do with partisan politics for those of us in opposition to the ongoing GOP coup against the United States of America. If the Democratic Party in their feckless position want to help, they need to provide big checks to operating activists and engage their vast network of media sources. Heaven knows that the media has in the most cowardly fashion, all but ignored those protests last Saturday. Of course, there are some high-profile media outlets like the AP/ Associated Press that have stood their ground against Trump’s threats and intimidation.

The momentum from last Saturday must be maintained, despite the near absence of significant media or DNC financial support. Both the beauty and limitations of 50501 movement are both centered around the fact that they are disparate groups and there is no big-pocket benefactor for media. The next big protest day on April 19th is also auspicious to the far-right as a rallying point. Timothy McVeigh’s bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the final day for the Christian Nationalist extremists of David Koresh in the Waco, Texas battle. It is also significant in the fact that it the date of the first skirmishes against the British at the beginning of our War for Independence from Britain at Lexington and Concord. The far-right sees this as a motivational date for their extremist views about American liberty.

The more press on April 19th, the better, but will they show or apply any energy at all to explaining to their audiences, the relevance of the movement and the date? At this moment, my fear is that the spineless boardrooms of major media conglomerates will “bend-a-knee” to the Trumpist enforcers. If they fail in two weeks, it is quite likely that they have contributed to a potentially violent conflict in the streets all across America.

In many ways, fighting for our birthright constitutional guarantees, is in the hands of an impotent DNC, Media environment and even those hiding in the private groups of social media. The fight for freedom is in the streets. Numbers communicate resolve. Unity adds resilience to the masses. If someone who is organizing these events reads this, I would suggest that the locations for April 19th protests, largely include the streets outside of congressional offices in your district. As I often say, invite every media source in your area. If they don’t show, take their cowardice to social media. If they do and report accurately, praise them without restraint for supporting our national values.

Democracy is a team sport and requires that everyone is on the playing field and accurately informed. Those still in the Trump GOP, are brainwashed in lay terms and cannot be counted on to support our constitution. That leaves the rest of us to do the job for everyone. The Trump era is what our military planners and strategists call an “inflection point” in our history. In short, it means that we are at a point that is defined as a major shift in what we know, understand and where we are going from here. Simply put, this inflection point determines whether we survive as a constitutional republic or submit to The Four Horsemen of the MAGA Apocalypse, Autocracy, Oligarch, White Christian Nationalism and Political Violence. My decision is set in stone… I choose the former and will fight like hell to stop the latter. Like those in the streets last Saturday, I’m a real patriot. Where will you stand?

My very best wishes for your week,

Paul