Maybe it’s just me, I hope not, but I find moments of joy whenever I learn of this roadblock or another, or stuff like Blondi’s meltdown, knowing it must be a constant source of stress for them to keep it from him, or be sure he sees their posturing.
Or when the orange blight comes across another indignity and has a 2am rage tweet spree. The small things. It may be a sign of something a bit more cumulative on the way; we can hope.
Randy...you’re damn sure not alone. After years of being bullied by this noise machine...a roadblock or a 2am meltdown can feel like a blast of oxygen...proof he’s not invincible.
The “cumulative” shift...won’t look cinematic. It’ll look boring: courts that don’t bend... officials who don’t fold...elections that still run...voters who still show up. Durable resistance.
But the small jolts of joy you speak of…oh, hell yes...they energize like a double shot of caffeine!
Thank you for this, Jack. I've been feeling pretty discouraged after seeing yesterday's shameful and smarmy behavior on display in the hearing. I'm not good to go just yet, but I find real gut-level encouragement in what you have to say. I can begin to believe maybe the light at the end of this tunnel truly is the sun and not the train coming at us.
Excellent topic. Exactly what we all need right now, Jack.
If you’re afraid democracy won’t survive, don’t treat that fear as prophecy. Treat it as instruction.
Authoritarianism doesn’t arrive all at once. It advances by eroding courts, normalizing political violence, discrediting elections, and teaching citizens to distrust one another more than they distrust power.
So act where erosion happens.
Defend the rule of law — even when it protects people you dislike.
Support local and state institutions that run elections.
Strengthen independent media and civic groups.
Build coalitions broader than your comfort zone.
Democracy is not self-executing. It is a daily practice of solidarity and accountability.
History shows that regimes fall when citizens withdraw. They endure when citizens commit.
Jane...thank you. We do. We really do. Our fight...at this point, is one that requires us to harness the power of directing our thoughts and feelings in a way that keeps us resilient and resourceful. And...we will!
Jack I emailed this to everyone I know. This is simply outstanding, you’re best to date my friend! This motivates snd reinvigorates the best impulses to save and improve our democracy. Kudos to you for job well done! You rock, Jack!! 👍💯❤️💕💜🩵🩷🤎💙🙏🏻
Thanks Jack! Even though I’m old ‘per se’ I feel younger every time I oppose the Trump regime! Maybe it’s a little bit of the kid in me, but I’m starting to love ❤️💕resisting this regime! I hope some of my peers will take this to heart as well. I love getting on senator Jerry Moran’s last nerve! Together we will link arms, defeat the Trump beast regime, and remake our democracy better and more fair for all! #HOLDFAST
Jack . . . Absolutely refreshing! There are things I can do, and things I can't do. But dwelling on the things I can't do is the most unproductive action out there. Making lists is always good. It's so gratifying crossing items off a list. I am pretty old. But I'm not dead. And I know I can do more than what I am doing now. When I'm gone I hope everybody left behind will carry on the fight for democracy. Because that's the most important thing we can fight for. Thank you for this post.
You just said something most people take decades to understand: energy belongs where agency lives. The rest is noise.
You’re exactly right...dwelling on what you can’t control is unproductive. Lists? Crossing things off? That’s movement. And movement...builds momentum. Momentum builds morale.
“I’m pretty old. But I’m not dead.”
That line ALONE... carries more force than a dozen slogans.
Democracy has always been protected by people who decided they still had something left to give. Age has never disqualified anyone from contribution...in many ways...it sharpens it. Perspective is power.
And...the fact that you’re thinking about what’s left behind? That’s legacy thinking. That’s long-game citizenship.
We don’t get to control the ENTIRE arc.
BUT..we DO get to choose whether we step forward while we’re here.
I’m grateful you’re still stepping forward.
And...I’m glad the photograph resonated. Some images say what paragraphs can’t.
Thank you Jack, I always find hope after reading your articles and calmness too. It is the small steps that matter.
I was at dinner with some coworkers last weekend and the subject turned to politics. We are all on the same team but what was alarming is the youngest of the group had no idea that 2026 was an election year! I put on my teacher hat and gave her a brief civics lesson lol. More importantly I emphasized the importance of these midterm elections, form the US House and Senate seats to the small local elections! School board, city council, township clerks, even your library board they all matter! She then started asking more questions about important races in MI and how she can bet an absentee ballot. It was good to engage and see her realize that it was vitally important not to only vote every 4 years. Baby steps!
•That picture of Obama and Lewis is one of my favorites.
• I have not and will never give up.
• I am 81 and for my entire adult life, I've done and continue doing almost everything on your checklist, including volunteering, running for office and serving on community and school boards. Right now, we have an active local Rapid Response network. . . .
That said, checks and balances, oaths to defend the Constitution, the rule of law, truth, facts, elections and democracy are proving to be a crumbling facade—behind which the rot of the Trump/ GOP/ Fox/ corporate/ oligarchic lies, greed, lawlessness, treason and violence runs so deep and wide across the administration, Congress and government agencies, including judiciary, law enforcement and military, that they can simply disregard facts, history, government, the rule of law, Constitution, democracy and human rights with impunity. Opposition to tyrants has always been spearheaded by large-scale popular rebellion, supported by a free press, widespread resistance, defiance, networking and sabotage.
Short of all-out rebellion, how can we unplug and reboot the self-destructively malfunctioning Dis-United States of America?
Great newsletter, Jack. I will never give in to hopelessness. Instead, I will DO SOMETHING. Every. Day!
Tomorrow I intend to call and email my Republican Senators about the Save Act. Maybe they won’t listen. Maybe one will and the other won’t or… maybe… miraculously… both will. Either way, they’ll hear from me.
Thank you Jack, you nailed it perfectly. I do remember seeing President Obama hugging Congressman John Lewis on TV. I was honored to receive an inspirational letter from Congressman John Lewis. I wrote to him as well as I continue to write to my Rep and Senators about issues we are faced with well knowing they are read by others. I write to others who are making a difference for all of us. I believe each of us can contribute on our journey, our mission together to preserve our Democracy.
Great piece Jack. I think the way theron queen is having meltdowns to match the orange menace. hey keep tripping over their own lies. One of the ice/cbnp leaders admitted that yelling at them, blowing whistles , marching in the streets does not justify killing or violence or arresting them. This was in Minneapolis I think I read. Some of those guys are most likely normal and do not like what they are seeing. There was also a piece that indicated they are not getting background checks or are ignoring the criminal activity they have been arrested for IE: rape, child porn/trafficing,assault to name a few. Really great examples of integrity...not
Maybe it’s just me, I hope not, but I find moments of joy whenever I learn of this roadblock or another, or stuff like Blondi’s meltdown, knowing it must be a constant source of stress for them to keep it from him, or be sure he sees their posturing.
Or when the orange blight comes across another indignity and has a 2am rage tweet spree. The small things. It may be a sign of something a bit more cumulative on the way; we can hope.
Randy...you’re damn sure not alone. After years of being bullied by this noise machine...a roadblock or a 2am meltdown can feel like a blast of oxygen...proof he’s not invincible.
The “cumulative” shift...won’t look cinematic. It’ll look boring: courts that don’t bend... officials who don’t fold...elections that still run...voters who still show up. Durable resistance.
But the small jolts of joy you speak of…oh, hell yes...they energize like a double shot of caffeine!
-Jack
"Durable resistance". My new mantra. 💪
Thank you for this, Jack. I've been feeling pretty discouraged after seeing yesterday's shameful and smarmy behavior on display in the hearing. I'm not good to go just yet, but I find real gut-level encouragement in what you have to say. I can begin to believe maybe the light at the end of this tunnel truly is the sun and not the train coming at us.
Excellent topic. Exactly what we all need right now, Jack.
If you’re afraid democracy won’t survive, don’t treat that fear as prophecy. Treat it as instruction.
Authoritarianism doesn’t arrive all at once. It advances by eroding courts, normalizing political violence, discrediting elections, and teaching citizens to distrust one another more than they distrust power.
So act where erosion happens.
Defend the rule of law — even when it protects people you dislike.
Support local and state institutions that run elections.
Strengthen independent media and civic groups.
Build coalitions broader than your comfort zone.
Democracy is not self-executing. It is a daily practice of solidarity and accountability.
History shows that regimes fall when citizens withdraw. They endure when citizens commit.
#HOLDFAST
Jane...thank you. We do. We really do. Our fight...at this point, is one that requires us to harness the power of directing our thoughts and feelings in a way that keeps us resilient and resourceful. And...we will!
-Jack
Excellent!! What an encouraging message!! Thank you! I so appreciate your writing style and messages that uplift!
Jack I emailed this to everyone I know. This is simply outstanding, you’re best to date my friend! This motivates snd reinvigorates the best impulses to save and improve our democracy. Kudos to you for job well done! You rock, Jack!! 👍💯❤️💕💜🩵🩷🤎💙🙏🏻
Elizabeth Goodden...that means more than you know. Truly.
The fact that you sent it to people you care about...that’s the whole point. Not applause. Not headlines. Circulation of steadiness.
If it helped reinvigorate those impulses in YOU...then it did its job.
We keep each other upright in moments like this. And...I’m grateful you’re in it with me!
-Jack
Thanks Jack! Even though I’m old ‘per se’ I feel younger every time I oppose the Trump regime! Maybe it’s a little bit of the kid in me, but I’m starting to love ❤️💕resisting this regime! I hope some of my peers will take this to heart as well. I love getting on senator Jerry Moran’s last nerve! Together we will link arms, defeat the Trump beast regime, and remake our democracy better and more fair for all! #HOLDFAST
Jack . . . Absolutely refreshing! There are things I can do, and things I can't do. But dwelling on the things I can't do is the most unproductive action out there. Making lists is always good. It's so gratifying crossing items off a list. I am pretty old. But I'm not dead. And I know I can do more than what I am doing now. When I'm gone I hope everybody left behind will carry on the fight for democracy. Because that's the most important thing we can fight for. Thank you for this post.
P.S. The photograph is priceless!
Jan...This is beautiful. Thank you.
You just said something most people take decades to understand: energy belongs where agency lives. The rest is noise.
You’re exactly right...dwelling on what you can’t control is unproductive. Lists? Crossing things off? That’s movement. And movement...builds momentum. Momentum builds morale.
“I’m pretty old. But I’m not dead.”
That line ALONE... carries more force than a dozen slogans.
Democracy has always been protected by people who decided they still had something left to give. Age has never disqualified anyone from contribution...in many ways...it sharpens it. Perspective is power.
And...the fact that you’re thinking about what’s left behind? That’s legacy thinking. That’s long-game citizenship.
We don’t get to control the ENTIRE arc.
BUT..we DO get to choose whether we step forward while we’re here.
I’m grateful you’re still stepping forward.
And...I’m glad the photograph resonated. Some images say what paragraphs can’t.
We carry this...together!
-Jack
#HoldFast
#HOLDFAST...damn right, CLF!
Thank you for your encouraging words this day.
Beverly, you're very welcome. Thank YOU.
-Jack
Just what I needed to read right now - thanks!
Gretchen...outstanding! You're welcome. I'm glad it landed that way for you.
-Jack
Thank you Jack!! Your article and analysis are right on time!!! Never Give Up by the Dalia Lama is one of my all time favorites quotes😊#HoldFast
Diane Hample...you're welcome. That quote...is sustaining...and infuses us with the kind of focused energy that is SO useful right now!
#HoldFast
-Jack
Thank you Jack, I always find hope after reading your articles and calmness too. It is the small steps that matter.
I was at dinner with some coworkers last weekend and the subject turned to politics. We are all on the same team but what was alarming is the youngest of the group had no idea that 2026 was an election year! I put on my teacher hat and gave her a brief civics lesson lol. More importantly I emphasized the importance of these midterm elections, form the US House and Senate seats to the small local elections! School board, city council, township clerks, even your library board they all matter! She then started asking more questions about important races in MI and how she can bet an absentee ballot. It was good to engage and see her realize that it was vitally important not to only vote every 4 years. Baby steps!
#HOLDFAST
Jack this line "330 million citizens…many of whom are armed not with weapons, but with stubbornness." fits me to a tee.
Thank you my friend.
#HoldFast
•That picture of Obama and Lewis is one of my favorites.
• I have not and will never give up.
• I am 81 and for my entire adult life, I've done and continue doing almost everything on your checklist, including volunteering, running for office and serving on community and school boards. Right now, we have an active local Rapid Response network. . . .
That said, checks and balances, oaths to defend the Constitution, the rule of law, truth, facts, elections and democracy are proving to be a crumbling facade—behind which the rot of the Trump/ GOP/ Fox/ corporate/ oligarchic lies, greed, lawlessness, treason and violence runs so deep and wide across the administration, Congress and government agencies, including judiciary, law enforcement and military, that they can simply disregard facts, history, government, the rule of law, Constitution, democracy and human rights with impunity. Opposition to tyrants has always been spearheaded by large-scale popular rebellion, supported by a free press, widespread resistance, defiance, networking and sabotage.
Short of all-out rebellion, how can we unplug and reboot the self-destructively malfunctioning Dis-United States of America?
Great newsletter, Jack. I will never give in to hopelessness. Instead, I will DO SOMETHING. Every. Day!
Tomorrow I intend to call and email my Republican Senators about the Save Act. Maybe they won’t listen. Maybe one will and the other won’t or… maybe… miraculously… both will. Either way, they’ll hear from me.
Thank you!
#HOLDFAST
~Susan
Thank you Jack. Motivation plus doable, practical steps to take. Posting and sharing this widely…
As Star Wars taught us, “Rebellions are built on hope.”
Thank you Jack, you nailed it perfectly. I do remember seeing President Obama hugging Congressman John Lewis on TV. I was honored to receive an inspirational letter from Congressman John Lewis. I wrote to him as well as I continue to write to my Rep and Senators about issues we are faced with well knowing they are read by others. I write to others who are making a difference for all of us. I believe each of us can contribute on our journey, our mission together to preserve our Democracy.
Great piece Jack. I think the way theron queen is having meltdowns to match the orange menace. hey keep tripping over their own lies. One of the ice/cbnp leaders admitted that yelling at them, blowing whistles , marching in the streets does not justify killing or violence or arresting them. This was in Minneapolis I think I read. Some of those guys are most likely normal and do not like what they are seeing. There was also a piece that indicated they are not getting background checks or are ignoring the criminal activity they have been arrested for IE: rape, child porn/trafficing,assault to name a few. Really great examples of integrity...not
#HOLDFAST
Teri