Will We Get Out of the Pot Before It’s Too Late?
If you drop a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will frantically try to clamber out. But if you put it in tepid water and turn up the heat slowly, the frog will gradually sink into a stupor, allowing itself to be boiled to death. This week, I feel like a frog in a Nazi pot. I’m yelling for others to wake up and try to escape, even though I can’t get out myself.
Few people are listening, and many of those who do hear are in denial. The water’s not boiling yet, they say. There’s still time.
It makes me want to scream. It makes me want to cry.
American fascism is exploding all around us, gutting freedoms on a daily basis while Trump surrenders his domestic power to Elon Musk, who has effectively taken control of the structures, systems and money that enable government to function. Leadership of the military is now dominated by Trump loyalists, as are police forces, National Guards, and the Department of Justice. This is not a drill.
Many saw this coming, but, despite the Sanders & AOC rallies across the country, the thousands of demonstrations, the handful of Democratic leaders who have forcefully spoken out, and the responsible federal judges who have ruled to curb the radical destruction of our democracy, Republican leaders cower in their Congressional offices.
We’re learning a harsh truth: We can no longer sit back and count on elected officials or courts to protect our country. Numerous laws are being broken or ignored every day, and Trump knows he can play the game as long as necessary with few restraints. Or he can simply defy the restraints imposed. Republicans in Congress and our hapless US Supreme Court have given him cover again and again.
What I’m doing
I don’t know if my response to all this chaos is effective or not, and I’m always open to doing more. In the meantime, here’s what my small political life looks like right now. I’d love to hear what you’re doing, too.
For starters, I’m talking to anyone who will listen, raising the alarm. I’m writing columns like this one, hoping to spur people into action of some kind. Some of the actions I find myself recommending are familiar. But some of them might scare you. That’s my intent.
We all know the basics. Voting, writing letters, phone calls, texting, protesting, boycotting, and so on. My wife Jane has a daily ritual that involves communicating directly with senators and other elected officials, usually by phone. I don’t know if it’s worth the trouble, but I applaud her resolve. You never know when someone might be affected by a direct and heartfelt appeal.
You can also join hundreds of protestors who are showing up at Tillis’ Raleigh office every Tuesday. Thousands more are convening in Washington every week. These kinds of actions are picking up steam, but we haven’t yet reached the massive scale necessary for measurable impact.
(If you’re looking for things to do, try Karen Ziegler’s Democracy Out Loud newsletter: https://kziegler.substack.com/p/democracy-out-loud-430may-1
Another thing I’m doing is preparing myself mentally for the worst. I believe we’ll soon find our country occupied by fascists, and I don’t want to be caught off guard again. So, I’m brushing up on the Nazi occupation of Europe during World War II, starting with the French resistance. There are valuable lessons to be found for facing an enemy who doesn’t care if we live or die.
It might seem unthinkable that we could find ourselves in armed conflict with our own government, but that is exactly what has been promised if we don’t comply. Trump, Musk, and Republican planners of Project 2025 have been clear about this for more than a year now, but we didn’t take them seriously. Now we have to prepare for the worst.
The water is boiling.
