I believe there are already cell groups in the CIA and the military which are secretly making plans to possibly counter the untenable situation, people who don’t wish to give up the country or watch it be blown up. But they can’t be depended on. Moreover, they’re planning for the ultimate moment to strike, only when worse comes to worse.
In the interim the population (and only the population) can pour sand into the gears of the Trump machine charging full throttle towards his absolute power. By doing two things:
a) Relentlessly polite verbal objection (w/o a trace of mockery or aggression) to all Trump’s henchmen while they’re on the job whatever that job might be. We must develop a vocabulary to do this, then speak it constantly, uninterruptedly, loud and clear, for it will be recorded a million times (remember last words of Ms. Good, they will never die, can never be repudiated.)
b) Take endless photos/videos at dozens of angles, distances of every single appearance of Trump’s henchmen. The meticulous NY Times analysis of Good’s murder proved that a compilation of photos/videos can overcome any unclear or blurred frame and end up with a 100% airtight, perfect, objective picture of any incident. Then, keep that photographic/video evidence in a safe place. We are going to need it.
How about: “We obey the law, do you?” and “We love the Constitution, do you?” and “We love our neighbors and try to protect them, what about you?” and “We believe in the common good, do you?”
re: "polite verbal objection" I'd love to hear some suggestions for examples of chears. "Bill of rights" and "Constitution" come to my mind. Something from Patrick Henry? How about "Good wins"? The complete text of the Declaration of Independence is full of interesting phrases.
How about: “We obey the law, do you?” and “We love the Constitution, do you?” and “We love our neighbors and try to protect them, what about you?” and “We believe in the common good, do you?”
I can't do anything about what is happening in DC. Sun Tzu taught me to fight my battles where I can win. So, I fight back at the local level. I belong to a Democratic club at the county level, and the president of the club has appointed me as legislative tracker. I was a community activist in the early "90s and was a very successful one. I learned one person can make a difference. I track the local Board of County Commissioners in Tampa. Two republicans are up for reelection. Republicans currently hold a 5-2 majority. If the 2 republicans lose, the democrats will have a 4-3 majority. There are 2 excellent candidates who I am supporting. I am teaching them in the ways of Sun Tzu. I have been a student of his since the early '70s when I was stationed in Taiwan. I am retired and have the time to be very effective. One of the republicans running is hardcore MAGA. He suffers from a chronic case of foot in mouth disease and he lies. I am keeping what I call a naughty list utilizing the meeting recaps and videos. I give everything I am compiling to the candidate running against him. I am fully aware of the executive order declaring ANTIFA (which is a political philosophy and not an organized group), a domestic terrorism organization. I am also aware of National Security Presidential Memorandum-7, both are being used to label protestors against ICE, domestic terrorists. Both of these things are completely unconstitutional, but we are dealing with a lawless administration that is not concerned with constitutional rights or the rule of law. Sun Tzu taught me to prepare for an attack from my enemies. I have made arrangements with people of resources, in case my door is kicked in during the middle of the night and I am "disappeared". I get 3 minutes for public comment at the meetings, which I use to get under the skin of the MAGA commissioner, on the BOCC (board of county commissioners). The two things the orange one signed are to be utilized as intimidation tools against protestors and community activist that are being too effective. I'm a 71-year-old Air Force Viet Nam Era veteran. I took an oath to the constitution, not an orange skinned tyrant. (Do not say his name, Big Brother looks for that). We are in a battle for our democracy. The wealthy have tried to destroy our democracy 3 times in the past. The British lords and king tried to strangle democracy at birth. They failed. Southern autocrats wanted to spread slavery nationwide and establish a dictatorship. They failed. At the beginning of the 1900's 5 robber barons tried to establish a nationwide monopoly run like a kleptocracy. They failed. Now it is the turn of this generation of Americans. The wealthy were defeated 3 times in the past by the American People. We will do it again. It looks dark and will be an uphill battle, but the Sleeping Giant is stirring and will soon awaken, its anger will be Hulk level. The American People united cannot be defeated. Besides we way outnumber these evil bastards. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER.
Good comments, Tom! A few thoughts: Please use paragraph breaks, giving us space to breathe. Also, you might consider taking a tripod with you to those meetings, setting up to film their proceedings. Very intimidating! (I was a photogrpher's mate in USN.) Get them on the record! ~eric.
Once again, an excellent article highlighting the illegal take down of the American society. So much going on that I continually shake my head and let out a big sigh. Where has the America I know Gone? The repercussions around the world have already begun. If I may digress on one issue. If The Congress need to authorize many of the actions taken by Trump, and they have not done so, does not that Make Trumps orders illegal.? Are they even binding?
Anyway, I will sit down and continue to read your great articles and hopefully gain a clearer picture of the dilemma you face.
What do “illegal” and “binding” mean in a country in which the highest judicial power has been complicit in the harm to democratic institutions & principles, Barry?
Trump, to his credit, understands one thing better than most of us: ultimately it is power, not laws, which determine a person’s fate in our present world.
He seems to believe that he has consolidated sufficient power to be able to ignore laws as it suits him; this ruthlessly selfish mindset is no doubt buttressed further by the stark realization that if he ever were to lose power, those very laws are going to come back to bite him HARD.
So he is “all in” (just like Bibi, and Putin, MBS, the Taliban & Iranian mad mullahs, — all criminals whose lives & future freedoms depend on maintaining boots solidly on the necks of [a solid fraction of] their people) and he can only hope that he’s able to run out the clock on US democracy, maybe even get in on the ground floor of some techbroligarchic transhumanist immortality mirage as his mortality looms even larger (even grifters get grifted, lol).
God, I love your writing. This is such urgent, vital, and essential reading. Your style brings us right into the moment and forces us to look at the evidence, no punches pulled.
geez...thru out the bible it says to take care of widows, orphans and the FOREIGNER in your land and the 2 greatest commandments are (in short) love God AND your neighbor (being EVERYONE). Trump needs to read the second chapter of Habakkuk if he wants to know what is going to happen to him....geez
Another great piece Sabrina! and I love: "Leavitt’s cross must be burning a charred replica on her throat. She forgot to mention that Trump reversed the policy that prohibited ICE from attacking people at places of worship in January 2025, after that policy had been in effect for 13 years." The hypocritical sanctimoniousness of these arseholes is just breathtaking....
Bravo, Sabrina! These blatant acts of intimidation by Trump's criminally inclined and stupid clowns will become evidence when they face prosecution once Democrats come to power; they have to. And providing recorded evidence will not be ignored, making their convictions a certainty. They believe in the greatness of Trump remaining in power to protect their dumb asses. Aiding and abetting ICE's terrorism will not be forgotten, nor their assault on the First Amendment. I'm still amazed at how Trump assembled so many stupid people with college degrees to be part of his administration. That has been his only act of genius.
America is in great peril and it behooves all of us to look for common ground instead of fighting each other. American AGAINST American is precisely what Trump wants — civil war— so he can be justified in declaring martial law. We must not fall into his trap. Protesting the administration of course is imported but so is listening to people on the other side. Fellow Americans are not our enemies. Project 25 and associates are our enemies. Trump is simply their useful pawn.
You write saliently and with great insight from the legal side. I look at the psychological and psychosocial side and what I wrote today (starting at 4AM when I got the idea) also involves the First Amendment. I didn't reference it directly prior to reading this, but in everything I wrote about how Trump and his henchmen and women are losing the propaganda war this is because we can use our First Amendment rights to report on the cruel and brutal things they are doing and to mock them for their stupidity.
I went back and added a reference and link to this Substack.
What I wrote also very much relates to what Administrator wrote in their comment about documenting the horrors, and about what I agree is our only hope, i.e, the military saying enough is enough.
Here's my Substack:
"Not that it will matter, but they are losing the propaganda war out of sheer stupidity. Here are the top doltish people who'd be fired if they worked for a company for making disastrous decisions."
Prayer and meditation are vital aspects of having consciousness.
Here's an EXCERPT from an essay which might help us reduce anxiety:
In Beyond Anxiety, sociologist and self-help author Martha Beck said she became free of anxiety once she realized most of her fears were based on things that were not actually in the room with her—things that were imagined. In an interview with Big Think, she said, “I remember one time, terrible things were happening in the world, as they always are, and I was sitting in meditation. I thought, ‘How could I be expected to feel calm under these circumstances?’ Another part of me said, ‘You mean the circumstances of your bedroom?’”
Guys, my comment just got sucked into the ether by this new vetting/cookies thing. Sorry, but I don't have the energy to recast it. Our democracy, our precious nation, has already been sunk by a coup de court (SCOTUS). Yes, lower courts may still have some courage and honor, but the fish rots from the head first. And neither should we expect the military to solve this, as their ranks are seriously divided. (And the top leaders have been trained to stay out of politics, which some have already violated.)
The Prophet Jeremiah correctly predicted the fall of Jerusalem, and got thrown into the royal privy, nearly starving there for his stand. (see chapter 26-ff): https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/jer/26/1/s_771001. (J's book is America writ small.)
Sabrina, I love and respect you and your project. You are a true American patriot. But watch your back, girl. You are in the crosshairs. We might ask ourselves whether Jeremiah and Achilles and other dedicated heroes made foolish choices, rather than living quiet and peacable and obscure lives: What is the point of our gift of consciousness? What did we come here to learn? ~eric. MeridaGOround.com
Institutions endure when citizens and courts remember their purpose. The First Amendment doesn’t belong to any president—it belongs to the people, and it was built to survive exactly this kind of pressure. Its endurance depends on us refusing to surrender it.
I do not share your belief that the 6 GOP Justices at SCOTUS will protect the first amendment & thus protect the people. They have overturned so many lower court federal rulings last year. After all, Trump thanked him at the SOTU last year and indicated he would not forget.
When Trump and Hilary had their debates I saw trouble coming - from Trump, but could not have imagined he would go this far - and worse - be allowed to by a pathetic cabinet and a Republican congress. We have now seen two murders, murders folks, by Hitler’s reign. These ICE are not are not our protectors. If it were not so tragic it would be laughable: an insurrectionist wanting to enforce the insurrection act in Minnesota. When will enough-be-enough?
It’s time to talk tactics.
I believe there are already cell groups in the CIA and the military which are secretly making plans to possibly counter the untenable situation, people who don’t wish to give up the country or watch it be blown up. But they can’t be depended on. Moreover, they’re planning for the ultimate moment to strike, only when worse comes to worse.
In the interim the population (and only the population) can pour sand into the gears of the Trump machine charging full throttle towards his absolute power. By doing two things:
a) Relentlessly polite verbal objection (w/o a trace of mockery or aggression) to all Trump’s henchmen while they’re on the job whatever that job might be. We must develop a vocabulary to do this, then speak it constantly, uninterruptedly, loud and clear, for it will be recorded a million times (remember last words of Ms. Good, they will never die, can never be repudiated.)
b) Take endless photos/videos at dozens of angles, distances of every single appearance of Trump’s henchmen. The meticulous NY Times analysis of Good’s murder proved that a compilation of photos/videos can overcome any unclear or blurred frame and end up with a 100% airtight, perfect, objective picture of any incident. Then, keep that photographic/video evidence in a safe place. We are going to need it.
there should be live surveillance video cameras going 24-hrs a day
wherever there are ICE vigilantes and it should be broadcast live on every tv station.
trump can't shut down all the tv stations without making himself look like Putin.
if he did everyone would call for his impeachment i'm sure.
How about: “We obey the law, do you?” and “We love the Constitution, do you?” and “We love our neighbors and try to protect them, what about you?” and “We believe in the common good, do you?”
re: "polite verbal objection" I'd love to hear some suggestions for examples of chears. "Bill of rights" and "Constitution" come to my mind. Something from Patrick Henry? How about "Good wins"? The complete text of the Declaration of Independence is full of interesting phrases.
How about: “We obey the law, do you?” and “We love the Constitution, do you?” and “We love our neighbors and try to protect them, what about you?” and “We believe in the common good, do you?”
c) know how to escalate safely into active dissent, for when the time comes
https://digitalcanary.substack.com/p/the-art-of-simple-sabotage
I can't do anything about what is happening in DC. Sun Tzu taught me to fight my battles where I can win. So, I fight back at the local level. I belong to a Democratic club at the county level, and the president of the club has appointed me as legislative tracker. I was a community activist in the early "90s and was a very successful one. I learned one person can make a difference. I track the local Board of County Commissioners in Tampa. Two republicans are up for reelection. Republicans currently hold a 5-2 majority. If the 2 republicans lose, the democrats will have a 4-3 majority. There are 2 excellent candidates who I am supporting. I am teaching them in the ways of Sun Tzu. I have been a student of his since the early '70s when I was stationed in Taiwan. I am retired and have the time to be very effective. One of the republicans running is hardcore MAGA. He suffers from a chronic case of foot in mouth disease and he lies. I am keeping what I call a naughty list utilizing the meeting recaps and videos. I give everything I am compiling to the candidate running against him. I am fully aware of the executive order declaring ANTIFA (which is a political philosophy and not an organized group), a domestic terrorism organization. I am also aware of National Security Presidential Memorandum-7, both are being used to label protestors against ICE, domestic terrorists. Both of these things are completely unconstitutional, but we are dealing with a lawless administration that is not concerned with constitutional rights or the rule of law. Sun Tzu taught me to prepare for an attack from my enemies. I have made arrangements with people of resources, in case my door is kicked in during the middle of the night and I am "disappeared". I get 3 minutes for public comment at the meetings, which I use to get under the skin of the MAGA commissioner, on the BOCC (board of county commissioners). The two things the orange one signed are to be utilized as intimidation tools against protestors and community activist that are being too effective. I'm a 71-year-old Air Force Viet Nam Era veteran. I took an oath to the constitution, not an orange skinned tyrant. (Do not say his name, Big Brother looks for that). We are in a battle for our democracy. The wealthy have tried to destroy our democracy 3 times in the past. The British lords and king tried to strangle democracy at birth. They failed. Southern autocrats wanted to spread slavery nationwide and establish a dictatorship. They failed. At the beginning of the 1900's 5 robber barons tried to establish a nationwide monopoly run like a kleptocracy. They failed. Now it is the turn of this generation of Americans. The wealthy were defeated 3 times in the past by the American People. We will do it again. It looks dark and will be an uphill battle, but the Sleeping Giant is stirring and will soon awaken, its anger will be Hulk level. The American People united cannot be defeated. Besides we way outnumber these evil bastards. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER.
Good comments, Tom! A few thoughts: Please use paragraph breaks, giving us space to breathe. Also, you might consider taking a tripod with you to those meetings, setting up to film their proceedings. Very intimidating! (I was a photogrpher's mate in USN.) Get them on the record! ~eric.
Eric, all public meetings are taped and placed on YouTube, archived back to 2018.
Once again, an excellent article highlighting the illegal take down of the American society. So much going on that I continually shake my head and let out a big sigh. Where has the America I know Gone? The repercussions around the world have already begun. If I may digress on one issue. If The Congress need to authorize many of the actions taken by Trump, and they have not done so, does not that Make Trumps orders illegal.? Are they even binding?
Anyway, I will sit down and continue to read your great articles and hopefully gain a clearer picture of the dilemma you face.
Take care.
What do “illegal” and “binding” mean in a country in which the highest judicial power has been complicit in the harm to democratic institutions & principles, Barry?
Trump, to his credit, understands one thing better than most of us: ultimately it is power, not laws, which determine a person’s fate in our present world.
He seems to believe that he has consolidated sufficient power to be able to ignore laws as it suits him; this ruthlessly selfish mindset is no doubt buttressed further by the stark realization that if he ever were to lose power, those very laws are going to come back to bite him HARD.
So he is “all in” (just like Bibi, and Putin, MBS, the Taliban & Iranian mad mullahs, — all criminals whose lives & future freedoms depend on maintaining boots solidly on the necks of [a solid fraction of] their people) and he can only hope that he’s able to run out the clock on US democracy, maybe even get in on the ground floor of some techbroligarchic transhumanist immortality mirage as his mortality looms even larger (even grifters get grifted, lol).
God, I love your writing. This is such urgent, vital, and essential reading. Your style brings us right into the moment and forces us to look at the evidence, no punches pulled.
geez...thru out the bible it says to take care of widows, orphans and the FOREIGNER in your land and the 2 greatest commandments are (in short) love God AND your neighbor (being EVERYONE). Trump needs to read the second chapter of Habakkuk if he wants to know what is going to happen to him....geez
Another great piece Sabrina! and I love: "Leavitt’s cross must be burning a charred replica on her throat. She forgot to mention that Trump reversed the policy that prohibited ICE from attacking people at places of worship in January 2025, after that policy had been in effect for 13 years." The hypocritical sanctimoniousness of these arseholes is just breathtaking....
... and those amendments also allow us to impeach Supreme Court Justices...
They have it coming - we will look for their resignations ASAP
Bravo, Sabrina! These blatant acts of intimidation by Trump's criminally inclined and stupid clowns will become evidence when they face prosecution once Democrats come to power; they have to. And providing recorded evidence will not be ignored, making their convictions a certainty. They believe in the greatness of Trump remaining in power to protect their dumb asses. Aiding and abetting ICE's terrorism will not be forgotten, nor their assault on the First Amendment. I'm still amazed at how Trump assembled so many stupid people with college degrees to be part of his administration. That has been his only act of genius.
America is in great peril and it behooves all of us to look for common ground instead of fighting each other. American AGAINST American is precisely what Trump wants — civil war— so he can be justified in declaring martial law. We must not fall into his trap. Protesting the administration of course is imported but so is listening to people on the other side. Fellow Americans are not our enemies. Project 25 and associates are our enemies. Trump is simply their useful pawn.
You write saliently and with great insight from the legal side. I look at the psychological and psychosocial side and what I wrote today (starting at 4AM when I got the idea) also involves the First Amendment. I didn't reference it directly prior to reading this, but in everything I wrote about how Trump and his henchmen and women are losing the propaganda war this is because we can use our First Amendment rights to report on the cruel and brutal things they are doing and to mock them for their stupidity.
I went back and added a reference and link to this Substack.
What I wrote also very much relates to what Administrator wrote in their comment about documenting the horrors, and about what I agree is our only hope, i.e, the military saying enough is enough.
Here's my Substack:
"Not that it will matter, but they are losing the propaganda war out of sheer stupidity. Here are the top doltish people who'd be fired if they worked for a company for making disastrous decisions."
https://halbrown.substack.com/p/not-that-it-will-matter-but-they
Prayer and meditation are vital aspects of having consciousness.
Here's an EXCERPT from an essay which might help us reduce anxiety:
In Beyond Anxiety, sociologist and self-help author Martha Beck said she became free of anxiety once she realized most of her fears were based on things that were not actually in the room with her—things that were imagined. In an interview with Big Think, she said, “I remember one time, terrible things were happening in the world, as they always are, and I was sitting in meditation. I thought, ‘How could I be expected to feel calm under these circumstances?’ Another part of me said, ‘You mean the circumstances of your bedroom?’”
SOURCE: https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2026/01/the-end-of-anxiety-and-the-beginnings-of-evil.html#more-295954
Guys, my comment just got sucked into the ether by this new vetting/cookies thing. Sorry, but I don't have the energy to recast it. Our democracy, our precious nation, has already been sunk by a coup de court (SCOTUS). Yes, lower courts may still have some courage and honor, but the fish rots from the head first. And neither should we expect the military to solve this, as their ranks are seriously divided. (And the top leaders have been trained to stay out of politics, which some have already violated.)
The Prophet Jeremiah correctly predicted the fall of Jerusalem, and got thrown into the royal privy, nearly starving there for his stand. (see chapter 26-ff): https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/jer/26/1/s_771001. (J's book is America writ small.)
Sabrina, I love and respect you and your project. You are a true American patriot. But watch your back, girl. You are in the crosshairs. We might ask ourselves whether Jeremiah and Achilles and other dedicated heroes made foolish choices, rather than living quiet and peacable and obscure lives: What is the point of our gift of consciousness? What did we come here to learn? ~eric. MeridaGOround.com
Institutions endure when citizens and courts remember their purpose. The First Amendment doesn’t belong to any president—it belongs to the people, and it was built to survive exactly this kind of pressure. Its endurance depends on us refusing to surrender it.
I do not share your belief that the 6 GOP Justices at SCOTUS will protect the first amendment & thus protect the people. They have overturned so many lower court federal rulings last year. After all, Trump thanked him at the SOTU last year and indicated he would not forget.
Blue states Guard in colored vests need to patrol and establish phone and rapid communication with local official witnesses.
Enlist Ham Radio mobile operators as official witnesses.
When Trump and Hilary had their debates I saw trouble coming - from Trump, but could not have imagined he would go this far - and worse - be allowed to by a pathetic cabinet and a Republican congress. We have now seen two murders, murders folks, by Hitler’s reign. These ICE are not are not our protectors. If it were not so tragic it would be laughable: an insurrectionist wanting to enforce the insurrection act in Minnesota. When will enough-be-enough?