Breathe

We are living in strange times. I’m finding I need to remind myself to breathe. Welcome to this tiny corner of solace and dissent.

I’m beginning to realize that the single largest issue Americans face is that most of us are not reading the news. I totally understand! The news is stressful. When something Earth-shattering happens in the U.S.A. though, one of the best things we can do is tell our friends and family — spread information! Upon learning what has happened in 2026, they might be ready to peacefully assemble with us.

Support the work of the American Civil Liberties Union or Democracy Forward. Support an organization your care about with even a small donation of $5. Every dollar counts when we are losing our rights to the wealthy impulses of billionaires.

We want violent ICE operations to stay out of our communities and stay away from schools and children. Protect your lawful neighbors.

It only takes a few minutes to:

Find events, meetings and ways to protect our freedoms near you: https://www.mobilize.us/

Consider finding ways to help our fellow democratic citizens and lawful residents in Minnesota, which is being made an example of. Visit: StandWithMinnesota.com

Try to keep every show of dissent non-violent; Violence gives them cause for arrest. Know your rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights

I am a livid American. I am not a paid protestor.

Views are my own.

“20 Lessons On Tyranny”

Every American should watch this video, and hold on to the 20 actions you can take in 2025. Or get the book “20 Lessons On Tyranny” by by Timothy Snyder.

I encourage you to send this YouTube link to as many people you can think of, or to share it on social media.

Join the Nationwide Strike on January 30th! Or Join the Nationwide Day of Action on January 31st!

Save the Date for No Kings III: March 28, 2026. We rise up with our voices on our sidewalks! To find an event near you, visit: www.fiftyfifty.one

Design & Share Protest Art

Design and submit artwork for signs to defend612.com.

WATCH THE WOMEN’S MARCH VIRAL COMMERCIAL: “What Will Your Say?” Or support the Women’s March, which is being targeted by the administration: https://www.womensmarch.com/

Feeling Hopeless?

Breathe. Take breaks. Turn off the media. But please don’t turn away entirely. We can prevent tyranny from staying in the U.S.A. with 20 simple steps. Take one of these steps today, suggested by author Timothy Snyder, or take a few — some of them are very difficult, some of them are simple ways to improve your day.

Scroll down if you want to watch a short, eye-catching video to better understand.

In the News: A Column with Advice for Change

“We are no longer free. But we can win our freedom back.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/ng-interactive/2025/jun/14/history-successful-protests-oppose-authoritarianism

Rise up!

We march across the country at every opportunity. Keep up the pressure, and consider signing on with the General Strike: https://generalstrikeus.com/

Mobilize.us

Consider taking action in The Majority Project to mail postcards and make an impression on our elected officials: https://www.signsofjustice.com/products/contact-congress-postcards

Signal Your Virtues: It Creates Safety for Others, and Lets People Know You Will Not Tolerate Cruelty in Your Communities

Tell Your Neighbors, Friends & Families

People aren’t reading the news. My own neighbor did not even know about the 01-07-2026 shooting in Minnesota. When they see us in numbers, they can’t turn away. It spreads awareness.

We cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening in our country. ICE is violating our Constitutional Rights and killing even U.S. citizens in every part of the country. Our elected representatives are being assaulted, handcuffed, and threatened with prison, just for representing us. Ask your friends, neighbors and family members if they know what is happening.

Alt National Parks System, Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen,. Cory Booker, Historian Heather Cox Richardson, and others are leading the resistance.

A Few Ways to Spread Hope & Light

  • Breathe.
  • Give someone a compliment for no reason at all.
  • Never lose your joy. If we have our joy, they can’t take our humanity.
  • Try to picture something beautiful. Hold that thought — hold it for as long as you can. Try to remember the aroma in the air, or the feeling on your palm. Calm your senses.
  • Take a walk outside. Invite someone you like, even if you’ve never walked together before.
  • Make a friend or co-worker a Warm Fuzzy! It’s just a small piece of paper with a compliment, attached to a friendly stuffed animal or cotton-ball creature.

Want forward-thinking democracy? Ways to take action

Below is a list of ways to support democracy, spread love of neighbor, and join the resistance, as originally posted on my Facebook Timeline:

  • Sign a petition. Find ways to get involved or sign a petition on a reliable activist website like: moveon.org
  • Call your representatives with an easy to use app:
    5calls.org
  • Donate even $5 to the American Civil Liberties Union:
    https://www.aclu.org/
  • Support the needs of fellow Americans in crisis and natural disasters:
    https://www.redcross.org/
  • Support the work of the Environmental Defense Fund.
  • Have a talk with someone opposite you!! All that blocking we did on social media? It has now created two totally opposite realities. And the people you are disappointed in can’t see the harmful effects the government’s actions are having on your own life. We must talk to each other.
  • Express your values, on clothing, social media images and on your desk. Rainbow flags, BLM, etc. Some will accuse you of “pointless” “Virtue Signaling”, but your virtues are important. Show people you care about and support that you are a safe place. Demonstrate through your “signals” that not all of us are ok with the loss of human rights and protections!
  • Whenever you can, spell out and say the words of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion instead of DEI, because the acronym makes these important topics sound like a non-issue.
  • Understand that part of what we are up against is a crisis of information and the media, and ask people on both sides of the aisle to notice this:
    https://newrepublic.com/post/188197/trump-media-information-landscape-fox
  • Limit how monopolized social media platforms can profit from your profile:
    https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/01/mad-meta-dont-let-them-collect-and-monetize-your-personal-data
  • Follow the Alt National Park Service on any social media channel and comment if you can on the most important updates. If it suits you and your posting style, share some of their posts:
    https://www.facebook.com/AltUSNationalParkService
  • Get important health and disease information from the YouTube Page of the American Medical Association.
  • Buy Canadian.

What began as a page I could come to, to remind myself to breathe…

Why This Content? Why Now?

Putting Our Money Where Our Heart Is

If you’re looking for ways to feel better about living in this economy, here’s a few small things you can do from time to time. Only if you want ideas:

  • Buy local art.
  • Shop small business, especially where values align.
    Boycott huge corporations. I’ve proudly boycotted huge chains like Walmart, CostCo, Amazon, and McDonalds for over a decade. I finally canceled even Amazon TV streaming.
  • Remember that outspoken brilliant writer in your life? The ultra political activist? A diverse business owner? That woman-owned company? Go buy something from them today. Even if it’s something small you don’t need.
  • Donate a couple dollars to a cause you care about, like the Environmental Defense Fund.

Insight from a Trained Journalist

Now Is the Time to Read Articles from International Press

In my background as a trained journalist, I would ask you to please start reading independent news reports about the U.S. from foreign countries. Perhaps the greatest solution to political turmoil is freedom of information. Thank you for considering.

Context from my Documentary Filmmaker Training

Part of what I am trying to point out is to encourage Americans to read news articles, not watch news reports. At least read a few articles, in addition to watching videos and TV.

Yes, every platform, media and source has pro’s and con’s — usually a lot of pro’s. That’s not what I’m discussing here. Below are just a few of the con’s to watching filmed news, rather than reading a fully realized article:

1. TV/Video has time limits. Creators are cutting the clip to meet platform constraints.

2. TV/Video uses “sound bites” to hold the attention of “viewers” rather than readers who have focused on a written article. They may use the first half or last half of a quote without including the context. While this can happen in writing, too, creators of film often cut off the speaker at a “comma,” whereas written articles include the comma and the context afterward.

3. When watching TV Channels, they must fill air time to cover every second, whether the story is done being reported or not. This means adding fluff or insignificant details.

4. TV/Video uses music, patriotic visuals, red-white-blue backgrounds, and faces to draw you in, when the news may not hold the significance implied by these contextual details. When you are looking at words, you either believe them or you don’t — no audio-visual trickery.**

** That said, I am paying attention to how the photos at the top of news stories are positioned now: Are they trying to create heroes or villains as they depict our government officials? Why did they make that visual choice?

5. TV/Video can be altered using AI, whereas a good reporter doing the writing is mostly relying on the right words to tell the story.

6. TV/Video on most platforms is being “served” to you, based on your personal preferences using algorithms and other tools. Read one newspaper or news website with all its headlines, and you are getting every story whether you like the article or not. Watch news instead, and you are often inviting the platform you use to send you down a wormhole of “recommended” or “similar” videos.

I took my senior journalism capstone project in documentary film-making. These are all intentional, practiced techniques used in nonfiction film to elicit a desired emotional response from the viewer. Readers maintain more autonomy when they consume the news through the printed word. It’s easier to look away when you suspect you are being mislead.

A Note on Manipulation in Speech:

In this political climate, I also find that “watching” manipulative personalities instead of “reading” the reports on them can lead to confusion. Have you ever noticed a public personality repeat things three times? This is intentional manipulation. The more you “watch” a person speak and listen to these mannerisms, the more susceptible you may become to deception. This is true of anyone who uses manipulative tactics to persuade a public audience, no matter what their tactics are. I prefer to find honest, non-manipulative personalities, when I am engaging in the news. The best way to steer clear of manipulative tendencies is to READ, NOT WATCH the news.

Equality hurts no one