“You feel scared. That's why we join together and do action together. That's why we organize. That's why we build power. That's why we do direct action together.”
––Daniel Hunter on this @TFCtrains podcast
www.trainingforchange.org/craft-of-cam...
It makes me laugh when pundits try to analyze Trumps strategy or dissect his pronouncements.
Let's be clear. Our president is a delusional, narcissistic psychopath. There is no strategy to his policies or his irrational actions.
Every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:00 am people gather on the Anderson St. bridge in Durham, North Carolina to express their disapproval of President Trump and the way the US is currently being governed. The protests are organized by @ed4d.bsky.social.
Saying there is an “affordability crisis” merely identifies a problem without proposing how to fix it.
Calling it a “wealth gap crisis” at least suggests a solution.
If some of these pillars seem indestructible, know that each one has its own pillars of support, and those pillars are in turn supported by other, perhaps more vulnerable pillars.
Good strategy dictates that we research how the power flows and attack the weakest targets.
“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all of these individual things…
—President Trump
All empires end the same way–with their militaries overextended and their treasuries depleted.
“With the passage of time, successful movements are often celebrated as heroic and noble. But, while they are still active, their tactics are never beloved by all.”
--Mark Engler & Paul Engler
Lunch counter sit-ins, like this one in 1960, were once maligned, but now are often romanticized.
Activist groups grow by having a plan:
“To mobilize beyond the dedicated ‘usual suspects’ we have to articulate not only the reasons why an issue is important, but also how our plan of action is strategic—how we have a believable chance of making a difference.”
—@jonathansmucker
A green line art drawing of Pope Leo is superimposed on a red-hued background of Iranian women demonstrating near a power plant in a line. One demonstrator holds a sign that says in English: 'Global Resistance against global oppression of America.' The black and white Nonviolence News banner is in the bottom part of the image.
From Iranians' human chains around power plants to Pope Leo's Holy Week messages on peace and nonviolence, it's been quite a week in Nonviolence News.
nonviolencenews.org/2026/04/11/a...
Undermine his support. Where can you help?
“Labor rights in this country were not granted because they were lawful; they were won because workers took them.”
@wagingnonviolence.org
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/01/mass...
Mocking Trump is fun & easy. Coming up with unifying, progressive policies is hard.
But without such vision and goals, we will spend all our energy just reacting to the next outrage.
There can be no social progress just playing defense.
“There is no pathway out of the authoritarian morass we are in without people developing offensive campaigns.”
@wagingnonviolence.org
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/03/time...
Where is the Democrat Project 29?
Just obstructing Trump's agenda will not get healthcare, childcare, affordable housing & food security for working families.
Democrats may win big in 2026 playing defense, but long-term success will require a positive vision that will improve people's lives.
If some of these pillars seem unassailable, know that each one has its own pillars of support, and those pillars are in turn supported by other, perhaps more vulnerable, pillars.
Good strategy dictates we break it down, research how the power flows, and attack exposed targets.
Good morning!
Since Trump was re-elected, Forbes estimates—
💰His net worth is up $2 billion, to $6.3 billion
💰Eric’s is up 10x, to $400 million
💰Don Jr.’s is up 6x, to $300 million
💰20-year-old Barron is worth $150 million
And Jared became a billionaire last year.
Have a great day!
Glazer said just because the civil actions are small, it doesn’t mean they’re not effective. “These local protests are easy to sustain on a weekly basis.” Glazer said. “There are thousands of cars driving by that see our messages on overpasses…”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
“History suggests that when mass strikes come, they rarely announce themselves in advance. They arrive when enough people have practiced refusing—together—and suddenly discover they no longer have to ask.”
@wagingnonviolence.org
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/01/mass...
Clausewitz said war is the continuation of political commerce by other means.
The problem is, leaders get caught up in the “other means” & neglect the politics, which defines the goal of the war in the first place.
The political goal is called grand strategy, in contrast to military strategy.
Investigative journalist Radley Balko on “The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart” podcast: “When you lie in a way that everyone knows you're lying, it's a projection of power…”
Key term: “Performative lying”
@radleybalko.bsky.social
“This is the trap: We wouldn’t need to strike if we had a safety net, but without a safety net, striking is far more difficult.”
@wagingnonviolence.org
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/03/gene...
“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all of these individual things…
— President Trump
All empires end the same way—with their militaries overextended and their treasuries depleted.
“A working-class campaign may not look like billboard or TV ads, but instead look like hundreds of people taking a few hours every weekend to walk through neighborhoods to get the word out.”
@gwenfulton.bsky.social
workingclassstories.substack.com/p/working-fo...
It is possible to nonviolently overthrow a dictator. Dozens of other countries have done it.
Watch this film about how the Serbs ousted Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.
@civilresistance.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7dN...
If we're really serious about democracy, some form of nonviolent civil resistance training should be a part of every school curriculum.
@risingorganizers.bsky.social
www.risingorganizers.org
This is my favorite issue this year.
“The power of the powerful ultimately depends on the acquiescence and cooperation of those they rule. Social strikes have been one way that people have exercised the power to withdraw that acquiescence & cooperation.”
@wagingnonviolence.org
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/01/soci...
Dictators that rule through fear must constantly live in fear of their own people.
Alone together…
Being right is not enough.
“Lakey was well ahead of his time on many of the seminal political struggles since the 1950s, but he repeatedly emphasizes that being right is not enough—you also have to think strategically.”
@theprogressivemag.bsky.social
progressive.org/latest/book-...
