Important notice: Due to the cold, the rally on January 20th has been moved to Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E 29th St, Indianapolis. Indoors.
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I have previously posted about the rally being held just two days from now, on January 20th–Inauguration Day–in Indianapolis.
Reasonable readers might wonder what such a gathering is intended to do. After all, the threats posed by the incoming administration will manifest in concrete, harmful actions. Should we not be saving our energies to oppose and try to derail those actions, and to help neighbors likely to bear the brunt of the coming assaults?
That question is reasonable, but it misses an important point. Those of us who are dreading what is likely to come, who fear for the country we thought we lived in, need to find and support each other. We also need to mutually reinforce our commitment to that country’s democratic and constitutional traditions, and to its first motto: e pluribus unum.
Think of the rally–and the other demonstrations being planned–as a coming together, a communal “kickoff” to the coming resistance.
As Hoosiers4Democracy recently put it, on the 20th, we will not only be commemorating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we will be affirming that we
stand in resistance to the inauguration of a President who promises to unravel the constitution and ignores the rule of law. The rally is an act of love for our constitution and the foundational American values of liberty, equality and justice for all. We know these values are not applied equally, that many in our country are denied basic human and civil rights that others are afforded. We know that these values are under further assault by our incoming state and federal administrations. We stand in resistance to that assault.
In a paragraph explaining why the rally matters, H4D explained:
It is thought that Carrie Chapman Catt, a suffragist and founder of the League of Women Voters, said that ‘democracy is not a spectator sport’. Now is not the time to be a spectator to the spectacle that is happening in our state and our country. Despite our disillusionment, disappointment, despair and heartbreak, we must not allow ourselves to sit on the sidelines of politics. We need to stand up for our Constitution and our commitment to E Pluribus Unum—out of many, one. So join us as we:
Reclaim the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Rebuild a stronger more inclusive society and the democratic institutions that are being threatened
Resist the policies and actions that undermine our freedoms and civil rights.
The missive ended by asking readers to commit “to being an engaged and informed citizen, especially in this perilous moment.”
Put on your coats, boots, mittens, warm hats and join us in song, inspired readings, and a diverse lineup of speakers as we ‘let our hearts speak’ for what we love most about this country. Reclaim, Rebuild, and Resist Rally, January 20, 2025, 10:00am-Noon, University Park, 325 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis.
The rally has several organizational co-sponsors: ACLU Indiana, ReCenter Indiana, Common Cause Indiana, Women4Change Indiana, the Indiana chapter of the American Association of University Women, and the League of Women Voters of Indiana. It will feature musical interludes and brief talks by clergy and civic leaders (and one local blogger, namely me).
I hope that those of you who live in central Indiana can join us as we reinforce our solidarity and prepare for what comes next.
These rallies and organizations of resistance must be nation-wide and in every state. Even the reddest of states has a significant number of thinking, patriotic citizens who believe in the Constitution.
The question is whether or not these resistance movements can endure long enough and become a big enough platform for the dolts of America to come to realize that they’ve pissed away their democracy.
I need a reason to continue supporting Democratic organizations that for the past few years REFUSE TO RECOGNIZE ME AS A DUES PAYING MEMBER because I do not donate on line. My health care billing department and my 23andMe (DNA) have been hacked and the U.S. Treasury Department was hacked by China on December 30, 2024; why should I trust the Internet? Replying to them with my valid membership number is probably never read, some of them are on the edge of insults and accusations of ignoring our situation. I am using my Social Security income to support their organizations and have till now remained fully loyal to all of them. I compare them to the old school Republicans (mostly those old white men) who remain sitting in this government and believe voting for Republicans will miraculously return the party to its once viable political foundation.
I mentioned recently here on this blog that I suddenly realized that Trump and his MAGAs have bastardized Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quote by “Recognizing people by their character and the color of their skin” to fill their cabinet and administrative position which will destroy our democracy and have drastic effects globally. They have chosen to support the worst of the worst and most incompetent to qualify to run this government; their top choice is a convicted felon which the Supreme Court has chosen to give immunity to prevent further convictions due to their Catholic religion.
I wish those of you well who will be there; myself, I am still considering whether to continue supporting those who turned their backs on me and on our working President Joe Biden in a last minute effort to feed their egos, then turned on Kamala Harris and blamed her for losing the election they threw away.
One of Biden’s accomplishments has been reintroducing the public to one of the country’s most essential assets, our infrastructure.
As MTV fires up the wealth redistribution engines by cutting taxes more on the wealthiest than on every other class of taxpayer to pay off Musk for making Trump President, those of us in every other class of taxpayer can expect to watch our infrastructure start crumbling again.
That’s the thing about assets: Like each of us, they age and become less able to contribute over time. Therefore, they require increasing maintenance as they age.
Of course, as infrastructure goes, so does our competitiveness compared to other countries. That impacts the nation’s ability to pay for other things that deteriorate over time, like the health of our aging population, our military, or our national cognition due to cutbacks in infrastructure.
That’s reality: the forced marriage of what each of us experiences and what we all experience in life. It takes infrastructure and private assets, socialism and capitalism, each American and all Americans, we and I.
That’s just reality, folks.
While I am attending the rally I am going to leave my television on some channel that will not be televising the inauguration so that it reduces its ratings. A small act of defiance but added to others it is one more middle finger in the air to the upcoming oligarchy/kleptocracy.
I figure it will be repeated for the next few days ad nauseam so I won’t miss anything. See you there!
DT claims that he is going to declare a national emergency on day one. That means that he can basically do what he pleases. This is exactly what many were referring to, a declaration which can lead to martial law. It’s not hard, And it wouldn’t surprise me if something were declared before inauguration Day. That being said, one can’t really hold the moral high ground if one doesn’t have any morals. And that’s the problem on both sides of the same coin. It’s a debauched world, and debauchery seeps in everywhere, like a leaky boat on a rough sea. You know what the inevitable result is going to be, and you flail about trying to prevent that inevitability. Instead of strengthening and repairing that boat before you cast off into that rough sea, you decide to wait and worry about it once you hit the water. One can curse and cast aspersions, but, the failure to recognize that image of oneself in the mirror darkly, is a human trait that leads to really really bad things! After all, what is morality? And what is ethics? There are standards of good in both. There are also examples of debauchery in both. Which do you choose? Where is the manual that explains it all. Well, it’s in one’s conscience. Let your conscience be your guide? These are things that the universe, the myriads of time, point to the right path. But many times, actually, most of the time, that path is not alluring enough to walk on. People have their own agendas, their own conscious desires which have corrupted conscience. Our conscience then loses its effectiveness of a guardrail so to speak, and allows one to follow their own self-interests rather than moral and ethical appropriateness.
Everyone on this Earth has had an opportunity to hone their ethical behavior and moral behavior in a way that’s beneficial to society. But, they have followed self-interests in the long run, Me’ism is the result. And it does not lend itself to morality or civility or ethicality!
James Todd; I am turning my TV to MSNBC when I watch briefly and when I am not watching; hoping to increase their viewership to stave off Trump removing it and providing only Fox News during his miss-administration.
Unlike vaccines which only protect against specific diseases, the SCOTUS immunity provided for Trump protects him against all truth, facts and will allow him to destroy anything between him and democracy, Rule of Law and our Constitution.
Many of us still couch our comments as members of a rational world where norms, the rule of law and actual morality are at play. As John Sorg suggests, all that will be out the window. We are about to see a criminal enterprise in charge of our nation. There will be no governing here, only madness.
Be prepared to see big cracks in your looking glass, Alice. When you step through it, the white knight will be talking backwards.
Donny Boy does not like to be ignored. This is the most effective resistance.
滚蛋 For Joanne next time Chinese hackers invade her domain. It would be a violation of Sheila’s rules to translate. 😇
I wish I could join you. As a veteran and patriot I have flown the stars and stripes proudly on my front porch. I am retiring the flag for four years
Let’s start with resisting Braun and the Republican legislature. The irony of the women’s march back when Trump first took office is that he brought some of the worst policies relative to women. And now we have the “Bros for Trump” – young men who never have seen a draft admiring the bravado. It’s not just about resisting – it’s educating the MAGA about the consequences of Trump’s policies. I spoke to some 20 somethings recently who had no idea what Reagan and Bush Sr inflation was like. So education and information to the MAGA voters are critical aspects of resistance to Braun as well as Trump. It’s not just Trump.
The lame media and our government are all about anti-China nonsense as they manufacture consent for war against the Chinese. With high-tech VPNs, hackers can enter the internet from anywhere in the world. They wouldn’t bother entering the internet using their network ID if they are located in China or Russia. Tracing experienced hackers is not possible.
Our government collects everything about us via the private sector from social media, tech wearables, maps, cars, cell phones, etc. Peter Thiel’s company, Palantir, uses all that data to compile profiles of us Americans.
TikTok was banned because it didn’t comply with the US government’s backdoor demands to Palantir. That’s just one reason. What’s hilarious is that millions of young TikTok users are now switching to Red Note, an actual Chinese operator in the Chinese language. LOL. They trust the Chinese government more than the US Government—go figure!
I hope the rally on Monday includes a call to action, not just lofty speeches. I’m sorry, but I don’t think people will follow preachers or religious zealots. We’ve gone way past MLK’s peaceful protests. If you want to pray for change, go ahead, but that won’t change what is coming. When Pete Hegseth was asked if he’d allow the US military to open fire on civilian protesters, he said yes.
We’re going to know oppression like we’ve never felt before under this authoritarian regime of mobsters and sycophants. Biden warned us about the incoming tech oligarchy coming to the White House. What a f’ing joke! He’s been feeding and lining his pockets of the oligarch’s money his whole career.
Keep an eye on who within the uniparty resists what’s coming…is it real or just a performative gesture for the lame media?
I wish you all the greatest success in bringing this wonderful message out, loudly!
Here in Florididia, I have heard of no such event, other than yours. If I still lived in SOHO, NYC, I’d probably note that the neighborhood mafia remnants will be jealous of the gift the GRIFTER-IN-CHEIF has been given by those dolts Vernon mentioned.
Biden should have remained a man of his words, and not announced for a 2nd term. He wound up giving the school-yard bully free rein.
I wish you all the greatest success in bringing this wonderful message out, loudly!
Here in Florididia, I have heard of no such event, other than yours. If I still lived in SOHO, NYC, I’d probably note that the neighborhood mafia remnants will be jealous of the gift the GRIFTER-IN-CHEIF has been given by those dolts Vernon mentioned.
Biden should have remained a man of his words, and not announced for a 2nd term. He wound up giving the school-yard bully free rein.
If Trump gets the opportunity, Aileen Cannon will wind up on SCOTUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
turn the t.v. off. they were the purveyors of this take over. didnt matter what news source, not one ever mentioned the progressives stand on price gouging and congresses own shelving of such submission due johnsons quote,were not handing a win to any demos. like peckers killing a story, no one even remembers squat on that issue,nor how it could have had the questioned answered over the false economy agent organge was spewing. since the economy was the ball crusher, no one in media touched it. as far a that dish goes or whoever you pay to watch ads all the time,turn it off and spend some time recounting how many times the system has just allowed this swamp to overflow with money..entertained to extinction..in NoDak its afree for all, we just inherited a (R)congressass whos instigating the cost of education already and a former gov burgum whos in(b)estments are fossil fuels and selling public land for housing? interior redisigner anyone? trump amd kushner are wetting their pants.
Great entry, Sheila. Thank you. Have a safe, wonderful time on Monday – will be thinking of you, and respecting you. You and Heather Cox Richardson keep our brains working and understanding, and I so appreciate it. Interestingly enough, my grandmother grew up outside Richmond in the late 1800s – a Quaker, educated (Thank you, Quakers, for supporting women in education) and I had always imagined that Indiana was like the Quaker faith in welcoming and including. Now, I know differently and it makes me sad. She would have been sad, too. She even had a Master’s from the U. of Indiana. Then, I read the book about the KKK in Indiana and was shocked. Thank you for your part in trying to work toward an inclusive, gentle, thinking state. Blessings on you!
Thank you Sheila for your daily efforts to support and educate others about the R party’s continuous theft of our rights and freedoms. It would be far easier for you to sit at home and enjoy retirement while expecting the younger generations to take on the hard work of opposing the incoming fascist regime. I truly appreciate your wisdom and your devotion to trying to make our country and our world a better and more fair place to live.
On January 20th my resistance will be to not waste even one second of my life watching the inauguration. I also will not watch even one second of it on the news.
If Orange Jesus (OJ) starts the way he and the Heritage Foundation have planned, we will be in a Martin Niemöller moment in a few years. We MUST speak out loudly from the beginning or there won’t be anyone to object on our behalf, when they come for us.
If they start with undocumented brown and black people, you can rest assured they will be deporting anyone who doesn’t have either a birth certificate or a certification of naturalization on their person when they are picked up.
Next will be trans people, who will be banned from restrooms, sports, the military and any other thing the right deems feasible – perhaps even public service.
The next step is a short one. LGBQ – no need for the T since they’ve already been dealt with – will be next. No more marriage for them. They really don’t meet the morality qualifications for the jobs that they hold.
Media is up next. There won’t be any licensing for radio or television companies who criticize the administration. Note that this group might actually be number two on the list. That’s why so many of the CEOs are falling all over themselves to kowtow to OJ.
Who’s up next? Depends on how much love and money the middle east countries can shower on OJ. If it’s deemed insufficient, then Muslims are up next.
As a tribute to how far we’ve come, Jews, who used to be first to be hated, are now only number five.
This can happen more quickly than we might think possible. In the past, the rule of law would have delayed most the dissolution of democracy. That won’t be a problem for a government that doesn’t care about the rule of law or any other rules.
The rally is a call to action and we most definitely will be specific about the details of what that looks like. H4D will continue to partner with Sheila and other activists to help build a pro-democracy coalition that stands in resistance to the dangers of this moment . And we are fully aware that Todd Rokita and Mump’s thugs could come after us—-as we write and organize against them.
Knowing that junior aides on Senate and House staff are first to screen incoming emails from constituents … flood the “inbox” with warnings to be sure they have adequate liability insurance to cover legal services on matters they were pressed to do on the margins of the rule of law to demonstrate their loyalty to Donny Boy. Encourage them to contact their peers in all branches of government to protect their personal finances including their families. Previous staff of the first Trump Administration have been very active sending warnings to peers not covered for personal legal services in the event they are supenoed to testify. Internal resistance is baked in.
Spellcheck: subpoenaed 😊
After inauguration, flood legislative and administrative offices with this message:
>> Spread the word to your peers in all branches of the 2nd Trump Administration.
Fair warning for junior level employees working for allies of the President in the new administration. You can expect to be directed to execute instructions on the margins of the rule of law in deference to fidelity with President Trump.
It is generally a good idea for federal government employees working for elected and appointed officials to obtain liability insurance to cover legal services if subpoenaed. Federal Employee Professional Liability Insurance (FEPLI) can provide coverage for legal defense in cases of administrative investigations, disciplinary actions, personal capacity lawsuits, and even criminal investigations.
Having this insurance can help protect employees from the financial burden and stress of legal proceedings, even if the allegations are baseless.
It’s important to ensure the policy is effective before any incident occurs to guarantee coverage. Be aware that liability insurance policies may not cover all circumstances of your current employment that expose you and your loved ones at significant personal financial risk. At your level of responsibility in most circumstances, such a policy is secured by your initiative and expense.
There may be a moment of truth early on in your new position the risks to your personal financial well-being is far greater than you were led to believe. Better opportunities with protected risk may be found elsewhere. <<