#aspiring dictator

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Globe and Mail : Michael de Adder

* * * *

The Grassroots Resistance, 2.0

November 11, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

After Election Night 2016, a national grassroots movement arose spontaneously. It spread organically across the nation. The only plan was to resist. The movement began in living rooms, church basements, and online. It soon swelled to tens of thousands. And then hundreds of thousands. And then millions. It did not wait for permission or ask for instructions. It overrode and ignored existing power structures. The grassroots resistance had a bias toward action. It offered community to the anxious and bold alike. In the end, the grassroots movement saved democracy. Literally. Not figuratively. Not metaphorically. Literally.

After Election Night 2024, we must renew the grassroots movement. At a moment that demands unity and action, Democratic Party leaders are inexplicably pointing fingers as they attempt to salvage their legacies and cover their footprints. The media is filled with opinion pieces that ignore the looming threat of tyranny and gleefully fan the flames of vanity and ego designed to deflect blame and create distraction.

Enough.

The way forward is through unity. Blame is the currency of people who worry about their Wikipedia entries and obsess over their follower counts and favorability ratings. We have real work to do. Some day in the future, exit polling and crosstabs in spreadsheets will help us win elections. Today, we have a nation to save.

We need a second grassroots resistance movement. The Grassroots Resistance, 2.0. The good news is that we have existing infrastructure. We have willing servants of democracy who are battle-tested and savvy, though weary. And we have smart, inspiring leaders willing to continue their leadership even as they hope for reinforcements and new voices.

The Grassroots Resistance 2.0 is not a replacement of the existing grassroots movement. It is a renewal of the fighting spirit within the existing movement, tempered and honed by the cold reality of a man who sought the presidency only to avoid prison and exact vengeance.

Resisting over the next four years will be difficult. The only thing that would be more difficult is not resisting.

As we recover from the insensible decision to re-elect a failed insurrectionist and aspiring dictator, we must return to the grassroots communities that sustained us over the past eight years. The urge to shelter in the isolation of sorrow and grief is understandable. As soon as you can, find your way back to the community that is waiting for you with open arms and renewed determination.

Leaders of the renewed grassroots movement must recognize that their returning troops are weary and disillusioned, even as they summon the courage to report for a third tour of duty. Create spaces for rest, reflection, and renewal. Recognize the need of people to talk about how they feel.

We will make it through this difficult period together. We must resist, delay, and defeat unlawful actions whenever we can and then move on quickly to the next battle. We cannot tarry over losses or demand time to regroup.

Many who read this will understandably say they are not ready to rejoin the fight. That is appropriate and reasonable. But we need you back. Take time to rest and recover. And then find your way back to the resistance movement that saved democracy after 2016. Literally. Not figuratively. Not metaphorically. We can do so, again. Literally.

Coda

To avoid dozens of unnecessary email corrections, I acknowledge that others are counseling against using the word “resistance” to describe our efforts over the next four years. My use of “resistance” is intentional. “Opposition”—the term suggested by others—implies that our actions are taking place within a functioning political system that observes the rule of law and gives voice and agency to the minority party—the “loyal opposition.”

Sadly, that is not where we are. The Supreme Court has authorized the president to operate in an extra-constitutional manner that is beyond the reach of the law. He will gladly accept their invitation to act unilaterally, even when the law does not give him that authority. His unlawful actions will be reviewed by rubber-stamp judges jockeying to replace two aging justices on the Supreme Court. There may be no opportunity for political opposition, which is the norm in a functioning democracy. At that point, our only option is lawful resistance.

Whether you see yourself as working in opposition or resistance, we are in the fight together. We are not going to win by correcting one another’s vocabulary. Let’s get to work—and let historians decide how to label our victories!

Two stories that will dominate the next few weeks

Many commentators are beginning to detail how the next Trump administration will seek to change our lives. Those articles are thoughtful, accurate, and detailed. I will let you find them on your own if you are looking for a menu of potential items we must face over the next three to six months.

For now, I will highlight two items that are likely to shape the news cycle in significant ways. I am trying to ease back into the news for those who are still in shock from an election night that is not yet a week in the past.

The transition process may be difficult and chaotic

The transition between presidential administrations is governed by the Presidential Transition Act. The Act imposes dozens of disclosure and ethics requirements on presidential candidates and presidents-elect as a condition of receiving briefings, security clearances, and funding. See Presidential Transition Act Summary • Center for Presidential Transition.

One requirement relates to ethics pledges to be signed by the incoming president and vice-president. Per the above article,

Not later than October 1, the Executive Office of the President, acting through the Federal Transition Coordinator, negotiates memorandums of understanding with transition teams regarding conditions of access to agencies, including agreement by transition teams to implement and make public their ethics plans.

To no one’s surprise, Trump has refused to sign the required ethics pledge. See Salon, "Consequences are severe": Trump's lack of ethics pledge delays transition process. Per the Salon article,

The lack of Trump's adherence to the requirements under the Presidential Transition Act has left him locked out of meetings and briefings with the current administration and heads of government agencies.

Trump didn’t detangle himself from his financial holdings in his first term in office, triggering years of emoluments violation investigations into the over 3,000 alleged conflicts of interest he accrued. Foreign dignitaries often paid top dollar to stay at the Trump International Hotel in D.C., as did Secret Service details protecting the then-president’s family.

So, Trump's incoming administration places us smack dab in the middle of where we left off—Trump ignoring the Emoluments Clause while he uses the Office of the Presidency as a profit-making opportunity.

It is not clear how the Biden Administration will proceed in the absence of Trump's compliance with the ethics disclosures required by the Presidential Transition Act. But it is clear already how Trump's cronies will act—they will simply disregard the provisions of the Act and begin to conduct themselves as though they have the mantel of authority—when they do not.

Case in point: Bryan Lanza, a Trump campaign staffer, announced on ABC News that Ukraine must give up hopes of defeating Russia’s war of aggression. Lanza said,

We’ve got news for President Zelenskyy: Crimea is gone.

Lanza’s comment effectively tells Ukraine that it must surrender a significant portion of its sovereign territory as a condition for peace. That is a breathtaking pronouncement for someone who—at the moment—is a contractor for the Trump campaign. Lanza may have hopes of obtaining a position in the next Trump administration, but he is currently a stranger to the US government and its foreign policy—because there is no transition process in place.

The Trump campaign later claimed that Lanza had no authority to speak for Trump.

Here’s my point: Trump's failure to engage in an orderly transition process is already creating chaos. More is likely.

The Biden Administration’s options are “bad” and “worse.” Should Biden demand adherence to the congressionally mandated transition process and risk chaos, or should he relent and allow Trump and his cronies to slither into office while evading ethics pledges required of every other incoming administration?

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[the-crooked-library]

so within the universe of Dune, gender roles abide by a rigid false dichotomy created by the bene gesserit - men lead the noble houses, while the women may join their order, and the powers of both are kept intentionally separate. at the same time, the plot demonstrates repeatedly that the role of paul atreides as a character is that of the border between the concepts juxtaposed within dichotomies: he is both an outerworlder and fremen, both harkonnen and atreides, both a duke and a disciple of the bene gesserit.

as such, it follows that within the in-universe gender structure, he occupies the roles of both male and female, thus being functionally and societally nonbinary. in this essay, i will -

[chiquilines]

My everythings

[jacob-blogs]

I mean, there is no point in internalizing my hatred and contempt for society at large anymore.

But.

I can't pretend that my hatred is what motivates me to continue living in this life.

I love my community. I love the voters that voted to protect human rights. I love my (metaphorical) trans siblings.

I love you all more than I hate them.

And it's worth fighting to protect what I love, rather than fighting against what I hate.

[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

I was so wrong to propose a tyranny where I'd be sole judge and all lives would be under my control. Ok. Now explain to me in simple words what is the difference between that and an actual Kage.

[crypticarchivist]

To anyone who follows me and is thinking of not voting in protest of the genocide in Gaza.

I understand. I do. It’s fucking monstrous. But as fucked up as it is to say it, all those problems you were hearing about before Gaza are still around.

The anti-trans legislation, the book banning, the attacks on abortion rights and other forms of uterine healthcare, the repeated attacks on democracy, the orange guy with a slavishly loyal christo-fascist voter base who literally keeps saying he’s going to turn dictator *day one* and lock up his political opponents and lgbtq+ people in camps if he ever gets re-elected. The same orange guy who has tried to overthrow legal elections in the past. The same orange guy who is absolutely going to turn the genocide from bad to worse and has explicitly said he will.

All that shit.

Still exists.

The far right didn’t take a vacation or time out while people were justifiably worried about Israel’s genocide in Gaza. They’re not taking a time out while people are *still* justifiably worried about Gaza.

You can *still* worry about the people of Gaza. You don’t need my permission but I’m still saying you can just to clarify that I’m not telling you to ignore the deaths.

But please. PLEASE.

Do not get tunnel vision.

Not voting. Does not. Hurt Joe Biden.

Not voting. Does not. Help Palestine.

Not voting. Is exactly. What the leader of Israel, Trump, and literally every fascist in this country wants leftists doing.

Some people will need to ask themselves if maintaining a personal sense of moral purity is more important than preventing the country with the biggest military budget on the planet from making a full backslide into theocratic fascism.

[inga-don-studio]

Work has given me the opportunity to be fired for the funniest/stupidest reason I’ve heard of in a long time (like completely disproportionate to the forbidden deed) and I’m so tempted.

[duusheen]

Thanks to the study session with Miracle, Jay managed to pass the exam with a good grade. He thought that would be enough to convince his dad that he could balance music and studies just fine, but Leif didn't want to hear it. Instead of the usual arguments, it seemed like such a heated fight that Leif had to leave the house to cool off and avoid saying something that would probably make things even worse with his son

[tempests-bards-and-birds]

mavuika is confusing me and i don't like it

[artofkhaos404]

I'm an aspiring author, and I've been working on this one project for about three years now called the Dictatorship. It got to the stage of development of beginning the physical writing process a few months ago, which is very exciting! I hope to have it finished in the next year or two.

This is one of the main characters; Ai Unmei.

[fwoosheye]

This! All of this. The mushy pea brain, the x-ray thing (there's a reason dentists and doctors leave to room and that's bc they do it so many times per day every day it's actually hazardous for them), the invasiveness, the hateful mood... but hey att least if they made the bar not only would they lose a fuckton of money, they would also get to see how few of them there really is. The owner would maybe get radiation poisoning if they handle the x-ray themselves and aren't smart enough to protect themselves, but most of the customers probably wouldn't need to be scanned more than once bc they're so few they can learn to recognize them. But yeah as much as I want to be mean and say it would be karma if they got sick from the radiation, I wouldn't actually want it to happen to them, nor for the taxpayers to have to pay for their treatment that would be only needed bc of their own stupidity

Many of you might be unaware but if you’re a transphobe there’s a 98.7% chance that your brain is replaced with mushy peas within the first five years.

[umbralwaves]

.

[val-the-protoss-simp]

Re-reading the Dark Templar Saga for the first time in a decade feels like the first sip of ice cold water after crawling through the fiery pits of Hell solely because I get to read about Valerian being an arrogant brat that gets increasingly frustrated as the series progresses because the goal of his ambition keeps escaping from him like the whole thing is an episode of Looney Tunes

[merrilark]

not to post political stuff here too often, but good golly, trump really talks like a supervillain sometimes, huh?

like if this was complete fiction, i would criticize the writing for being patronizing and too on the nose.

[cluescorner]

Every conversation they have feels like walking through a minefield, though even that may be an understatement. You don't tend to feel love for the explosives that threaten to detonate and destroy your body and soul. Yet Bruce does love his son. Even with his always-armed fuses that could be tripped by the slightest movement it deems 'wrong' and nitroglycerine tongue spitting words that all but scream a desire to ignite then eviscerate everything Batman holds dear, Bruce loves Tim enough that braving the minefield is a foregone conclusion. He will do it because the alternative is never talking to his son again. Bruce would rather endure tonnes of tnt than experience the crushing nothingness of before.

^^^Is the most insane thing I've ever written and it's for my silly little writing challenge that has quickly evolved into something I can no longer contain my genuine enjoyment of writing. Like, oh my god I might be posting fic of this thing. I don't even like publishing my writing but I might just fucking do it at this point because jfc why do I have over 1,000 words of describing ONE RELATIONSHIP.

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Building A Culture

Culture is defined by a collection of morals, ethics, traditions, customs and behaviours shared by a group of people.

Hierarchy and Social Structures

Within every culture, there is a hierarchy. Hierarchies are an important part of any culture, usually do ingrained that one within the culture wouldn't even question it. Hierarchy can be established either by age, gender or wealth and could even determine roles within their society. Sometimes hierarchy can may be oppressive and rigid whilst other times, ranks can intermingle without trouble. You should consider how these different ranks interact with one another and whether there are any special gestures or acts of deference one must pay to those higher than them. For example, the Khasi people of Meghalaya (Northern India), are strictly matrillineal. Women run the households, inheritance runs through the female line, and the men of the culture typically defer to their mothers and wives. Here are a few questions to consider:

How is a leader determined within the culture as a whole and the family unit?

Is the culture matriarchal? Patriarchal? Or does gender even matter?

How would one recognise the different ranks?

How would one act around somebody higher ranking? How would somebody he expected to act around somebody lower ranking?

Can one move socially? If not, why? If so, how?

Traditions and Customs

Traditions are a staple in any culture. These can be gestures or living life a certain way or to the way a certain person should look. Traditions are a personal detail to culture, they are what make it important. Tradition can dictate how one should keep their home, run their family, take care of their appearance, act in public and even determine relationship. Tradition can also be a double edged sword. Traditions can also be restrictive and allow a culture to push away a former member if they do not adhere to them, eg Traditional expectations of chastity led to thousands of Irish women being imprisoned at the Magdelene Laundries. Customs could be anything from how one treats another, to how they greet someone.

How important is tradition?

What are some rituals your culture undertakes?

What are some traditional values in your world? Does it effect daily life?

Are there any traditions that determine one's status?

Values and Opinions

Values and Opinions are the bread and butter of any culture. This is the way your culture sees the world and how they approach different life hurdles. These may differ with other cultures and be considered odd to outsiders, what one culture may value another may not and what opinion another holds, one may not. There will be historical and traditional reasons to why these values and opinions are held. Cultures usually have a paragon to which they hold their members to, a list of characteristics that they expect one to if not adhere to then aspire to. The Yoruba people value honesty, hard work, courage and integrity. Here are some questions to consider?

How important are these ethics and core values? Could somebody be ostracised for not living up to them?

What are some morals that clash with other cultures?

What does your culture precieved to be right? Or wrong?

What are some opinions that are considered to be taboo in your culture? Why?

Dress Code

For many cultures, the way somebody dresses can be important. History and ethics can effect how one is meant to be dressed such as an expectation of chastity, can impose strict modesty. While other cultures, put more importance on details, the different sorts of clothes worn and when or what colour one might wear. The Palestinian people (من النهر إلى البحر ، قد يكونون أحرارا) denoted different family ties, marriage status and wealth by the embroidery and detailing on their thoub.

Are there traditional clothes for your world? Are they something somebody wears on a daily basis or just on occasion?

Are there any rules around what people can wear?

What would be considered formal dress? Casual dress?

What would happen if somebody wore the wrong clothes to an event?

Language

Language can also be ingrained as part of a Culture. It can be a specific way one speaks or a an entirely different language. For example, in the Southern States of America, one can engage in a sort of double talk, saying something that sounds sweet whilst delivering something pointed. Bless their heart. I have a post on creating your own language here.

Arts, Music and Craft

Many cultures are known for different styles of dance, their artwork and crafts. Art is a great part of culture, a way for people to express themselves and their culture in art form. Dance can be an integral part of culture, such as céilí dance in Ireland or the Polka in the Czech Republic. Handicrafts could also be important in culture, such as knitting in Scottish culture and Hebron glass in Palestine. Music is also close to culture, from traditional kinds of singing such as the White Voice in Ukraine and the playing of certain instruments such as the mvet.

Food and Diet

The way a culture prepares or intakes or treats certain foods are important to a culture. In some cultures, there is a diet yo adhere to, certain foods are completely banned. With Jewish culture, pork is prohibited along with fish such as sturgeon, along with shellfish and certain fowl. Meat must also be prepared in a certain way and animal byproducts such as dairy, must never be created or even eaten around this meat. This is known as kosher. The way one consumes food is also important to culture. In some cultures, only certain people may eat together. Some cultures place important on how food is eaten. In Nigerian culture, the oldest guests are served first usually the men before the women. In Japanese culture, one must say 'itadakimasu' (I recieve) before eating. Culture may also include fasting, periods of time one doesn't intake food for a specific reason.

What are some traditional dishes in your world?

What would be a basic diet for the common man?

What's considered a delicacy?

Is there a societal difference in diet? What are the factors that effect diet between classes?

Is there any influence from other cuisines? If not, why not? If so, to what extent?

What would a typical breakfast contain?

What meals are served during the day?

What's considered a comfort food or drink?

Are there any restrictions on who can eat what or when?

Are there any banned foods?

What stance does your world take on alcohol? Is it legal? Can anybody consume it?

Are there any dining customs? Are traditions?

Is there a difference in formal meals or casual meals? If so, what's involved?

Are there any gestures or actions unacceptable at the dinner table?

How are guests treated at meals? If they are given deference, how so?