This coming Saturday will provide a special opportunity for all of us to practice the 13th of Timothy Snyder's Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century: “Practice Corporeal Politics”. [2] I say a special opportunity because in my experience most Americans are reluctant to participate in any public demonstration in favor of their causes, so the knowledge that others are doing so on this occasion will hopefully motivate more of us to participate. I must confess that I was politically inactive until a 16 year old girl by the name of Greta Thunberg enlightened me with her example. What she said rings true: “Nobody is too small to make a difference”. She inspires me to this very day.
Think of it in terms of numbers. Tens of millions of US voters cast their ballots for Harris/Walz in 2024, and if only half of those are firm in their convictions, it still amounts to a pool of more than 20 million voters. Add it young people who would have voted against tyranny were they old enough, people whose right to vote was suppressed, and non-voters who now see the terrible error of their ways, and the protest pool swells to surely over 30 million. We need for around 10 million people to take to the streets on Saturday to make a statement that the regime cannot ignore – only 30% of the pool. The question for each of us to answer is whether we are going to stand up and be counted, or vote for the regime via our apathy.
As for myself, I will be taking part in two demonstrations in Virginia on Saturday, and will conduct another of my one person protests in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, on Friday. What's your plan?
I promised myself and Timothy Snyder that I would constantly remind my readership of the need for everyone who believes in freedom and democracy to behave in accordance with those beliefs, every day. To remind ourselves of what that means, see
Notes
[1] Formatted for printing on legal size paper (8 ½ x14) at 240 dpi
[2]