I’m feeling so uneasy with everything I’ve been seeing. I keep thinking about what we will be this time next year, and if shit hits the fan, what is your plan? I’m queer and was politically active in 2020, so I would potentially be considered a political enemy.
The only blueprint I can think of is what you do in an active shooter situation; Flee, Hide, Fight.
I know there’s that romantic notion of “don’t be a coward, get out and protest”, but I remember the brutality of the 2020 protests firsthand, and even then I thought “thank god I’m going toe to toe with the CPD and not the CCP”. Next time is going to be different. The president now has authority to send drone strikes. Protests and riots don’t stand a chance agains missiles and live rounds.
Flee- I have an Uncle in Montreal who my family could potentially use as a way to at least temporarily escape the chaos. The hope I’d have is that Canada and other countries would accept American refugees, however that’s not a guarantee.
Hide- If borders are closed, lay low and move away from major cities if possible. If civil war breaks out, try to get away from the violence even if you think your side will win. Todays losers may be tomorrows victors.
Fight- If cellular data/ social media algorithms can keep track of you, and surveillance can make sure there’s no movement, this would be the last resort of desperation. I guess if possible try to either find a group for safety in numbers, or conversely go guerrilla as groups of resistance would make easy targets.
Sorry my mind is running and I’m getting scared.
And we know for sure Project 2025 actually speaks for the president? As much as it sounds like an agenda book for QAnon and white supremacy, Trump himself has spoken against this side of extremism (whether or not he himself can be classified as bypassing checks/courtesy). That is not to say I support Trump (I don’t), but people are turning it into a game of Chicken Little, especially with an immunity ruling that didn’t change anything.
If we wanted to get technical, we could technically say that a candidate promising to be peaceful becoming authoritarian while in power is a violation of campaign promises. But… who here actually punishes lying about your goals while president? Who points a finger at presidents who went against their word and says “we voted for a president who would address the envionmental/right problem, and that’s not you”? Nobody. For two and a half hundred years, nobody thought to put that in place? The American people cleared out a direct path to tyranny, and now everyone is blaming everyone else.
Trump speaking out is a fair point, but there are plenty of cases where Trump has said one thing and done the exact opposite. Trump is heavily influenced by the people around him, and Project 2025 involves the recruitment of advisors so that a president would be ready on day 1. Even if Trump doesn’t like the policies in there right now, there is no doubt that he’ll get there one day, especially since he really does not know what he’s doing.
Secondly, the immunity ruling absolutely has changed a lot. I suggest watching LegalEagle’s perspective on it.
All the more reason to vote third party. The two in power can both be described this way. But nobody wants to reflect on this.