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Advancing Democracy and Sanity

  • January 7, 2025
  • Jim Von De Bur

Soon after the election, in The Bulwark, William Kristol quoted Edmund Burke: “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”

Just like in 2016, the courts are currently the best hope for defending our freedoms.  Many of the organizations below are known for their use of lawsuits to battle overreach by the rich and powerful, soon to take charge of the non-judicial branches of our government.  Support them if you can afford it.

Civil Rights and Democracy

The following organizations oversee anti-democratic moves and file or contribute to lawsuits to slow or stop them.

  1. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
  2. Democracy Forward
  3. The Brennan Center for Justice

Reproductive Rights

The following organization defends reproductive freedom from state laws and now likely national moves to restrict them.

Planned Parenthood

Environmental

The following environmental organization is known for its use of lawsuits to delay or halt environmental boondoggles.

Natural Resources Defense Council

Immigrant’s Rights

The civil rights organizations above are also in the game to protect immigrant’s rights, but I would add this Dreamers organization to those defending immigrant’s rights.

United We Dream

Defending Truth

Refuse to acquiesce to a post-truth era.  The media environment has degraded so much over the past eight years that the right-wing media is more powerful than the “mainstream media”.

  1. Support Local Media – If you are lucky enough to have a local outlet that is not part of the Fox,  Sinclair or iHeartMedia networks, watch/listen/read it, and pay for it if you can afford it.
  2. Support Independent General News Media – The Guardian (UK), The Independent (UK)
  3. Support the Mainstream General News Media – The Washington Post, The New York Times
  4. Find independent voices that you trust – some of my choices are: Letters From an American (Substack), The Bulwark (Substack), Krugman Wonks Out (Substack), Marcus on AI (Substack), The American Prospect, The Washington Monthly
  5. Defend our Educators/Librarians/Curriculum from Censorship – for example, Educated We Stand

Make Your Voice Heard

  1. Make your views known about the unqualified candidates that he wants to appoint to the Cabinet, especially if you live in a state with Republican Senators.
  2. If you hear that your state legislature has advanced a bill to make high tech companies pay newspapers for the use of their content, contact your state legislators and governor to make your support known.
  3. Write Letters to the Editor about the outrages when you find out about them, especially if your local paper has not highlighted them.

Refuse to be Surveilled

https://www.wired.com/story/the-wired-guide-to-protecting-yourself-from-government-surveillance/

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