I’m still here. Are you still there? I’m in shock and wasn’t exactly sure what to write, what to do but here I am. How are you holding up? Donald Trump has only been in office for a week and he is already wanting us to pay a 20% tax on products from Mexico (I’m sorry, didn’t you say Mexico was going to pay for that wall?) and discriminating against Muslims and legal green card holders from entering our country. What?!
Are you angry? Because I am. And as I said my Safety Pin post – “And I will give him the chance to lead. But never forget Mr. Trump, we are watching. And if you do things which are detrimental to people’s well-being, trust me, you will hear from us. We will fight, we will protest, we will protect the things that so vehemently need protecting. We will not back down from something that is right and good.”
And here we are. Already. Just one week in. You gotta be kidding me. But I have a lot of strong women who ARE fighting and calling and protesting. I have friends who went to the Women’s Marches, who are donating to the ACLU, who are calling their senators and telling them what they don’t like. Some are listening and some aren’t – Senator Inhofe (R-OK) is NOT listening. We called and said we didn’t support Devos and we were told that he didn’t care. The person we spoke to said a lot of people have called to complain but he isn’t changing his mind (and NOBODY called to support Devos). Because he doesn’t care! Please Oklahoma peeps. VOTE.HIM.OUT.
Back to Trump. What can you do? Here are five ways. Take a deep breath. We are fighting this together. You are not alone.
- Donate to American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) – The ACLU has filed suit against the Trump administration, arguing that his executive order is unconstitutional. Donate to causes supporting legal challenges.
- Make calls to your government. This is the best way for them to hear your voice. Better than a Facebook post, better than a petition, call them and tell them what you think. 5 Calls is fantastic (it really is). They use your location and give you the representatives numbers PLUS they give you a script to use if you are unsure of what exactly to say or if you get too nervous.
- Join a protest. Last weekend it was the Women’s March, which was a planned event. But this weekend it was spontaneous with people protesting at airports against the detained travelers. Say loud and clear to all who is listening – “This is NOT who we are!”
- Stay informed. Be loud or be quiet – but either way I hope you keep informed about various movements in this country and then decide what you, personally, want to do with that info. Flippable.org is the biggest one at the moment (most developed) and you get emails from time to time, but their info is very well researched. Their main focus is on state races and to flip the seat back to blue. They let you know which races are important, who is running and how you can support them.
- And last. Get your friends involved. Those that are feeling like you and are frustrated and angry and scared about what is happening. Speak out and speak up! Let people know this is not who our America is!
GOING NINETY MILES 