Every day my email inbox and text messages get filled with (probably worthy) funding requests from organizations and candidates I've barely, if ever, heard of. So my contact info is getting passed around like a pocket comb on picture day. (Yes, I'm that old) Often they're masquerading as surveys, or petitions, or urgent requests from high profile persons that I'm sure don't even know I exist, but thier fundraising bots sure do. I put my boots on the ground at civil rights protests wherever I can, but I'm not made of money and my compassion fatigue has me tempted to block numbers and report them as spam. I want to fight the good fight, but stop bleeding me out.
Well said, you! I believe a big part of the problem is that when I started donating through Actblue, I didn’t realize you had to opt out of them, sharing your information so every candidate, organization, in the world has my info and now I, as well as you, receive all these texts and emails. I used to give five or $10 here or there when I could now I can’t give anything because the bots increase. They screwed themselves if I have the money I will only give through an independent confirmed, verified website for that organization or candidate. Actblue needs to fix this or candidates need to create their own stream for giving because it’s messed up, and it is so easy to create a website, pretending to be for some worthy cause when it’s not, so the ball is in their court.
I delete about 1,000 emails a week. Most of them are asking for money. Does "Sign the petition" please donate sound familiar? The postal mail I get is mostly asking for donations. I've been donating online only for at least 15 years now so I don't know why they're spending money sending me mail. I made a donation a few weeks ago and received another e-mail request from that same organization literally within 15 minutes. It's out of control.
Interesting point about the physical mail. I don’t get anything by mail except from my alma mater’s alumni association, which seems to know my next address before I do. I don’t get email solicitations and I get only a few texts a month. I added my name address to a no junk mail list a while back but I still get some, and I’ve donated recently so I’m curious if that is why. I’d love to know how all this works, because the way they sleuth us out is kind of impressive.
"Start where you are. Do what you can. Use what you have." - Arthur Ashe. Every small action counts and pushes back against despair. We are all exhausted. Try to also be kind.
I am 72 years old, the daughter of a WWII veteran, and my lineage goes back to 1667.
I cannot continue to give money, so I use old-fashioned social media:
I use every daily business interaction that I possibly can to express my deep outrage about this despicable and treasonous administration. When I call my bank, schedule an appointment, get my car serviced, buy groceries or gas, ride in a taxi, at the library, etc, the very least I say is, “No Kings!!!”.
I empathize with the worker either by sharing in a conversation about our common outrage or by telling them that I understand that they cannot reply. But I am the customer and I CAN AND WILL SPEAK.
For example, when asked “Will there be anything else, Mam?”, I say “Yes. Just one more thing-There are NO KINGS in the United States of America!”.
I do not torture people, so I make my point quickly.
Of course I am careful when it feels unsafe, but it is very rare for me not to briefly say my piece/peace right now.
I vote with every dollar I spend.
Eye to eye, personal, open, and striving towards a more perfect union — this is the country I know and the one I will work body and soul to save.
Remember these words on the Revolutionary War flag:
So many are working multiple jobs, raising kids and struggling to pay bills. Leaving little time for anything else. Understanding, compassion and some practical help go a long way.
Simple solution: instead of doing work or teaching,etc everyone call your senators,govenors, Congresspeople,call the white house,call ICE,call your state legislatures and refuse to work, buy or pay taxes until trump regime resignes. Just stop helping them step on your neck! I have been calling since 2025 use Five calls and other methods. Take your child with you and visit your local office of your congressmen or senators : make them as miserable as they have made you.
Stop making people “register” to get the information on where protests are going to take place. We are not trending towards authoritarianism, we’re there. Post where the protest is happening and I’ll be there! But make me register with my contact information which goes into a database which can be hacked and I’m not taking part. Not only do I get emails daily asking for money, I also get emails regularly that my contact information has been part of a breach.
MAY DAY is a perfect chance to get non-voting friends Involved in resistance, esp ones too busy sticking their heads in sand to attend protests. feel free to copy pasta my message below to your own such friends:
MAY 1. You don't have to go anywhere for this one but put it on your calendar. All you need to do is BOYCOTT EVERYTHING. Don't do work a corporate master gets a cut of, don't shop anywhere a corporate master makes a profit from, don't drive anywhere, and unplug everything in your house you don’t need. The only thing that seems to alter the course of a fascist regime is to hit em in the wallet. MAYDAY. it has a successful revolutionary history, look it up. and please help spread the word to other platforms. 🧚🏽♂️link fairy sez more info here https://maydaystrong.org/
In terms of showing up to protests, accessibility is also an issue. The local protest here decided to move to a location that isn't accessible so we had to stop going. We still do some other stuff (5 calls, donating to groups like the local food banks, etc), but that kind of thing does feel alienating ngl.
I went to No Kings 1, 2 and 3 despite my stage 4 avn arthritis and muscular atrophy knocking me down with pain. It will only get worse. I used my giant sized rollator. But I know people out there can't get out of bed. Or have multiple kids to care for. Their voices are some of the most deeply affected by the magalomania of this administration! How can they be heard, counted, and have effect?!
It's not easy. Standing against forces designed to crush a person is a lot to ask. Remember this is nothing new, just more difficult because it is other Americans among us who are fomenting the dangers. Everyone is eager for the nightmare to end but at a loss for how much longer we'll be able to withstand the overwhelming domination of amorality. Simply expressed, don't give up. Do what you can in any manner possible for you as an individual. Just never give up, NEVER. Because the enemy is counting on you to do exactly that. Their method is always to defeat us by default, so stand firm, don't allow despair to overcome the desire to defend our freedoms. Every effort is important. VOTE, replace rotten Republicans with progressive representation who recognize the value of humanity over vanity. America was not created for the oligarchs, although they think it was. After 250 years we are again facing an incredible threat that seems to arise every time we are not on our guard. So for each of us the challenge is to not allow it to consume our country. America was never intended to be an empire. Empires destroy freedoms, not nourish them. Remember that.
Just being good to yourself helps because that gives you the energy to be good to others. Do the inner work. We will have a better society when we as humans challenge ourselves to be better.
Your absolutely right. I can't attend as many protests right now due to the price of gas and a tight budget but I look for ways to make a difference any way I can and follow through as much as I can.
VOTE WE CAN NO LONGER SIT BY AND ASSUME THAT OUR POLITITIONS HAVE THE INTEREST OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FIRST AND FOR MOST AT HEART. WE NEED TO STUDY THE ISSUES AND THE CANDIDATES NOT BY WHAT THEY SAY BECAUSE THEY ALL LIE BUT BY WHAT THEY HAVE SUPPORTED IN THE PAST!
Every day my email inbox and text messages get filled with (probably worthy) funding requests from organizations and candidates I've barely, if ever, heard of. So my contact info is getting passed around like a pocket comb on picture day. (Yes, I'm that old) Often they're masquerading as surveys, or petitions, or urgent requests from high profile persons that I'm sure don't even know I exist, but thier fundraising bots sure do. I put my boots on the ground at civil rights protests wherever I can, but I'm not made of money and my compassion fatigue has me tempted to block numbers and report them as spam. I want to fight the good fight, but stop bleeding me out.
Well said, you! I believe a big part of the problem is that when I started donating through Actblue, I didn’t realize you had to opt out of them, sharing your information so every candidate, organization, in the world has my info and now I, as well as you, receive all these texts and emails. I used to give five or $10 here or there when I could now I can’t give anything because the bots increase. They screwed themselves if I have the money I will only give through an independent confirmed, verified website for that organization or candidate. Actblue needs to fix this or candidates need to create their own stream for giving because it’s messed up, and it is so easy to create a website, pretending to be for some worthy cause when it’s not, so the ball is in their court.
I delete about 1,000 emails a week. Most of them are asking for money. Does "Sign the petition" please donate sound familiar? The postal mail I get is mostly asking for donations. I've been donating online only for at least 15 years now so I don't know why they're spending money sending me mail. I made a donation a few weeks ago and received another e-mail request from that same organization literally within 15 minutes. It's out of control.
Interesting point about the physical mail. I don’t get anything by mail except from my alma mater’s alumni association, which seems to know my next address before I do. I don’t get email solicitations and I get only a few texts a month. I added my name address to a no junk mail list a while back but I still get some, and I’ve donated recently so I’m curious if that is why. I’d love to know how all this works, because the way they sleuth us out is kind of impressive.
"Start where you are. Do what you can. Use what you have." - Arthur Ashe. Every small action counts and pushes back against despair. We are all exhausted. Try to also be kind.
Thank you for this compassionate article.
I am 72 years old, the daughter of a WWII veteran, and my lineage goes back to 1667.
I cannot continue to give money, so I use old-fashioned social media:
I use every daily business interaction that I possibly can to express my deep outrage about this despicable and treasonous administration. When I call my bank, schedule an appointment, get my car serviced, buy groceries or gas, ride in a taxi, at the library, etc, the very least I say is, “No Kings!!!”.
I empathize with the worker either by sharing in a conversation about our common outrage or by telling them that I understand that they cannot reply. But I am the customer and I CAN AND WILL SPEAK.
For example, when asked “Will there be anything else, Mam?”, I say “Yes. Just one more thing-There are NO KINGS in the United States of America!”.
I do not torture people, so I make my point quickly.
Of course I am careful when it feels unsafe, but it is very rare for me not to briefly say my piece/peace right now.
I vote with every dollar I spend.
Eye to eye, personal, open, and striving towards a more perfect union — this is the country I know and the one I will work body and soul to save.
Remember these words on the Revolutionary War flag:
TYRANNY SHALL NOT PREVAIL!
So many are working multiple jobs, raising kids and struggling to pay bills. Leaving little time for anything else. Understanding, compassion and some practical help go a long way.
Simple solution: instead of doing work or teaching,etc everyone call your senators,govenors, Congresspeople,call the white house,call ICE,call your state legislatures and refuse to work, buy or pay taxes until trump regime resignes. Just stop helping them step on your neck! I have been calling since 2025 use Five calls and other methods. Take your child with you and visit your local office of your congressmen or senators : make them as miserable as they have made you.
Exactly 💯
Stop making people “register” to get the information on where protests are going to take place. We are not trending towards authoritarianism, we’re there. Post where the protest is happening and I’ll be there! But make me register with my contact information which goes into a database which can be hacked and I’m not taking part. Not only do I get emails daily asking for money, I also get emails regularly that my contact information has been part of a breach.
MAY DAY is a perfect chance to get non-voting friends Involved in resistance, esp ones too busy sticking their heads in sand to attend protests. feel free to copy pasta my message below to your own such friends:
MAY 1. You don't have to go anywhere for this one but put it on your calendar. All you need to do is BOYCOTT EVERYTHING. Don't do work a corporate master gets a cut of, don't shop anywhere a corporate master makes a profit from, don't drive anywhere, and unplug everything in your house you don’t need. The only thing that seems to alter the course of a fascist regime is to hit em in the wallet. MAYDAY. it has a successful revolutionary history, look it up. and please help spread the word to other platforms. 🧚🏽♂️link fairy sez more info here https://maydaystrong.org/
The wallet, like the pen, is mightier than the sword. As when it started with Walmart, Home Depot, Starbucks, Disney Channel.
Amazon, Target, and the Dictator's favourite because the Dictator's favourite's name is part of its own: McDonald's!
Thank you so much! I had forgotten those three. Though I had said good-bye to Amazon a few months ago, after receiving my last books and DVD films.
In terms of showing up to protests, accessibility is also an issue. The local protest here decided to move to a location that isn't accessible so we had to stop going. We still do some other stuff (5 calls, donating to groups like the local food banks, etc), but that kind of thing does feel alienating ngl.
I went to No Kings 1, 2 and 3 despite my stage 4 avn arthritis and muscular atrophy knocking me down with pain. It will only get worse. I used my giant sized rollator. But I know people out there can't get out of bed. Or have multiple kids to care for. Their voices are some of the most deeply affected by the magalomania of this administration! How can they be heard, counted, and have effect?!
It's not easy. Standing against forces designed to crush a person is a lot to ask. Remember this is nothing new, just more difficult because it is other Americans among us who are fomenting the dangers. Everyone is eager for the nightmare to end but at a loss for how much longer we'll be able to withstand the overwhelming domination of amorality. Simply expressed, don't give up. Do what you can in any manner possible for you as an individual. Just never give up, NEVER. Because the enemy is counting on you to do exactly that. Their method is always to defeat us by default, so stand firm, don't allow despair to overcome the desire to defend our freedoms. Every effort is important. VOTE, replace rotten Republicans with progressive representation who recognize the value of humanity over vanity. America was not created for the oligarchs, although they think it was. After 250 years we are again facing an incredible threat that seems to arise every time we are not on our guard. So for each of us the challenge is to not allow it to consume our country. America was never intended to be an empire. Empires destroy freedoms, not nourish them. Remember that.
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Keep up the good work😍
🤝🫡🇺🇸
Vote!!!!! Be informed! Vote!!!! Help others Vote!!!
Just being good to yourself helps because that gives you the energy to be good to others. Do the inner work. We will have a better society when we as humans challenge ourselves to be better.
This is how control actually works.
Not just through power, but through pressure—financial, emotional, constant.
Keep people exhausted, and they don’t have the capacity to push back.
Your absolutely right. I can't attend as many protests right now due to the price of gas and a tight budget but I look for ways to make a difference any way I can and follow through as much as I can.
I’m tired and have an autoimmune disease that makes physical participation “iffy.”
VOTE WE CAN NO LONGER SIT BY AND ASSUME THAT OUR POLITITIONS HAVE THE INTEREST OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FIRST AND FOR MOST AT HEART. WE NEED TO STUDY THE ISSUES AND THE CANDIDATES NOT BY WHAT THEY SAY BECAUSE THEY ALL LIE BUT BY WHAT THEY HAVE SUPPORTED IN THE PAST!