By Terry Gips
Editor’s Note: This is a personal reflection from Terry Gips to inspire awareness and discussion.
Should we go to the streets to protest and/or stop work and use our economic power to send an even bigger message? That is the question.
Yes, it’s finally happening. He’s circumventing the law and sending in the military against civilians without consent from local and state government.
This is how dictators are made. These are the most outlandish first steps to Trump becoming Dictator-in-Chief (DIC). I’ve predicted it for some time but didn’t imagine he would start by using the National Guard, followed by Marines.
Unless Trump invokes the high bar of the Insurrection Act, he is not allowed to temporarily suspend another US law that forbids federal troops from conducting civilian law enforcement.
His sending in troops without invoking the Insurrection Act is Trump’s simple test to determine whether or not Republicans in Congress, the Courts or We the People have the guts and fearlessness to assure the rule of law and stop his destruction of our democracy.
But as you’ll see, how we counter this unprecedented assault really matters so we don’t fall into the clever trap Trump has laid for us.
One Approach: Taking It to the Streets
To the streets you say? According to the Trump-Hegseth playbook, that’s exactly what they want us to do. They know us too well.
It’s the perfect trap. Go into the streets, have a little violence (possibly incited by their own paid agents) and call in the Marines and Army (tho he did surprise me with the National Guard, just to flaunt and test Gov. Newsom as Trump seeks to take him out from the Presidency and turn California Red again).
Trump seeks to win the PR war by doing this under the name of protecting property and people from the out of control, violent, extremist, anti-American, Nazi-loving, woke left Communists. He’s saving California and the country, right?!
So you’re getting upset and anger is growing across the country? He and Department of Defense Secretary Hegseth say to bring it on! Yes, to the streets where the military is prepared to do massive arrests and remove us from the picture. That will beget more protests and sadly, violence from some people, which will ensure an intensifying battle necessitating martial law.
I can see mass flights to countries Trump will pay billions to in order to lock us up for good. That’s a nice Final Solution (so you’ve heard that phrase before as applied to Hitler’s plans for us Jews and others?).
A National Emergency or Elections Minus Us?
At that point, one of two things can happen. He simply declares a National Emergency and takes all power, calling off the 2026 and 2028 elections, finally fulfilling his dream of emulating his long-admired all-powerful, kleptocratic, self-enriching dictator Big Brother Bros Putin, Xi and Orban.
Or, he will have removed enough of us from the voter rolls that he can proceed with “elections” and a slight Constitutional change allowing the fulfillment of his dream, having a third and unlimited number of Presidential terms…until his fried chicken kills him.
Another Approach: Stop Work and Use Our Economic Power!
So, what might be better and more immediately effective than the streets? A nationwide stop work and Boycott or Buycott. Shut it down! Send a real signal to the crony capitalists and make them pay. That will awaken Wall Street and affect their billions. Plus, you won’t have to spend your time in jail or getting banished to some other country.
Yes, not everyone can afford to take a day off of work. That’s fine because if enough of us do, it will still shock the system and be a wake-up call to our collective power.
And boycotts can be inconvenient, especially when you depend on a product. Then boycott a different product you don’t need or do a buycott supporting companies doing the right thing.
There are plenty of examples of using such power. The richest man in the world is being taught a lesson on this. Poor (on oh so many levels) Elon’s net worth has plunged $27 billion according to Forbes, thanks to his horrific DOGE chainsaw actions, attempts to buy elections like in Wisconsin, financial support of ultra-right, Nazi-sympathizing parties in Europe, and big bigoted mouth (tho I hope he keeps trashing Trump’s “Big Ugly Budget”).
He is learning that being bad can bite. The Europeans are teaching his Tesla a lesson by dropping sales 70%!
The Black Boycott of Target over its sudden termination of DEI has tanked its foot traffic, sales and stock price, at long last forcing the Target CEO to cry uncle and seek talks with the Boycott organizers.
We can speak truth to power but we need to be strategic about our use of force. Let’s get to the right battle stations as Trump is firing the first shots in LA.
The Question a Friend Asked: Should We Not Protest?
I don’t like telling people what they should or shouldn’t do as I think it’s an individual choice and we need to use as many individual levers of power as possible.
I will be peacefully protesting this Saturday on No Kings Day. But, I won’t if it looks like there will be violence. In many areas this might be the case and then ALL of us might be labeled and locked up.
There are great examples of how overwhelming turnouts of people have brought down governments and massive change, from the Berlin Wall to Egypt. I support those.
However, my purpose is to give everyone an informed choice about what they’re experiencing, knowing there’s a larger playbook Trump is using and suggesting the use of a possibly more effective strategy, especially if violence might occur.