In an effort to be and stay hopeful and proactive moving forward, I shared throughout the day on Facebook today positive and hopeful words and images.
As it’s also Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, I couldn’t think of a better way to start my sharing then with his words!
My second sharing was a meme featuring a quote by writer Madeleine L’Engle.
L’Engle’s words prompted one friend to share the following:
Thanks for what you have posted, Michael. I am sitting here listening to what Trump is saying, and I just want to cry. Much of what is being said is appalling to me. Very uncomfortable. What was I expecting? I should have known better. Has any past President EVER spoken this way at his inauguration?! I make it a practice to never make political commentary, but I just feel sick. I re-read your post multiple times already.
My third sharing today was an inspiration quote from author, activist, and former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, who is currently running to be chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
In honor of Marianne today, the day I would have loved to have seen her sworn in as president, I wore as my undershirt my “Marianne Williamson for President 2024” t-shirt.
Next, another motivating quote. This one by storyteller, author and scholar Michael Meade . . .
My fifth sharing today was Maarva’s posthumous speech from the Star Wars TV series Andor. Her words never fail to move and inspire me. . . . “Fight the empire!”
Now there are many ways to fight the empire, and personally I’m into non-violent resistance. And by “empire” I’m referring to Chris Hedges’s understanding of the American Empire.
It’s the same empire that poet Mary Oliver identifies – one that needs to be named, resisted, and transformed.
My next sharing, which by now was in the late afternoon, was a call to action! It grew out of my becoming today a monthly contributor to (and a “Guardian of Liberty” member of) the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). This sharing consisted of my inviting of my Facebook friends to consider joining me in becoming ACLU members. And I extend this same invitation to you who are reading this!
Click here to make either a one-time or monthly financial contribution to the important work of the ACLU.
I concluded today’s Facebook sharing of hopeful and proactive thoughts by returning to where it all began – the challenging wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bishop Budde Confronts President Trump
on His Anti-Trans and Anti-Immigrant Policies
Related Off-site Links:
A New American Era Is Ushered in By a Familiar Trump – James Oliphant (Reuters, January 20, 2025).
Trump’s Inauguration Revealed Whom He Really Serves: the Billionaires and the Crypto Bros – Chris Lehmann (The Nation, January 20, 2025).
Trump’s Supposed Unity Message Is a Gloating Threat of MAGA Triumphant – Jeet Heer (The Nation, January 20, 2025).
“Rewarding Political Violence,” Felon Trump Pardons January 6 Insurrectionists – Jessica Corbett (Common Dreams, January 20, 2025).
Migrants Left in Despair at the Border as Asylum System Shuts Down – Eyder Peralta and Lexie Schapitl (NPR News, January 20, 2025).
Trump Declares U.S. Will Withdraw from the World Health Organization – Gabrielle Emanuel (NPR News, January 20, 2025).
Trump Rescinds Biden's Census Order, Clearing a Path for Reshaping Election Maps – Hansi Lo Wang (NPR News, January 20, 2025).
Trump Has Pledged an Era of Spectacular Violence. We Can’t Be Passive Onlookers – Khury Petersen-Smith (Truthout, January 19, 2025).
“He Is Who We Think He Is”: Elon Musk Appears to Do Fascist Salutes at Post-Inauguration Celebration – Eloise Goldsmith (Common Dreams, January 20, 2025).
As Trump Takes Office, It’s Time for a Mass Climate Movement – Jeff Ordower (Common Dreams, January 20, 2025).
Impact of Trump Immigration Crackdown Is Swift as Advocates Vow to Fight Back – Julia Conley (Common Dreams, January 20, 2025).
It’s Not That Trump Is Good, It’s That Biden Was Just That Bad – Caitlin Johnstone (CaitlinJohnstone.com, January 20, 2025).
Solidarity Will See Us Through the Second Trump Term – Liza Featherstone (Common Dreams, January 20, 2025).
We Must Keep a Progressive Vision of the Future Alive in the Trump Era – Bernie Sanders (Common Dreams, January 20, 2025).
Why We Need to Move Closer to King’s Understanding of Nonviolence – Kazu Haga (Waging Nonviolence, January 16, 2020).
UPDATES: Alarm Bells Sound as Trump Gets to Work on “Extreme Authoritarian Agenda” – Jessica Corbett (Common Dreams, January 21, 2025).
Federal Workers Sue Trump Over Attempt to Create “Army of Sycophants” – Jake Johnson (Common Dreams, January 21, 2025).
“A Massive Abuse of Emergency Power”: Legality of Trump’s Move to Deploy Troops to Border Is Questioned – Democracy Now! (January 21, 2025).
Immigrant Rights Groups Sue Trump Over Attack on Birthright Citizenship, a “Cornerstone of Our Democracy” – Jake Johnson (Common Dreams, January 21, 2025).
“People Are Afraid”: Immigrant Communities Brace for Raids and Mass Deportation Under Trump – Democracy Now! (January 21, 2025).
Trump’s Military Is a Disaster Waiting to Happen – William Astore (The Nation, January 21, 2025).
“Ghoulish”: Trump Expands Federal Death Penalty – Jessica Corbett (Common Dreams, January 21, 2025).
Trump Rescinds Biden Order Aimed at Lowering Prescription Drug Prices – Jake Johnson (Common Dreams, January 21, 2025).
ACLU’s Chase Strangio: Trump’s Anti-Trans Executive Orders Threaten LGBTQ+ People While Claiming to Defend Women – Democracy Now! (January 21, 2025).
The Imperial Presidency Marches On – Joe Lauria (Consortium News via ScheerPost, January 21, 2025).
Trump Orders Federal Health Agencies to Suspend Advisories and Scientific Reports – Julia Conley (Common Dreams, January 22, 2025).
Everything Trump Did in the First Executive Orders of His Presidency – Bill Barrow (AP News, January 22, 2025).
Donald Trump Is Weaker Than He Looks – Branko Marcetic (Jacobin, January 22, 2025).
Trump’s Billionaires Will Accelerate American Decline: An Interview with Dr. Richard Wolff – The Real News (January 28, 2025).
“Just as Bad as We Feared”: Experts on the Chaos and Carnage of Trump’s First Week – Chauncey DeVega (Salon, January 28, 2025).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Democrat Talk on the Eve of Trump’s Return
• The Lamentable Legacy of the Biden Administration
• Signs of the Times: The 2025 People’s March
• Progressive Perspectives on Where Democrats Went Wrong in the 2024 Election
• “A New Chapter of the Democratic Party Needs to Begin”
See also:
• Remembering and Emulating the Visionary and Radical Martin Luther King Jr.
• Martin Luther King Jr. and Democratic Socialism
• Moderates, Radicals, and MLK
• The Good and Just Society
• Martin Luther King Jr. on the “Most Durable Power in the World”
• For MLK Day
No comments:
Post a Comment