“Trick or treat!”
I couldn’t have been more than five years old.
Dressed in a homemade bunny costume, the poofy tail sagged and swayed as I walked the neighborhood with my mother and sister.
Together with a neighbor and her son Drew, we had circled the block (which was a lot for me at that age) and had come back around to the beginning. To finish off the night, we’d trick-or-treat at the neighbors’ house across the street, and then head home for the candy inspection (Gen Xers know what I’m talking about) and long-awaited sugar rush.
My candy bag was comically full and getting difficult to carry without dragging on the ground. It was such a good haul that the little strings dug into my still-chubby hands, but I wasn’t going to complain about the weight.
The three of us kids approached the neighbors’ front door, rang the bell, and waited. To one side of their front porch was a particularly menacing Halloween prop. At least seven feet tall and grotesque, it was uncomfortable to walk past.
But candy is candy and sugar fosters courage.
Soon enough, the neighbors opened the door and smiled at our costumes and filled up our candy sacks. We dug around in our bags to see what we’d gotten while we tumbled down the front steps.
It was as we walked down the driveway that I heard it. Or felt it. Or just sensed it in the way that little children sense danger.
Something was coming.
I turned to see that the grotesque, menacing Halloween prop had roused itself from the front porch.
Clip–clop. It lurched toward us in strange, herky-jerky movements that made it even scarier. Clip-clop.
I was paralyzed. Terrified. Certain that this was the end.
In times of extreme danger, we default to our factory setting. And that’s when mine kicked in.
While Drew hid behind his mother’s skirt, I whipped around to face the approaching monster head-on. It was now staggering down the driveway toward us, closer and closer. Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Terrified but determined, my little five year old hands grasped my candy sack for dear life …
And started to swing.
Around and around and around I swung that candy sack, building up momentum as I walked toward the danger that I firmly believed would be my demise.
The monster stopped … and leaned backwards, arms outstretched. “No, no, no…” I could hear it stammer.
It could speak?
No matter. No mercy. Nobody was going to take out my family.
If I was going down, I would go down swinging.
I gritted my teeth and let that candy sack fly – and knocked that monster clean off his feet.
And that’s when I saw that the monster was really the tall neighbor boy we had nicknamed Big Bob; dressed in a scary costume, wearing makeup and a wig, and strapped into a pair of stilts.
I had knocked him clear off of those stilts and into the yard, where he lay, sprawled out, shocked.
Most of the rest of that interaction is blurry. But I do remember watching him scuttle away into the dark – fear in his eyes – as a bloodthirsty five-year-old Michele ran after him, bunny ears flopping, cotton tail bouncing, and candy bag swinging.
I had defeated a monster.
Lately it feels like we’re surrounded by monsters.
The people and policies of the Trump administration appear before us as hulking, grotesque creatures. They’re intentionally menacing, demanding that you see them as scary, intimidating, inevitable.
They seem to thrive on fear and see it as sport. But fear – and the paralysis that often comes with it – is also a key piece of their strategy. Their Gish Gallop of bad policy is intended to scare you. To stun you into submission. To get you to hide behind your mom’s skirt, rather than stand your ground and fight back with all the feistiness you can muster.
They want – perhaps even need – you to think that resistance is futile.
Because while they’ve got significant institutional power, they’re not all-powerful. In many ways they rely on the compliance of the rest of us. They’re like neighbor kids on stilts who thrive on terrifying those who are less powerful, but whose power depends upon the fear of the terrorized.
And the second that we (metaphorically) knock them off their feet, the spell is broken.
Whether you want to call it throwing sand in the gears or swinging the candy sack, the concept is the same.
Your compliance greases their wheels.
Your refusal – your defiance – slows them down.
Maybe you register your defiance with calls to Congress. Maybe with a letter to the editor. Maybe by organizing a precinct, registering voters, or recruiting candidates. Maybe by marching, or making art, or writing a blog, or organizing a lobby day in your state legislature…
There are many ways to get in the way. The point is to try. To swing, even if you may miss.
We may not be able to stop everything, but we can at least slow the descent. We can force them to expend political capital and burn time and resources fighting back against a whole horde of people who will not go quietly into that good night. That’s time and resources they cannot expend somewhere else. Remember that by slowing their roll, we limit their damage.
So it’s up to us to get in the way.
A side note that I’ve seen quite a few folks asking: where are the Democrats? Where’s the coordinated response? Where’s the leadership?
I hear that. I feel that. We need to see a lot more fire on our side, and trust me – I’ll be pushing for it because we need to give them the steel backbones they need to stand strong for all of us. But I also know that we don’t need to wait for a leader. We’ve already got ways to fight back – right here, right now. We call, we gather, we speak up – we get in the way in all the ways the grassroots community has gotten in the way for eight years now. We’ve got muscle and expertise – now coupled with the creativity and the passion of those who are new to this fight.
And one last thing.
My whole life I’ve been proud of that Halloween story, because I knew even as a young child that the fight itself is noble, even if the outcome appears inevitable.
I feel the same way about today.
Fighting for humanity, decency, and democracy is always a noble fight – no matter the forecast, and no matter the outcome.
Friend, we have been given the gift of absolute moral clarity, coupled with the ability to do something about it. That is an opportunity. I hope you grab it with both hands.
Don’t forget your candy sack.
Let’s get to work.
Actions for the Week of January 28, 2025
Friend, if you think the world feels heavier this week than ever, you’re not alone. But I’m here to tell you that you can lighten that load by doing something small – a “small deed” – to bring about the world that you want to see.
In doing so we tell the world, the universe, our leaders – and most importantly, ourselves – that we will not go quietly into that good night.
I call it Action Therapy.
That’s why in each Tuesday post I share a few “small things” – usually a Small Thing to Read, a Small Event to Attend, and a Small Call to Make or Action to Take. My intention here is to give you actions you can tuck into your week with ease – and know that you’re doing something today to make tomorrow better.
Join me in doing so, friends. It matters.
Small Call(s) to Make: Oppose Patel, RFK, Jr., and Gabbard
I can’t think of a single Trump nomination that I would support. But three particularly problematic nominees are getting hearings this week: Kash Patel, RFK, Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard. No doubt you’ve already heard a lot about each of them, so I won’t belabor the reasons each is an awful choice.
What I will say is that it is very much worth your time and effort to call your senators. Make these simple scripts – no need to launch into a long explanation unless you truly want to. Don’t have your Senators’ phone numbers programmed into your phone yet? No worries. Find them here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
- Kash Patel: This Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider the nomination of Kash Patel to be the Director of the FBI. Patel is such a bad pick that during Trump’s first term his nomination to be second in command at FBI was blocked by Bill Barr. Yes, that Bill Barr. This is a great backgrounder on Patel: https://indivisible.org/resource/call-your-senators-and-tell-them-oppose-kash-patels-nomination-fbi-directorMissouri folks – both Hawley and Schmitt are on the Judiciary Committee. Your voices are needed this week. Check the members of the Judiciary Committee here: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/Script: Hi, my name is (name) and I’m a constituent at (address/zip). I’m calling to ask the Senator to vote against Kash Patel to lead the FBI.
- RFK, Jr.: RFK, Jr. has been nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Beyond what the media has focused on (his having fringe beliefs about vaccines and raw milk) he is wholly, wildly unqualified for this role. His anti-science positions are dangerous, which has led tens of thousands of physicians to oppose his nomination. (Read more here: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/01/28/nx-s1-5274744/rfk-confirmation-vaccines-health-secretary)He will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Thursday. (MO peeps – Hawley is on the HELP committee.)Script: Hi, my name is (name) and I’m a constituent at (address/zip). I’m calling to ask the Senator to vote against RFK, Jr. to lead HHS. He has no qualifications to lead an agency of this size and his anti-science positions are dangerous. Thank you.
- Tulsi Gabbard: Gabbard has been nominated to lead the Department of National Intelligence – DNI. The head of DNI is responsible for the intelligence community and safeguarding our national security. It’s not a position that should be filled by someone who is referred to by Russian state media as “our girlfriend Tulsi.” Enough said.Gabbard has her hearing before the Intelligence Committee at 10am eastern on Thursday. Go here to see a list of the members of the Intelligence Committee.Script: Hi, my name is (name) and I’m a constituent at (address/zip). I’m calling to ask the Senator to vote against Tulsi Gabbard to lead DNI. She has a background of parroting Russian propaganda that troubles me, and should trouble the Senator. Thank you.
Small Event to Attend: Join Robert Hubbell for a Climate Action Now Panel
H/T to Jess Craven of Chop Wood Carry Water for this event. While we’re doing what we can to fight back against Trump’s agenda, we shouldn’t neglect other important issues too. This is one of them:
Join Climate Action Now and Robert Hubbell (of Today’s Edition) on Wednesday, January 29, from 7-8 pm ET for the Save the EV Tax Credits Action Party. Robert will moderate an expert panel discussing the current situation, and the Climate Action Now team will guide you in taking action to protect the EV tax credits.
Register now for the Wednesday, January 29th Climate Action Party from 7-8 pm ET: https://bit.ly/SaveTheEVTaxCredits
Small Thing to Read: How to Protect Democracy
I won’t lie – there are a lot of resources out there, and plenty of articles promising to be the “top ten ways to protect democracy.” (I’ve read most of them.) This one is excellent for its breadth and depth. As a list, it’s a quick read but has resources to go further and deeper. I thought you’d think it’s worth checking out. https://protectdemocracy.org/how-to-protect-democracy/
Thanks for reading, friend – I’m glad to see you here! You’re making a difference, I promise.
If you like what I do and you want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber. I couldn’t do this without you.
Small Deeds Done 