National Guard : Chicago Strikes Back.

 

Chicago Strikes Back, With an Assist from Republican Governors

In the White House view of the world, five vibrant American cities—Washington, Los Angeles, Portland, Memphis, and Chicago—are putrid hellholes, so dangerous and crime-choked that local law enforcement needs federal backup. Last week, President Trump sent in hundreds of Illinois and Texas National Guard members. Their mission was slightly at odds with the claim of urgently needing federal crime-fighters. As in Los Angeles, the Guard troops ended up protecting federal agents and federal buildings. But their real mission was to intimidate and to menace residents and to occupy sections of the city. Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) sued the federal government to end the occupation, citing harms to residents and businesses, the local economy, and depleted tax revenues. Last Thursday, District Court Judge April Perry ruled that the Illinois deployments violated the Tenth and Fourteenth Amendments, issued a 14-day restraining order, and labeled the Trump administration’s perception of events “simply unreliable.” A bipartisan group of 26 former governors, including Democrats and Republicans, filed an amicus brief in the case. The document is a window into how governors view the unprecedented use of the military to punish certain cities for having the temerity to vote for a Democratic candidate for president. But how do current Republican governors view this constitutional crisis? Two men stepped up with answers last week, and they were surprisingly frank. Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma echoed the sentiments in the amicus brief. “As a federalist believer, one governor against another governor, I don’t think that’s the right way to approach this,” he told The New York Times, adding, “Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.” Phil Scott of Vermont said at a press conference: “I don’t think our Guard should be used against our own people. I don’t think the military should be used against our own people. In fact, it’s unconstitutional.” He made an exception for an insurrection, referring specifically to the events of January 6, 2021. Their willingness to speak out against the broadly unpopular policy suggests that the pushback could grow. \Continue reading this story

The Big Reveal.

Something dramatic has happened.

Many people who consider themselves non-political or independent, or moderate Republican, or who even voted for Trump last November, can’t avoid seeing what’s now come so clearly into the open.

And they’re finding it terrifying. 

They’ve watched Trump order the Texas National Guard into Portland and Chicago, over the objections of the mayors of those cities and the governors of Oregon and Illinois. They’ve heard him call for jailing the mayor of Chicago and governor of Illinois for opposing these moves. 

They’ve heard him threaten to invoke the Insurrection Act and send federal troops all over America.

They’ve watched Trump’s ICE agents drag people out of their beds in the middle of the night, zip-tie them and their children, and haul them away. 

They’ve seen Trump’s prosecutors indict the attorney general of New York state because she held Trump accountable for fraud. And seen him threaten to do the same to a California senator because he conducted hearings in the House exposing Trump’s role in the attack on the Capitol. 

They’ve heard Trump say he can kill anyone who he claims is an enemy combatant trafficking drugs. 

They’ve heard Trump direct the IRS, FBI, and Justice Department against liberal groups that oppose him — George Soros’s Open Society Foundation; ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising organization; Indivisible, the community-based resistance organization. 

And they watched him take off the air comedians who criticize him — Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel. 

All across America, millions of people who have avoided politics, or identified as independents or moderate Republicans or even Trump voters, are shaken by what they’re seeing and hearing. 

It’s no longer Democrat versus Republican or left versus right. 

It’s now democracy versus dictatorship. Right versus wrong.  It’s no longer a war on undocumented immigrants. It’s now a war on Americans. 

It’s no longer a foreign enemy. It’s now the “enemy within.” 

Across the land, average Americans are realizing that they too could be dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night by Trump’s ICE agents, or tear-gassed and arrested by Trump’s National Guard, or targeted by Trump’s prosecutors, or shot by Trump’s military.

The Big Reveal is that all of us are now endangered.

Multiple polls show Trump’s approval tanking, but I think it runs deeper than this. 

Something dramatic has happened over the last two weeks — as America sees more vividly than ever who Trump is, where he and his trio of lapdogs (Miller, Vought, and Vance) want to take the country, and how we’re all potential targets. 

The Big Reveal is impossible not to see. Trump and his lapdogs are doing all of this completely in the open. They have no shame. 

Most Americans abhor what they see, because what they see is abhorrent. This is how the great sleeping giant of America awakens, roars, and puts an end to it. 

Robert Reich, 

https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/sunday-thought-the-big-reveal?

 

 

 

Showing Up for Democracy

 Showing Up

Endorse No Kings

 

With No Kings rallies and marches being organized across the country, DSA has an obligation and opportunity to be present and engaged with the popular front against fascism. We can show the millions of outraged working people in this country that we need more than a return to the collapsing neoliberal order. We can show up on the streets and declare that to fight fascism, we must build socialism. Read about why DSA must step up to meet the moment by endorsing the No Kings marches and rallies and turning out to organize people into DSA in Maine DSA and Groundwork member Marianne's article: "Harness Street Power: Endorse No Kings!"

Harness Street Power:
Endorse No Kings!
READ HERE

Call on NPC to Endorse No Kings!

This is the second No Kings mobilization, and we have a big opportunity to build socialism and fight fascism. The first “No Kings” protests, on June 14th, 2025, were the largest single-day protests in recent American history, with over five million people participating. Joining this second round of protests is an opportunity for DSA chapters to recruit new members, present a working-class message to millions, and prove that socialism beats fascism!

We’re asking the National Political Committee (NPC) – DSA’s elected leadership between conventions – to issue a public endorsement and utilize national channels to help chapters connect to “No Kings” protests near them. A timely national endorsement would help chapters coordinate rides, marshaling, and unified messaging alongside labor and community allies. 

Call on the NPC to Endorse No Kings!
SIGN THE PETITION HEREOnly DSA members can sign this. But, there are other petitions you can sign. 

Join Our No Kings Day Organizing Strategies Call

This is a chance for DSA chapters to recruit new members and get our narrative out there that socialism beats fascism! Next Tuesday, October 14th at 5:30 PT/8:30 ET, join Groundwork members as we discuss successful strategies to get the most out of our presence at this nationwide event.

RSVP here for the Zoom Link

The Rift in American Socialism

The Rift in American Socialism: Today on TAP: Realists (Mamdani, AOC) seek immersion in mass politics; fundamentalists oppose it.

The Trump/ MAGA assault on Higher Education

 Timothy Snyder explains the crisis all.

https://snyder.substack.com/p/save-american-higher-education-video?

ICE, and Trump Maga Forces have gone mad !! No Kings

 

The gloves have COMPLETELY come off. Last week, Trump vowed to turn our cities into “training grounds” for the military – and now he’s making good on those threats. ICE agents are storming apartment buildings in Chicago by helicopter, separating families, dragging children into the streets. They’re firing chemical agents into crowds. They’re using military-style tactics on children, US citizens, and ANYONE who stands in their way. This is Trump’s plan: to terrify us into silence, to stampede through our streets with unchecked power. We CANNOT let him get away with it. If you’re furious and ready to fight back, help make No Kings Day on October 18 the largest day of action in Our Revolution’s history. Give what you can now and together let’s show Trump that his scare tactics will only bring MORE of us out into the streets. As Trump tries to deploy the military to Portland, Chicago, Memphis, and threatens even more cities, what he’s doing is clear. He’s using our military as a weapon against our own people. It’s completely chilling. And it’s escalating by the day: This is not a drill. And he won’t stop at Chicago. We aren’t backing down. As Trump continues to unleash his shock troops, we MUST respond with solidarity, courage, and action. No Kings Day isn’t just a protest – it’s a statement that WE, the people, refuse to bow to authoritarian thugs. Our movement is preparing to flood the streets with bold, peaceful resistance on a massive scale. Our Revolution is mobilizing the grassroots to show up in enormous numbers on October 18. We’re readying banners, speakers, organizers, and preparing legal support to keep everyone safe. We’ll be out in force, but we can’t maximize turnout and cover the costs of dozens of events – permits, supplies, safety equipment – without your help. Trump is watching to see if we’ll back down. Let’s show him the answer is NO. Our team is hard at work organizing dozens of events to make this the biggest No Kings Day yet. Will you contribute today and help us make No Kings Day a day of people power Trump will never forget? When we organize, we win. Our Revolution P.S. RSVP here to join a No Kings Day protest on October 18

Military Go Home !!

 Important. Keep the demonstrations non violent.  They win if the military is consolidated by violence.

Oaths of Enlistment and Oaths of Office

The wordings of the current oath of enlistment and oath for commissioned officers are as follows:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

 

(Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." 

 

 Signs can say:

Military Go Home. 

Resources for National Guard & Military

·       Encrypted support form from About Face (for Guard/Active Duty resisting deployment): bit.ly/MilOptions

·       Legal help: National Institute of Military Justice

·       GI Rights Hotline - highly trained counselors that can confidentially talk through options and risks with military members - https://girightshotline.org/ 1-877-447-4487

·       Know Your Rights (Military): bit.ly/militaryKYR

Dealing with our national trauma.

The Trauma is real.   

The suffering is real.

We need to take care of ourselves - and support one another.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-a-national-trauma?

Sacramento Anti Ice Protest

 Hello all,  big thank you to Dan Bacher for his article in the SB&R featuring --Sacramento groups say ‘No’ to ICE’s reported profiling and alleged violence against immigrants

https://sacramento.newsreview.com/2025/09/30/sacramento-groups-say-no-to-ices-reported-profiling-and-alleged-violence-against-immigrants/

Shut Down - Show Down

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/this-shutdown-is-different?

Report from Portland

 https://thecoopscoop.substack.com/p/report-from-portland?

Portland

Why Do Fascists Fear Teachers ?

Why Do Fascists Fear Teachers? :  Randi Weingarten 

Because We Want Kids to Think—and Read—for Themselves

When he was still a student at Morehouse College, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an essay in the student newspaper titled “The Purpose of Education.”⁵ He argued that education has two main purposes: “the one is utility and the other is culture.” Education helps students develop concrete skills and tools and learn how to use them to achieve their goals in life. But that second purpose King wrote about? That purpose is really democracy. “To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.”

“The function of education,” Dr. King went on, “is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” Critical thinking is vital to accurately understanding societal problems that need to be solved and, together with our civic peers, engaging, analyzing, and innovating as we constantly renew and reinvent our democracy. Critical thinking is the most important muscle in the exercise of democracy. No wonder fascists want to weaken it.

Democracy is being deeply, substantively engaged in the problems and solutions of our society. Which means critical thinking and education are absolutely essential to and intertwined with the practice of democracy. When we think critically, we have our own ideas and opinions, but we simultaneously scrutinize them, weighing other facts and ideas to be as rational as possible. We listen to and really wrestle with ideas and opinions that conflict with our own. And we engage earnestly with people who may think differently from us, exchanging facts and opinions, not taunts and smears.

“Democracies die more often through the ballot box than at gunpoint,” writes historian Heather Cox Richardson in her book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.⁶ Fascist leaders may campaign for our votes, but modern democracies more often fall because of autocratic candidates who work within the system to dismantle it, rather than because of coups or military takeovers. Prominent authoritarianism historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat explains that fascist and authoritarian leaders want to “damage or destroy democracy.”⁷ Democracy is people power. But fascists want one leader or a small group of elites to have all the power.

The problem for fascists, then, is that a public with strong critical-thinking muscles is more likely to strengthen democracy and resist authoritarianism. Scholars who study democracy worldwide are incredibly clear on this point: “On the whole, higher levels of education are associated with stronger democracies—a country with an educated populace is more likely to become or remain a democracy.”⁸ Looking at data from Latin American elections, researchers Amy Erica Smith and Mollie J. Cohen found that “The more education you have, the less likely you are to vote for an authoritarian.”⁹ In fact, some global scholars have gone as far as to suggest that “education causes democracy.”¹⁰

So is the opposite true? Yes, history has shown us that. For instance, in 2017, the Financial Times found that among Dutch voters, having attained less education was the greatest predictor of support for the country’s anti-immigrant, far-right political party.¹¹ And after winning a primary election during the 2016 election, Donald Trump bragged how well he did with certain demographics, saying, “We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.”¹² This may or may not have been just another sloppy aside from Trump, but it does reflect a deeper truth. Donald Trump was able to rise to power, yes, because of his keen political instincts and charisma, but also because he routinely says things he thinks voters want to hear, whether he can actually do anything about them or not.

Authoritarians actively attack truth, knowledge, and critical thinking because an uninformed public is easier to control. Degrading public education and critical-thinking skills may only prime more Americans to not recognize disinformation and misinformation and take authoritarian leaders like Trump at their word. Psychologist Bob Altemeyer studied personality traits that make people more receptive to authoritarian leaders. In his 2006 book The Authoritarians, Altemeyer documented his “Right-Wing Authoritarianism” scale, writing:

The authoritarian follower makes himself vulnerable to malevolent manipulation by chucking out critical thinking and prudence as the price for maintaining his beliefs. He’s an “easy mark,” custom-built to be snookered. And the very last thing an authoritarian leader wants is for his followers to start using their heads, to start thinking critically and independently about things.¹³

In other words, those inclined to support authoritarianism exhibit a general avoidance of or allergy to critical thinking. And authoritarians like it that way.

 

 See Also;  Choosing Democracy: A Practical Guide to Multicultural Education.  4th. edition.  201o. Allyn and Bacon.  by Duane Campbell  Used copies on the web very low priced. 

https://www.aft.org/ae/fall2025/weingarten_book?

Acts of Violence Targeting Teachers

Sept.22, 2025 

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten released the following statement in response to the targeting of educators in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk:

“Acts of violence and hate must be condemned, always. They are antithetical to democracy and the values we try to instill as teachers.

“Last week, anyone with a social media feed—including children—witnessed a devastating tragedy, a horrific act of political violence, that has traumatized the nation. Since then, teachers and many others we represent across the country have tried to deal with the effects of that trauma as it is playing out in classrooms, campuses, caregiving sites and other settings.

“Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and former presidents rightly recognized this moment as an inflection point, a time not just to denounce the Kirk killing as the political violence that it was, but to find a way to come together and to de-escalate.

“The current administration, unfortunately, has not. And some are weaponizing this moment.

“Of course, no one should celebrate another person’s murder. But using this tragedy to encourage the doxxing, censorship and firing of people for their opinions—including educators’ private opinions shared during their personal time—is wrong.

“Conservatives, too, are warning against going down this dangerous road. They know this sends the absolute wrong message to chill speech—one of the most important freedoms in our country.

“Americans must be able to exercise their First Amendment rights in their personal lives, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with them. None of us who values freedom should ever want to relinquish that right.

“We once again are calling for an end to the hate and the smears. We must find ways to tone down the rhetoric and disagree civilly.

“As the framers envisioned, education is the path to civil debate and open inquiry—and teachers promote these founding principles of our nation every day in their classrooms.

“Let’s recognize the hard work they do, particularly in the wake of this tragedy and so many others we’ve faced as a nation, to assuage students’ trauma and create safe and welcoming environments where every student can succeed.

“Let’s denounce political violence, find that exit ramp, find ways to de-escalate—and let’s do it without eroding constitutional rights.”

# # # #

The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.

See Also;  Choosing Democracy: A Practical Guide to Multicultural Education.  4th. edition.  201o. Allyn and Bacon.  by Duane Campbell  Used copies on the web very low priced. 

Freedom of Speech

Timothy Snyder,  On Target.

https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/speak-truth-to-power?

 

Jon Stewart's Post-Kimmel Primer on Free Speech in the Glorious Trump Er...

Trump Tightens His Control of the Media

 https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-disastrous-defamations?

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-disastrous-defamations?

Immigrant Defense and the Fight Against Fascism.

 Excellent article.

I am unable to repost for unknown reasons.  

https://open.substack.com/pub/liberationroad/p/immigrant-defense-is-the-frontline?\

: Trump Uses State Power Against Comedians

RS Seminar- Economic Crisis: Trump Uses State Power Against Comedians:   Trump and the Project 2025 plan is to rapidly shock the system and invoke a state of paralysis so they can take permanent control of the c...

New Poll. Americans Prefer Democratic Socialism

 

New Poll: Democratic Socialism Is Now Mainstream The Editors of Jacobin September 15, 2025 Jacobin A national poll from Jacobin, DSA Fund, and Data for Progress finds broad support for democratic socialist leaders and left-wing policies. Politicians like Zohran Mamdani and Bernie Sanders may be “outsiders” among the political class, but the numbers show that their policy positions reflect mainstream American opinion., Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images   A new national survey commissioned by DSA Fund and Jacobin, with support from the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, and fielded by Data for Progress (N=1,257 likely voters; MOE ±3) takes stock of where democratic socialism stands with the electorate — and what it would take to build stable, working-class majorities beyond deep-blue districts. Among Democrats, democratic socialists enjoy significant popularity. The poll’s findings include: Democrats prefer democratic socialism to capitalism by a 58 point margin. Socialism wins overall with likely voters under forty-five years old. Democrats prefer left-wing political figures similar to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and Zohran Mamdani over establishment politicians similar to Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Nancy Pelosi by a 20 point margin. This was also true across party lines in critical voting blocs: noncollege (+9), Latinos (+30). Candidates who identify as democratic socialists are viewed just as favorably (+69) among registered Democrats as candidates who identify only as Democrats (+67). “These results tell a clear story: democratic socialism is now mainstream,” said DSA Fund executive director Gabe Tobias. “Far from a liability, the ‘democratic socialist’ label is now how voters recognize a leader who they can trust to fight for them. And far from fringe, DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] actually represents the majority political views of Democratic voters.” The poll also found support for egalitarian policy positions among Republicans and independents: 70% of all respondents say that our economic system is “rigged in favor of corporations and the wealthy” and needs to be replaced; this includes 67% of independents and 58% of Republicans. 59% of respondents (and 58% of Republicans) blame landlords and banks more than government regulation for the high cost of housing. 83% of respondents agree that social work and mental health are necessary parts of a public safety budget; this includes 81% of independents and 80% of Republicans. This was true across all partisan, racial/ethnic, geographic, and class groups. 15% of Donald Trump voters prefer democratic socialism to capitalism. These voters tended to be younger and non-white. “This poll underscores that the term ‘democratic socialism’ now communicates something very practical to American voters: the kind of economic security and fairness once associated with the New Deal tradition,” said Bhaskar Sunkara, president of the Nation magazine and founding editor of Jacobin.   The poll was conducted from August 22 to 24, 2025. It surveyed 1,257 likely voters nationwide using web panel respondents. It was conducted by Data for Progress for the DSA Fund, Jacobin magazine, and the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. Read the survey here. Full crosstabs here. Political Polling; Bernie Sanders; Zohran Mamdani; Democratic Socialism;

Trump's Phase II Assault on Democracy Has Begun. Fight back.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-phase-2-now-begins?

 

“These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.”

-Thomas Paine

December 23, 1776. 

 

Driving Off a Cliff ? The U.S.Economy

 

U.S. Economy.

Driving Off a Cliff.

“They got some basic problems. They’re very expensive and they don't go far.” 
—Donald Trump at a campaign event, 2024. 

 “An unpleasant aberration that would vanish, if there was justice in heaven.”
—General Motors on the small car market, late 1960s.

Auto and auto parts production is globally the second largest manufacturing industry by employment and the highest by value of output. And with Henry Ford’s creation of the assembly line in the 1910s, the industry came to symbolize the United States as a global manufacturing power. Detroit was the “Motor City,” with a cultural impact beyond simply the number of cars produced—remember the “Motown Sound”?

There were competitors, but the U.S. auto industry was dominant well into the 1950s, when two-thirds of all globally manufactured vehicles were made in the United States. The first serious challenge to U.S. dominance came from Japan—small, convenient cars that U.S. auto executives dismissed as low quality and unreliable, insisting that U.S. car buyers really preferred the mammoth, fuel-guzzling, high-profit vehicles with new models produced each year.

By 1967 the United States moved from a net auto exporter to a net auto importer. 

Today, the global auto market produces more than 75 million new cars a year. The United States is the second largest producer but only accounts for about 11% of the total. China is the largest, accounting for one-third.

 

https://www.dollarsandsense.org/driving-off-a-cliff/

….

Bill Barclay

Bill Barclay is a member of the Chicago Political Economy Group and a member of the Ventura County, Calif. chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). He worked for more than two decades in fin

 

 

  

The Steady Work of Moral Resistance

 The Steady Work of Moral Resistance

Authoritarians want a show down, but moral movements win the long game

JONATHAN WILSON-HARTGROVE

 AND 

WILLIAM J. BARBER, II

SEP 08, 2025

•  

Millions of Americans were heartened on June 14^th - No Kings Day - to meet our neighbors on the street in an historic demonstration of resistance to the authoritarian abuses of the Trump regime. The illegal firings of federal workers, the cancelation of federal grants, the shakedowns of corporations and universities, the violations of due process, and the usurpation of Congressional authority had advanced at breakneck speed since Trump returned to the Oval Office. A “flood the zone” strategy was designed to overwhelm resistance while the carefully laid plans of Project 2025 were put into place.

https://ourmoralmoment.substack.com/p/the-steady-work-of-moral-resistance?

 

 

The economics of Oligarchy

 by Heather Cox Richardson.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-3-2025?

Labor and Organizing to Resist Fascism Today

 https://ourmoralmoment.substack.com/p/labors-power-to-check-authoritarians?

The Poor People's Campaign