Freedom Writers 2/17/25
Freedom Writers Community Swim! (No actions today. Just some great shares and a survey.)
Thanks to the awesome unknown person who brought this sign to the Springfield, MA action today!
Hello, Freedom Writers!
In Today’s Post:
How did you spend your President’s Day? - Show and tell!!!
Florida oh, Florida! - FL Special Elections - What do you think? (A Community Survey)
From Mary Friedman: To A.O.C., for talking back to White Christian Nationalists, I say "Preach it Sister!"
From Paul Lipke: Checklist for Pre-Emptive Disobedience!
In other news, the AP stands tall! (And a brand new Freeedom Writers Info Sheet called “Keeping Your Cool Under the Trumpe Regime.”)
How did you spend your President’s Day?
I attended one of the hundreds of actions that happened nationwide today. I went to the one in Springfield, MA. A larger than normal crowd attended for Springfield. It showed me that we’re on our way. We’ll have to grow more to overcome the Trump Regime, but I believe we will get there, and we will get our democracy back.
We must NOT be the first generation in the history of our great United States of America to lose our democracy.
(No pressure.)
… so, how did you spend your President’s Day? - Oh, please send pics!
(If you have any trouble sending messages with these two buttons, please let me know at ebfreed@freedomwritersinc.com.)
Florida, oh Florida!
On April 1, the Dem leaning voters in two FL Districts (Dist 1 and 6) will have the power to change the balance of the US House of Representatives from a 217 to 215 (a GOP majority), to 217 to 217 (a tie).
NOTE: Currently, the house now has 218, but it includes Elise Stefanik (R-NY) who is stepping down to become Trump's United Nations ambassador. A special election will also be held in NY to fill her seat soon.
On April 1, Florida will hold special elections to fill the seats of 2 US House seats vacated by Matt Gaetz and
We want to know what you think!
Some people are saying the likelihood of winning these races are slim because they are heavily MAGA areas, so we should spend our energy on this.
Others are saying we should not abandon the DEMs in the region, and there might be enough MAGA voters who are upset about Trump’s new Regime to either vote against him or not vote at all.
What do you think? Take this survey:
AOC Rocks the Pulpit on White Christian Nationalists - From Freedom Writer, Mary Friedman
This is A.O.C. talking back to White Christian Nationalists. I say "Preach it Sister!!!" Peace, Mary F
Prepare for the Mayhem - From Freedom Writer, Paul Lipke
Given what we’re facing, I feel it’s time to get creative. Here are some thoughts you might consider as you prepare.
Prepare for mayhem in the economy and in society at large.
Build/support community, help your neighbors, BIPOC and youth…
Look after the essentials: food, housing, water, energy…
Prepare to advocate for and support a prolonged effort in non-violent civil disobedience.
Call for the creation of a caretaker government (Lead by the Obamas?), backed by our military and local law enforcement, based on their allegiance to the Constitution (not an office-holder).
It appears nothing less will prevent the destruction of our pluralistic democracy.
Prepare for Musk and his minions to get access to/control of the ACH, the Automated Clearing House, that handles all electronic payments, i.e. bank to bank transfers, electronic financial transactions, accounts, etc. He wants to make X a clearing house platform (or the only one?).
Talk to your bank, investment and financial managers about your concerns, and ask what they are doing proactively to ensure your funds are protected, such as adding additional internal systems that require your direct authorization/verification for any transaction, in each instance.
You may want to limit/end your own use of automated payments.
Consider what you can do to support a general strike, should there need to be one.
Also consider what you can do to help gov’t and NGOs at all levels withstand the threat of attacks from DC, and/or a capital strike.
Educate yourself about efforts to resist and overcome autocracy/dictatorship in other countries and across history.
In other news, the AP stands tall!
In our new Freedom Writers INFO SHEET, “Keeping Your Cool Under the Trump Regime,” we talk about the AP (Associated Press) as being one of our few remaining Free Trusted News Sources (FTNS’s). The AP, like many of the others, is under direct assault from the Trump Regime.
Here’s a quote from Heather Cox Richardson’s excellent Substack “Letters from an American” 2/14/25 post about the AP (Associated Press) and Trump’s attempt to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
“Although tech companies and various media outlets have accepted Trump’s language, the Associated Press has continued to use the internationally accepted, historic name: the Gulf of Mexico. The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news cooperative founded in 1846 that produces and distributes news reports across the country and the world. White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich today claimed that the AP’s use of “Gulf of Mexico” showed its “commitment to misinformation,” and announced that the AP would be barred from the Oval Office and Air Force One.”
All the more reason for us to download the ***FREE*** AP app (through the app store on your phone) and use it regularly to get trustworthy news!
Thank you so much for helping us save our democracy
EB Freed and Billy J
A great rally in Springfield yesterday! Wonderful posters too. Standing in the midst of so many like-minded people, I never noticed the wind! The steps and area around City Hall were clear of ice. Thanks to the workers who made it safe for us. Thank you to the organizers.