Resistance is not futile
Faithful Citizen by Harold Thomas
There is a race in the Star Trek universe known as the Borg that is a “hive mind”, or collective intelligence. It expands its reach by incorporating the knowledge of other races into its own, then stripping their people of free well turning them into Borg. Upon first contact with another race, they will say “Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.”
The Trump Administration, especially the “Department of Government Efficiency”, is unconstitutionally seizing power at such a breakneck pace, it can make us feel like we are being assimilated into some kind of alien nation. I keep reading posts in Facebook and Substack from people wondering what can be done. The process can still be reversed, but we need to change how we feel about becoming activists ourselves. As events proceed, we will learn useful tactics to resist governmental overreach, but following is an outline of the strategy I would recommend.
What we can do now
Do what we have always done as citizens:
Stay informed, using reliable sources, and share that information with others.
Understand the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights, and use social media to urge others to refamiliarize themselves with the Constitution and our rights as Americans.
Put pressure on our Members of Congress and Senators — especially Republicans — to hold the Administration accountable for executing the laws according to the Constitution. The Supreme Court is not designed as a bulwark against this kind of attack. It needs Congressional backup to enforce the Constitution effectively.
Put pressure on our state and local governments not to co-operate with any unconstitutional federal initiative.
What we should prepare to do
If we start to see egregious attacks on the First (free speech, press, and religion), Second (firearms ownership), or Fourth Amendments (protection against unreasonable searches and seizures), we must act as though the Constitution be still in effect. At this point, we begin the kind of civil disobedience that characterized the work of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Like them, we will have to accept the possibility of our arrest — but our courage will inspire others to follow us. Such actions are necessarily non-violent1, and follow the example of our earliest Christians, who applied civil disobedience against the Roman Empire to practice their faith, even at the risk of torture and martyrdom. With this in mind:
Stay informed and exercise your rights of citizenship as though the Constitution be still in effect.
Keep by your door and with you the text of the Fourth Amendment. When accosted by “authorities,” demand that they produce a warrant, and if they fail to do so, do not fight them, but make them physically move you from where you are. Do not co-operate in any way other than to give your name and address. Exercise your rights to remain silent and to contact a defense attorney.
Join in demonstrations against governmental abuses of power.
Following is the text of the Fourth Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Resistance is not futile, but we may be living in a time when “the tree of liberty must … be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants” (Thomas Jefferson). If we, fearing for our lives or families, let them get their way, we will deserve the tyranny we get. Fearing for ourselves is cowardice. Fearing for our families is good — but weigh that fear against the kind of society we will leave our children and grandchildren if we give in to that fear.
For further reading
To better understand how to respond to tyranny, I highly recommend an essay by the Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn in 1974 before he was exiled to the United States. Entitled “Live Not By Lies,” he frankly describes how people are mentally and spiritually beaten into submission by an oppressive régime and urges them to change how they think.
In our anger, it is tempting to imagine that violence is necessary; but history shows that violent revolutions bring about unpredictable results. In this country, a violent reaction by citizens would likely result in a chaos even worse than the tyranny we want to overcome. As Dr. King’s experience showed, non-violent protest may, and often does, ignite a violent response, so we must be mentally prepared for that possibility. However, the examples of the independence of India (Gandhi) and the Civil Rights movement show that non-violent resistance is more likely to produce the desired result.
Very excellent post, Harold. I will share it.