HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME

Inaugurations prompt reflection and expectation. Why did the country choose Donald J. Trump?  And what lies ahead? Although the president controls only one of the three branches of government and doesn’t have the power to unilaterally swerve in a new direction, Trump’s desire to swerve concerns us. Over the last eight years, the United States has started, slowly, to admit the environmental crisis that our culture’s consumption has sown. The world community accepts that human choice and actions are increasing the global temperature. As a species, we are now acknowledging our responsibility to avoid the predicted—and catastrophic—impacts. The science connecting our conduct to climate change is as clear as the connection between smoking and cancer.

Unfortunately, Trump has dismissed climate concerns repeatedly. In 2012, he said the Chinese created climate change “to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” In 2014, he said climate change “is a hoax; I think the scientists are having a lot of fun.” Just weeks ago, President-Elect Trump said, “nobody really knows” whether climate change is real. Instead, Trump suggests sees environmental regulations as meaningless shackles the U.S. industry must remove.  Although we wish he was correct—he is not.

The President Elect’s disdain for environmental stewardship is a call to action to those of who accept the science of the situation and who are willing to seek real solutions.  Those of us who care must prepare to resist Trump if (when) he endorses anti-climate, anti-pollution policies.

Enter Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda.

Indivisible was written by former congressional aides who watched firsthand as Tea Party activists pressured members of congress to reject President Obama’s legislative agenda. They saw. They learned. Now, in Indivisible, they show the rest of us how to resist.

The guide provides concrete proposals for action. Its central idea? Focus on what matters most to members of Congress (MoCs)—reelection by their constituents. Organize locally. Focus on letting your MoC know you’re paying attention. Write personal letters to your MoC asking for specific actions. Show up at public events where a MoC hopes to garner “good” publicity, and speak publicly and directly to your MoC, voicing your concerns. When an important vote looms, call (don’t email) your MoC and let them know how you want them to vote.  Organize. With these tactics, a small number of activists can have a very large influence.

Donald Trump’s pending inauguration sparks some serious apprehension (and some lost sleep).  But Indivisible gives us hope. As do all the buses, filling up with people heading to Washington—not to celebrate, but to  explain, by our numbers, to the incoming administration that the People have expectations that our government will make wise decisions that protect our long-term well-being—and our globe’s—not just next quarter’s dividends. We have hope that President Trump and his administration will remember they did not win the vote of the majority and that they will tread carefully.  We have hope.

Download the Indivisible guide. Read it. Share it with your friends. We’ll need it.