Inspired and based off of the artwork by Kent R. Kroeger

Originally Posted By u/ssam43 At 2025-04-03 09:38:46 PM | Source

Originally Posted By u/Healthy_Block3036 At 2025-04-03 10:36:13 PM | Source

Let me start out by saying that every American should be pissed off. Extremely fucking pissed off. Donald Trump just slapped a 10% tax on every imported good in this country. That means higher prices on food, clothes, medicine, electronics — everything working people rely on — all while billionaires skate by untouched. He’s calling it “tariffs.” Let’s call it what it really is: a working-class tax. And on top of that? 40%+ tariffs on goods from countries like Vietnam and China — the ones providing the cheapest necessities people count on to survive.

This is not economic nationalism. This is economic cruelty. Extreme cruelty on the very working class he promised to protect. He lied. Again. This is a transfer of wealth from the many to the few. Again. While corporations rake in record profits, you’re getting handed the bill. The CEOs that make 1000x the average person in this country will simply raise prices when their costs go up to keep their profits intact. They don’t give a crap about anything besides their bank accounts and shareholders.

This Saturday, April 5th, every American who’s sick and tired of being exploited needs to be in the streets. Every single one of us. Not just angry — organized. Not just online — outside. Every single one of us. If you are as pissed off as I am, show up. Bring a friend. Bring 5 friends, 10 friends, 100 friends. Get people out into the streets. What’s happening right now is cruel and evil.

This is our line in the sand. You want to defend the working class? You want to protect democracy? Then show up. Stand up. Speak out. Every fucking one of us. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Originally Posted By u/Parking_Truck1403 At 2025-04-03 11:23:24 PM | Source

So, I'm not seeing any movement in my local town (lyons colorado) to host a local protest to join the nation on April 5th, so I've decided to make up a sign and stand alone if I have to. I'm going to be standing at the entrance to town and would love other locals to join me. We see a LOT of tourist traffic being a gateway town to RMNP. (Rocky mountain nation park) so we will be seen. I hope some people from the surrounding area join me! Even if i can't make it to the capital or Denver, I'll bring the protests here!

Edit: more information. I'm unable to afford to get to places like Denver or Boulder nor do I have family and friends left here that support me. This is the extent of my limited abilities and funds. If I could make a car appear or people's opinions of me change to have friends to take me to Denver or boulder, I promise I would. This is why although I'm choosing to protest, I'm still leaving this state. People just aren't the same anymore and it's time I found somewhere that accepts me for who I am instead of their out of touch ideals of what my life is SUPPOSED to be like out here in Colorado.

Originally Posted By u/destroyed_widow At 2025-04-03 11:17:16 PM | Source

Originally Posted By u/Fit_Wrangler8573 At 2025-04-03 08:35:43 PM | Source

Maybe it's optimism, maybe not... But it feels like there is going to be much more that 12,000 people... Right?

I mean, I have two going so... 2+? =?

Originally Posted By u/Faustous At 2025-04-03 08:12:44 PM | Source

Trans people are the canary in the coalmine.

If you think that sacrificing our most vulnerable members of society is worth it for this movement to be successful, then we have already lost.
That line of thinking is the very reason why we are in this mess in the first place.

You may as well be in favor of allowing immigrants to be deported to El Salvador if you're already buckling over the possibility of including trans people's rights in this movement.

If you're considering ceding this ground to fascists, your morality is fickle and needs to be strengthened.

Trans rights are the first of a line of dominoes: once one falls, the rest follow suit.

First, they'll take away the rights of trans people.
Then it will be gay people.
Then it will be anyone not white.
Then it will be women.
Then it will be anyone not Christian (enough).

This is not the first time it's happened. Trans people were among the first to be sent to the concentration camps; because most of society didn't care if they died. They were firmly placed in the 'undesirable' category by the majority of Germans. They didn't even blink.

But the Nazis didn't stop with trans people, and they won't stop with them this time.

Project 2025 was written by the Heritage Foundation and advocates (on page 4) for making pornography illegal, and that those who create it should be punished with imprisonment.
They also specify that anything related to the LGBTQ+ community will be legally considered as 'pornography'. Teachers who teach about LGBTQ+ subjects will be handed prison sentences, as will authors or creators of any media that includes LGBTQ+ topics.

Teachers who teach subjects related to LGBTQ+ issues will be considered 'child sex abusers'. They also don't define what counts as child sex abuse, meaning that the law could be loosely interpreted to the point where a trans person simply being AROUND a child could be considered sex abuse (some conservatives already act like a gay couple holding hands is 'indecent' around children, so this isn't hard to fathom).

Project 2025 also aims to remove the Louisiana v. Kennedy ruling, which makes it illegal to use the death penalty for a crime in which the victim didn't die. They plan on overturning it specifically for these cases.

This creates a pipeline that allows them to legally execute queer people, and anyone supportive of queer people.

Are you okay with your child's teacher possibly facing the death penalty for teaching LGBTQ+ topics?

Are you okay with your gay relative facing the death penalty for being around their own child?

If the answer is no, then you need to start standing up for trans people, because they are the first domino to fall.

This is a call to stay firm in our values and not water them down for fascists.

Originally Posted By u/Mr_Gallows_ At 2025-04-03 06:28:52 PM | Source

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world

For imposing taxes on us without our consent

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries

Originally Posted By u/earlyviolet At 2025-04-03 05:13:21 PM | Source

50501's website says, "Join us in the fight to uphold the Constitution and end Executive overreach." There has been some discussion in this sub, in which there are conflicting opinions about where the issue of trans rights fits into this mission. 

I hope to provide some information and perspective that helps people understand why attacks on the trans community and the rights of trans people are themselves fascist attacks on democracy, and point to the ways in which the Trump regime's anti-trans attacks are themselves examples of Executive overreach and violations of the Constitution. And, therefore, why protecting trans rights and trans people and other / intersecting targeted groups including immigrants and people of color should be understood as a key part of 50501's mission, and that trans rights should not be seen as "additional" or "separate" from the issues 50501 sees as their own. 

This isn’t about having “the right” opinion or position. This is about caring for fellow humans and being open to analysis about how our lives and rights are inherently interconnected. A protest in favor of LGBTQ+ rights, or a protest sign about trans rights, is absolutely a necessary cause within our fight for our democracy, in fighting executive overreach, and violations of the constitution. Ultimately, I hope we can also be a movement of people who do not see groups of people's rights to freedom and dignity as subject for and to debate or opinion. 

If you don’t understand the importance of trans rights, you are not the only one, and you can learn. There are very intense and active efforts to try and prevent people from understanding. Don’t let them win. 

Part of this is taking the time to learn about and consider how trans people are feeling and being impacted right now. How do you think it would feel to those whose bodies, existence and rights are being directly targeted by the most discriminatory policies that impact their ways of moving in and navigating the world–down to the basics of having a job and being safe? Don’t you think you’d hope others would fight on your behalf and see doing so as crucial? 

Part of understanding this is also looking at how this all connects to the broader picture.

I believe we could find many examples of how the Trump regime uses attacks on trans people as every part of their authoritarian playbook: politicizing institutions, spreading disinformation, aggrandizing executive power, quashing dissent, scapegoating vulnerable communities, corrupting elections, and stoking violence. For example:

First, Trump has used attacks on trans people to politicize institutions: His executive orders (such as 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”, and No. 14168, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”) have been used to politicize numerous institutions, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, which, based on these orders, changed their policies to state that artists (a group that represents freedom in our society) cannot cannot “promote diversity, equity and inclusion,” or “promote ‘gender ideology’” in their grant-funded work. There's also overlap here with aggrandizing executive power (“I get to decide what people can say/do/think”), and scapegoating vulnerable communities ("’Gender ideology’ from the trans community is ruining America, not me”). 

Second, attacks on trans people are part of his disinformation strategy. Trump gets maybe more mileage than anyone, ever, out of pure disinformation. Remember Trump's longest ever joint-address to Congress, in which he could speak, uninterrupted (except for the GOAT Al Green), to Congress and the American people and the media for hours from a position of authority and captive audience? Well, disinformation about transgender mice was a big soundbite from this connected to rationalizing and propping up DOGE, which is currently chainsawing and mulching all of our public goods. ("Fact Checking Trump's Claims During His Address to Congress" PBS News)

Third, many of his attempts to aggrandize executive power have focused on attacking trans people. Nothing makes you seem bigger and more powerful than showing you have power to discriminate against a tiny minority, I guess. Saying they don't even exist and that you yourself are the final judge of what people's gender is--that's pretty self-aggrandizing, I think.

And so on. 

Ultimately, attacks on trans people--particularly scapegoating them and using them to create fear and division to draw attention away from his own real agenda--were foundational to his campaign strategy. They are part of how we got here, to where Trump can impose his agenda. They were part of the strategies used to get his authoritarianism into the executive branch and part of what keeps it there. They're also part of Trump's pathetic attempt to make us think that he cares anything about women, which he can only do by demonizing other women and creating a false enemy out of them, because he is a misogynist. They're part of Trump's pathetic attempt to make us think that he cares anything about children, which we know he doesn't, because he's willing to defund and dismantle education and all social programs that benefit all children. And they're part of Trump's pathetic attempt to make us think he cares anything about this country--he's trying to provide a rationale for excluding trans people from the military or cutting the budget is trying to make us believe he cares about national security or the social welfare. He cares about creating an authoritarian, imperialist, oligarchic, white, theocratic ethnostate and that is why he is imposing executive overreach and violating the constitution, the subject and impact of which is often attacking trans people and other groups, usually minorities**.** He is coming out and attacking strategic points of dissent or potential dissent to grab power as well as scapegoating to keep the attention off of his power grabs, his own actions and their harmful impacts. 

Any ways in which the authoritarian playbook works to gain power, strengthen the regime. Therefore, any ways in which the authoritarian plays of the Trump regime target trans people and other people allow it, this strengthens Trump’s regime. 

Some more ways in which these fights are inherently interconnected:

Erasing trans people is harming our families, friends, and communities. And this impacts our ability to work together to resist. 

Erasing trans people is erasing trans history, which is people’s history. 

Trans healthcare is connected to everyone’s healthcare and reproductive rights. 

Attacks on trans people attack and undermine human rights by utilizing the authoritarian strategy around gender which is to use “human rights language to undermine human rights.” (They’re doing this with immigrants and people of color as well, saying that removing immigrants is keeping Americans safer and that banning DEI is protection from discrimination.) (Human Rights Watch)

Articles and resources for further reading, watching and learning 

Series: “Transgender Lives: Your Stories” (The New York Times) 

Article: “All the Ways Trump Wants to Exclude Trans People from Public Life” (The 19th)

Article: “Trump’s First Two Months: Attacks on Trans People Outweigh Voters’ Economic Priorities” (GLAAD)

Article: “US Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban on Transgender People Serving in the Military” (The Guardian)

Article: “How Trump’s Anti-Trans Orders Are Pushing Constitutional Limits” (University of Miami Law Review)

Article: “The Far Right Campaign to Regulate Gender Harms All Americans” (Center for American Progress) 

Article: “Why Gender is Central to the Anti-Democratic Playbook” (Carnegie Russia / Eurasia Center) 

Op-ed: “Democrats Reshuffling on Trans Rights Cedes Ground to the Far Right.” (Truthout)

Maps of Trans and LGBTQ Rights by State and Democracy Maps: Movement Advancement Project

News Clip / Analysis: “How Project 2025 Targets the Very Existence of Trans and Queer People” and “The Point of Project 2025 Is to Erase the Idea the Trans People Exist” (MSNBC)

One could write a very similar post about the regime's attacks on many different groups: people of color, immigrants, women, etc. 

Trans people, the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies are fighting back. If you aren't yet, I hope you will, too. Trans people fighting for their lives is also them fighting for your democracy. And, even if it weren’t connected to your own self-interest, which it is, I hope that you would do so, because it is ultimately trans people’s humanity which calls for this. 

Finally…

*I am not trans. If any trans people want to correct me or add anything, please do so in the comments or message me. I’m willing to hear criticism and feedback on my approach.*

Otherwise, if you are not trans, please do not comment on this post to disagree with my points. This is not censorship, because you are welcome to write your own post sharing your opinions (though please think through before posting, and of course, no bigotry is welcome on this sub). However, if you want to use this space to ask questions or share something further or something that you have learned, you are most welcome. We can learn without debating someone’s right to exist. 

Originally Posted By u/ExplanationFine2914 At 2025-04-03 04:55:55 PM | Source

Originally Posted By u/Difficult_Strain3456 At 2025-04-03 02:29:47 PM | Source

I’ll be attending several baseball games in the near future and don’t know the best way to react to the national anthem being played. I can’t decide if I should sit in protest or stand in defiance.

Originally Posted By u/UniqueMintChip At 2025-04-03 11:02:59 AM | Source

I'm sorry if this is sort of a crude or inappropriate question to ask but how many do you think (your personal opinion) will show up in D.C? The country is so big so its hard to consolidate large amounts of people into a small area. If this is question is inappropriate to ask, I will delete this post.

Originally Posted By u/Inspiringer At 2025-04-03 05:24:04 PM | Source

Originally Posted By u/Infamous-Echo-3949 At 2025-04-03 01:31:28 PM | Source

Yesterday was the cherry on top of a continuous line of unilaterally harmful orders pushed by the Trump admin.

I'm starting to see even the most devout Trump groups starting to question and outright turn on him. Their own constituents in town halls are furious. Fox News is starting to turn on him, perhaps because they sense the tide. Joe Rogan is giving some slight dissent. No one seems to like Musk still. No one really understands the tariffs. A few Republican senators have voted against him. The market is tumbling. Trump makes less sense each day, seems less enthused, and rants and mumbles more than ever.

None of these things in themselves point to an inflection point, but the signals are there that his support is finally waning. The momentum is changing in our favor and we must act to (1) Not destroy public support by engaging in needless violence and (2) Show up in large numbers in DC and our towns/cities to represent the will of the people.

I feel, especially with the latest inane tariffs, that April 5th may be a larger day than anyone realizes. It may even be historic - historic in the way we view society-changing protests of the past.

I was scared initially, but now I'm excited. I want to be part of the wave. I want to be part of the right side of history. I want to be able to say I acted with integrity and courage when it all happened.

Momentum is on our side. The power of conviction in truth and integrity is on our side. We have a north star. We the people. Let's go. April 5th.

Originally Posted By u/zeustheranger At 2025-04-03 12:09:31 PM | Source

knowing elderly white dudes that worked their entire lives and padded their retirement plans intelligently just to vote for this administration and essentially lose what they worked for…is vindicating, yet i can’t help but empathize with how angry they should feel that they did this to themselves.

i wanna say “i told you so,” but i also wanna fight on their behalf. what a weird world we’re in.

Originally Posted By u/muthertuck At 2025-04-03 12:43:28 PM | Source

Originally Posted By u/greenascanbe At 2025-04-03 02:48:54 PM | Source

Some interesting insights.

Originally Posted By u/texasinauguststudio At 2025-04-03 02:25:57 PM | Source

The Lincoln Project has launched a new campaign: “We’re Taking Back the Flag.” The American flag belongs to all of us—not MAGA.

MAGA has co-opted patriotic symbols to push an agenda that doesn’t represent most Americans. It’s time to reclaim the flag as a symbol of democracy, inclusion, and hope. A promise of freedom.

Fly it right side up or upside down as a show of distress. Both are valid.

Thoughts? Have you ever hesitated to display the flag because of what it’s come to represent? Can we reshape its meaning in our communities?

Originally Posted By u/TheSleepy_Nurse At 2025-04-03 11:25:05 AM | Source

I'll keep it short. All over Reddit, I still see people falling into the trappings that got us here in the first place. We don't fight fascism, we laugh at it. Mocking lets us feel superior. It lets us feel in control of a country that is becoming more confusing and unstable by the day. It normalizes.

Well, these aren't normal times, and the only way we start admitting that in a truly real sense is to start admitting we're scared. We're scared for our kids, our futures, our autonomy, and maybe even our lives. Whether you're a little scared or a lot scared, it's ok. It's a normal feeling. It's time to share it. Not loudly, but calmly. Let others know you are scared, but you're in control of your fear. Because fear is real and this is all real.

Originally Posted By u/ThatKaleidoscope3388 At 2025-04-03 03:21:40 PM | Source

Originally Posted By u/kmaster54321 At 2025-04-03 07:04:25 PM | Source

Tesla (TSLA) Ownership

Elon Musk may be (allegedly) stepping back from DOGE, but the damage has been done. As the largest individual donor in the 2024 election cycle, Musk contributed $291 million to support Trump and Republican candidates. And he's not stopping—in just the first few months of 2025, his PACs poured over $6.2 million into Wisconsin's Supreme Court race.

For those of us whose interaction with the stock market is limited to our 401(k)s and IRAs, you’ve likely heard advice from people like Warren Buffett to invest in low-cost S&P 500 index funds, such as exchange-traded and mutual funds.

These funds are transparent about their holdings, so I recently reviewed the allocation percentages. What I found gave me pause. 

For every $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 fund, $15-20 automatically goes to Tesla.

I'm sure we could debate the ethics of many companies in the index, but Tesla stands apart—its CEO has personally spent hundreds of millions to influence our government and elections in unprecedented ways.

My retirement savings, meant to secure my future, would first support another's political ambitions. In following sound financial advice, I would betray my own principles. 

Everyone wants a well-funded retirement. No one wants to fund the richest man in the world.

This project grew from conversations with people in my community, including my parents who are approaching retirement. We're everyday Americans with diverse political views, yet we found agreement on this particular issue. We're not political operatives—we're just regular people concerned about our futures.

There are three companies that manage millions of ordinary people’s capital, channeled through mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, often via default retirement-plan options. 

• Vanguard
• BlackRock
• State Street Corporation

These three are among the world’s largest asset managers, and play a significant role in shaping global finances.They control a combined 12.57% of Tesla stock.

Every dollar invested in Tesla—whether through direct stock purchases or bundled in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—helps to sustain Tesla’s stock price, indirectly enriching Musk. As Tesla’s largest shareholder, Musk leverages his stock holdings to access vast sums of cash without selling shares, using a strategy common among billionaires: securities-based lending.

We may have signed up to invest in the stock market in order to retire, but none of us signed up to fund Musk's political ambitions.

We're done being silent shareholders. Our retirement savings shouldn't be used to finance the economic tyranny of billionaires. We need an S&P 500 fund that excludes Tesla.

We can't create these funds on our own, but if enough of us speak up, these financial institutions will have to listen. They respond to demand—that's capitalism, right?

If you're with us, here's what we can do:

• Email asset managers here.
• Submit a request via asset managers’ customer portals here.
• Call asset managers and brokerage companies here.

We've pulled together resources at https://divestfromtesla.com/

Connect with others who feel the same way: 

Instagram: u/divestfromtesla 

BlueSky: u/divestfromtesla.bsky.social

Email: info@divestfromtesla.com 

This is about having a say in how our money is used. We believe we deserve that choice. If you feel the same, we’d love to hear from you.

Originally Posted By u/Beneficial_Pattern_5 At 2025-04-03 09:34:02 AM | Source

Here's and idea: if your cost of goods has been increasing or is set to increase due to Trump's tariffs, instead of rolling that cost increase into your total to your customers, add it as a separate line item on your invoice and title it "Trump Tariffs" or something similar.

Trump loves getting credit for everything, we should give it to him each and every time we deliver a price increase to customers so they know who to thank.

Originally Posted By u/whisperpickler At 2025-04-03 09:49:58 AM | Source