We Have the Power to Save our Country from Fascism - Nineteen Days and Counting

Imagine the history books in the upcoming generations. Let it be written that during the 250^th anniversary of our nation’s origin, the United States almost lost its footing. But in that same year that the government let us down, the people stood up and saved the country.   

During the past 22 months, we’ve watched the administration undermine, erode, or destroy aspects of our government that are essential to our democracy and way of life. The examples are endless and cover an overwhelming number of topics including:

freedom of speech, association, religion and the press;  separation of church and state, search and seizure, due process, equal protection, abuse of power, voting rights and the integrity of our elections, cruel and unusual punishment, K-12 and higher education, the environment, our national parks, museums, our immigration and asylum systems, criminal justice, human rights, housing, disaster relief, our relationships with allies and potential allies, national security, the wrongful termination of government employees, medical research, vaccinations, public benefits, grants, our history, the arts, the economy, health care, civil rights (people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, religious minorities, people with disabilities, people serving in the military, veterans, presidential pardons, corruption, graft, extortion, destruction and perversion of government property and records, disclosure of our private information, destruction of government records, improper use of the National Guard and the invasion of privacy.

The Bill of Rights contains 27 detailed grievances directed against the King of England.

I created this list of 49 broad topics in five minutes. We could easily expand this list into several hundred grievances by detailing the actions taken within each of the 49 topics.    

None of this takes into consideration the damage the administration has done by violating reasonable standards of decency and ethics; promoting fear, falsehoods about and hatred of “the other;” promoting instability, violence and eroding the notion of the truth.  

Unfortunately, the Republican controlled Congress has failed to standup to our autocratic leader. Fortunately, we don’t need a revolution. We do however need to vote and spend the next 19 days ensuring that as many people as possible also vote!  Since January 20, 2025 an ongoing message has been: “We must win the midterms.” We have 19 days left to make this happen.

The Road to Victory

During the next 19 days, please start your morning by saying, “Today, I have the power to save our country from fascism.” Then decide what action you are going to take that day. Write this down and tape it to your bathroom mirror. This could be the most powerful use of mirrors in human history.

Ways to Exercise your Power – One Day at a Time

1.            Encourage People to Register to Vote – The Michigan deadline to register to vote online is Monday, Oct. 19 at www.mi.gov/vote. Send this message to everyone and ask them to do the same. In addition, send it to people who might not have ever voted. You don’t have to ask this question. Instead send messages this week providing the link and asking them to register and/or pass it on to others. Send this to young people. Think of people who have moved in the last 2 years, those in school, and those who have checked out of the voting world for a host of reasons.    

2.            Make a List of People to Contact About Voting – Young people, old people, those struggling with their health, caregivers, people who by necessity or choice have days packed with work, school, and family tasks, people who have good intent but might get distracted on election day, people who have moved in the past two years and might need to update their address, people who are expecting a baby soon or have given birth or adopted during the past 6 months, people going through a hard time and people who are currently in other states but are still Michigan residents.

3.            Reach Out to Those on Your List – Send a simple message such as: “I’m checking in to be sure that you have a voting plan. Consider voting in person between Saturday, October 24 and Sunday November 1. This link has all your voting options: www.mi.gov/vote.” Make it you own.

I encourage people to vote in person before November 3, mail in their ballot this week, or drop it off in person at the Clerk’s Office. However, all methods are excellent. Remind people to vote for all of the offices “down ballot” and the ballot issues.

4.            Reach Out to People Who Are Especially Concerned About One Issue – A simple reminder about that topic will be a motivator. You might want to refer to a specific action or just state the topic.  

5.            Make a Family or Friend Group Voting Commitment – Ask ten people to commit to voting and to sending each other an “I voted” message as soon as they do so.  

6.            Make a Family or Friend Group GOTV Commitment – Political campaigns use the acronym GOTV (Get Out the Vote) to describe the task they must focus on once voting begins. Ask five people to be a part of a group who commits to contacting five people to encourage them to vote and sending a “done” when completed.

7.            Contact your Local Democratic Party or the Website of a Statewide Candidate and Volunteer

8.            Post this link or cut and paste the voting information below and post it on social media, text or email it to your friends.   

9.            Share this post which can be found on my blog page at https://www.christineyared.com/blog , my public Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/gayteacher or on my person FB page for my  FB friends.

10.         Do Anything Else that Makes Sense to You.

Additional Thoughts

·         Motivate Yourself

·         Think of our youth - Tell someone under the voting age what you are doing and why. We need to teach by example and this step will help to motivate you to follow through. Also, think of this as one the stories you will tell your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, years from now. “For 20 days in the fall of 2026, I believed in an idea and helped to make it happen.”

·                     Think of how good you will feel if we win.

·                     Think of how you will feel if we lose. 

·         Move out of your comfort zone. Do something even though this is uncomfortable for you. 

·         Remember: our antidote to election interference is a large margin of victory.

·         Ignore optimistic polls.

Remember that this is your country. There is no “they” – it is only “us.” We can do this!

with optimism and solidarity,

Chris

Important Voting Information

Michigan Voting Registration

·         Monday, Oct. – last day to register online to vote at www.mi.gov/vote

·         Tuesday, Nov. 3 – last day to register to vote at person’s local clerk’s office

·         find the location of local clerk’s office at: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/

Voting by Mail

How to obtain mail-in ballot:

·         online at www.mi.gov/vote

·         apply in person at local clerk’s office

·         mail application to local clerk

How to return ballot:

·         by mail

·         at community drop box 

·         in person at local clerk’s office

·         ballots are due by 8 pm on Nov. 3

Early In-Person Voting - Saturday, Oct. 24 – Sunday, Nov. 1

·         the open/closing times differ by location; for example, one city might be open for voting from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm and another city might be open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

·        the location might be different from your Election Day voting location

·        go to www.mi.gov/vote to find your early in-person voting location and hours

·        Monday, Nov. 2 - early in-person voting is not available

Election Day

Monday, Nov. 3 - Election Day (7 am–8 pm) – If you are in line by 8 pm, you must be given the opportunity to vote.