The arrest of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort is not random. Minnesota is an experiment, that while Trump is failing at provides learning material for them and us.
I have served on many non-profit activist boards over time, including Move to Amend, Pacifica Network, Indivisible Houston, Houston Peace & Justice Center, and Coffee Party USA, among others. These organizations shared one thing in common: they never received coverage for the important issues they advocated or represented, even though they were closest to the wants of most Americans.
I remember one afternoon at our yearly Coffee Party USA retreat, I believe in Colorado, one of our Board of Directors suddenly came up with what I thought was the best marketing idea for all movements, a simple slogan. What was it? “BE THE MEDIA.” If you are reading this J’nene Louden, I bet you don’t remember it’s your idea I stole and used for years. That is powerful.
As the mainstream media continued its decline and affinity to be guided mostly by our oligarchs, plutocrats, fascists, and wealthy accomplices, Be The Media was more than a slogan; it is a survival. We must all be the media now—if we can.
It is clear that the Trump administration understands that every citizen with a camera is an agent of the independent media. Why is Trump’s secret police, aka ICE/CBP, masked? They are hiding from independent media, who will expose them as the thugs many are. Recall the recent story from Laura Jedeed, who made it clear that the ICE is hiring just about anyone, and worse, former Trump pardoned thugs are welcome.
But the independent media, with its decentralization and sheer volume, still presents an existential problem for Trump and his proteges’ fascist state. The arrest of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort was their calculated move. Two well-known independent journalists may instill fear not only in other lesser-known independent journalists but also in others who fear the demise of their livelihoods.
Trump and his cabal erred. Progressive activist independent journalists are not MAGA. They believe in collectivism, and as Minnesota has shown America, they genuinely care for one another. Trump was betting that America was as heartless, immoral, and depraved as his cabal, which comprised killers, racists, sexists, homophobes, xenophobes, misogynists, and depraved.
The war against the Trump fascist is far from over. But let me assure you that it is impossible for them to win. That is not who we are, and Minnesota is ground zero for pointing that out in sub-zero weather. Can you imagine this spring and summer?
Let me be clear, while our sister and brother, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, are the overt martyrs in this fight against Trump’s fascist march, many others that the media did not capture were roughed up or died in their full glory forming a part of the raw material that activated many now populating the rallies that must continue to grow and will grow. I am more than optimistic. I am absolutely sure of our success in eradicating this period.
As soon as I was done writing this note, I was off to the press table at the Harris County Democratic Party JJR dinner, a fundraiser for the county party. Senator Amy Klobuchar was the honored guest. Because of the crisis in Minnesota and her recently announced run for Governor, we were informed that she could not attend in person and piped in. I spoke to many other local and national Democratic politicians there, and I am sure you know some of the conversations I had.
Donald Trump and his fascist cabal’s Minnesota experiment will fail. We depend on the bodies of every able-bodied Minnesotan and those able to travel to be there. Those of us with platforms will do our duty to ensure their voices, videos, blogs, and everything they do is amplified and re-amplified.
I have decided to remove paywalls from all my Substack articles. We make it clear that independent journalism is essential now. Mainstream media has the semblance of being free, even as we pay for it through cable bills and corporate-inflated prices on everything. But everyone believes they see it without paywalls. If truth is to prevail, I cannot just write for those who can afford a few bucks a month. It defeats everything we are trying to do. To survive, however, we do need your support. I have suggested that, as I do, support 5/mo to 20/mo small-dollar independent media sources. It ensures that we can continue doing this and grow beyond the corporate mainstream media. It is our part in defeating Trump and his fascist domain. I am humbly asking you to support our newsletter by subscribing today. All paid subscribers read all my current and subsequent books free of charge. My new book, “The Path To Recovery After Trump and MAGA Destroyed The U.S.,” will drop soon, and that will be added to our paid subscribers as well. Please become a paid subscriber today.
