We are living in unprecedented times. If you are feeling anxious, scared, confused, dispirited, hopeless, and helpless, you are not alone. It is also what this new administration is hoping for. What we need, and what they don’t want, is for us to have a thoughtful plan for how to resist. Vermont’s delegation to Washington recently held a town hall conference call that described the state of affairs in Washington and in our country. During that call, Representative Becca Balint laid out three types of actions that we need to pursue: legislate, litigate, and agitate. Even those of us who are not lawyers or elected officials can help.
LEGISLATE
The midterm elections in 2026 will play a crucial role in establishing a congress that can resist the current administration’s efforts to dismantle and privatize the core services that the government provides to its citizens. Since 2026 is way off in the distant future, and we have to worry about whether or not we’ll actually hold fair and free elections, there are groups organizing actions (phone calls, postcards, donations) to support elections happening now. There are special elections and state elections (particularly in Wisconsin) where you your support can make all the difference:
LITIGATE
Most of what the current administration is doing through executive orders is unconstitutional. One critical path of resistance is through the courts, where states, labor unions, environmental and human rights groups, and others are suing the government. These suits are urgently needed. They are also expensive. Find a cause that is meaningful to you, find a group that is suing in defense of that cause, and support them if you can.
AGITATE
Democracy dies in darkness. Resistance means some amount of risk and inconvenience. It means taking time out of your day to make calls, to write letters, to stay informed. It may mean you need to change where you shop or where you get your news or entertainment. It means taking to the streets. We are all looking for some form of national leadership to emerge to tell us what to do, and to provide us with a vision and a plan for how to achieve that vision. In the meantime, there are many grassroots efforts that are organizing actions that even those of us living in blue states can take.
- Indivisible (from this site you can find information about chapters in Middlebury and Bristol
- Third Act
We know many of you are active in other groups, too. That’s great. If you have found a group that is doing good work and you think others should know about, let us know and we can share that. If you’ve found a particular action or know of an upcoming event that you would like to share, let us know about that, too.
What we are living through is not normal. We are at an inflection point. A moment where we need to think hard about what we value and what we believe in. In moments of trauma it is understandable to turn inward. To believe that there is nothing to be done. To fear being seen as unfriendly to a vicious and spiteful regime in power. While there is no silver bullet that will get us out of this crisis, inaction is not the answer. However this all turns out, this is the moment to ask what we can do. And with imperfect knowledge and knowing that it may not be enough, to do it. We can find strength and solace in our community, and in doing this work together. Let’s find our people, pick our causes, and get to it!
3 Flipping Things . . . to Restore Democracy 
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