Ben how you and your brothers manage this with tiny humans afoot and little sleep is remarkable. Thanks for being our voice when we so desperately need it.
Legacy Media seems to be BREEDING crickets, which actually by this point should not be a surprise to any of us. The more crucial question is how we may able to reach more people?! I would hate to think that word of mouth is the only reliable method, but that means we have to get up & speak to our neighbors & encourage THEM to speak to more people, & not just to follow Midas and their cohort but to be badgering Legacy Media about their choices of coverage & stop patronizing advertisers who choose them!
Encourage people to connect with local activist groups that have national connections: Indivisible, Swing Left, Color of Change, etc. Don't forget legacy pro-democracy groups like the League of Women Voters and the NAACP. Local Democratic groups tend to be much more "woke" than most national Dem organizations.
I came of political age long before social media, the internet, and cell phones, and you'd be amazed at how fast word could spread from coast to coast, north to south. On occasion it even crossed the Atlantic and the Pacific PDQ.
Excellent Idea‼️‼️ Trump loves crowds so that’s a good way to do it. BUSES FILLED STREETS FILLED NO BILL PAYING NO TAXWS PAID EVERYTHING JUST STOPSSTOPSSTOPSSTOPS…….
I just suggested above that Rep. Collier file for a writ of habeas corpus and go before a court. The media could hardly ignore that--a state elected official having to appeal to a court to spring her from captivity. How can the media not be outraged and, more to the point, terrified like the rest of us.
I like your thinking … how about a complete shutdown of 24hrs for buying anything, staying home, no social media, no electric (except AC) lol, PLUS no taxes, no bills paid….something like that? Whatsayyou?
Well it just brings me back to a subject I've numbingly referred to before, we need to get word out past our own Echo chamber, I keep seeing the same names on most of these threads, and I know that their #s of viewers are going up but we don't know how many of them are actually absorbing the messages. And I know for example that my college age children are as likely to turn to Target or Amazon if they need something as they are to go to the local business, even if they are more likely to act on an idea such as yours. So, great idea! Possibly economy changing! How do we implement it? I have no effing idea, sorry to say.
Read my post and thought bubble. I agree with you but this thought is nagging me, if this is near truth it’ll be very hard to turn them to support humanity, Democracy
It’s sad. The world’s wealthiest country increased taxes on and stripped benefits from the poor—to feed the wealthy. Gerrymander-elected government does not serve its people. Tear this house down. Give heathcare, food, and living wages to everyone. Here are 108 protest signs for your protests. Protesting is now critical for Occupied D.C. There is time to get signs printed for your protest group. Fill the hands of the signless. FreeDC!
They are focused, _and_ they see their unique position in this very fluid moment
in history. The old and fossilized networks are noticing these young challengers of the status quo, to be sure, but unless those former sources of news can change and repurpose (i.e., ditch the allegiances they currently pay to sponsors and owners who
do NOT care about the reasons for the news stories IN THE FIST PLACE [which are
NOT to entertain, but to inform and empower the citizens]) and return to actually reporting honest and truthful news stories, they will go the way of vaudeville, town criers,
The power of the resistance was in full effect last night and power of independent media was there to shine the light on this cruel behavior. They are holding her hostage for refusing a babysitter. She’s a grown woman and doesn’t need a nanny to follow her around. #FreeJordy
Ben, this is what it looks like when receipts move a room. You took a whisper about Rep. Collier and turned it into proof on camera. Organizers showed up. Cameras stayed. Power blinked.
Locking an elected representative inside a chamber while peaceful citizens get zip-tied is not “order.” It is a tell. When the story goes dark, the cuffs come out. Your interview flipped the light back on.
Here’s what you can do right now if you’re reading this: share the clip to your group chat, call Texas leadership and say her name with your own, put twenty on a local legal defense so the next mom or teacher who stands up is not standing alone. Keep sending tips. Keep filming. Keep subscribing so this newsroom can keep the lens open.
Credit to Collier. Credit to every neighbor who put their body on the line. Credit to Meidas+ for getting it out fast. Forward this to your organizer tonight. Then sleep and get back up.
I keep a running receipts file for moments like this at xplisset.com.
So proud of RESISTERS who stood their ground and got arrested. This is exactly what happened back in the 60's, 70's, 80's to pass Civil Rights Act, Voting Act, female freedoms, rights, stop the Vietnam War. MLK, Gandhi and many other peaceful disobedient heros came years before us to preserve our dream of self-rule, laws, enforcement, freedoms, rights-a government of, by and for We the People-the 90-99% of 340M Americans! It is our DUTY, our JOB, our TIME to sacrifice safety, comfort, confidence that someone else will save our democratic, Constitutional republic. IT IS US NOW or NEVER.
I will makes some calls today for sure. This is outrageous and can’t be legal.
I really wish the headline was more clear about what it really is: ‘Collier is being held against her will at the Capitol for refusing to sign away her rights’.
Already did. Too easy to get through. Their phone should be blasted. 512-463-1000, if you're so inclined. It felt good to let him have both barrels - no holding back!!
Thank goodness there are still Americans who are prepared to stand against fascism and protect democracy. As a supporter from England, I have been horrified at the behaviour of the convicted felon’s regime and its impact on the American people. Congratulations to the Meidas team for having the courage to speak truth to power under challenging circumstances and for reporting the facts.
I can attest it is a story being picked up by other news outlets. Here in Chicago local ABC 7 morning news shared a clip of your interview and mentioned how Collier was being "held" in the courthouse.
Good morning, Meidas. Last night, watching your interview with Rep. Collier, I remembered your comment of past. Things will get bad as the regime continues to crumble. We currently have a putin puppet in the WH who does not have the ability to lead, only destroy. Fear and money are his only armour. Thank you for showing us an example of an elected official who is brave and stands up for what is RIGHT. Keep on keeping on!
When this is over, I hope every cult member including The Heritage Foundation, who is the cult behind the curtain, are arrested for some type of war crime.
There are other secret fraternal organizations being named by survivors. We need to check out the whole loaf of bread for mold, then throw it out before it gets anyone else sick.
When Ben used that word, it was interesting for Rep. Collier to question its use in this situation / these circumstances, but not 'hostage.' That was likely to stick close to the larger definition - and I may be splitting hairs, as it does have the smell of a kidnapping with out the vehicle to drive her to some other locale. She is heroic and powerful in her actions, as is Ben for his coverage. We are all indebted!
My grandchildren and 16 and 19. When I show them pics of me at protest rallies, they say they are so proud of me. This granny is on the move, standing up for their future rights and they know it!
Democracy? The US was never a democracy. The founders vehemently opposed mob rule in favor of inalienable rights, so that even the 99% couldn't step on the rights of 1%. Democracy in America is a PsyOp that started a century ago by Marxist propagandists. A masterful play, no doubt, but a out right lie, propped up by the age-old "bread and circus" ploy and supported by the evisceration of classical educational rigor. Wake up to the real totalitarians who are pulling your strings.
And the administration and Republican Party is still doing what they want legally or illegally as we protest . Wow great for the protests but they still need to be arrested for their action . The last straw is red carpet for Putin as the president kisses his ass not behind closed door but up front and center for the entire world to see . How much more must happen . Guess still needs to get worse before the pendulum swings the other way and Americans really wake the F up to how serious this is getting
Trump owes Russia alot of money. The Russian Oligarch gave Trump money for Mar-a-Lago. Putin posted Melanie's nude pics for everyone to see. From what I read, he did it to show Trump who's in control.
He controls Trump by his nuts . This country is so blinded by there f in cell phone memes and Reality tv world to wake up. How many people suffered and died through WWl , WWll Korean War Vietnam and in Iraq Afghanistan and now Gaza and Ukraine fighting for freedom of choice and democracy . My grandparents barely survived the Armenian genocide after all there family and even 3 of there children died fighting to get to as my grandfather said This great land of America over 100 years ago as now it’s spiraling into this state of turmoil as this administration just tries to become another Putin
Ronald Reagan knew that evil thrives when it senses hesitation. He never sugarcoated the Soviet threat; he called it what it was: the Evil Empire. Today, Reagan would look into the cameras, his voice warm but unyielding, and declare:
“Mr. Putin, the mask is off. You are not Russia’s champion; you are its curse. You are not a man of vision; you are a butcher who bombs children in their sleep.
The United States will not stand by while you try to drag Europe back into the shadows of tyranny. We will double our support for Ukraine’s defenders, arm them with the weapons they need to shatter your armies, and strengthen NATO’s eastern front until your dreams of conquest lie in ruins.
Freedom is America’s birthright, and one people yearning for liberty hold dear to their hearts. It is our duty to defend it abroad. The people of Ukraine hold that love of freedom dear and have sacrificed in full to protect it. This war ends not with Ukraine’s surrender, but with Russia’s defeat. Tear down your war machine, Mr. Putin, or be witness to the end of Russia as the will of free nations is brought to bear.”
Reagan’s genius was to delegitimize the enemy, not just militarily, but morally. Applied today, his words would strip away Putin’s false grandeur and expose him as nothing more than a thug with missiles. (Rick Wilson- LINCOLN SQUARE)
No other president kissed up to Russia. No other Americana ever said they'd VOTE for a evil dictator over a Democrat. Never willingly voted for a convicted felon. Then add all the cheating. People we are in deep trouble.
Where is the general strike???? Where is the 10 million protester march???
Taco has already given Putin the red carpet and is flying US/Russian flags on a captured M113 tanks..... A very sad world is watching the slow death of America.
Thank you Ben for doing the job and doing it well. This incident illustrates why the people must regain control of the courts, DOJ, and the AG’s office if Democracy is to survive. There’s no more time for delay. These and other crimes are being committed because certain jurist have been put in place for the purpose of subverting the law, all the way up to the SCOTUS. There’s too little focus on that fact which I am sure you realize. The onsite response in Texas was excellent but not nearly enough. It must go to the root of the problem to be effective. What we’re doing now is like spraying for roaches in the kitchen from the living room. We either deal with the court system or there will be no law, no order and no peace for any of us!
Ben how you and your brothers manage this with tiny humans afoot and little sleep is remarkable. Thanks for being our voice when we so desperately need it.
Meanwhile, crickets from NYT.
Legacy Media seems to be BREEDING crickets, which actually by this point should not be a surprise to any of us. The more crucial question is how we may able to reach more people?! I would hate to think that word of mouth is the only reliable method, but that means we have to get up & speak to our neighbors & encourage THEM to speak to more people, & not just to follow Midas and their cohort but to be badgering Legacy Media about their choices of coverage & stop patronizing advertisers who choose them!
Encourage people to connect with local activist groups that have national connections: Indivisible, Swing Left, Color of Change, etc. Don't forget legacy pro-democracy groups like the League of Women Voters and the NAACP. Local Democratic groups tend to be much more "woke" than most national Dem organizations.
I came of political age long before social media, the internet, and cell phones, and you'd be amazed at how fast word could spread from coast to coast, north to south. On occasion it even crossed the Atlantic and the Pacific PDQ.
YES!!!
BUILD COALITIONALLY!
MUTUAL AID, IN A POLITICAL SENSE! REACH OUT!!! BEYOND YOUR LOCAL ECHO CHAMBER!!!
Yes! I lived in northern Maine late 1960’s-70’s & statewide organizing happened on all sorts of issues. When necessary, buses to DC were filled!
Excellent Idea‼️‼️ Trump loves crowds so that’s a good way to do it. BUSES FILLED STREETS FILLED NO BILL PAYING NO TAXWS PAID EVERYTHING JUST STOPSSTOPSSTOPSSTOPS…….
I just suggested above that Rep. Collier file for a writ of habeas corpus and go before a court. The media could hardly ignore that--a state elected official having to appeal to a court to spring her from captivity. How can the media not be outraged and, more to the point, terrified like the rest of us.
All they are interested in is clicks and likes. However they can get them.
The executives and boards of the corporate media are in on the fascist coup and have been for a long time. How do you think we got here?
Ms Collier has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Rs for holding her against her will.
Worth a try!
Their legacy is my daily helping of used coffee grounds.
As Wm. Goldman scripted Paul Newman in HARPER, after Newman is forced to re-use old coffee grounds for his morning coffee...
BLLEEAAUUGGHHH
dmk is a scammer troll. Do not hit the link.
I like your thinking … how about a complete shutdown of 24hrs for buying anything, staying home, no social media, no electric (except AC) lol, PLUS no taxes, no bills paid….something like that? Whatsayyou?
Well it just brings me back to a subject I've numbingly referred to before, we need to get word out past our own Echo chamber, I keep seeing the same names on most of these threads, and I know that their #s of viewers are going up but we don't know how many of them are actually absorbing the messages. And I know for example that my college age children are as likely to turn to Target or Amazon if they need something as they are to go to the local business, even if they are more likely to act on an idea such as yours. So, great idea! Possibly economy changing! How do we implement it? I have no effing idea, sorry to say.
Read my post and thought bubble. I agree with you but this thought is nagging me, if this is near truth it’ll be very hard to turn them to support humanity, Democracy
Ugh
It’s sad. The world’s wealthiest country increased taxes on and stripped benefits from the poor—to feed the wealthy. Gerrymander-elected government does not serve its people. Tear this house down. Give heathcare, food, and living wages to everyone. Here are 108 protest signs for your protests. Protesting is now critical for Occupied D.C. There is time to get signs printed for your protest group. Fill the hands of the signless. FreeDC!
https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/protest-sign-sign-everywhere-a-sign
Or make your own signs! Handmade signs are invaluable.
They are focused, _and_ they see their unique position in this very fluid moment
in history. The old and fossilized networks are noticing these young challengers of the status quo, to be sure, but unless those former sources of news can change and repurpose (i.e., ditch the allegiances they currently pay to sponsors and owners who
do NOT care about the reasons for the news stories IN THE FIST PLACE [which are
NOT to entertain, but to inform and empower the citizens]) and return to actually reporting honest and truthful news stories, they will go the way of vaudeville, town criers,
and broadsheet newspapers.
Good Comment, sometimes I forget Ben and family‼️ Truly HEROS MEISAS FAMILIES
The power of the resistance was in full effect last night and power of independent media was there to shine the light on this cruel behavior. They are holding her hostage for refusing a babysitter. She’s a grown woman and doesn’t need a nanny to follow her around. #FreeJordy
The "escorts" are more than a nanny/babysitter.
They're police escorts, most likely armed.
Yes! Violent bully lawless 🏴☠️🐍🖤republicans!!😝
So completely true. If they try and make a run for it, they’d probably be shot at.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/house-democrats-redistricting-20822719.php
The extremes the Republicans have gone to make them look incredibly scared and weak. The Democrat representatives can't even get their paychecks automatically deposited now, but have to pick them up in person. What are you afraid of, Republicans of Texas? https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/house-democrats-redistricting-20822719.php
Ben, this is what it looks like when receipts move a room. You took a whisper about Rep. Collier and turned it into proof on camera. Organizers showed up. Cameras stayed. Power blinked.
Locking an elected representative inside a chamber while peaceful citizens get zip-tied is not “order.” It is a tell. When the story goes dark, the cuffs come out. Your interview flipped the light back on.
Here’s what you can do right now if you’re reading this: share the clip to your group chat, call Texas leadership and say her name with your own, put twenty on a local legal defense so the next mom or teacher who stands up is not standing alone. Keep sending tips. Keep filming. Keep subscribing so this newsroom can keep the lens open.
Credit to Collier. Credit to every neighbor who put their body on the line. Credit to Meidas+ for getting it out fast. Forward this to your organizer tonight. Then sleep and get back up.
I keep a running receipts file for moments like this at xplisset.com.
So proud of RESISTERS who stood their ground and got arrested. This is exactly what happened back in the 60's, 70's, 80's to pass Civil Rights Act, Voting Act, female freedoms, rights, stop the Vietnam War. MLK, Gandhi and many other peaceful disobedient heros came years before us to preserve our dream of self-rule, laws, enforcement, freedoms, rights-a government of, by and for We the People-the 90-99% of 340M Americans! It is our DUTY, our JOB, our TIME to sacrifice safety, comfort, confidence that someone else will save our democratic, Constitutional republic. IT IS US NOW or NEVER.
Locking up state Dems leaders by the Republicans WTAF!
TIME TO REMOVE
FAC47ISM!!!!
Martin Luther King, after reading 'Mahatma Gandhi: An Interpretation,' told the
author E. Stanley Jones that his book had given him the idea, and some of
what became the formula, for his non-violent resistance approach toward
Civil Rights.
That book was published only a few months after Gandhi was assassinated,
and reading it makes that moment of history feel very much present, as
Jones and Gandhi were friends.
You're an AWESOME writer!
Blackout the system
September 16-20
https://blackoutthesystem.com/
You're under arrest for exercising your U.S. Constitutional right to protest 🤦🏼♀️
Further proof that the self-proclaimed party of law and order doesn't actually care about the law.
There is no party of 'law and order.' They surrendered that title when they elected a CONVICTED FELON. Period. Full stop.
SPOT On.
SCOTUS & GOP bought by Das FUHERUR!
Or - could it have been just a little teeny tiny hack of the voting machines in rather key places?
I will never believer that was a fair and honest election. There were too many statistical anomalies. How can we stop this next time?
I agree, when they showed the AZ Governor back messing with the voting machines.😡
Long before that.
That ship sailed a long time ago. Fascism starts in drips.
Keep people's attention on something else while you churn out the
disruptive policies. Also, buying the Supreme Court helps speed things up.
If you’re a Texan, call Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows and give him a piece of your mind. https://fortworthreport.org/2025/08/18/fort-worth-rep-collier-refuses-to-leave-texas-house-protesting-state-trooper-escorts/
I will makes some calls today for sure. This is outrageous and can’t be legal.
I really wish the headline was more clear about what it really is: ‘Collier is being held against her will at the Capitol for refusing to sign away her rights’.
DEFINITELY ain't legal!
Thanks for sharing the local press view.
Already did. Too easy to get through. Their phone should be blasted. 512-463-1000, if you're so inclined. It felt good to let him have both barrels - no holding back!!
I love that! Thank you. Keep calling!
Thank goodness there are still Americans who are prepared to stand against fascism and protect democracy. As a supporter from England, I have been horrified at the behaviour of the convicted felon’s regime and its impact on the American people. Congratulations to the Meidas team for having the courage to speak truth to power under challenging circumstances and for reporting the facts.
Thank You Susan.. It is a comfort to know that people overseas can see what is happening to us.
FAC47ISM !!
I can attest it is a story being picked up by other news outlets. Here in Chicago local ABC 7 morning news shared a clip of your interview and mentioned how Collier was being "held" in the courthouse.
This is America… #Resist #Fight #WeWontStop #SaveOurDemocracy #SaveOurPeace #FightForOurRights
Thank you for your coverage of this travesty. You are helping us get the word out and getting people to engage!
Good morning, Meidas. Last night, watching your interview with Rep. Collier, I remembered your comment of past. Things will get bad as the regime continues to crumble. We currently have a putin puppet in the WH who does not have the ability to lead, only destroy. Fear and money are his only armour. Thank you for showing us an example of an elected official who is brave and stands up for what is RIGHT. Keep on keeping on!
Janet, The Orange Fuherur doesn't just destroy HE DOES IT WITH INTENTIONAL CRUELTY aka Alligator Auschwitz!
I totally agree. He and his minions know not of humanity. They are destroyers at all levels.
Ben, add an occasional video banner "Release Epstein Files."
Does it matter that kidnapping is illegal?
Police that have sworn to protect the public now protect kidnapping and arrest peaceful protesters. When all of this is over, will they be arrested?
When this is over, I hope every cult member including The Heritage Foundation, who is the cult behind the curtain, are arrested for some type of war crime.
SPOT ON THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION ARE THE DOOR TO THE OLIGARCHY WHO PAY THEM!
There are other secret fraternal organizations being named by survivors. We need to check out the whole loaf of bread for mold, then throw it out before it gets anyone else sick.
When has this REGIME done anything legally!!!
When Ben used that word, it was interesting for Rep. Collier to question its use in this situation / these circumstances, but not 'hostage.' That was likely to stick close to the larger definition - and I may be splitting hairs, as it does have the smell of a kidnapping with out the vehicle to drive her to some other locale. She is heroic and powerful in her actions, as is Ben for his coverage. We are all indebted!
Thank you to all who went out to represent us. I am in Michigan but I support you for standing up for all of us.
I would be proud to be arrested. It would be added to something great that I did to support democracy that I could show my grandchildren.
My grandchildren and 16 and 19. When I show them pics of me at protest rallies, they say they are so proud of me. This granny is on the move, standing up for their future rights and they know it!
Yeah, but could I survive being thrown to the ground and manhandled at my age?
Democracy? The US was never a democracy. The founders vehemently opposed mob rule in favor of inalienable rights, so that even the 99% couldn't step on the rights of 1%. Democracy in America is a PsyOp that started a century ago by Marxist propagandists. A masterful play, no doubt, but a out right lie, propped up by the age-old "bread and circus" ploy and supported by the evisceration of classical educational rigor. Wake up to the real totalitarians who are pulling your strings.
So you've had absolutely no freedoms to live the life you've chosen?.?.? Go live in N Korea and then come back and tell us how you made out.
Any contrast is rapidly evaporating.
You should read A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. The fix has always been in. It should be required reading.
Those are the OLIGARCHY !
Keep up the good work. Get some sleep. We need you.
And the administration and Republican Party is still doing what they want legally or illegally as we protest . Wow great for the protests but they still need to be arrested for their action . The last straw is red carpet for Putin as the president kisses his ass not behind closed door but up front and center for the entire world to see . How much more must happen . Guess still needs to get worse before the pendulum swings the other way and Americans really wake the F up to how serious this is getting
It's a REGIME!
We literally had STALIN visting HITLER in Alaska!
Trump owes Russia alot of money. The Russian Oligarch gave Trump money for Mar-a-Lago. Putin posted Melanie's nude pics for everyone to see. From what I read, he did it to show Trump who's in control.
DONvict working hard everyday for daddy Putin!
He controls Trump by his nuts . This country is so blinded by there f in cell phone memes and Reality tv world to wake up. How many people suffered and died through WWl , WWll Korean War Vietnam and in Iraq Afghanistan and now Gaza and Ukraine fighting for freedom of choice and democracy . My grandparents barely survived the Armenian genocide after all there family and even 3 of there children died fighting to get to as my grandfather said This great land of America over 100 years ago as now it’s spiraling into this state of turmoil as this administration just tries to become another Putin
Ronald Reagan knew that evil thrives when it senses hesitation. He never sugarcoated the Soviet threat; he called it what it was: the Evil Empire. Today, Reagan would look into the cameras, his voice warm but unyielding, and declare:
“Mr. Putin, the mask is off. You are not Russia’s champion; you are its curse. You are not a man of vision; you are a butcher who bombs children in their sleep.
The United States will not stand by while you try to drag Europe back into the shadows of tyranny. We will double our support for Ukraine’s defenders, arm them with the weapons they need to shatter your armies, and strengthen NATO’s eastern front until your dreams of conquest lie in ruins.
Freedom is America’s birthright, and one people yearning for liberty hold dear to their hearts. It is our duty to defend it abroad. The people of Ukraine hold that love of freedom dear and have sacrificed in full to protect it. This war ends not with Ukraine’s surrender, but with Russia’s defeat. Tear down your war machine, Mr. Putin, or be witness to the end of Russia as the will of free nations is brought to bear.”
Reagan’s genius was to delegitimize the enemy, not just militarily, but morally. Applied today, his words would strip away Putin’s false grandeur and expose him as nothing more than a thug with missiles. (Rick Wilson- LINCOLN SQUARE)
No other president kissed up to Russia. No other Americana ever said they'd VOTE for a evil dictator over a Democrat. Never willingly voted for a convicted felon. Then add all the cheating. People we are in deep trouble.
Where is the general strike???? Where is the 10 million protester march???
Taco has already given Putin the red carpet and is flying US/Russian flags on a captured M113 tanks..... A very sad world is watching the slow death of America.
Thank you Ben for doing the job and doing it well. This incident illustrates why the people must regain control of the courts, DOJ, and the AG’s office if Democracy is to survive. There’s no more time for delay. These and other crimes are being committed because certain jurist have been put in place for the purpose of subverting the law, all the way up to the SCOTUS. There’s too little focus on that fact which I am sure you realize. The onsite response in Texas was excellent but not nearly enough. It must go to the root of the problem to be effective. What we’re doing now is like spraying for roaches in the kitchen from the living room. We either deal with the court system or there will be no law, no order and no peace for any of us!
Jaye, Fully agree.
But the Democratic
way is to get both houses at midterms. Then we can inpeach the regime, SCOTUS.
KILL THE ROACHES INFESTATION OF THE USA !