This one hits hard. It’s a reminder that movements aren’t built by the loudest moments but by the people who showed up early, quietly, and without any guarantee that the effort would matter.
Wendy embodied that kind of courage. Her belief wasn’t performative, it was foundational. Losing someone like that makes the work feel heavier, but it also sharpens the purpose.
The fact that MeidasTouch remembers its earliest believers says everything about why this community exists and why it has to endure.
So sorry for the loss of Wendy. I imagine she will be rooting from above saying, “Keep on keeping on.” Hmm, I think I see a bit of light in the madness of this time of the T regime.
My sympathies on the loss of Wendy. I joined MeidasTouch late in the game, but to have that strength is an amazing characteristic of an individual. Rest in peace.
Professor Erica Chenoweth and Overconfidence in Elections
The following is an excerpt .
“One challenge to organization, especially in the Western world, Chenoweth says, is that progressive movements full of freethinkers tend to be fragmented and often internally contentious.
Participants in right-wing movements, meanwhile, are easier to organize because they tend to be more ideologically oriented to following authority.
“In emergencies, people in left-leaning or progressive movements can agree on the problem, so progressive movements tend to rally around a key moment or an emergency,” she says. “But this means they are often reacting to crises rather than taking the initiative or proposing a consensus-based solution to the problem.”
Complicating things further, she says, there is often less agreement in democracies about what exactly constitutes a crisis, and the energy around mobilization for change gets pushed into election cycles.
“People tend to think the way we create change is through elections, and the result is an overconfidence in elections,” she says. “During election cycles, people divert their energies away from community organization and mobilization in a way that makes it hard to sustain a mode of extra-institutional struggle.”
Erica Chenoweth illuminates the value of nonviolent resistance in societal conflicts | Harvard Kennedy School
From The Peaceful Solution:
The above comments spell out the problem the resistance in the U.S. is facing right now. Most of the people in the country are unaware, and do not regard the fascist takeover as an emergency or a crisis. They think that whatever is wrong, the midterm elections will put things right.
The midterm election
Will it be free and fair? It won’t be. Will it occur at all? His Royal Heinous has already said that if we’re at war there’ll be no election. Guess what? If it’s looking bad for him, we’ll be at war to try to stop the election. His numerous ongoing nefarious attempts to subvert the election are well known.
The election is important to him because having the majority in the legislature gives the fascist regime the look of legitimacy and the Republicans in Congress will continue rolling over, allowing HRH to do whatever he wants.
People are putting too much faith in what the midterms will do. They may have a beneficial psychological effect but in reality the outcome will have little or no practical effect, unless the Dems can get 2/3 majority in the house and senate, which they won’t. They will not be able to undo anything HRH has done or pass new legislation, because of his veto power.
If the Dems win the House, they will impeach HRH, but we’ve seen that movie twice before. Convicted in the senate and removed from office? We can only hope, but hope is not a strategy.
What can we do?
We, the people, still have the power of the purse. No one can control our spending, or lack of spending. The other peaceful options are failing. Time is of the essence. We must go on a spending strike until the business community stops supporting His Royal Heinous and the politicians who enable him.
Stop participating. Nearly 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. You and me. Hobble the economy and the stock market.
Economic warfare is the only thing the oligarchs, the business community will understand and act on. Call it a Surreptitious General Strike (Quiet Quitting). Go to work, do as little as possible. Stop spending money except on essentials. Quit feeding the corporate beast that supports HRH.
Wendy's dream is alive. She would not be pleased with the lackluster leadership of the Democratic party. Chuckles and Jeffries are failing on all counts. Lay up after lay up for the left are being missed and waisted.
As people rise to the occasion in masses......their controlled opposition may be a detriment to a final victory. New leadership with vision,vitality and a true mssion to put American cititezens first is needed ASAP.
....Cankles will laugh that off ...and go ahead and do it. When Chuckles tellsTrump to not surround voting stations with ICE or he will call in the states National Guard to protect all voters........we then have real leadership.
Also…we can and should cut back on spending across the board. Only buy necessities. This will impact the rich guys and they will instruct their bought politicians and scotus to change direction. Economic leverage is our power. Also, cutting back on spending may be more doable for people who would be fired for joining a general strike, and can continue under the radar for longer period of time.
The above reply is excellent advice. In making decisions about how to proceed we should pay attention and follow it. I am very happy to be a member of Miedas Touch and support its work. If I had more money available to me I would give more. I would just like to emphasize, though, that I don’t think there’s enough attention paid to destroying the ruling class, meaning the oligarchs and the rest of the billionaires, which is outside government (in terms of voting for example) and partisan politics. Too much attention paid to partisan politics is just messing around and is sapping our energy and creative effort in the fight to achieve real autonomy of 95% of the population. It also seems to lead to a disregard for the fate of the rest of the world's people, particularly at this time, the Palestinians who are being annihilated from the activities of Americans and Israelis. I feel we need to pay a great deal more attention to the thoughts, written and spoken, of Danielle Moodie, and those of Wajahat Ali and his guests on the Left Hook podcast. There are probably others expressing themselves in a similar vein, these are individuals that I’m aware of at present actively trying to get us to understand what’s happening in the world, how it’s affecting us, and leading the fight to change it. I believe it would be elucidating for your audience if you interviewed Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of NYC, and others like him who are making inroads into American politics and gaining more and more momentum. At the same time, though, it is important to keep in mind that even these innovative reformers may not be enough to effect the transformation required. We may have to look for a leader or leaders or leading ideas that are outside all institutions, and at the same time encompass all the knowledge of government, spirituality and religion, education, health and medicine, and the arts. We need this to effect the redistribution and protection of resources, and the reorganization of the rules necessary for guiding human interaction, that operate in ways that insure the most satisfying life for each of us. What's important, at the current moment, is to keep at the front of our minds that how we operate in the economy, what we purchase everyday and how we organize our personal finances has more effect than anything else in how or whether we can build the future we envision.
Thanks Ben, Ron, Jordy , Brett and Ron for carrying on the greatest Meidas of truths as to what is going on in this great ball of spinning mud initiated by a innovative lady. God Bless you Wendy Russell Mendelsohn.
Never give up Ben. You are playing a big part in exposing to the world the terrible cancer in the name of Donald Trump that is being inflicted on your country. When a President posts a meme of the previous President a man of great integrity and decency and his wife as monkeys because they have black African heritage we see morality has hit rock bottom in America and it for all decent people who reject the fascist ethos that Trump and his acolytes are creating to stand up and fight for the true values that represent your country. The stature of liberty is now the statue of bigotry and must be restored to stand proudly for all Americans. Because of Trump’s evil influence the U.K. May lose a decent and competent prime minister because he listened to Trump and employed Mandelson as ambassador in spite of his friendship with Epstein. Trump’s connection with Epstein was a friendship that lasted many years and there is plenty of evidence he participated in their shared rape and exploitation of under aged girls. Why is Trump immune to prosecution? Surely it is time to put pressure on the politicians who have him impeached and removed from office now.
This one hits hard. It’s a reminder that movements aren’t built by the loudest moments but by the people who showed up early, quietly, and without any guarantee that the effort would matter.
Wendy embodied that kind of courage. Her belief wasn’t performative, it was foundational. Losing someone like that makes the work feel heavier, but it also sharpens the purpose.
The fact that MeidasTouch remembers its earliest believers says everything about why this community exists and why it has to endure.
Lovely tribute to truth!
how is this relevant and state the law and state
Troll elsewhere.
so, it's not relevant or state law, good to know, thanks
Nothing is relevant to people who follow empty orage gods.
Rest in Peace, Wendy. Thoughts and prayers for her family and friends.
Wendy will always be a part of Meidas. Thanks Ben,Brett, Jordy and team for all the great work you do with honesty and integrity.
So sorry for the loss of Wendy. I imagine she will be rooting from above saying, “Keep on keeping on.” Hmm, I think I see a bit of light in the madness of this time of the T regime.
Thank you for the likes . It’s nice to know this is a kind group.
So sorry Ben. We continue the fight for Wendy......❤️
So sorry for the loss of Wendy. Keep moving forward, telling the truth.
My sympathies on the loss of Wendy. I joined MeidasTouch late in the game, but to have that strength is an amazing characteristic of an individual. Rest in peace.
Professor Erica Chenoweth and Overconfidence in Elections
The following is an excerpt .
“One challenge to organization, especially in the Western world, Chenoweth says, is that progressive movements full of freethinkers tend to be fragmented and often internally contentious.
Participants in right-wing movements, meanwhile, are easier to organize because they tend to be more ideologically oriented to following authority.
“In emergencies, people in left-leaning or progressive movements can agree on the problem, so progressive movements tend to rally around a key moment or an emergency,” she says. “But this means they are often reacting to crises rather than taking the initiative or proposing a consensus-based solution to the problem.”
Complicating things further, she says, there is often less agreement in democracies about what exactly constitutes a crisis, and the energy around mobilization for change gets pushed into election cycles.
“People tend to think the way we create change is through elections, and the result is an overconfidence in elections,” she says. “During election cycles, people divert their energies away from community organization and mobilization in a way that makes it hard to sustain a mode of extra-institutional struggle.”
Erica Chenoweth illuminates the value of nonviolent resistance in societal conflicts | Harvard Kennedy School
From The Peaceful Solution:
The above comments spell out the problem the resistance in the U.S. is facing right now. Most of the people in the country are unaware, and do not regard the fascist takeover as an emergency or a crisis. They think that whatever is wrong, the midterm elections will put things right.
The midterm election
Will it be free and fair? It won’t be. Will it occur at all? His Royal Heinous has already said that if we’re at war there’ll be no election. Guess what? If it’s looking bad for him, we’ll be at war to try to stop the election. His numerous ongoing nefarious attempts to subvert the election are well known.
The election is important to him because having the majority in the legislature gives the fascist regime the look of legitimacy and the Republicans in Congress will continue rolling over, allowing HRH to do whatever he wants.
People are putting too much faith in what the midterms will do. They may have a beneficial psychological effect but in reality the outcome will have little or no practical effect, unless the Dems can get 2/3 majority in the house and senate, which they won’t. They will not be able to undo anything HRH has done or pass new legislation, because of his veto power.
If the Dems win the House, they will impeach HRH, but we’ve seen that movie twice before. Convicted in the senate and removed from office? We can only hope, but hope is not a strategy.
What can we do?
We, the people, still have the power of the purse. No one can control our spending, or lack of spending. The other peaceful options are failing. Time is of the essence. We must go on a spending strike until the business community stops supporting His Royal Heinous and the politicians who enable him.
Stop participating. Nearly 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. You and me. Hobble the economy and the stock market.
Economic warfare is the only thing the oligarchs, the business community will understand and act on. Call it a Surreptitious General Strike (Quiet Quitting). Go to work, do as little as possible. Stop spending money except on essentials. Quit feeding the corporate beast that supports HRH.
This is how we can stop the fascist takeover.
Wendy's dream is alive. She would not be pleased with the lackluster leadership of the Democratic party. Chuckles and Jeffries are failing on all counts. Lay up after lay up for the left are being missed and waisted.
As people rise to the occasion in masses......their controlled opposition may be a detriment to a final victory. New leadership with vision,vitality and a true mssion to put American cititezens first is needed ASAP.
In all fairness to Senator Schumer, he did tell trump NO in not putting trump's name on Dulles Airport or Penn Station.
....Cankles will laugh that off ...and go ahead and do it. When Chuckles tellsTrump to not surround voting stations with ICE or he will call in the states National Guard to protect all voters........we then have real leadership.
Also…we can and should cut back on spending across the board. Only buy necessities. This will impact the rich guys and they will instruct their bought politicians and scotus to change direction. Economic leverage is our power. Also, cutting back on spending may be more doable for people who would be fired for joining a general strike, and can continue under the radar for longer period of time.
The above reply is excellent advice. In making decisions about how to proceed we should pay attention and follow it. I am very happy to be a member of Miedas Touch and support its work. If I had more money available to me I would give more. I would just like to emphasize, though, that I don’t think there’s enough attention paid to destroying the ruling class, meaning the oligarchs and the rest of the billionaires, which is outside government (in terms of voting for example) and partisan politics. Too much attention paid to partisan politics is just messing around and is sapping our energy and creative effort in the fight to achieve real autonomy of 95% of the population. It also seems to lead to a disregard for the fate of the rest of the world's people, particularly at this time, the Palestinians who are being annihilated from the activities of Americans and Israelis. I feel we need to pay a great deal more attention to the thoughts, written and spoken, of Danielle Moodie, and those of Wajahat Ali and his guests on the Left Hook podcast. There are probably others expressing themselves in a similar vein, these are individuals that I’m aware of at present actively trying to get us to understand what’s happening in the world, how it’s affecting us, and leading the fight to change it. I believe it would be elucidating for your audience if you interviewed Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of NYC, and others like him who are making inroads into American politics and gaining more and more momentum. At the same time, though, it is important to keep in mind that even these innovative reformers may not be enough to effect the transformation required. We may have to look for a leader or leaders or leading ideas that are outside all institutions, and at the same time encompass all the knowledge of government, spirituality and religion, education, health and medicine, and the arts. We need this to effect the redistribution and protection of resources, and the reorganization of the rules necessary for guiding human interaction, that operate in ways that insure the most satisfying life for each of us. What's important, at the current moment, is to keep at the front of our minds that how we operate in the economy, what we purchase everyday and how we organize our personal finances has more effect than anything else in how or whether we can build the future we envision.
Good people are not forgotten.
We are all Wendy today. 😇
Thanks Ben, Ron, Jordy , Brett and Ron for carrying on the greatest Meidas of truths as to what is going on in this great ball of spinning mud initiated by a innovative lady. God Bless you Wendy Russell Mendelsohn.
R.I.P. Wendy 🙏💕
I’m so sorry for your loss!
Rest in peace Wendy. Sending love and blessings to her family and friends.
Never give up Ben. You are playing a big part in exposing to the world the terrible cancer in the name of Donald Trump that is being inflicted on your country. When a President posts a meme of the previous President a man of great integrity and decency and his wife as monkeys because they have black African heritage we see morality has hit rock bottom in America and it for all decent people who reject the fascist ethos that Trump and his acolytes are creating to stand up and fight for the true values that represent your country. The stature of liberty is now the statue of bigotry and must be restored to stand proudly for all Americans. Because of Trump’s evil influence the U.K. May lose a decent and competent prime minister because he listened to Trump and employed Mandelson as ambassador in spite of his friendship with Epstein. Trump’s connection with Epstein was a friendship that lasted many years and there is plenty of evidence he participated in their shared rape and exploitation of under aged girls. Why is Trump immune to prosecution? Surely it is time to put pressure on the politicians who have him impeached and removed from office now.
‘
‘
At 73 years and the older and wiser I become, I feel that humanity is a fight against the evil factions.