The 3.5% Solution

We live in parlous times, here in America. We have an increasingly authoritarian, utterly corrupt, absolutely morally bankrupt administration busily undermining the Constitution and rule of law in Washington, DC. And, too many people are standing around, scratching their heads...feeling isolated and alone and uncertain of what to do next.

Firstly, Donnie and his kakistocracy want you to feel isolated and alone. It is their route to absolute and unquestioned power. Secondly, there are things you can do to effect change. However, it will be a group effort. It will be a peaceful, non-violent effort on our part. And that is the key...non-violence. Non-violent resistance to authoritarian regimes is successful more than twice as often as violent opposition and can draw from a larger potential member base than any violent resistance can hope to. It is precisely this dynamic, drawing from the diversity of our population and its dynamism that, working together, can put a stop to the insanity of the current kakistocracy that is passing itself off as an administration.

History and data have shown us that an autocratic, authoritarian regime can be ousted by about 3.5% of a nation’s population participating in peaceful, non-violent resistance. And, in America, that number comes out to be a bout 12 million people. This resistance can take many forms…from the protest march to sit-ins, from boycotts to labor actions. And the larger this peaceful resistance, the more diverse the participants, the greater the options of non-violent action we will have to confront the oppression of this administration.

On June 14th of this year, the ACLU estimated some 5 million Americans participated in the “No Kings” rallies that were held across the country. That’s a good start on the 12 million to make resistance to the autocracy in Washington a success. Since that date, and in the face of increasingly authoritarian tactics being used by the administration, that number has surely grown.

Is there risk in taking non-violent action against authoritarianism? Of course. But consider the risk to your children and grandchildren, to friends and loved ones who are being targeted by the administration for no better reason than the color of their skin…their gender…their gender identity or their sexual orientation. The risk of not taking action endangers us all, even those supporting the administration. But the broader and deeper the base of a non-violent resistance movement, the more and more erstwhile supporters will turn their backs on the administration, further eroding its grasp on power.

Again, this is not something only a single person can accomplish. It requires the work…of millions of Americans…of all walks of life…working together…to stop this American authoritarianism, and build something better…more just…more equitable than what came before.

Here are some links. Don’t stay alone, isolated and confused as to what to do next.

https://www.nokings.org

https://indivisible.org/

https://www.fiftyfifty.one/

https://front.moveon.org/

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