A transnational crime syndicate controls all three branches of the federal government and more than half of state governments. They control the media. These are facts, not hyperbole, and acknowledging them honestly is where opposition begins.

Do not let this make you lose hope.

You have power and influence. Everyone does. That power starts close to home, in the choices we make about how we treat ourselves and the people we love. Kindness in our daily lives is not a distraction from the fight. It is the foundation of it.

From there, we reach outward. There is no reason every city council member and state representative in your district should not know your name and exactly how you feel about the issues that matter to you. These people are accessible in ways that federal officials are not. A single constituent who shows up repeatedly, who speaks at meetings, who sends emails and makes calls, then invites collaborators, that's someone who shapes outcomes.

You can influence a school board election. You can change the outcome of a state house race. Your presence in these spaces makes a substantive difference because so few people bother to show up at all.

We do not oppose fascism because we know we will win. We oppose it because opposing it is right.

Do what is right. Always. Without excuse or exception and to the absolute best of your abilities. Then demand the same from your representatives.