We Ain't Buying It is a protest against companies that undermine democratic processes and support autocratic government.
Why do business with companies that undermine democratic processes? Supporting these companies gives them power to harm our society. Not doing something, like boycotting doing business with them, is doing something significant.
Join us in sending a message to these three companies that their harmful practices will not enjoy our support.
Western analysts use the word corruption to describe these systems, but this can be misleading: here corruption does not describe bureaucrats soliciting bribes for small acts of civil service (though this happens too); it describes the people in charge using the instruments of government in order to amass wealth, but also using their wealth to perpetuate power. This corruption is integral to the system. The system cannot exist without corruption because corruption is its fuel, its social glue, and its instrument of control. Anyone who enters the system becomes complicit in the corruption, which means everyone is always in some way or another outside the law—and therefore punishable.
Gessen, Masha. Surviving Autocracy (p. 47). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Gessen points out that the money to be obtained in politics isn’t exactly corruption because it is a natural, necessary fuel for the old so-called "democratic processes.” It takes huge amounts of money to campaign for Federal and State offices and that money comes from corporate donors and oligarchs who want their politicians elected who will do their bidding.
So it is a system of pay to play. 47 is right when he says the system is rigged. It is rotten to its core. How can this toxic practice be changed if we are to improve our democratic processes if we ever get beyond the current American autocracy?
For more click here.
One of the methods of autocratic government is to strike terror in the minds of the population in order to control and subdue it. This is now happening in cities across America from Los Angeles, to Chicago, to Memphis. It is coming to a city near you if you live in a Blue State. The Republicans have stated that Democrats are the enemy, Is this the America we want to live in?
The Trump campaign ran on disdain: for immigrants, for women, for disabled people, for people of color, for Muslims—for anyone, in other words, who isn’t an able-bodied white straight American-born male—and for the elites who have coddled the Other. Contempt for the government and its work is a component of the disdain for elites, and a rhetorical trope shared by the current crop of the world’s antipolitical leaders, from Vladimir Putin to Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro. They campaign on voters’ resentment of elites for ruining their lives, and they continue to traffic in this resentment even after they take office—as though someone else, someone sinister and apparently all-powerful, were still in charge, as though they were still insurgents. The very institutions of government—their own government now—are the enemy. As president, Trump went on to denigrate the intelligence services, rage against the Justice Department, and issue humiliating tweets about officials in his own administration.
Gessen, Masha. Surviving Autocracy (pp. 17-18). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
What do citizens do when they elect a chief executive of a government that that chief executive holds in contempt and disdain and takes steps to destroy?
Most Americans don’t comprehend what their government does for them. If life has not been good to them, they have to blame somebody just as people tend to blame their parents for their unhappiness.
When people are unhappy their first instinct is to feel like a victim of forces difficult to identify and so they tend to blame the institutions they were told would take care of them. Like parents, these governmental institutions are not able to meet all the needs of the people they attempt to serve. When there is a disconnect between the person desiring help and the hoped for helper, contempt, disdain, and resentment arise and the wish for retribution and revenge are very powerful feelings which unfortunately all too often get acted out.
Did you ever want to hurt or destroy someone that disappointed you and let you down? Would you side with someone who offered to inflict harm on the offender? Would you vote to give power to a leader who promised you revenge and retribution? “Lock her up!” Would you vote for protection from further disappointment and perceived attack by building walls? Would you want to destroy the very institutions who have the expertise and competence to help but which frustrated and disappointed you?
The American voter is like a puppy or a kitten shitting in their own bed and now they have to lie in it. Where’s the CNA when you need one to clean you up?
The Reichstag Fire was used to create a “state of exception,” as Carl Schmitt, Hitler’s favorite legal scholar, called it. In Schmitt’s terms, a state of exception arises when an emergency, a singular event, shakes up the accepted order of things. This is when the sovereign steps forward and institutes new, extralegal rules. The emergency enables a quantum leap: Having amassed enough power to declare a state of exception, the sovereign then, by that declaration, acquires far greater, unchecked power. That is what makes the change irreversible, and the state of exception permanent.
Gessen, Masha. Surviving Autocracy (pp. 10-11). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
47 has declared war on American cities governed by Democrats asserting that they are unsafe, out of control, and in need of the military to restore order. He is declaring a “state of exception” which gives him extraordinary powers to take control of major American cities such as Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Memphis.. To what extent do you agree with this assertion? Could the US military be coming to establish military control over a city near you any time soon?
This declaration of a state of exception to usurp power is a standard play in the autocratic governance playbook
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Gessen, Masha. Surviving Autocracy (p. 17). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
45 and 47 didn’t campaign to be the chief executive of a democratic government but to change the government from a democracy to an autocracy.
He promised to destroy the democratic institutions of government because “I alone can fix it.” He promised to eradicate the rule of law for the rule of fiat when he insisted that his political opponent should be locked up. He promised to withdraw the nation from international relationships on the planet Earth by building walls and policies of exclusion to achieve solitary autonomy. The American voters voted not once but twice for this new form of government with all governmental power and authority vested in the unitary of the presidency.
We got what we voted for. How is it working out for us, for you and yours?
People may tell what they did and what was done to them, they may tell their stories repeatedly in specific settings and formats, and they may produce a record of the telling. This approach accomplishes several goals. By creating new rituals, it gives voice to people who have not been heard in public. By focusing on the acts of telling and listening, it may challenge assumptions about justice as the act of meting out punishment. By involving a larger public, some of the people who work on collective trauma seek to address the issue of moral injury. In the framework of collective trauma, moral injury has been inflicted on society as a whole, not only on the victims but also on the perpetrators and the bystanders—not in the same way, to be sure, and not in equal measure, but it is all of society that has been injured. The goal of reckoning is moral restoration.
Public rituals of telling the stories of the Trump era would be healing because they would ensure that people are heard. They would create accountability and transparency, not necessarily by handing out criminal punishment but by exacting a reputational cost that might keep people who lied for Trump away from prestigious fellowships, and people who worked with Trump and broke the law out of government and think tanks. Most important, they would force us to ask the question, What made the Trump presidency possible?
Gessen, Masha. Surviving Autocracy (p. xii). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The stories being told about what is happening in the United States in 2025 as it moves from a democracy to an autocracy often get labeled as “political” stories when they just as easily could be labeled as moral stories.
In the moral stories told about this time, who are the good guys doing good things and the bad guys doing bad things? What behaviors are constructive and engaged in for positive benefits of all, and what behaviors are destructive and engaged in for the reasons of special interest?
In Buddhism one of the elements of the noble eightfold path is right action. In following this element of the eightfold path of right action one needs to know the difference between right actions and wrong actions. In autocracies the right actions are determined by the accumulation of power and control rather than the well being of the whole.
For peace it is very important to do the right thing even when it is hard.
What made the Trump presidency possible in answer to Gessen’s question is that many people chose to do the wrong thing. What were the factors that contributed to this bad decision? Name one or two.
This month the book selected for discussion is Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen.
The United States in 2025 has been turned into an autocratic state with a chief executive, the President, who according to the US Supreme Court, functions outside the law as long as he is engaged in his official duties. The current President has functioned in increasingly autocratic and lawless ways. Today, October 1, 2025, the Federal government as we have enjoyed for 250 years has been shut down at the President’s urging and with his party enables cooperation.
What, at this point in history, is likely to happen in the governance of the United States? Where are we likely to be 6 months and 1 year from now? Will the United States ever return to a democratic form of government and if so, how?
From Gemini AI on 08/10/25
Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel, It Can't Happen Here, offers a powerful and enduring message about the fragility of democracy and the dangers of political complacency. While written in a specific historical context—the rise of fascism in Europe and the political climate of the Great Depression in America—the book's themes have proven to be remarkably prescient and relevant to contemporary society.
Here are some of the key benefits of reading It Can't Happen Here:
A Warning About the Rise of Authoritarianism: The novel serves as a chilling cautionary tale about how a charismatic demagogue can exploit economic hardship, social unrest, and nationalistic fervor to gain power. The fictional president, Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, is a populist leader who promises a return to "traditional" values and prosperity, all while consolidating power, dismantling democratic institutions, and creating a paramilitary force to enforce his will. This provides a clear illustration of how fascism can take root even in an established democracy.
Exploration of Political Communication and Propaganda: Lewis, a Nobel laureate, was keenly aware of the power of mass media. The protagonist, a small-town newspaper editor named Doremus Jessup, witnesses firsthand how a demagogue can manipulate the media to spread propaganda and control public opinion. The novel highlights the crucial role of a free press and the dangers of media censorship, a theme that remains highly relevant in the age of social media and misinformation.
The Importance of Individual Resistance: Through the eyes of Doremus Jessup, the novel emphasizes the necessity of individual courage and resistance in the face of tyranny. Jessup's journey from a complacent liberal to a member of an underground resistance movement demonstrates that citizens cannot be silent bystanders when their rights and freedoms are under threat. The book suggests that even small acts of defiance are vital in a struggle against oppression.
A Call for Vigilance and Critical Thinking: The title itself—It Can't Happen Here—is an ironic statement that challenges the reader's own sense of security. The novel forces a confrontation with the idea that democracy is not an unshakeable given, but a fragile system that requires constant vigilance. It encourages readers to be critical of political rhetoric, to recognize the warning signs of authoritarianism, and to actively participate in their democracy.
Historical and Social Commentary: By reading It Can't Happen Here, readers gain insight into the political and social anxieties of the 1930s. The novel reflects on the appeal of figures like Louisiana politician Huey Long (who inspired the character of Windrip) and the fear of European fascism spreading to the United States. It also explores how economic desperation can make a population more susceptible to radical promises and demagoguery.
My comment - It has happened here in the US in 2025. The US government has transitioned from a democracy to an autocracy. The question for democracy lovers is not how to prevent autocracy, but how to minimize and eliminate it and restore democratic processes. There are many avenues of correction. Perhaps the most important is to get money out of political campaigns.
The first death knell of democracy was when the Supreme Court opined in Citizens United that a corporation is a person and money is free speech so corporations can contribute unlimited amounts of money to pollical campaigns thereby buying politicians. This single ruling gives immense power to oligarchs to control the political processes.
The second death knell is making the criminal justice system for sale to lawyers who can sue and drag out adjudication processes until they bankrupt opposing parties in legal proceedings. The person with the most money wins.
The third death knell was the rise to "alternative facts" promulgated by social media and unaccountable journalists who promote propaganda and disinformation to obtain political power persuading critical illiterate people to support them.
The fourth death knell was the use of fear of the other to promote a savior idolizing dynamic where people's insecurities are enhanced so they will acquiesce to giving up their power and agency to a charismatic leader who promises security and comfort.
It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis and 1984 by George Orwell are highly recommended to people interested in exploring the dynamics of our current society.
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December 15th is Bill of Rights Day.
There are some great resources here provided by Larry Ferlazzo. As the USA moves further from democracy to autocracy a reminder about the Bill Of Rights is especially relevant and timely.
Disinformation can contribute to avoidable harm and death
Disinformation is prolific in our age of digital media when publishing can occur without any editing. It seems ironic that I am writing this when I engage in this activity myself. However, what distinguishes my publication is that I have taken the Pro Truth pledge and promise my readers to publish only what I have vetted and know to be true to the best of my ability.
Some people hold the value of honesty, accuracy, and validity very highly while others, motivated by any number of incentives, are selling something based on explicit and implicit agendas. It behooves the consumer of media to insist on honesty and accuracy and to discern the motivations and incentives of the communicator. The question “Why is this person communicating this to me can be very illuminating.” In everyday language we should ask “What is this communicator up to and hoping will happen as a result of communicating this message”?
Just as people can spread infectious bacteria and viruses, they can spread false information. Just as infectious diseases can harm and kill so can toxic disinformation.
For more from Hayden Godfrey’s article, “Doctors Who Put Lives At Risk With Covid Misinformation Rarely Punished? click here.
Autocracies, Inc by Anne Applebaum
As the US has slipped further from democracy to autocracy with the re-election of Donald Trump as president, knowledge of the signs and symptoms of autocracy as a form of government and the consequences of this development has become much more important. This shift in governance processes have highly significant influence on the daily events described in the media.
From Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
"Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy but by sophisticated networks relying on kleptocratic financial structures, a complex of security services—military, paramilitary, police—and technological experts who provide surveillance, propaganda, and disinformation. p. 1
"Unlike military or political alliances from other times and places, this group operates not like a bloc but rather like an agglomeration of companies, bound not by ideology but rather by a ruthless, single-minded determination to preserve their personal wealth and power: Autocracy, Inc. p. 2
"Instead of ideas, the strongmen who lead Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Angola, Myanmar, Cuba, Syria, Zimbabwe, Mali, Belarus, Sudan, Azerbaijan, and perhaps three dozen others share a determination to preserve their personal wealth and power; Autocracy, inc. p.3
The world is run by corporations which the US supreme court has deemed as persons for constitutional purposes. What's up with that?
Capitalism where the profit motive is the only legitimate value system for corporations to pursue furthers the power of the oligarchs who can buy the political policies they prefer by financing elections.
What do you think Elon Musk is doing working with Trump heading a concocted government agency called the “Department of Efficiency”? The billionaires run the US.
Our US motto, instead of "In God We Trust" should be "Money Talks and Bullshit Walks."
So, I think Applebaum is on to something in the introduction. And now I am very interested in reading the rest of the book to see what she has to say.
