Monday Memo
Simple things you can do this week to fight authoritarianism - and despair
Good morning, Cottage friends!
It is a new week. And we move forward in these uncertain times. Below are some practical things you can do to push back on authoritarianism and strengthen democracy. Do what works for you, what you feel called to do. Remember: nothing here is intended to overwhelm you. Take what you need and what works. There are no requirements, no checklist, no grades.
Think of these as guideposts for action in the days ahead.
In addition to the specifics on this list, pick one or two of the Ws and focus on them this week. I’m working on “Waking Up” (honestly, my sleep is shot) and “Welcoming the Day.”
WATCH
Learn and Be Inspired
“Join or Die” is a documentary that focuses on the work of Robert Putnam (Bowling Alone) and his life-long crusade to get Americans to understand the necessity of communities, clubs, congregations, associations, and voluntary societies for the health of democracy.
This award-winning film is enlightening, informational, and inspiring! I highly suggest watching it with others (if possible). There’s a calendar of upcoming public showings on the website. If you have Netflix, invite some friends to watch it together. Have a watch party!
Or, host a screening at your church. (It would be a great film night at church — and it isn’t partisan!)
After the film, discuss what you learned. Is there a club you want to join? Is there a gathering you’d like to start? How can you reach out and make new friends, connect with your neighbors, and do good with others?
Reach out. Join in. Save democracy.
Love relentlessly.
— Diana Butler Bass
CALL
Take Action
Download the 5 Calls app on your phone. Calling matters more than any other form of contact except for showing up and speaking at a public meeting.
Or, do it the old-fashioned way. Call the Congressional switchboard — (202) 224-3121 — or go to your representatives’ websites for direct DC or local phone numbers.
Phoning is like voting. Every day, they count the calls pro- and con- from constituents. They track the numbers.
Be clear about your position: “I want you to stop Elon Musk.” “Ensure my data is secure against Elon Musk’s illegal takeover of government departments.” “Restore funding for cancer research through the NIH.” “Do not confirm Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, or Robert F. Kennedy, Jr..” “Protect federal workers.” “Reinstate USAID.”
Pick the issue or news story that most concerns you right now.
If you have Democratic Rep/Senators:
Call to support them and insist that they stand up against Trump and Musk. Tell them you have their backs.
But also remind them of the need for urgent action.
If you have GOP Rep/Senators:
If you are or ever have been — or even voted for — a Republican, tell them that and indicate that you would be willing to vote for them if they did the right thing now.
If you are a swing voter, tell them that.
If you are a Democrat, don’t mention your party affiliation. Just talk about your issue.
READ
Stay Informed
We’ve spent a good deal of time at The Cottage — and at the Convocation — talking about Project 2025 and Christian nationalism. (If you haven’t yet read PRRI’s new survey of Christian Nationalism, I recommend it — HERE.)
But not all of Trump’s associates and appointees are Christian nationalists. Some have another faith — techno-utopianism. These two gift articles from The Washington Post (which, despite being owned by Jeff Bezos, is still doing solid on-the-ground reporting) will help you better understand their priorities of (1) replacing human beings with technology and robots; and (2) techno-eugenics to shape a new superior race.
“In Chaotic Washington Blitz, Elon Musk’s Ultimate Goal Becomes Clear”
“The Couple Who Want to Make America Procreate Again”
What does it mean that Christian nationalists and techno-utopians seem to have joined forces in this administration? Since most of us at The Cottage are people of faith, how might we challenge the harmful and deceptive beliefs of both of these movements?
SERMON PREP
Especially for pastors and preachers
Next Sunday, the lectionary reading is Luke 6:17-26, the Beatitudes.
Here’s my Sunday Musing, “Blessed,” about the passage from 2022. I hope you’ll find it helpful. I will be writing a new Sunday Musing on this text as well. Paid subscribers will receive the upcoming musing next Saturday afternoon.
INSPIRATION
Listen to Poets
In 1939, German poet Bertolt Brecht, wrote:
What times are these, in which
A conversation about trees is almost a crime
For in doing so we maintain our silence about so much wrongdoing!
In 1991, American poet Adrienne Rich, wrote a poem on Brecht’s poem, “What Kind of Times Are These.” Although she died in 2012, it seems as if she wrote it yesterday:
There’s a place between two stands of trees where the grass grows uphill
and the old revolutionary road breaks off into shadows
near a meeting-house abandoned by the persecuted
who disappeared into those shadows.
I’ve walked there picking mushrooms at the edge of dread, but don’t be fooled
this isn’t a Russian poem, this is not somewhere else but here,
our country moving closer to its own truth and dread,
its own ways of making people disappear.
I won’t tell you where the place is, the dark mesh of the woods
meeting the unmarked strip of light —
ghost-ridden crossroads, leafmold paradise:
I know already who wants to buy it, sell it, make it disappear.
And I won’t tell you where it is, so why do I tell you
anything? Because you still listen, because in times like these
to have you listen at all, it’s necessary
to talk about trees.
But today, the invitation is clear:
to be ridiculously courageous in love.
— Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
PRAY
Support Others and Lean on the Spirit
Leave a specific prayer request in the comments. For example, I’m currently praying for federal workers, the success of legal cases, the upcoming Canadian elections, and courage and hope for the leadership in Mexico.
Leave gratitudes for things that you are seeing that seem hopeful and surprising.
Read the comments and pray for others here at The Cottage.
Oh speak, poet, what do you do?
— I praise.
But the monstrosities and the murderous days,
how do you endure them, how do you take them?
— I praise.
But the anonymous, the nameless grays,
how, poet, do you still invoke them?
— I praise.
What right have you, in all displays,
in very mask, to be genuine?
— I praise.
And that the stillness and the turbulent sprays
know you like star and storm?
— Because I praise.
— Rainer Maria Rilke
Things will be hard in the next several days. But let’s have a good week. Together. You are not alone.
Breathe. Take breaks. Be kind to strangers.
I’ve just watched hundreds of baby sea turtles head to the sea here in Costa Rica. Praying for the same resilient spirit for all who are experiencing the consequences of today’s predators. May we find healing and life ahead.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) is a voice of reason who needs encouragement and support. I saw him interviewed yesterday on the CBC News (national Canadian news) speaking out on behalf of the relationship between Canada and the US, a relationship Trump is trying to scuttle with punishing tariffs. Even the Republican senators Paul and McConnell agree with him. The more that D and R politicians can be encouraged to find their voice the better for us all!