Coup.

(Note: This post is being regularly updated with new information as more Americans begin to take action.)

It’s on. This is a coup – a full-blown takeover of the US government by a fascist dictator. It’s being engineered by the richest man in the world, who now has access to the US Treasury and the personal records of every American. Democrats are trying to use the courts to hold back the tsunami of authoritarianism, but the legal system may not be able to move fast enough. And even if court rulings go against Trump, it’s far from certain that the administration will comply. In fact, I think it’s a better-than-even chance they won’t.

Thus ends democracy. If Trump cannot be stopped by the courts or by Congress, our last recourse then may be to take to the streets. If so, Trump will undoubtedly invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives him virtually unlimited power, including the ability to use the military against the American people. Game over.

Drastic measures are called for now, if it’s not already too late.

Rather than creating a list of the brazen violations of law (which will undoubtedly change by the time you reads this), below are some of my suggestions of what we all can do at this most crucial moment.

1. Listen/Watch Free Speech TV – Between the “both sides-ism” of the major networks and the knee-jerk, repetitive “if it moves, we air it” coverage by the cable networks, the dismantling of our government is not getting the coverage it desperately needs. (Fox News viewers may not even be aware of it at all.) FreeSpeech TV’s Stephanie Miller (9 AM – noon EST) is brilliant and funny, Thom Hartmann (noon – 3 PM) is a national treasure and Randi Rhodes (3 – 5 PM) gives voice to the outrage we’re all feeling. Get the news and get it straight – while you still can.
2. Turn up the heat on GOP Senators (and PA Senator John Fetterman) – 5 Calls is a great resource for one-stop-shopping to contact your Senators and House representatives; they even supply scripts for you. And at the bottom of this post is a list of GOP Senators up for re-election in 2026, in order of their margin of victory. Note how close some of the races were. Senators pay little attention to non-constituents, so if you have friends or family in any of the states in question, ask them to tell their Senator to vote for democracy, instead of Trump and his fascist agenda. Call call call. Or, better yet, visit their offices. That will get their attention.
3. Turn Up the Heat on House Members – Again, check out 5 Calls. Republicans currently hold a razor-thin 218 to 215 margin in the House. That means that if just two GOP House members vote with Democrats, it could throw a wrench into the Trump budgetary agenda to destroy major government programs and hand more money to billionaires. Call your representative. Or, better yet, visit them. You can find his/her contact info here. Call call call.
   
   Note: If you prefer to write a letter, be aware that all letters to Congress are first screened for anthrax, so they take six weeks to be delivered. Postcards go straight through. So if you decide to write, try to fit your message on a postcard.
4. Total Social Opprobrium of Trump Supporters – I love the word “opprobrium.” It’s defined as “the public disgrace arising from someone’s shameful conduct.” Now’s the time for it. There’s no excuse for being a Trump supporter, particularly now that his intentions are plain for all to see. As Mary Trump says:
   “We must remember, that everything they do, whether it’s their passive acceptance or their active harm, is a direct threat against us and our hopes for what this country could be or could have been.
   
   Kick sand in their faces. Throw a wrench in the gears. Bring everything to a grinding halt if you have to. The only time is now.”
   Defriend them. Block them. Hang up on them. And tell them why, in no uncertain terms. (Before you’ve hung up the phone, of course.) I like the idea of throwing a party and inviting everyone you know. Then disinvite the Trump supporters, letting them know why. Actions have consequences. There’s a price to pay for betraying your country. Now they need to live with it.
5. Get involved. Take action. Join a group. There’s indivisble.org, mobilize.us, moveon.org, Field Team 6 and democrats.org for starters. The Goods Unite Us is a resource to “vote with your wallet” by purchasing only from companies who share your values. And Choose Democracy has a comprehensive list of what you can do. The one thing you can’t do? Nothing. There’s no excuse for inaction. None whatsoever.
6. Ask your Representatives to take the Social Security Pledge – Trump pledged that he wouldn’t cut Social Security or Medicare, and most Republicans did the same. Republican budget plans show this was a bald-faced lie. (Are you surprised?) Go to socialsecurityworks.com/pledge and sign the pledge to try to hold Republicans’ feet to the fire as they try to steal your hard-earned benefits.
7. Sound the Alarm – Reach out to others. Talk to friends, family, or even other members of religious organizations you may belong to. Even though someone may support Republican priorities, the way to implement policy in a democracy is by democratic means, not by authoritarian decree. Republicans have control of all three branches of government; they can pass laws legally. They don’t have to destroy democracy to get what they want.

What’s next? Watch for a purge of military leadership and the installation of officers who are willing to pledge their allegiance to Trump. Then will come the silencing of media outlets who report news deemed unfavorable to the administration. (With the investigation of PBS and NPR, as well as the acquiescence of ABC and CBS, this is already happening.)

Musk’s Information Heist

The access granted Elon Musk to US Treasury data should scare the living shit out of every American. The administration has made attempts to partially walk back the data breach by saying that Musk was granted “read only” access, but it doesn’t really matter. Musk has undoubtedly already downloaded everything, so he now has Social Security numbers, tax data and personal information for millions of Americans.

This is the richest man in the world, who has a staff of cybersecurity experts at his disposal. Musk is also in league with Vladimir Putin, who is behind the largest cybercriminal operation in history. And if that’s not enough to totally freak you out, don’t forget that Musk is also a major cryptocurrency player, meaning that any financial transactions he or his associates are involved with are almost certainly untraceable. Call the FBI? Surely you jest. (And don’t call me Shirley.)

The potential ramifications are stunning. First off, how much do you think cybercriminals would be willing to pay for just some of the data now in Musk’s possession? Or say, for example, there’s a case in front of a federal judge who finds suddenly – and inexplicably – that a second mortgage has been taken out on his house and that all his credit cards are maxed.

Now how about if the same thing happens to his son? And his daughter. How long do you think it would take for other judges to get the message?

Or here’s another idea: how’s about cutting off Medicaid payments… but to “blue” states only. Or how about cutting Social Security payments… but just to registered Democrats?

The one thing we can say with certainty is that what Trump’s doing is not only worse than we imagine; it’s worse than we can imagine. Get used to it. These are sick, twisted, hateful people. Normal people just don’t think this way. But normal people can stop it.

The one slim hope we have is for a few Republicans to stand up to Trump. Only a few. It would take fewer than five in the Senate, and only two in the House. Some Republicans with spine. Just a little bit. It would take fewer than ten Republicans putting country over party, out of the 271 GOP Senators and House members. That’s all. Will any Republican stand up for 250 years of democracy? Anyone?