A SMALL ACT OF RESISTANCE: Have Some Fun & Screw The Duopoly

Those who do see it might pause for a moment to consider, doubt and question this nation’s immoral, murderous, cowardly behavior.

I looked at the overflowing recycle bin and cut up a cereal box and stuffed it in the envelope. And some junk promo for a cable company and — appropriately — a septic tank cleaning company.

Lately, given the news, cat food labels have been added.

By Mark Taylor
DeMOCKracy.ink (9/14/24)

As I have mentioned before, I was once an active member of the Democratic Party. I helped staff my county party headquarters, participated in sidewalk campaigning, donated more money than I should have, participated in Congressional district and state conventions and even served a year as co-chair of the county party.

When it became clear Obama’s progressive schtick was a Starbuck’s latte cup of runny BS, I and the chairman began asking questions and talking in meetings about how the local party might pressure the state party to get Obama to follow through. We were both rewarded at a monthly meeting with a neatly-executed coup d'état that had us both removed from our positions before we knew what the hell was happening.

I hung around through the next off-year election and, along with another member, earned some ire for asking tough questions of candidates on their pitches to the local party for support and money. As the inevitable mental paralysis and corrupted moral collapse of the party became clearer, I stopped going to the meetings.

In one last attempt for some semblance of democracy, integrity and courage in the party, I wrote a letter to the Wisconsin State Party Chair Ben Wickler expressing my concerns and frustration. Unsurprisingly, I heard nothing back.

I left a phone message. Nada.

I formally left the party shortly after with a letter and request to be dropped from the membership list.

The ongoing blizzard

But that didn’t stop the fundraising and get-out-the-vote calls. I made clear I was done with the party and to take me off their call lists and the calls sputtered out. But what didn’t stop was the ongoing blizzard of fundraising letters, which I had not signed up for or requested. Any calls to get the party or candidates to stop had no effect.

For awhile they just went in the recycle box. But then I realized the ones with prepaid return envelopes offered an opportunity. I removed any mention of my name and address from the letters and cards and stuffed them in the return envelope and sent them back so the party could eat the cost of return postage.

Then one day as I was filling an envelope I looked at the overflowing recycle bin and cut up a cereal box and stuffed it in the envelope. And some junk promo for a cable company and — appropriately — a septic tank cleaning company.

Lately, given the news, cat food labels have been added.

Garbage in, garbage out!

Once the Democratic Party-sponsored US/Israel genocide began I bought a few nice big red markers and began to personalize the now plump and weighty envelopes…

To top it off I add a bright cheery note on the backside of the pre-paid return envelopes and drop them off — THUD! — in the mailbox and let the Democratic Party cover the extra postage.

Now is this gonna stop the Democrats’ sponsorship of the US/Israel genocide? No, of course not.

Will extra postage bankrupt the billionaire-bought n’ funded Democrats? Nope.

Will Kamala Harris ever see my message or give a cat turd for it if she did see it? No and no.

But it is a small act of resistance and those who do see it — be it a postal worker, clerk at the processing center or the person carrying out the trash — might pause for a moment to consider, doubt and question this nation’s immoral, murderous behavior. Small messages and signs of resistance spread across daily life can have a cumulative effect in changing awareness, perception and opinion.

Resistance on all levels

Daily resistance on all levels, from mass street demonstrations and voting third party down to bleeding off a few cents from the Democratic Party war machine, is important. Multiply it all by thousands — maybe eventually millions — and you have what we saw with the Vietnam and Civil Rights movement — a shift in public perception, opinion and, eventually, policy.

So, if you are getting such fundraising trash from either party, take a few minutes and stuff the pre-paid return envelopes. Cutting up macaroni boxes is a good way to get them plump and weighty. Remove your name and address from anything you cram into the envelop. Maybe get on a few Republican mailing lists to make your patriotic effort bipartisan and you can waste both party’s money coming and going.

I’m not sure, but I think if a prepaid envelope is taped atop a box filled with junk mail the recipient has to pay the postage. Or maybe an old lawn mower? But maybe not.

In the midst of such grim times, have some fun as you screw back the duopoly.

Resist wherever possible.
Or perish.
SOLIDARITY.