The Echo
A shout from one year ago
I yelled, and I am not particularly proud of that moment. One year ago we saw the end of what following the rules looked like as written in the constitution. The election of DT felt like the end to anyone who thought common decency and care for their neighbor or caring for the hungry was over.
I yelled and thought this may be the end of our republic. It must have echoed. I cried at the realization of four more years of this monster. I think those cries echoed across many households across the nation. I believe a large portion of the nation collectively cried out in horror.
Many of us yelled that night, knowing that what was to come would be a very dark four years ahead.
That collective yell of people who still believed in democracy must have reverberated off the walls and down the streets and into the many homes of citizens that thought this was a call for action.
It started with organizing. It began with talk of what proposals were on the table from the fascist playbook Project 2025. Many of us knew this was coming and watched in dismay as the votes were tallied that night one year ago.
Low whispers of individual dissent started to grow as the realization that food, social security, and many other essentials were being strategically removed from our people.
Those whispers began to shout as these draconian policies started taking effect.
Soon a small protest here and there broke out in the early months of 2025. Freezing cold days standing there with signs in front of city halls and street corners with snot running down our noses.
Then the spring came, and we saw the “Hands Off” protest hit the streets with three million brave souls pounding the pavement.
Then during the summer there was more growth as overpass signs went up. More mass gatherings continued as we stood outside the Capitol Building. We marched for our veterans while we sweated buckets.
“No Kings 1.0” happened, and across the nation, perhaps the globe, we saw another five million standing in solidarity.
The message is clear: we are NOT going to just accept the dumping of raw sewage on our nation(figuratively, though I wouldn't put it passed him) The AI video of DT dropping shit on the people he is supposed to be leading should be proof enough.
October 18th, “No Kings 2.0” brought seven million protesters, and we are showing no sign of slowing down. I am writing this today because if we review what has happened and we look at the response. There is a clear message that says:
NO! WE ARE NOT SHEEP, AND WE WILL NOT STAND BY AND WATCH THIS REPUBLIC BE DESTROYED BY NAZIS!!!
My reason for writing this article is to look back and see the progress we have made. You all should be proud and encouraged by the amazing work you have done.
I feel a sense of patriotism that I haven't felt in a very long time. The joyful warrior spirit that knows when it needs to fight tyranny.
You, my friends, have risen up and shown the world that we don't bow to kings. We don’t capitulate to tyrants. We don’t accept autocratic rule.
We are the government; those guys in suits are supposed to be doing our bidding. Not the other way around.
This government is— let's all say it together. OF THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE, AND BY THE PEOPLE!
I take those words to heart, and I always will. We are here to make a better life for our families and loved ones. We are here to welcome the immigrant and say, “Welcome home.” Welcome to our country, where you have the opportunity to seek a better life!
Now at present we have seen an election on November 4th. It has shown that our hard work is paying off!
I was thrilled to see the election results rolling in on Tuesday night. There was clearly a rejection of far-right extremist governance. The 1st-time victories of people that would not be seen as even possible in generations past.
The election of Zohran Mamdani for mayor in New York City.
Three Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices remained blue.
Abigail Spanberger will now be Virginia's new governor. She will be the first female to ever receive that job in this state.
We also saw Mikie Sherrill take the governorship in New Jersey.
The turnout was, for lack of a better term, enormous. New York City saw the biggest turnout for an election on an off year since the 1800s. I have yet to see the final count, but at last check, it was around 1.8 million.
The turnout was a message. We will not be pushed into authoritarianism! Our huge numbers on Tuesday proved this.
We are showing what is possible. The participation in the No Kings and Hands Off protests has been growing increasingly larger in the number of people and the number of locations. This trend shows no sign of slowing.
We must keep our eyes on the prize. These wins are a sign of what is to come if we refuse to take our foot off the gas.
I have heard the word “momentum” many times in the last couple of days. It is a great descriptor. We have to continue to increase that “momentum” all the way through the midterms and on to the next presidential election. We have to leave no doubt that we are here to eradicate this plague on our country.
We have to keep showing up in record numbers. Despite the GOP's impotent attempts at gerrymandering, we have to make clear that this regime is an unacceptable stain on this democracy.
We never wanted this type of leadership. The overwhelming majority of the people nationwide are not interested and never have been interested in a fascist government.
Our ancestors fought wars to make sure fascism never showed its face again. My grandfather, who was a veteran of WWII, is probably rolling over in his grave right now.
The people of our country continue to show its resolve. I think we will stomp out every Nazi fool until they crawl back under the rocks they came from.
Authoritarians rely on charisma and constant maintenance to be able to mold to the moment. Most dictators of the past were fairly young, who had the energy to handle change and think on his feet.
Meanwhile, our wannabe dictator wants to run our country from his couch, sitting in a bathrobe.
And as for charisma, unless you enjoy listening to someone spout off about Hannibal Lecter or simulate fellatio on a microphone, you may want to look somewhere else for your “strongman.” And yes he did do that at a campaign rally about 18 months ago.
We are doing the right thing. Our voices are being heard! We are showing what awaits these criminals if we keep doing the hard work. Keep pushing the envelope while staying kind to each other.
Call out fascist rhetoric when you hear it. We have the numbers.
The apathy that we had in previous elections is a thing of the past. We are on our way to a new day. We will not stop. We will win.
I love you all.
Erik
(Liberaldad)
That night a year ago wasn’t just political grief; it was cellular. It was the body remembering every betrayal we’ve ever been told to swallow quietly. The kind that starts in the throat and ends in the marrow. I screamed too. Not because I thought democracy was gone, but because I knew we were about to find out how many people would pretend not to see it leave.
But here’s what grief does when it’s metabolized by courage: it becomes strategy. It becomes organization, translation, and coordination. We went from crying in our kitchens to flooding the streets, from despair to design.
What you’ve captured isn’t just an echo. It’s the resonance of a nation rediscovering its own power frequency, one refusal at a time. The fascists built their empire on apathy, and we’ve made apathy obsolete.
Now, a year later, the roar is coordinated. It votes, it feeds, it marches, it plans. And it’s not done. Because we finally remembered, democracy doesn’t live in marble halls. It lives in the lungs of the people willing to keep breathing it back to life.
In stead of no kings we need impeach the Idiot President. If we can get 7 million protesters every quarter maybe Congress and the Supreme Court will get the message. We will have our country back.