2/17/25

 

In light of recent events, it's easy to feel hopeless. Any man or woman living in these United States will know what I'm referring to. After eight years of Donald J. Trump in the political sphere- Eight years of lies and doublethink and failure and hate- American democracy has named him President Trump once again. All of the forces of decency in this country seem unable to amount to anything. It's easy to find a reason to give up- This won't effect me, this won't be as bad as it seems, or most sinisterly, there isn't anything that can be done about him, so why bother?

To begin with the easy one, this will effect you. Trump is now the President of the United States of America. He holds the most powerful position in the most powerful country in the world. His influence will find it's way to you, no matter who or where you are. As for the second point, it would be comforting to say that there are checks to keep him from following through on the worst of his promises. While that may have been true in 2016, that isn't anymore. He has a House majority, and a Supreme Court filled with people loyal to him. He has been protected by them repeatedly from the consequences of his own crimes, with rulings made that grant him unprecedented power. We saw his actions during 2016, when he was held back by the law, the Senate, and the House. He now as the same intent, but the power to follow through properly.

And finally, and most importantly, there is something that can be done about him! He still has his cult, but cracks are starting to form. Legal actions has been brought against his new executive orders, and may tie them up or even overturn them. The chaos caused even in his party when he tried to bring in men like Matt Gaetz may seem like the past, but reflects how unstable his rule is even now. Looking only a little further back, when Trump's Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and state governments rushed to smother abortion rights, just as many rushed to protect them, and the public outcry hobbled the efforts of many anti-choice states. Trump's alleged mandate amounts to only a third of the country, and while they've been willing to turn away from reality for years, the weight of their mistake is becoming to heavy for even them to ignore.

This is a critical time for our nation. The soul of our country is our democracy, and while it has shuddered from time to time, it has never shaken like this. Any and all Americans have an obligation to themselves, their neighbors, and their country to defend this soul against every threat it faces. It will be difficult to defend it. Trump- Or his Vice President, Vance- Will be in charge of this country for 4 long years. With a Supreme Court dramatically in favor of them, they will be able to wield their authority like a cudgel. But the very real, very human cost of letting them do so is far to high for any decent American to plug their ears and turn away. They must be fought however possible. The Green Dragon hopes to guide Americans to advocacy and activist groups fighting current issues.

The most immediate concern for America is Trumps executive orders- More specifically, his one rescinding birthright citizenship in America. This is blatantly unconstitutional, violating the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, and will likely have the worst effect, as Trump has promised to deport every non-citizen. Thankfully, this order is being fought in court by Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Illinois, but the intent behind it remains. Fighting for the rights of immigrants are the National Immigration Law Center, a legal advocacy group, and the Hispanic Federation, a group that distributes food aid, education, and disaster relief- That last point being critical with the recent Los Angeles wildfires. They are both accepting donations and volunteers if you have the opportunity to give.

A less urgent but equally important issue is another executive order signed by Trump, this one relating to prisoners. It demands prisons place people in prisons based off of their biological sex, rather than gender. While this is outwardly distasteful, a closer look reveals it is much worse. In prison, trans women are often subject to something called v-coding, where they are intentionally placed with inmates imprisoned for violent sex crimes. This placates the prisoner, keeping general violence rates down throughout the prison with the mere price of making a sex slave of one woman. While horrific on its own, this is only part of a more general theme of abuse in prisons that trans inmates suffer- A study by the Journal of Crime and Justice found that 58.5% of trans inmates were violently raped, while a further 69% were subject to less violent but just as horrific sexual coercion. Trump's executive order will enable- Promote, even- This sort of culture in the American prison system. A lawsuit against this executive order is being carried out by GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, while advocacy for LGBT+ prisoners is being carried out by Lambda Legal, and advocacy for prisoners at large is being carried out by the Prison Fellowship and the Southern Center for Human Rights.

Given the informal nature of this blog, I will not be able to provide information much more comprehensive than this, and will not be able to post frequently Still, this information is current and actionable. If you can give money to groups addressing both of these issues, do it. If you can give money to a group addressing one of these issues, do it. If you can share this information to someone who can, do it. If you can protest, or picket, or write your Senator, or Representative, or Governor, do it. But for the sake of human decency and this country, do something about these issues.