Youth Advocacy
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 43 (293 total reports)
21.01.2025-27.01.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
A week including a second murder by T.R.U.M.P.’s masked police, but also accented by two lights on the horizon: the Speech at Davos by Mark Carney and the testimony of Jack Davis.
Visual Stories!
This administration—and the Republican cult followers who support it—thrives on cruelty and controversy. We mourn with the people of Minneapolis while admiring their nonviolent stance in the face of abhorrent intimidation by this administration. Seven Democrats sided with the T.R.U.M.P. administration this week in support of ICE (and their names are listed below). In the meantime, we stand with the people of Minnesota in fervent resistance to facsism. This song states: “It’s time to Take Our Country Back.” https://youtu.be/UxNvMBxsb84?si=SoeKzayGlJsmJY7b
Top Links of the Week
27.01.2026
Jack Smith lays it out: Trump has shattered the rule of law
In this article by Heather Digby Parton of Salon, the journalist lays out similarities between Jack Smith in his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee and Premier Mark Carney in his historic speech to the World Economic Forum. Both leaders lay out practical, straightforward insights into the aberrant behavior of Donald J. T.R.U.M.P. Carney presents his evidence to a world in need of economic and political responses to a regime seeking domination; Smith presents his evidence of a greedy evil man, willing to use violence and those who support him to retain power—even when he knows he is lying to them and breaking the very laws he pledged an oath to support. Both men (Carney and Smith) present go-forward opportunities for dealing with the chaos this man—and his regime—have inflicted upon the nation and the world. As resistors, we need to have this type of solid evidence and specific strategies to support our endeavors. Though the Republicans tried to goad Smith into angry, petulant responses, similar to those this administration has become famous for employing, they were unsuccessful. Like Carney, Smith remained professional and stuck to the most important facts of his investigation. Neither sunk to the levels of those who opposed them.
26.01.2026
Pete Hegseth Should Stay Out of Minneapolis
Between March and April, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led people on a 240-mile, 24-day march from Sabarmati to Dandi to protest the British monopoly on salt. It was an act of civil disobedience grounded in the principles of Satagraha—“truth-force” or nonviolent resistance designed to confront injustice without causing harm. These principles were later adopted and taught by Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the nonviolent civil rights movement from 1965 until his death in 1968. During those times, the leaders reminded followers to use non-violence to respond to overwhelming power and violence by the unjust regimes they were confronting. A central tenet of the principle of Satagraha is that the more violent the oppressors become, the more world opinion will turn against them. We are seeing a similar occurrence today in the cities that the T.R.U.M.P. administration has been targeting. This insightful article by Tom Nichols of The Atlantic reveals how deeply this administration wants to unleash havoc on Blue American cities like Minneapolis. Lies continue to roll off the tongues of this administration like bats evacuating a cave at sunset. What becomes evident is the grotesque violence this administration is willing to condone and, indeed, encourage. The strength of the leadership of Minneapolis and the people of that city is inspirational. In the face of horrific oppression, they are showing us how to fight when one is under-resourced. And who resources these evil goons dressed in balaclavas? Our own Federal Government, including seven Democrats who recently voted to continue funding ICE, are Tom Suozzi (New York), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (North Carolina), Laura Gillen (New York), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), and Marie Glusenkamp Perez (Washington). Were it not for them, the continued funding of ICE in the Republicans’ recent DHS bill would have been dead in the water. This Republican government, with the support of these Democrats, is voting for continued chaos and even murder in our cities. Let’s continue to resist and remember their names when midterms come.
23.01.2026
Trump 0, Europe 1
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trump-0-europe-1?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack
In this Substack commentary, Paul Krugman deftly analyzes T.R.U.M.P.’s recent faceplant at the World Economic Forum. Some of the wisdom that I pulled from Krugman’s commentary are: “Trump then confirmed the old adage that bullies are also cowards.” “There is no reason to believe that Trump has learned a lesson. Learning is not something he does.” And, “But Europe has learned a lesson. Appeasing a bully doesn’t work, especially when, as anyone watching Trump’s Davos rant could see, that bully is experiencing rapid cognitive decline. But standing up to him does work.” Indeed, the emperor has no clothes, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. The doddering old fool has got to go. He has access to great power and will continue to wield it in cruel and childish ways. This is a time for resistance to strengthen itself or, as Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney tells us, to “take the sign out of the window.”
22.01.2026
An Open Letter to European Leaders
This opinion paper by Brian O’Neill is wise in depth and broad in perspective. It warns world leaders about trying to appease Donald T.R.U.M.P. Like a schoolyard bully, appeasement doesn’t work with him; a bully will only push for more. I think it is difficult for many of us to think like this sadistic man, simply because most of us are raised to have some semblance of compassion in our hearts and empathy in our interactions; this President does not. He is devoid of value and vacant of empathy. In fact, he enjoys the suffering of others. If we can tell anything from his sordid past, it is that the weaker his victim, the greater the pleasure he receives from causing them pain. Read this article to get a historical perspective of the administration’s manoeuvres and techniques and why accommodation will not work, and, as a reminder, if you didn’t read the content of Premier Mark Carney’s post yesterday, please read it today. Like Mr. O’Neill, Carney reminds us that the old ways have passed, they have ruptured, and it is time for new strategies among resistors.
21.01.2026
'The old order is not coming back,' Carney says in provocative speech at Davos
https://apple.news/AC5x7njQmTV6xQ8FzXy_5yQ
This article by John Paul Tasker makes me realize what it is like to be a citizen of a “Sandwich Country.” A country whose leader is like a slab of meat between two extremely articulate and well-educated world leaders. Both Mark Carney and Claudia Sheinbaum-Pardo are well-educated, well-spoken global leaders who—just by their very existence—make Donald T.R.U.M.P. look like a piece of meatloaf. In this article, Tasker shares a speech that Canadian Prime Minister gave at Davos’ Annual World Economic Forum. Carney points out that the world has changed since the U.S. elected Donald T.R.U.M.P.—for a second time—and it’s not going to return to the pre-Project 2025, Republican-backed era. It is to our shame that this man was chosen by so many who voted (and so many who stayed home). But it has made it clear to the rest of the world that the U.S. cannot be trusted. This is a forever consequence of those who wanted a white, Christian, nationalistic, authoritarian leader to rule over them, and the rest of the world is building coalitions to protect themselves against the future stupidity of an ignorant, social-media-addicted culture. I thought this speech was the best speech I have heard to world leaders since Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
