Youth Advocacy
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 34 (284 total reports)
15.10.2025-21.10.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Seven million, SEVEN MILLION, marched without violence (at least by those protesting) to tell Trump and Trumpism, “No Kings!”
Visual Stories!
We are far closer this week, following the mega “No Kings” rallies to tell this administration their days are numbered. This song, written for a women’s choir, applauds all 7 million of you who will be able to say, “I stood for democracy.” When The Nightmare’s Finally Over.
Top Links of the Week
21.10.2025
Why the ‘No Kings’ Protest Moved Me
George Packer of The Atlantic has covered a lot of politics in his journalism career. He says he didn’t expect to be moved (almost to tears) by the rallies in his home state and across the nation, but he was by the sincerity and honesty of the attendees. He captures the heart of what can only be described as a movement as honest and sincere, surprising in “modesty and decency.” A commitment to the constitutional dream of America that Trumpism thought was dead and could bury with little regard. Now, Trump and his supporters are being revealed as the fringe lunatics they are. This massive protest (7 million plus by most estimates), without violence (at least from the protesters), left the Conservative Right unable to respond, except for a despicable, vile, AI-video released by the White House depicting Donald Trump with a crown bombing U.S. Citizens with raw sewage. The largest anti-government protests have all taken place under this man’s presidency. Thank you to those who showed up and let your voices be heard. Let’s keep up the pressure. This indecent predator has no place in the U.S., and—according to protests worldwide—Trumpism is not wanted in most of the world either.
20.10.2025
3 takeaways from the second No Kings day of nationwide protests
An estimated 7 million marchers showed up in the U.S. and across the world (including my wife and me at a local rally in Merida, Mexico). All to say, “No!” to this administration’s monarchy-like behavior. The resounding “no” was said across causes, across ages, and across genders. It was a “no” of epic proportions, a “no” to beat all “no’s.” Did the administration listen? Did the G.O.P. hear? That’s harder to tell. Vance and Trump’s immediate response was to post an AI video of Trump (with a crown) bombing protesters with sewage as they marched. Yes, the sort of five-year-old fantasy that you would expect from this administration. No marcher was paid, and the marches were all peaceful, except for a number of incidents where the MAGA faithful tried to cause violence and were arrested.
17.10.2025
The Power Map of the Trump Regime
This power map by political guru, Robert Reich, draws out the power map of the Trump presidency. It is important because it chronicles the tiers of who matters in Trumpism. It looks at the top triad of Trump: Miller, Vought, and Vance, all the way to the bottom dwellers and where Trump drifts in and out of the map, generating rage and receiving tributes. Rewards are doled out by the incapacitated leader according to fealty and downright adulation. This map makes it easier to understand the Trumpism of today and what will occur when their orange cult leader is finally gone.
16.10.2025
The trap of Florida’s prison food
Having worked with incarcerated people for a significant portion of my life, I’ve always felt that establishments, like prisons, often get away with things we wouldn’t otherwise tolerate because the general public is so intentionally isolated from what occurs in their own institutions. This article does a good job illustrating the impossible situation that many inmates find themselves facing—not just in Florida—but nationally, when it comes to basic needs like food. It also illustrates the extent of the graft by profit-making organizations sanctioned by the government in those prisons. Please take time to read this and ask what you would do in a similar situation with limited resources. These are our prisons; we put people there; we should be aware of what occurs.
15.10.2025
Steven Pinker on the Recursive Loop That Made Us Human
This blog was originally started four years ago to keep foster parents and group home staff informed about COVID-19. In the beginning, I featured a lot of stories from journals such as this one at Psychology Today. Over time, I began to realize that the greatest crisis facing our children and our children’s children was Trumpism and the overthrow of democracy in the United States. This morning’s gem is a review of Steven Pinker’s new book, “When Everyone Knows that Everyone Knows,” by Ralph Lewis, M.D. It begins by discussing the story of the Emperor who wore no clothes. It points out that the heart of the story is that everyone could see the emperor was naked, but it took a young child—without social graces—to state what was obvious to everyone. We all need social clues (or a recursive loop) to move from private recognition to public awareness. That’s why events like “No Kings Day” are so important. As social animals, we need cues from others to verify that what we’re seeing is not just inside our own heads. Trumpism is wrong—on so many levels—but we need each other to say that Trump’s standards are not acceptable.
