Clif Notes for a Failing Democracy
It’s been a minute.
The last time we spoke, I was running for Lt. Governor in a futile attempt to convince industry insiders who have long profited off of keeping the Democrats as a second-run party in a state where almost half the registered voters would rather sit at home than vote for either of the major parties.
I challenged the selection.
And I lost.
Over the last few months, folks have questioned the powers that be and realized that polite acquiescence to fascist propaganda is NOT a winning strategy. But the powers that be in the ‘Democratic Respectable Center’ are still holding power. In Indianapolis, we saw this with the stripping of City Counselor Jesse Brown of his Democratic Status for opposing three Democrats who have long welded power through the money they get from corporate interests, as well as the conservative Koch-funded dark money intended to destroy public schools.
We need to excite the population to win statewide and contribute to getting the voters to turn out again and make our national elections competitive. I’m considered a lefty guy by most people. The fact of the matter is that 95% of everything I believe is a universal belief. Help our fellow neighbors. Buy local. Eat healthy. Support family farms. Allow struggling families to earn an income that allows them the ability to own a home and send their kids to good public schools. And above all else, if someone falls, we offer them a hand up.
Spoiler: I’m not that much of a lefty guy. However, actually believing in all these things and believing that people should have the right to live their lives without the gov’t telling them how to do it…seems a little radical to people whose only desire is to help themselves. And this is a near-universal desire of almost anyone in the political class.
…
I am challenging myself to start writing once again. I want to give you resources to arm yourself for the obstacles we are challenging. As such, I am going to try to give you tools that can help. An article I found recently from A Whole Lotta Nothing focuses on how to use Signal. An End-To-End Encrypted messaging application.
https://a.wholelottanothing.org/a-guide-to-using-signal-for-government-workers/
What is End-To-End encryption? Let me quote from the article:
Think of end-to-end encrypted messages as written in code, with a key to the code that no one — not even Signal — can access. With iMessage, if the iMessage service isn’t working (like when you send a “green bubble” message to an SMS user or if the iMessage service is down), your message is completely unencrypted. This means that your messages are stored in plain text on the participating devices, and any interested party could easily read your messages. Examples of when this could happen include the government seeking a warrant for your messages or obtaining a wiretap, or someone gaining access to the network (among others). Plus, if anyone in an iMessage conversation is using iCloud to back up their iMessage messages (which millions of people do), then Apple has a copy of those messages which it can give up if required.
Yeah…if you think Apple or Meta or Elon Musk are going to fight a warrant, you are fooling yourself. I trust Apple, but they do comply with the gov’t when told to. Zuckerberg and Musk have already decided they want to be the party of surveillance, so if you are using Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or Twitter/X for sensitive communication, assume it has already been sniffed and noted by the appropriate authorities.
If you want to get ahold of me, I’ve set up an account. I may even add you to a private group messaging space if I meet you in person:
That’s it for today. We need to organize and hear from one another. And we need to feel safe when doing so. I promise to write again soon, but please – download and set up Signal. And until make some good trouble.
Thank you.
Keep fighting the good fight, Clif! Proud of you