Laura Schwartz-Henderson's Avatar

Laura Schwartz-Henderson

@oncethought.bsky.social

Part of the endangered human rights species- communications, research & mobilization around censorship, shutdowns, surveillance. πŸ”₯ Righteous anger is always sexy πŸ”₯

57 Followers  |  103 Following  |  6 Posts  |  Joined: 23.01.2025  |  2.1023

Latest posts by oncethought.bsky.social on Bluesky

Bulwark screenshot 

β€œThe rough roadmap for how to proceed goes like this:

Demonstrate popular power in the provinces through large-scale rallies.
Use these events to organize the resistance into a mass movement that can be called into action.
Direct the mass movement into targeted political strikes: Getting blowout wins in special elections; boycotts of Tesla; etc.
Politicize everything: Attack the authoritarians for every bad thing that happens, anywhere in the world. Flood the zone.
Elevate the corruption/graft in a way that pits the billionaire insiders against the β€œforgotten man.”
When the moment is right, bring this movement to the Capital for a show of strength.
Use this demonstration as a slingshot to take back legislative power in the 2026 elections.
More importantly, use it to send a message to the institutional actors that people will have their back if they show courage.”

Bulwark screenshot β€œThe rough roadmap for how to proceed goes like this: Demonstrate popular power in the provinces through large-scale rallies. Use these events to organize the resistance into a mass movement that can be called into action. Direct the mass movement into targeted political strikes: Getting blowout wins in special elections; boycotts of Tesla; etc. Politicize everything: Attack the authoritarians for every bad thing that happens, anywhere in the world. Flood the zone. Elevate the corruption/graft in a way that pits the billionaire insiders against the β€œforgotten man.” When the moment is right, bring this movement to the Capital for a show of strength. Use this demonstration as a slingshot to take back legislative power in the 2026 elections. More importantly, use it to send a message to the institutional actors that people will have their back if they show courage.”

Bulwark screenshot 

β€œFind a leader. Bring people together in person, far away from the capital’s control. Build momentum. Organize your supporters. Harness the power of their mass. Build toward an explicit show of strength. Take back control of Congress.

And then, if we’re lucky, we can start thinking about an endgame.

In the meantime, fight the authoritarians on everything. If the stock market drops, scream about it. Because it’s their fault. When a kid dies of measlesβ€”their fault. Attack them every day, on whatever the latest thing is. Turn β€œflood the zone” against them by not needing to cling to any one outrage for weeks. Embrace the idea of snapping up new outrages every day.

Get hot about them. Be passionate about them. And for the love of all that’s holy, talk like a normal human being, not a canned politician going through the motions.

Let’s get to work.”

Bulwark screenshot β€œFind a leader. Bring people together in person, far away from the capital’s control. Build momentum. Organize your supporters. Harness the power of their mass. Build toward an explicit show of strength. Take back control of Congress. And then, if we’re lucky, we can start thinking about an endgame. In the meantime, fight the authoritarians on everything. If the stock market drops, scream about it. Because it’s their fault. When a kid dies of measlesβ€”their fault. Attack them every day, on whatever the latest thing is. Turn β€œflood the zone” against them by not needing to cling to any one outrage for weeks. Embrace the idea of snapping up new outrages every day. Get hot about them. Be passionate about them. And for the love of all that’s holy, talk like a normal human being, not a canned politician going through the motions. Let’s get to work.”

This is brilliant and on point.

This is exactly it - the Democrats who will internalize these points and lead accordingly will emerge as the real leaders for the time we live in www.thebulwark.com/p/how-to-thi...

30.03.2025 16:15 β€” πŸ‘ 1089    πŸ” 337    πŸ’¬ 39    πŸ“Œ 36

i honestly have never seen a political leader so thoroughly destroy their credibility so quickly and, on the other side, it is abundantly clear that if anyone can claim a genuine leadership of large parts of the democratic party, it is AOC.

14.03.2025 17:07 β€” πŸ‘ 44182    πŸ” 5561    πŸ’¬ 479    πŸ“Œ 201
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#GVerse 🚨🚨Holy Shit!! Sen Merkley (D-OR) @markey.senate.gov is so on point here.πŸ’₯πŸ”₯πŸ’₯The time to take on a tyrant is as early as possible and this continuing resolution bill is the time to do it. Senate Democrats hold the line, don’t capitulate to these fascists. Vote NO! LFG!! Repost!!!

14.03.2025 18:53 β€” πŸ‘ 348    πŸ” 125    πŸ’¬ 16    πŸ“Œ 12

looking back, AOL had it right. 30 hours of internet per month was the right amount.

13.02.2025 17:21 β€” πŸ‘ 35284    πŸ” 6202    πŸ’¬ 204    πŸ“Œ 191
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America’s unfolding cybersecurity catastrophe In which the United States has been compromised by a domestic adversary and faces a future where no Five Eyes nation with an ounce of…

Simple and straightforward
"It almost feels rude to our adversaries who’ve spent millions, untold resources... with the goal of pwning the United States only to watch us do it to ourselves like a deranged child gleefully licking a light socket."
#Cybersecurity #FeralMusk
medium.com/@violetblue/...

10.02.2025 03:23 β€” πŸ‘ 37    πŸ” 14    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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The Trump Administration's Attacks on International Law and Institutions: Public Statement of American Human Rights Experts, Current and Former Members of UN Bodies High-level US human rights experts express concern about the Trump administration's turn away from of international law and institutions.

[1/3] The Trump Administration’s Attacks on International Law and Institutions: Public Statement by 16 US Human Rights Experts, Current and Former Members of UN Bodies

www.justsecurity.org/107687/state...

10.02.2025 22:50 β€” πŸ‘ 151    πŸ” 87    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 5
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this is the sort of thing you post when you’re ramping up to defying lawful court orders

09.02.2025 18:51 β€” πŸ‘ 45180    πŸ” 10802    πŸ’¬ 3549    πŸ“Œ 1161

USAID’s inspector generalβ€”presumably operating from a remote base in the mountainsβ€”has just released a report on the staggering effect of the Trump Administration’s assault on the agency. oig.usaid.gov/sites/defaul...

10.02.2025 21:12 β€” πŸ‘ 6982    πŸ” 2889    πŸ’¬ 116    πŸ“Œ 126

gritty has seized control of the federal government

10.02.2025 03:31 β€” πŸ‘ 7759    πŸ” 1276    πŸ’¬ 195    πŸ“Œ 262

thank you to Kendrick and the Eagles for making terrible people angry tonight

10.02.2025 03:24 β€” πŸ‘ 79268    πŸ” 8637    πŸ’¬ 623    πŸ“Œ 214
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True.

07.02.2025 17:54 β€” πŸ‘ 53567    πŸ” 17069    πŸ’¬ 1974    πŸ“Œ 1046

Trump's CFPB, now under the command of billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, has halted the Biden admin's rule to ban medical bills from credit reports.

It's been estimated that the rule would help improve the credit scores of 15 million people.

Some populist, huh?

08.02.2025 16:01 β€” πŸ‘ 4770    πŸ” 1529    πŸ’¬ 170    πŸ“Œ 83

UPDATE: Lawsuit filed seeking injunctive relief on behalf of USAID workers! storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

07.02.2025 00:48 β€” πŸ‘ 471    πŸ” 98    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 9

Would be terrible if millions scheduled test drives at Tesla dealers & didn't show up.

Sort of like Saul-Alinsky-trained organizers who shut down banks in Chicago in late 1960s by opening bank accounts w/thousands of pennies.

Schedule a test-drive here: www.tesla.com/findus/list/...

06.02.2025 15:41 β€” πŸ‘ 139    πŸ” 77    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 5

My instinct is to make the case that USAID is extremely good, actually. But I feel like it’s more important to say, β€œWhat is happening is antagonistic to the foundational document of the nation.”

04.02.2025 04:56 β€” πŸ‘ 24917    πŸ” 2428    πŸ’¬ 454    πŸ“Œ 67
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Our Litigation Tracker is now souped up with interactive Table. ⬇️

Now tracking 23 cases and expecting more to drop soon.

Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
www.justsecurity.org/107087/track...

01.02.2025 13:03 β€” πŸ‘ 2118    πŸ” 842    πŸ’¬ 87    πŸ“Œ 86

There’s no litigation yet for foreign aid EO??

04.02.2025 02:24 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

also, knowing that USAID does democracy promotion abroad, to what extent is Elon sending sensitive information about American workers abroad to rival governments and right-wing political movements?

03.02.2025 14:28 β€” πŸ‘ 3854    πŸ” 815    πŸ’¬ 89    πŸ“Œ 38
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The Logic of Destruction And how to resist it

The logic of the coup that is going on now. And how to resist it.
snyder.substack.com/p/the-logic-...

02.02.2025 18:50 β€” πŸ‘ 10966    πŸ” 5234    πŸ’¬ 340    πŸ“Œ 736
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People have gathered outside USAID HQ for press event with Democratic Congressmen Beyer, Raskin, Connolly and Olzewski and Senator Van Hollen where they're addressing the building's mysterious shutdown today in the midst of the Trump admin dismantling the agency.

(Photos shared with me)

03.02.2025 18:02 β€” πŸ‘ 17846    πŸ” 4996    πŸ’¬ 369    πŸ“Œ 482

Many friends are cautious and saying, "let's see where this goes" - but you are at your most powerful right now. Every day you do not act normalizes impunity and makes you and the people you serve weaker.

03.02.2025 18:44 β€” πŸ‘ 178    πŸ” 69    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 6
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How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future The Fight for Our Future

Just adding a non-Amazon option for buying: bookshop.org/p/books/how-...

03.02.2025 18:48 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.): "Elon Musk makes billions of dollars based on his business with China, and China is cheering" the shutting of USAID. It's "self-interest."

They want to kill USAID but "pass a giant tax cut" for billionaires and corporations. "We are not going to let them."

03.02.2025 18:25 β€” πŸ‘ 334    πŸ” 90    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2
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One of my party facts is that according to polls, Americans believe foreign aid is about 25% of the federal budget and on average that it *should* be about 10%.

The actual number is less than 1%.

Foreign aid has long been a boogey man of the right, so it's not surprising they're vilifying it now.

02.02.2025 22:32 β€” πŸ‘ 17087    πŸ” 4748    πŸ’¬ 395    πŸ“Œ 201

is it good or bad that a billionaire oligarch with close ties to foreign dictators is currently downloading the most sensitive information the us federal government has about its citizens to his own private servers?

02.02.2025 06:36 β€” πŸ‘ 27267    πŸ” 6730    πŸ’¬ 1044    πŸ“Œ 435
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Health Programs Shutter Around the World After Trump Pauses Foreign Aid Lifesaving treatment and prevention programs for tuberculosis, malaria, H.I.V. and other diseases cannot access funds to continue work.

This NYT piece describes the devastation being wrought in the global health sector by the foreign assistance freeze. Let me say a few words about what this looks like in the sector I work in, often called democracy and governance (DRG). 🧡

01.02.2025 19:16 β€” πŸ‘ 280    πŸ” 162    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 34
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Did you hear about the Friday coup? Elon Musk is in control.

My latest:

01.02.2025 20:47 β€” πŸ‘ 1337    πŸ” 532    πŸ’¬ 46    πŸ“Œ 95

@oncethought is following 18 prominent accounts