Kudos to Indivisible and the 50501 movement for organizing the “Hands Off” protest actions of April 5.
It felt good to gather with friends and neighbors, hold signs, share stories, sign petitions, and stand in solidarity across our islands and the world.
Our message to Trump/Musk/Vance, and the others enabling the madness that’s engulfed our federal government, is fairly straightforward: follow the Constitution, respect the democratic process, and put people and the planet ahead of corporate profits.
But sadly, they view people and the planet as profit centers to exploit, and the Constitution and democratic process as an obstacle to circumvent.
So we must gather together, push back and KEEP pushing back — until we win.
There’s really no other choice — our children and grandchildren, and their children, are counting on us.
Which is why I’m doing it again on April 19. I encourage you to join me, my family and millions more, to say, in numbers so large we cannot be ignored: ENOUGH ALREADY.
The 50501 folks, Indivisible and other advocacy organizations are again organizing protests in all 50 states against the madness of one man’s rule and in support of the Constitution. Their goal is to get 3.5 percent of the U.S. population — more than 11 million people — to participate. They cite this figure as the threshold for “sustained resistance in order to make a difference.”
Let’s help get to that number. Let’s call our friends and neighbors and encourage them to join us. We’ll be gathering on this island along the highway by Kauai Community College. Other groups will gather across the other Hawaiian Islands and around the continent — at universities, county buildings, state capitols and at the National Mall in D.C.
And let us call upon our governors, state and federal legislators, council-members, and mayors as well — and encourage them to join us, too.
Leadership in government is exactly what’s needed at this moment. We desperately need our elected leaders to stand with us.
We need to see and hear our leaders pledge their firm commitment to the Constitution, and to protecting the rights of due process for ALL people, citizens and non-citizens alike. We need to hear them embrace and celebrate the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Yes, those elected to public office must serve ALL the people, including those who voted for President Trump. But they should NOT support bigotry, misogyny, ignorance or the trampling of our Constitution.
Our leaders must join us in the streets and march alongside us, arm-in-arm. In one voice that cannot be disregarded, we must tell this administration ENOUGH ALREADY.
It’s not enough for our leaders to privately tell friends and constituents they “oppose Trump,” or to lament the collapse of federal programs on social media.
We need our elected officials — YOU, if you’re reading this and serving at the pleasure of the people — we need YOU out there with us as we exercise our freedom of speech, as we protest the dismantling of the Department of Education, the Veterans Administration and so many other important agencies.
We need YOU there with us, in every city across the continent, opposing the tactics used by ICE to arrest, detain, and deport our friends and neighbors — merely for expressing their hopes and dreams of a better world.
We need, want, and expect YOU — our elected officials, our mayors, governors, legislators and council-members — to join us on April 19 before this administration unleashes the Insurrection Act.
Let’s stand together united behind a message that cannot be ignored.
Follow the Constitution, stop the madness — ENOUGH ALREADY.
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Gary Hooser served eight years in the state Senate, where he was majority leader. He also served for eight years on the Kaua‘i County Council. He presently writes on Hawai‘i Policy and Politics at www.garyhooser.blog.