Masterfully written and profoundly important. Thank you for speaking out when so many stay silent—too afraid or too compromised to act. Every American should heed this warning. These moments of clarity and resistance are growing rare, as our democracy frays. What remains must be fiercely defended. This isn’t just a call to awareness—it’s a call to action. Bravo.
“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders…and millions have been killed because of this obedience…Our problem is that people are obedient allover the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… (and) the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”
Matt Damon from Howard Zinn's speech: The Problem is Civil Obedience 5:05 min
“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience."
That's precisely why millions of people disobeyed the totalitarian-delivered COVID mandates, put in entirely by globalist and national executive head and executive department orders, instead of debating them at length for revisions in legislatures. Two-thirds of the population, on the other hand -- including health professionals and scientists with different points of view -- were too frightened, both of unproven disease claims AND of the totalitarian fed and local governments, to protest any of the outrageous demands that were made, that we now know warped our lives permanently. People were defamed, fired, bankrupted, and worse for speaking out -- and now our fearless leaders want to sweep it all under the rug so we can "move on" to their next fear panic.
Almost 2 million people died of COVID in a short period of time. Protecting vulnerable people certainly had little or no value. Probably a conspiracy. In the face of how the country is circling the drain, these comments have an obscure meaning which in time will be revealed.
Thank you for quoting this great philosopher. I needed a refresher on him and his work. So I looked him up. He made the remarks you quoted here in 1970, around the height of the US involvement in the the civil war in Vietnam. He was a college professor at Boston University. I understand Harvard has chosen to stand up to the Trump administration. God bless them. Harvard and the Ivy league seem to be so outside the realm of access to most Americans like myself ( Indiana State University, class of 1979). It (Harvard) also started offering free tuition to students with household incomes below $200,000 per year. Again, God bless them! We NEED a citizenry that is educated and capable of critical thinking right now. We are stronger as a people when those from ALL socio economic strata have an opportunity to be educated and grow. Zinn was a member of the Greatest Generation, born in 1922, just a few years senior to the late Jimmy Carter. Here's a link to Zinn's website.https://www.howardzinn.org/collection/the-problem-is-civil-obedience/
Alvin Powell Harvard Staff Write April 14, 2025 5 min read
Changes pushed by government ‘unmoored from the law,’ Garber says. ‘The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.’
Harvard on Monday rejected demands from the Trump administration that threaten $9 billion in research funding, arguing that the changes pushed by the government exceed its lawful authority and infringe on both the University’s independence and its constitutional rights.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a message to the community. He added: “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
Well said. SO thankful for your voice right now—wisdom & sanity & moral clarity…
I can hardly bear to watch the news—national OR local.
Today’s coverage of Bukele & Trump was chilling…on top of that, my local (Goochland) school board was taken over by right-wing extremists who are purposely bankrupting what WAS one of the best school systems in va.
The news alone exhausts me…your words, as always, lift me up.
I’ve been detached from news surrounding our schools since my son graduated last year.
I haven’t actually shown up to any of the meetings this year … But my neighbors who have (& have pushed back on these people) have certainly inspired me to get more involved.
Thank you. Indeed. Bukele made madness stop in his country and what he is showing now might be his true colors, that I don’t know but he sure is either pushing madness into an already mad man or following it. His own people are expressing discontent.
That trashes whatever good he did to his small (in amount of citizens) country compared to the size of america.
Wow, Marianne!!! I felt the energy surge with the divine light as a rippled response to everything you say here. You’re right now, and it is not the time to bury our heads in the sand, pretending it’s not going on. Thank you, simply doesn’t seem enough. And you’re right, there are people out there who are unknown but putting in the hard yards, creating change … yes, beneath the surface - they are vital. This is beneficial to the world, not just the US. Everyone from every background, culture, and nation should be speaking up & out. Thank God for these many people who care enough to ‘do’ and for you too, Marianne. As ACIM says, it's not enough to listen and learn (vital, but not enough). It's the doing that causes and creates traction and momentum. Bless you, Marianne, as always!
Thank you, Marianne, for your bravery in this crucial time! When I first saw this article I was sitting in the showroom of a local auto dealer waiting to sign papers on a car that will take me farther and faster to be vocal all over any New England territory I can cover. I was direct with everyone I encountered today about the clear intent by those in the White House bent on dismantling our government and didn't get a single push back from anyone. What I got was, "What's happening?! Tell me more!" I will be out in force in NH on the 19th and bring along anyone willing to join me!
I do love the way you deliver the message that you want to convey. You have a magical way with the written word. Thank you for reminding people about more protest rallies taking place on Saturday. It is indeed very important to show our displeasure with this corrupt regime. Our freedom lies in the balance. Thank you once again.
Brilliant and brave. Thank goodness for you, Marianne, with all your wisdom, experience and the gifts you have to offer the planet, reminding us that we all have the power within, we shall overcome evil! You have valiantly stood the test of time, for sure. I am with you all the way. ❤️
Oh, honey. Finally. A sermon worth standing up for, and I say that as someone who once tried to levitate during Matins just to skip morning chores.
This isn't the hour for wishful thinking or vision boards. This is the hour for holy noise. For righteous racket. For banging pots and pans at the gates of complacency until democracy stops napping under a weighted blanket of denial.
We are not in a metaphor. We are not in a rehearsal. This is it. The Constitution is not a vibe—it’s the last sacred scroll we’ve got, and they’re trying to wipe with it.
So yes—speak. Roar. Protest like your grandchildren’s gods depend on it. Because they do.
And to the pastors, pundits, and pearl-clutchers who think Jesus would endorse dictatorship: baby, he flipped tables, not ballots.
Rise, friends. The monastery of madness has spoken.
—VMB🌀
P.S. If you’re still silent, I’ve got a complimentary backbone in my relic cabinet. Slightly used, but still holier than half the Senate.
Thanks again, Marianne. I cherish this forum we have here. Every spring and summer I work in our family commercial transportation business. My husband and I are on the road weeks at a time working to earn a righteous earning. My ability to make a contribution with the written word is my best way to make a contribution now. One of the issues so important to me (we have so many options from which to choose) is this issue of the US jailing people in inhumane conitions in another country. Below is a picture from a story in "USA Today. " There is a photograph of the secretary of Homeland Security standing in front of jailed men. I first saw this same picture - different time, different people, same picture - when I was a teenager and I learned about the Holocaust. I was horrified then. I am horrified now.https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2025/04/01/USAT/82761484007-2206476160.jpg?width=954&height=636&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
“The problem is big and as people we must be too. Ultimately, that is the gift as well as the challenge of this moment. It is calling us to rise. Every mountain, every river, every memory of just and brave Americans who triumphed over evil: they are calling us to rise.”
THIS is exactly the message, the call to action, that’s necessary to meet the moment and triumph over evil! Doing nothing is not an option. Our country, our democracy, our children and grandchildren need us to show up!
Masterfully written and profoundly important. Thank you for speaking out when so many stay silent—too afraid or too compromised to act. Every American should heed this warning. These moments of clarity and resistance are growing rare, as our democracy frays. What remains must be fiercely defended. This isn’t just a call to awareness—it’s a call to action. Bravo.
Thanks for your help...
Are you REAL ID ready?
On May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. https://www.dhs.gov/real-id
Bravo!! Standing with you is an honor and a privilege. The movement grows!!
Howard Zinn on civil disobedience :
“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders…and millions have been killed because of this obedience…Our problem is that people are obedient allover the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… (and) the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”
Matt Damon from Howard Zinn's speech: The Problem is Civil Obedience 5:05 min
https://youtu.be/S2li9E_94MA
“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience."
That's precisely why millions of people disobeyed the totalitarian-delivered COVID mandates, put in entirely by globalist and national executive head and executive department orders, instead of debating them at length for revisions in legislatures. Two-thirds of the population, on the other hand -- including health professionals and scientists with different points of view -- were too frightened, both of unproven disease claims AND of the totalitarian fed and local governments, to protest any of the outrageous demands that were made, that we now know warped our lives permanently. People were defamed, fired, bankrupted, and worse for speaking out -- and now our fearless leaders want to sweep it all under the rug so we can "move on" to their next fear panic.
Almost 2 million people died of COVID in a short period of time. Protecting vulnerable people certainly had little or no value. Probably a conspiracy. In the face of how the country is circling the drain, these comments have an obscure meaning which in time will be revealed.
Thank you for quoting this great philosopher. I needed a refresher on him and his work. So I looked him up. He made the remarks you quoted here in 1970, around the height of the US involvement in the the civil war in Vietnam. He was a college professor at Boston University. I understand Harvard has chosen to stand up to the Trump administration. God bless them. Harvard and the Ivy league seem to be so outside the realm of access to most Americans like myself ( Indiana State University, class of 1979). It (Harvard) also started offering free tuition to students with household incomes below $200,000 per year. Again, God bless them! We NEED a citizenry that is educated and capable of critical thinking right now. We are stronger as a people when those from ALL socio economic strata have an opportunity to be educated and grow. Zinn was a member of the Greatest Generation, born in 1922, just a few years senior to the late Jimmy Carter. Here's a link to Zinn's website.https://www.howardzinn.org/collection/the-problem-is-civil-obedience/
Yes. This is good. I hope others will follow.
Alvin Powell Harvard Staff Write April 14, 2025 5 min read
Changes pushed by government ‘unmoored from the law,’ Garber says. ‘The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.’
Harvard on Monday rejected demands from the Trump administration that threaten $9 billion in research funding, arguing that the changes pushed by the government exceed its lawful authority and infringe on both the University’s independence and its constitutional rights.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a message to the community. He added: “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/04/harvard-wont-comply-with-demands-from-trump-administration/
April 19 Hands Off rally, I’m bringing my cast and crew to wherever Wisconsin folks will be gathering!
To be silent is to be complicit, that is the simple truth. Every voice counts.
Well said. SO thankful for your voice right now—wisdom & sanity & moral clarity…
I can hardly bear to watch the news—national OR local.
Today’s coverage of Bukele & Trump was chilling…on top of that, my local (Goochland) school board was taken over by right-wing extremists who are purposely bankrupting what WAS one of the best school systems in va.
The news alone exhausts me…your words, as always, lift me up.
Our community members are valiantly fighting back at the school board meetings and inspiring me to get re-involved though both my kids have graduated: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EhrwEJTMi/?mibextid=wwXIfr
It's good you're being active. It helps quell the feeling of helplessness.
I’ve been detached from news surrounding our schools since my son graduated last year.
I haven’t actually shown up to any of the meetings this year … But my neighbors who have (& have pushed back on these people) have certainly inspired me to get more involved.
Thank you. Indeed. Bukele made madness stop in his country and what he is showing now might be his true colors, that I don’t know but he sure is either pushing madness into an already mad man or following it. His own people are expressing discontent.
That trashes whatever good he did to his small (in amount of citizens) country compared to the size of america.
Thank you for all you are doing.
May God protects us all. 🙏🏻🌈
Wow, Marianne!!! I felt the energy surge with the divine light as a rippled response to everything you say here. You’re right now, and it is not the time to bury our heads in the sand, pretending it’s not going on. Thank you, simply doesn’t seem enough. And you’re right, there are people out there who are unknown but putting in the hard yards, creating change … yes, beneath the surface - they are vital. This is beneficial to the world, not just the US. Everyone from every background, culture, and nation should be speaking up & out. Thank God for these many people who care enough to ‘do’ and for you too, Marianne. As ACIM says, it's not enough to listen and learn (vital, but not enough). It's the doing that causes and creates traction and momentum. Bless you, Marianne, as always!
Thank you, Marianne, for your bravery in this crucial time! When I first saw this article I was sitting in the showroom of a local auto dealer waiting to sign papers on a car that will take me farther and faster to be vocal all over any New England territory I can cover. I was direct with everyone I encountered today about the clear intent by those in the White House bent on dismantling our government and didn't get a single push back from anyone. What I got was, "What's happening?! Tell me more!" I will be out in force in NH on the 19th and bring along anyone willing to join me!
I do love the way you deliver the message that you want to convey. You have a magical way with the written word. Thank you for reminding people about more protest rallies taking place on Saturday. It is indeed very important to show our displeasure with this corrupt regime. Our freedom lies in the balance. Thank you once again.
CALLING US to RISE!
Thank you Marianne!
Yes … Yes … Yes … Wonderfully Written!!!!
Brilliant and brave. Thank goodness for you, Marianne, with all your wisdom, experience and the gifts you have to offer the planet, reminding us that we all have the power within, we shall overcome evil! You have valiantly stood the test of time, for sure. I am with you all the way. ❤️
Oh, honey. Finally. A sermon worth standing up for, and I say that as someone who once tried to levitate during Matins just to skip morning chores.
This isn't the hour for wishful thinking or vision boards. This is the hour for holy noise. For righteous racket. For banging pots and pans at the gates of complacency until democracy stops napping under a weighted blanket of denial.
We are not in a metaphor. We are not in a rehearsal. This is it. The Constitution is not a vibe—it’s the last sacred scroll we’ve got, and they’re trying to wipe with it.
So yes—speak. Roar. Protest like your grandchildren’s gods depend on it. Because they do.
And to the pastors, pundits, and pearl-clutchers who think Jesus would endorse dictatorship: baby, he flipped tables, not ballots.
Rise, friends. The monastery of madness has spoken.
—VMB🌀
P.S. If you’re still silent, I’ve got a complimentary backbone in my relic cabinet. Slightly used, but still holier than half the Senate.
As always, Marianne, thank you for your courage and your inspiration. We simply CANNOT be silent now!!!
Thanks again, Marianne. I cherish this forum we have here. Every spring and summer I work in our family commercial transportation business. My husband and I are on the road weeks at a time working to earn a righteous earning. My ability to make a contribution with the written word is my best way to make a contribution now. One of the issues so important to me (we have so many options from which to choose) is this issue of the US jailing people in inhumane conitions in another country. Below is a picture from a story in "USA Today. " There is a photograph of the secretary of Homeland Security standing in front of jailed men. I first saw this same picture - different time, different people, same picture - when I was a teenager and I learned about the Holocaust. I was horrified then. I am horrified now.https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2025/04/01/USAT/82761484007-2206476160.jpg?width=954&height=636&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
“The problem is big and as people we must be too. Ultimately, that is the gift as well as the challenge of this moment. It is calling us to rise. Every mountain, every river, every memory of just and brave Americans who triumphed over evil: they are calling us to rise.”
THIS is exactly the message, the call to action, that’s necessary to meet the moment and triumph over evil! Doing nothing is not an option. Our country, our democracy, our children and grandchildren need us to show up!
Thank you🙏