October 30, 2025 Newsletter
TRUMP ON HALLOWEEN
News from INDIVISIBLE SAN MATEO
October 30, 2025
Harry (Rick) Moody, Newsletter Editor
Mary Beavins, Founder of Indivisible San Mateo
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"If not us, then who? If not now, then when?"
"Protest is an act of love, not one of anger.”
-John Lewis
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COMING EVENTS
General Meeting. Indivisible San Mateo will be hosting a general meeting and coffee social on Sunday, Nov. 16, from 3 to 4:30 pm at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center, in Foster City. Save the date and more details will be sent in November.
Rally and Demonstration. On Nov. 1, 8 and 15, Indivisible will continue, as before to host gatherings, with signs for drivers coming by and music from the Freedom Strummers Group. The rally and demonstration will be from 1 to 230 pm on El Camino Real at 31sr Avenue, just north of the Hillsdale Shopping Center. Open to everyone, no reservations necessary.
Other Coming Events. These will be featured on the Indivisible San Mateo website:
https://www.indivisiblesanmateo.com/
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WHAT HAPPENED ON NO KINGS DAY?
“[Trump’s] administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants,” the No Kings website states of Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown. The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.” (Yahoo News)
“Future historians will record that this president was an enemy of democracy, and that he was stopped by ordinary citizens who cared enough about their country to take to the streets in peaceful protests until their voices overwhelmed the president’s enablers and corporate masters, reclaiming democracy for our generation.”
(From Robert Hubbell)
Today we show the world that in America we are not scared of Trump and his pathetic, vile regime. Today we show the world that America does not want a tyrant and does not want a king. Today, let’s make history with the largest peaceful protest ever.
Tens of millions of Americans will be protesting alongside so many others around the world. This is the day Trump feared.
When future generations ask what you did when authoritarianism took hold in America, tell them you weren’t on the sidelines. Today, you will make your mark on history, marching side by side at the No Kings Protest.
(From MeidasTouch Network)
Picture from Pro Bono Photo, with permission
No Kings Day in San Mateo: 4,000 participants (Police Dept. estimate) more than twice the number in the No Kings Day event last June 14. We were part of a national movement in 2,700 sites around the country, engaging 7 million people: the biggest mass protest in American history. Here in San Mateo, we were part of it. Senator Bernie Sanders said: You will always remember where you were on Oct. 18, 2025.
The largest peaceful protest in American history!
For photos from No Kings Day in San Mateo on Oct. 18 see:
https://www.probonophoto.org/2025/18Oct25NoKings2/18Oct25NoKingsSanMateo
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SEEN AT EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY
“No Kings was massive, powerful, and meaningful - but it’s not the end, it's only the beginning. There are more of us than there are of them. Our growing movement of over 7 million people is coming together to hear from leaders and fellow local activists after the big day to celebrate what we accomplished…”
(From Indivisible National)
See it for yourself at: https://www.nokings.org/about-nk#livestream
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WHAT IS ANTIFA, ANYWAY?
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This picture is a scene from “The Sound of Music” displayed by an anti-Trump group. The film was made in 1965, 20 years after the time the Nazis were overcome in Germany. ANTIFA is a mostly imaginary idea promoted by Trump to permit attacks on anyone who disagrees with him. Did anyone my age expect that Nazis and the Confederate Flag would make a comeback with Republicans in the USA?
“It’s time for someone to let Trump in on a little secret” ANTIFA is an illusion:
https://www.alternet.org/alternet-exclusives/antifa-trump/
See “Are We the Nazis Now? - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance”
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Are You a “Radical Threat”? “The Secret Directive Targeting Americans as “Radical Threats” A new national security memorandum quietly signed by Donald Trump is being used to surveil and label millions of Americans as potential terrorists for their political and religious beliefs…
The document identifies “anti-Americanism,” “anti-Christianity,” and “anti-capitalism” opinions, along with “hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, or morality,” as indicators of potential radicalism. In practice, that means anyone who disagrees with Trump’s regime or participates in peaceful protests like the No Kings demonstrations could be treated as a terrorist threat.” (MeidasTouch Network)
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DO PROTESTS MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE?
Many of us have been out in the streets for years, and we were there for No Kings Day on Oct. 18. But sometimes we wonder: Do protests make any difference? The answer is yes, and being there with others not only strengthens solidarity. It hastens the day when the lunacy will end. That day will come:
“Civil Resistance Confronts the Autocracy” by Paul Krugman
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/civil-resistance-confronts-the-autocracy
Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know, by Erica Chenoweth
Remember that every great idea eventually degenerates into work. Here is Hartmann’s view after Oct. 18: “Here’s the hard truth: that energy, that passion, that righteousness means very little if it doesn’t translate into structure and leadership. Movements that fail to coalesce around leaders and build institutions typically die in the glare of their own moral light or fail to produce results.”
Inspiring Story of Resistance. “Tank Man Had Shopping Bags. She Had a Polka Dot Dress.” at:
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TRUMP TALK
I am old enough to remember Nixon very, very well. I was not even 30 when Nixon was impeached and forced out of office. Trump ran for office a second time (2024) but by then, my children, like others, had gotten used to him. We absolutely have resist “getting used to” Trump. Preserving our democracy demands fighting back.
Trump’s version of Justice. “Justice” is “Just Us.”
How to Stop Trump. Act in solidarity and collaboration, not alone:
“President Trump is trying to seize power that he is not entitled to under the law or the Constitution. But Mr. Trump will fail in remaking American politics if people and institutions coordinate against him, which is why his administration is targeting businesses, nonprofits and the rest of civil society, proposing corrupting bargains to those who acquiesce and punishing holdouts to terrify the rest into submission.”
“Where Trump Is Vulnerable and How to Act on It” by Henry Farrell (NY Times)
“'Disgusting': Racist, Homophobic, Antisemitic, and Violent Private Chats of GOP Leaders Exposed” (Now we know what they really think):
https://www.commondreams.org/news/young-gop-leaders-hitler-chats
“Busted: Trump official revealed rampant corruption before the president fired him”
https://www.alternet.org/federal-trade-commission-trump/
Yes, We Can Defeat Trump. “Can Nonviolent Struggle Defeat a Dictator? This Database Emphatically Says Yes.” The Global Nonviolent Action Database details some 40 cases of mass movements overcoming tyrants through strategic nonviolent campaigns. See:
It is because Congress has willingly given up its power that everything now depends on grassroots actions, which is what Indivisible is, both here in California and around the counry.
Kakistocracy (/ˌkækɪˈstɒkrəsi/ KAK-ist-OK-rə-see) is government by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous people. (Shared by Indivisible North Boulder)
Hating America? Not Indivisible: “ ‘No Kings’ protesters don’t ‘hate America” — they hate what Trump is doing to it” at:
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/5572278-protest-democracy-trump-criticism/
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CORPORATE MEDIA
Social media is unreliable but so is corporate media (legacy media). I am always looking for alternatives so I’m including this message from Meidas Network:
“We’ve never had such a lunatic, despicable, vile piece of trash in the Oval Office like this before—a criminal, a sexual abuser, a fraud, a destroyer. It is vital we all exercise moral clarity in reporting on what a terrible human he is. We can pull no punches. As corporate news capitulates, we must double down on calling him out and fighting. That’s what we have done and what we will keep doing with you by our side.”
Meidas is not the only alternative source of news, but it’s one of the best. The Washington Post is gone (I ended my subscription) and CBS, sponsor of “Sixty Minutes” is now gone, too. I could multiply the examples. But we in Indivisible and other groups in the resistance must rely on other sources. We can’t figure everything out for ourselves. Think critically about where you get your information.
CBS: Replaced by Fox. “Evening News Anchor Quits Amid Network’s Trumpy Rebrand” Fox news people will be replacing CBS staffers:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/politics/biden-autopen-investigation-house-oversight-final-report
Corporate Bad Guys. Speaking about bad guys, you can find their names here:
“These Corporations Stopped Worrying About Democracy and Bought Trump
a Ballroom” at:
https://popular.info/p/these-corporations-stopped-worrying
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WHO IS THE ADVERSARY? IT’S NOT JUST TRUMP
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I.C.E.: TRUMP’S SECRET POLICE
It Is secret but only because those agents wear masks and conceal themselves from the public. Still, it has all been constructed in plain sight:
“ICE goes masked for a single reason—to terrorize Americans into
quiescence… In all our history we have never tolerated an armed,
masked secret police.”
Federal Judge William Young, appointed by Ronald Reagan
The Brennan Center on justice says that I.C.E. expenditures will amount to $145 Billion over four years: That’s a budget greater than all of the 50 state and local police forces combined (Reported by Dave Clark, Indivisible San Mateo).
Are we getting qualified people for all this money? Apparently not.
“I.C.E. lowering standards and raising risks” at:
Is just about Immigrants, right? Wrong. Trump’s secret police can have lots of purposes to be taken up over time: ICE Is Mounting a Mass Surveillance Campaign on American Citizens.” Without strict oversight, the agency’s new technology threatens Americans’ free speech and privacy. See:
https://reason.com/2025/10/23/ice-is-mounting-a-mass-surveillance-campaign-on-american-citizens/
Action on I.C.E. “Think There’s Nothing You Can Do to Stop ICE? Think Again.”
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/chicago-ice-raids-resistance/tnamp/
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WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT I.C.E.?
In San Mateo, we are fortunate to be part of a community network that shares information and activities to help protect our community and our democracy. For instance, our Action Alert program is a compilation of local resources to help inform and guide a response to potential I.C.E. activity in our local area.
Reports indicate that I.C.E. is ramping up immigration enforcement in the Bay Area. Although a "San Francisco surge" may have been delayed, I.C.E. remains active in our area. Now is the time to stand up and protect our community. Indivisible encourages citizens to be aware of the threat of I.C.E. in our area. Groups like Faith in Action and Bay Resistance can be helpful in many situations that are threatening.
San Mateo County Rapid Response Hotline
https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/rapid-response-hotline
203-666-4472 (203 - NO - MIGRA)
Bay Resistance
https://www.bayresistance.org/
Faith In Action:
https://www.faithinactionba.org/
California Collaborative for Immigration Justice
ACLU- Know Your Rights
https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights
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RECOMMENDED READING
Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet, by Chuck Collins (New Press).
The Project 2025 Survival Guide: What You Must Know Before It’s Too Late,
by Randy Allen Walker.
Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy,
by Joanna Macy (New World Library).
Humanizing Immigration, by Bill Ong Hing (Beacon Press).
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ITEMS OF INTEREST
Payoff Time. From Sen. Bernie Sanders: “This year, Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill gave: Google an $18 billion tax break. Amazon a $16 billion tax break. Microsoft a $12 billion tax break. Facebook an $11 billion tax break. Now, they’re writing checks to Trump for his $300 million ballroom. Gee, I wonder why?”
(From MeidasNetwork)
Hilarious—and Disturbing: “The Right Has Gone Woke” at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E48VwE-cbcM
The Threat from AI. Artificial Intelligence could have potential benefits for climate, but also consumes huge amount s of electric power. Are we ready for its impact on its impact for the media ecosystem?
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/ai-and-the-problem-of-the-last-10-percent-media-rolex
Demolition Derby. “Why Trump Tore Down the East Wing” It’s not just about architecture: it’s a symbol of everything Trump has done:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/11/03/why-trump-tore-down-the-east-wing
Trump: “President for Life?” Didn’t we say “No Kings?”
If you think it’s bad now…
Outreach: Neighbor To Neighbor. Winning an election means getting voters to the polls. For guidance see:
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A LITTLE LAUGHTER
It was humorist Will Rogers who said: “I’m not a member of an organized political party. I’m a Democrat.”
Trump advisor Stephen Miller has slammed protesters as “Elderly stupid white hippies who need go home and have a nap.”
Wait! I’m 80 years old and hung out in the East Village and San Francisco during the Sixties. I’m confused about all this. Maybe I need to go home and have a nap.
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SIGNS OF THE TIMES
About Us:
Indivisible San Mateo is a group of residents from San Mateo and neighboring communities who oppose Trump and his authoritarian policies. We are a peaceful people gathered for a common purpose of protecting our democracy, our Constitution and the rule-of-law.
We're growing and need your support. Click here to join.
More information available at www.indivisiblesanmateo.com
