Resistor Vic Podcast

Another violent ICE encounter in Minneapolis. Another round of silence from the people who want to be president someday—but won’t lead today.

This piece isn’t about party politics or campaign strategy. It’s about the absence of visible, vocal leadership when congressional Democrats pass DHS funding and the public is left asking who, if anyone, is willing to draw a line.

The question isn’t who’s running. The question is who’s standing.

I apologize in advance for the language. I didn’t plan this video out. I saw what happened and set up my camera and said how I felt.

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In this installment of Resistance Needs a Plan, I focus on something bigger than protests, moments, or viral calls to action. I talk about organized labor as an institution, one of the few remaining structures in American life that is still shaped and controlled by regular people instead of politicians and donors.

This piece is about collective power, why showing up locally matters, and how protecting labor is also a way of protecting democracy itself.

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In Part 5 of Resistance Needs a Plan, I focus on the line that defines the difference between resistance and the very forces it opposes. Violence doesn’t just cause harm — it erodes legitimacy, weakens moral authority, and strengthens authoritarian narratives. This piece looks at why nonviolence is not passivity, but a strategic choice that preserves power, credibility, and the possibility of a democratic future.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

In Part 4 of Resistance Needs a Plan, I focus on the guardrails that make democracy work: institutions that slow down power, protect access to information, and create accountability. These aren’t abstract ideas — they’re people, rules, and systems that show up every day to keep things fair, open, and explainable. This piece looks at why those guardrails matter, how they weaken when we stop backing them up, and why defending them is a form of resistance in itself.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

In Part 3 of Resistance Needs a Plan, I shift from endurance and community to leverage. Resistance isn’t just about showing up — it’s about knowing where pressure actually works. This piece looks at why waiting for the next election may be waiting too long, why claims of powerlessness fall short, and how citizens can focus their energy on the institutions and leaders who still have the ability to act. Strategy matters. Direction matters. This is about pushing where it matters.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This is Part Two of Resistance Needs a Plan.

This piece focuses on community — not as a social nicety, but as a form of civic power. Movements that thrive on division depend on people feeling isolated and alone. Democratic culture survives when people know each other, support each other, and stay visible together.

From families and local groups to clubs, teams, and everyday spaces, this episode explores how small connections form networks — and how those networks make people harder to silence and easier to stand with.

Part Three will focus on how to use that power.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This is Part One of Resistance Needs a Plan, a series of videos where I offer what I think is a better plan for moving forward than what we’ve been following so far. Some of it is about what we are already doing. Some of it is about what we need to do different. I hope you find it to be worth your time.

This first piece focuses on something that often gets dismissed: self-care as a form of strategy. Systems that thrive on chaos and exhaustion don’t need to silence people if they can simply wear them down. Staying informed, staying connected, and staying motivated all begin with taking care of yourself.

Part Two will move outward, from the individual to the community — and how building real connections strengthens democratic resistance.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve been trying to work on a series of videos all week. I’ve also been trying to get a decent night’s sleep since last week when Renee Good was murdered. Now I’m making myself late for work because I had to get this one out of my head.

I’ll be back.

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I’m getting a resurgence of comments and emails asking “what can we do?” So I’m working on a series of videos to address the question. The first in the series is going to be about taking care of yourself in these troubling times. One of the ways to do this is to find a reason to laugh. That’s the primary reason for this video.

Another reason for this video is, as I’ve stated before, authoritarians hate to be laughed at. My favorite protesters in the country are the frogs and unicorns in Portland. They’re using mockery to say, “we are not afraid of you.” I expect they’re also getting at least some of the ICEStapo thugs to actually think, even if only for a brief minute, about what they’re doing. If they only get one of them to quit, it’s worth it.

I hope I give you at least a chuckle with this one. Let me know.

Good Day

P.S.

I know there's nothing to laugh at with regard to the people ICE has hurt. Please don't take this as me making fun of them.

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Victoria returned to the pod to update us on her campaign. We talked about that and what kind of people we need to be sending to Congress in an age where we have a government that openly assassinates law-abiding citizens in the street.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe