Thanks, Ronni. I agree that local mobilization is the way to go and will read this next week.

We have three marches, at least, in the Bay area on January 21 which I intend to attend and will likely pick up ideas for local activities.

I think getting in front of this is vital as we're going to be hit from all sides with many issues soon and it likely won't let up. It's necessary to be attentive and not be distracted by the little stuff, like *'s tweets, gossip, etc. Believe me, they will try.

I live in a blue state also. I support my Senators and congressperson but it is the red states that are ignoring the devastating effects of a Trump administration. Why do people vote against their own best interest? The people barely getting by need real help not just talk.

Thank you Ronni, just shared this on FB. I write and call my reps too, and other districts reps as well (although some of them are beginning to be selective about what contact they'll accept).

The gun violence prevention group I volunteer with now numbers at 3.5 million supporters across the nation and is successfully using the local organizing techniques described here. One way elders - or any voter- can get involved locally is to sign up to comment online at their state's legislative page. Here in AZ it's called "Request to Speak" and you need to sign up in person at a kiosk at the Capitol but after registering you can weigh in and comment on particular bills online, and your name and comments are read when the bill is discussed or voted on. Easy to do in your computer at home.. OR you can go down and speak in person about the bill for 3 minutes.

I disliked the Tea Party intensely, but there is no doubt that it included some smart people. Kudos to you for discovering their playbook and using it to fight back. Anything that works, I say—Trump is dangerous enough for our best efforts!

Thanks for the primer, Ronni. I will print it out later today. As you noted, some elders are no longer physically able to stand or march for hours; others may not be O.K. with driving at night and traveling long distances. Of necessity we will likely be primarily a "home-based" movement. Since I live in deep "Blue" western WA State, I'm pretty confident that my legislators at all levels will continue to represent Progressive views.

I already comment on legislative website pages when issues are of concern to me and will continue to do so, as well as send direct emails. However, as Bruce C. notes, it's "Red " state legislators that most need to be inundated with calls and mail from constituents, and non-constituents where possible, who do not agree with the *Rumpeteers or the right-wing agenda. These legislators need to be deluged with a sea of rhetoric from the left/center to counteract and even drown out that from the right. They need to be kept sufficiently busy deflecting and responding to Progressives of all age groups that they begin to pay attention to--and perhaps change their mind about--supporting radical right legislation.

I also detest the Tea Party, but I must admit (grudgingly) that they were all too successful in turning the country sharply to the right which paved the way for The Orange Apparition known as *.

Thanks, Ronni. After the holidays I plan to study ways I can get involved. We are roughly the same age and I feel exactly the same way about the dangers to our country this coming administration can and probably will do. We need to stay engaged! I've never been this concerned!

Thanks for this very practical guide. I've read it all and am really impressed. More importantly, I've sent the link along to everyone I can think of. The more people know about this and use it, the better.

I also live in a deep blue area--Seattle--so I know my rep and my senators are on my side, but I've also sent the link to people I know who agree with me but who live in red states. If each of us would do that, think how far this could spread.

Oh and Re: the woman's March on Washington can't get a permit as the Trump people have blocked access to the area for several weeks before and after the inauguration due to Unknown Celebration Conflicts.

Reported in Daily Koz today.

Unless things change soon it may not be a happening thing.

I can't remember having to get permits in the 1960s. Or 1970s. We just all went and protested. How things do change.

Unfortunately, the rules and standards for citizens to use in order to engage elected representatives have been structured such that we often are nothing more than procedural gestures.

Typically at city and county council meetings, at the start of a session, anyone can speak to the council ... for a max of 3 minutes. Councils will sit quietly, maybe listen but rarely will they respond. However, council friendly bureaucrats can take as much time as they want to rebutt citizen complaints ... and citizen's aren't allowed to say "hogwash" to the rebuttals.

And, if you want to talk w/ an elected representative, good luck. You might get a 10 minute office visit or a slightly longer phone conversation - but don't expect too much - they are extremely wary when talking to us.

Perhaps, you might think, "all I need to do is join a action group or organize a community". Good luck with that too ... just remember the cliche about herding cats.

When all else fails, there's legal actions - legal warnings and lawsuits - that might be the only option available to citizens ... and that's extremely costly. But remember, you will be herding cats in order to raise funds for the legal work.

Don't be disheartened ... change can happen ... it just will take time - years - to occur. Conservative Republicans have been working to roll back FDR's legacy since the moment he died and the Teabagger's early efforts date back to the 1960s.