A time for personal courage--and compassion
March 21, 2025
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[I will hold a Substack live stream on Saturday, March 22, at 9 am Pacific / 12 noon Eastern].
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Trump's kryptonite is a person with courage.
He cannot understand, much less abide, a person who refuses to cower in the face of ugly threats and presidential menace.
Trump's only talent is the ability to smell fear and identify the weak. His only strategy is to cull the herd. He wilts in the face of organized opposition. He wins by dividing us. He loses when we unite.
We will defeat Trump if each of us demonstrates personal courage in time a political peril. If one person with courage is stronger than Trump, imagine a nation of tens of millions of Americans who say, “Enough. Not me. Not us. We stand united against a reign of lawlessness and retribution.”
But the day of Trump's reckoning is delayed each time one person or organization collapses in fear, bends a knee, chooses expedience over righteous resistance, or elevates profit over democracy.
In a dark day for the American legal profession, the once mighty law firm of Paul Weiss was reduced to a whimper of fools, a skulk of cowards who protected their lucrative profits over their constitutional right of free association and their obligation to defend the rule of law.
Lest you believe I am carried away with emotion, the level-headed hero of the resistance, Marc Elias, described the Paul Weiss capitulation as follows:
It is a sad day for the legal industry. Paul Weiss, didn't just bend a knee, it set a new standard for shameful capitulation. This is a stain on the firm, every one of its partners, and the entire legal profession.
For context, Paul Weiss is (or rather, was) one of the most respected and feared law firms in New York. Its average per partner compensation is $6.5 million annually.
Six days ago, Trump issued an executive order revoking the security clearances of lawyers at Paul Weiss because one of its partners-- Mark Pomerantz--left the firm to work in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office on the fraud case against Donald Trump that resulted in 34 guilty verdicts. (Pomerantz left the DA’s office and returned to Paul Weiss before Trump was tried and convicted.)
Trump's executive order also announced that the government would investigate Paul Weiss for promoting diversity in its ranks.
On Thursday, Trump announced that Paul Weiss had surrendered in abject humiliation. Trump wrote that Paul Weiss admitted “wrongdoing” and agreed that “law firms should not favor any political party”—a blatant rejection of the First Amendment right to free association and free speech. Law firms are free to decide which clients they will represent—including based on factors such as political affiliation. See, by analogy, Overview of Freedom of Association | Congress.gov | Library of Congress, which states,
laws requiring organizations to include persons with whom they disagree on political, religious, or ideological matters can violate members’ freedom of association, particularly if those laws interfere with an organization’s message.
In effect, Paul Weiss has bargained away its First Amendment right to decide which clients it will (or will not) represent. (Obviously, law firms cannot discriminate on bases prohibited by the Constitution or enabling statutes.)
Paul Weiss also agreed to devote $40 million to pro bono legal services that “support the Trump administration’s initiatives”—in effect, a ransom paid to the federal government for the privilege of reclaiming its lawyers' security clearances.
And Paul Weiss reneged on its commitment to diversity in the workplace—a long overdue commitment for a firm founded in 1875 that did not admit its first Black partner until 1993. In apparent recognition of its part in promoting discrimination in the legal profession, Paul Weiss announced an initiative in 2020 “to unite law firms and public-interest organizations across the U.S. in a pro-bono effort to root out racism.” That initiative died on March 20, 2025, at the hands of the firm chairman, who feared that per-partner equity profits would dip below $6.5 million.
Paul Weiss's leadership has taken the coward’s way out. It is not too late for the firm’s partners and associates to consider other paths.
If the American people follow the example of Paul Weiss, our democracy will be lost. Fortunately, all evidence suggests that millions of Americans have the courage to stand against Trump's assault on democracy.
Exhibiting personal courage is important—indeed, it is a necessary ingredient of our plan to save democracy. It is Trump's kryptonite. One person of courage flummoxes Trump; millions with courage will stop his agenda quickly.
Of equal importance is the fact that demonstrating personal courage provides a social cue and permission structure for others to stand up and speak out. One courageous person is all it takes to start a movement. Be that person. Don’t be Paul Weiss.
And don’t forget to be compassionate.
It can be easy to talk of courage when you are not (currently) a Trump target. Some—like Paul Weiss’s partners—occupy positions of wealth and power that should allow them to exhibit courage. Others have families and obligations that depend on not drawing attention to themselves. Many cannot afford the financial cost of a staredown with the president of the United States.
Think of permanent residents with families divided between the US and home countries who depend on unimpeded travel to maintain family ties. Or a single parent whose government paycheck is the difference between living in an apartment or on the streets. Or a young person with student loan debt who needs a government job to stay current on a loan.
Tesla owners are another good example. A reader sent a note today saying she and her husband bought a Tesla before they retired. They bought the car because they believed it would help fight climate change and was superior to other electric vehicles. They can’t afford to sell the car at a loss (the resale market has crashed). Others may be locked into long-term leases or finance contracts. Selling is not an option. The reader noted that she and her husband agree with the Tesla protests, so being yelled at by protestors doesn’t feel fair or right.
So, let’s have some compassion for people whose circumstances require them to stay below the radar or preclude them from taking actions that aren’t realistic. When we protest Tesla—as we should—we are protesting Elon Musk, not innocent purchasers who are Musk’s victims.
Most importantly, exhibit compassion by reaching out, checking in, and listening to people who may be suffering in silence and fear. Trump wants to separate us. To defeat him, we must cling to one another more firmly than ever.
Together, there is nothing we cannot do.
There are more protests now than in 2017
The media is peddling a false narrative that the resistance in 2025 is not as strong as it was in 2017. That is not true; the narrative is a product of the media’s laziness. The media is content to show video of a massive march—like the Women’s March in 2017—but won’t make the effort to cover hundreds of smaller marches across the nation.
A study of the number of protests in 2025 vs 2017 shows that the current protest activity is nearly double that of 2017. See the chart below, taken from Resistance is alive and well in the United States | Waging Nonviolence by Erica Chenoweth, Jeremy Pressman, and Soha Hammam.
The authors of the article write as follows:
Many underestimate resistance to the current Republican administration because they view resistance through a narrow lens, [i.e., the] 2017 Women’s March . . . In fact, our research shows that street protests today are far more numerous and frequent than skeptics might suggest. . . . [S]ince Jan. 22, we’ve seen more than twice as many street protests than took place during the same period eight years ago.
More reasons to be concerned about—and to protest—Musk’s unconstitutional involvement in the federal government.
Musk's work for the federal government is a walking conflict of interest and national security risk. Musk has global financial interests that are affected by US policy that he now appears to control.
In an extraordinarily worrisome development, the NYTimes reported that Musk will receive a detailed briefing on Friday regarding the US battle plans for a war with China. Musk should not be briefed on those plans because he is subject to blackmail and economic coercion by foreign states, including China.
See NYTimes, Pentagon Set Up Briefing for Musk on Potential War With China. (Accessible to all.)
Per the Times,
Pentagon war plans, known in military jargon as O-plans or operational plans, are among the military’s most closely guarded secrets. If a foreign country were to learn how the United States planned to fight a war against them, it could reinforce its defenses and address its weaknesses, making the plans far less likely to succeed.
After the Times published its report, the White House and Pentagon denied that Musk would be briefed on war plans with China. Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Musk would visit the Pentagon to discuss “innovation.”
The Times updated its story to add the following:
“Roughly 30 minutes after that social media post [denying the NYTimes report], The Wall Street Journal confirmed that Mr. Musk had been scheduled to be briefed on the war planning for China.”
In other words, it appears that the Pentagon and the White House are lying to the American people. They got caught before they could divulge highly classified information to someone who presented a security risk.
Moreover—and this is the interesting part—it appears that someone at the Pentagon tried to stop the briefing by leaking to the press that it was about to happen. Stay tuned for more!
Trump continues defy court order in the Venezuelan deportation case.
US District Judge Boasberg said that the DOJ’s latest filing in the Venezuelan deportation case was “woefully deficient” and gave the government until Tuesday to clean up its act—or else. See NPR, Judge calls 'woefully insufficient' the Trump administration response to his order.
Trump responded by claiming that Judge Boasberg was “usurping the presidency.” See BBC, Trump says judge in migrant deportations case is 'Grandstander'.
This case is headed for a constitutional confrontation to be decided by the US Supreme Court—fast. Trump is actively lobbying the Supreme Court on Truth Social to “stop” the injunctions by federal judges. See Newsweek, Donald Trump Issues Firm Directive to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
Ha. Ha. Remember that time (six months ago) when Trump was cheering a single judge in Texas (Judge Kacsmaryk) who blocked almost every Biden policy with a nationwide injunction?
Federal Judge issues order preventing Doge access to Social Security data
A federal judge issues a ruling blocking Doge from accessing the personal data of millions of Americans. See Business Insider, A judge blocked DOGE from accessing the Social Security records of millions of Americans in a blistering ruling.
The ruling is here: American Federation etc. vs Social Security Administration | Temporary Restraining Order
Per Business Insider, Judge. Ellen Lipton Hollander wrote,
Ironically, the identity of these DOGE affiliates has been concealed because defendants are concerned that the disclosure of even their names would expose them to harassment and thus invade their privacy. The defense does not appear to share a privacy concern for the millions of Americans whose SSA records were made available to the DOGE affiliates, without their consent, and which contain sensitive, confidential, and personally identifiable information.
Opportunities for Reader Engagement
I received this note from Senate Circle:
Please join Senate Circle on Tuesday, March 25 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific / 8:00 p.m. Eastern for a briefing on the 2026 Alaska U.S. Senate race of Dan Sullivan. We will hear from Ryan Schryver, who leads the Alaska donor alliance, Progress Alaska, and Aubrey Wieber, who leads the Alaska communications hub, the 907 Initiative. We will discuss their current state of the race, the unique features of Alaska politics, and their work in progress to hold Sen. Sullivan accountable, including an "empty-chair town hall" because Sen. Sullivan declined to host a public town hall on his current trip to Alaska.
Please register for the Zoom here. Although this is not a fundraiser, you can support the Sullivan accountability work of the 907 Initiative here.
Concluding Thoughts
I can’t believe I have to say this, but anyone who suggests or implies in the Comment section that violence is a solution to the current crisis will be permanently banned, unsubscribed, and blocked. Don’t say it, imply it, or joke about it. Thank you.
In response to my call for lists of protest opportunities, Deepak Puri at DemLabs put together this great resource: DemLabs, Protest Finder, Mapping The Growing Resistance.
The protests, town halls, and rallies are making a difference. The resistance is starting to become the dominant narrative. Our voices will reinforce the authority of the courts and stiffen the backbones of our congressional leaders. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Bernie Sanders are showing their colleagues how it is done! Kudos to them.
I look forward to talking to you on Saturday morning (9 am Pacific / 12 noon Eastern) on Substack. I will post the video immediately after the live stream, so don’t worry if you can’t make it. And then Jill and I will be off to another TeslaTakedown protest. Hope to see you on the picket line!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Daily Dose of Perspective
The Owl Nebula is a so-called “planetary nebula” located about 2,000 light years from Earth.
Per Wikipedia,
The Owl Nebula was formed when a central star expelled its outer gaseous layers about 8,000 years ago. As the outer layers were gradually blown off over thousands of years, what was left of the original star contracted to form a hot white dwarf.
I would have like to be a fly on the wall when the partners at Paul, Weiss, with their $6m salaries, met to discuss whether, and then how, to capitulate to Trump. They have joined his legal team. They are MAGA lawyers now. Pro Bono? Not really; it's more like blackmail.
In that twilight zone world one can be neither neutral nor professional. If you are not 100% in service to their cause, you are "the enemy within."
This moment seems mythic, apochryphal. And yet, it's all too real.
Re: protests. Out doing errands yesterday, on a chilly, wet Thursday in Portland, Maine I ran into a rally against privatization of the Post Office, with an enthusiastic group that included representatives of several unions. Drivers honked; passers-by joined, and people across the street waved. Then a few blocks away I ran into friends who were leafletting in front of the Social Security office and talking to people about the threat of cuts (one woman spoke of having had to wait hours to resolve a simple problem). These were spontaneous actions - not the regular Saturday meetups; they were like the street-corner protest I had joined the previous Sunday after leaving a visit to a museum. Nobody seemed to know how that was organized or by whom - it just happened. I suspect this is going on all over the country - under the radar of people making the rally tallies. We are everywhere.