Eeyore_Syndrome<p><a href="https://masspirates.org/blog/join-us" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">masspirates.org/blog/join-us</span><span class="invisible"></span></a><br><a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/MassPirateParty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MassPirateParty</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/TreeOfLiberty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TreeOfLiberty</span></a><br><a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/ThePirateParty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ThePirateParty</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/PirateParty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PirateParty</span></a><br><a href="https://support.uspirates.org" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">support.uspirates.org</span><span class="invisible"></span></a><br>TREE OF LIBERTY<br>"Ahoy,</p><p>It looks like we are living in Jefferson's quote: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."</p><p>It wouldn't be the first time patriots have fought for freedom. The Civil War, Reconstruction, World War II and the many struggles for liberation and justice whether by people of color, our LGBTQ+ comrades or workers of all types come to mind.</p><p>Trump wants to be president for life with all federal power in his hands. The GOP wants a Federal Government that has the power to oppress people at home and abroad, while maximizing the wealth and power of the rich and corporations. Medicaid, Food Stamps and US foreign aid are on their dinner menu, but they still have space for massive cuts to Medicare, Social Security, government funded science and the VA. The GOP and their rich backers don't want regulation for themselves, and they certainly don't want worker rights or privacy for any of us.</p><p>Most national Democrats offer limited resistance with too many showing they can be bipartian with Trump's GOP. There are a lot of Democrats stumping for the KOSA censorship bill and making it even easier to expel undocumented immigrants who are merely accused of a crime.</p><p>Even Democrats in Cambridge, their claimed liberal bastion, voted to approve more surveillance. We and others in Restore the 4th, the ACLU and the DSA got them to delay until the police defined their policies for using drones, but the police will come back. We need more people telling city councilors they don't want drones watching over them or more surveillance cameras. We need more people running for local office to vote against these policies and for policies that actually help people.</p><p>Massachusetts is not immune and our legislators will not resist cutting programs if Trump illegally ends Federal payments for education or roads. Massachusetts has the worst public records law with the governor, legislature and the courts exempt from it. With we need Pirates willing to run for the legislature and advocate for a government that liberates us. Running Pirates for public office isn't all we must do."</p>