The title of this post kind of says it all. It’s a quote from Bruce Springsteen at his May 14, 2025, concert in Manchester, England, where he addressed the crowd about what is happening in America and his feelings about the Trump administration. As expected, it triggered the president, again showing his disdain for the First Amendment when it involves anyone critical of him. This follows a new threatened lawsuit against ABC for reporting on his administration, which, when combined with his administration’s crackdown on immigrants and lawful permanent residents for the same, is bound to have a chilling effect, which is likely the intent.

One way to help fight against this is to give these brave folks some cover. Back in the PC era of the Crypto Wars in the early 1990s, one of the main issues for those who needed cryptography to communicate and stay safe was that there weren’t enough cryptography users. This meant picking out encrypted traffic on the net and tracing it back to its source was easy, and once isolated, that person was easy to target. This is by no means a perfect allegory, as in the current situation, we aren’t trying to provide anonymity but solidarity, but I feel the same general precept of strength in numbers. As long as only a few voices are speaking up, it will be easy for the administration and its allies to target, harass, and isolate them. So we need to speak out on these issues, not only because it is the right thing to do, but to support those who have already spoken and give them some cover. If enough people speak up, we not only put the lie to the fact that these ideas are extreme, but we will also overwhelm the nascent Gestapo that is our current Department of Justice. And if Elmo can do it, so can we.

So in the spirit of solidarity with both the persecuted and oppressed as well as the privileged who speak out for freedom and against tyranny, I add my voice to theirs, and I hope you will too.

1. I believe the Israeli government and its Ministry of Defence (MOD) have committed and continue to commit war crimes in a campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
2. I believe that the Trump administration, from the president down, is rancidly corrupt and criminal. It violates political norms and laws countless times a day and is the biggest threat to American democracy in history.
3. The Qatari government’s ‘gift’ of a 747 is a bribe designed to appeal to the vanity of a short-fingered vulgarian. Moving ahead with this despite bipartisan concerns is another sign of the administration’s culture of corruption.
4. Trump is a Russian asset. While it has long been speculated that he was compromised at some point, his behavior since his inauguration removes all doubt. I wonder if we will ever find out what Kompromat they have on him, or if he is just a natural boot licker? Either way, I think he has earned the title of Agent Orange due to his ‘tan‘, his gig work as a Russian agent, and the fact that he is toxic to Vietnam War vets.
5. A country where the Secret Service investigates an ex-government official for posting a picture of seashells forming the numbers 8647 is a fascist state. Assuming the standard definition of 86 (throw out or git rid of), those numbers are the equivalent of saying ‘Dump Trump.’ Yet in the bizarro world of Trumpland, it’s been twisted into a threat of assassination. If I were dumb enough to be on Nazi Twitter (previously known as X) I would would post #8647 constantly.
6. And as a catch-all, as I am sure all of these statements are an anathema to the MAGA mind, I quote our even more relevant now than it was in 2020 yard sign:
   • We Believe
     • Black Lives Matter
     • Love is Love
     • Women’s Rights Are Human Rights (as are Trans Rights!)
     • Science is Real
     • Water is Life
     • Injustice Anywhere Is a Threat to Justice Everywhere

I am sure I missed a few statements that needed air cover, but there is always more time. Remember that in America, we have the right to freedom of speech and expression, but if we don’t defend that right for ourselves and all others, we will lose it to the world’s detriment.

Your call to action is to use your status, privilege, and platform to speak out against the rising tyranny, because we are all stronger together. I mean, they can’t arrest everyone, right?

EDITED TO ADD:

The Boss has released an EP from the Manchester concert, including the statements regarding President Trump. Find it on your favorite streaming source here.