So Here's The Plan...
Enough talk, it's time to get to work
Our last few posts have been about what we hope to accomplish here at The Back Forty and who we hope to have on our side. Today, it’s time to let you in on our plans to make it happen.
We’ve been working on an intensive program of direct action, informational media, community building, and campaign strategy. As supporters and teammates, we want you to know the plan and have the resources to put it into action wherever you are.
Direct Action
We continue to engage across the country with local, state, and national organizations that are providing opportunities for peaceful direct acction. I have been at events organized by We Stand United Missouri, the 50501 Movement, and Hands Off Kansas, among others, and I have drawn deep encouragement from the numbers these events are drawing. These gatherings are important not only for the camaraderie and solidarity of our own side, but to show Donald Trump and his regime that there are too many of us unwilling to blind ourselves to their actions.
Perhaps Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said it best this week:
“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption,” Pritzker said Sunday. “But I am now. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They must understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soap box and then punish them at the ballot box.”
Let’s be honest, nobody runs for office who doesn’t have a healthy ego. You can be sure every one of these empty men and women hiding from their constituents in rural America are watching their press coverage. They know it makes them look weak when they can’t face the public head on, and they are banking on their supporters turning a blind eye and the opposition (that’s us) running out of steam.
Fortunately, we all know the steam won’t be running out as long as humans are being trafficked to other countries without due process, the federal government is being converted into the president’s personal law firm and enforcement apparatus, and the economy slowly (and then very suddenly) sinks into recession. We won’t be quiet anytime soon when our schools, our hospitals, and our farms are under daily assault from reckless nihilists seeking only to line their own pockets.
Please, continue to use Facebook, Discord, and your own platforms to share these events with me and with others. For all of its problems, social media has given us an unparalleled ability to coordinate, and that will be one of our greatest strengths in the fight to come. Which leads me to an important part of our strategy…
Competing in Elections
Protests are a threat and a promise. We hit the streets to show those in charge that if they don’t change their behavior, then they will experience consequences. Namely, in America, it’s a show of electoral force: here is what the people want, now do your job or be replaced.
Most of you know my day job for the last many years has been a political consultant to small and large Democratic campaigns. Voter outreach and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) have been my specialties, and that’s part of what I hope to offer here at The Back Forty. We are building a professional team at The Back Forty PAC to identify elections in rural America where we believe we could make a difference.
There are going to be a few ways for you to help. To make an immediate difference, you can donate financially at www.thebackfortyofficial.com. In the short term, your contributions will help with podcast equipment so we can reach more people every week, travel expenses to gather around the country with fighters from rural America, and eventually these funds will be used to directly target voters in these races to get them to the polls.
You can also subscribe to our Substack right here. We’re working a couple of ideas exclusively for paid subscribers, including articles on our favorite crops and how to grow them yourself, as well as features on farm-to-table producers in our network so you can support small farms as well. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube also allow you to give gifts if you are more comfortable with those platforms, but just know that every cent will go back to the strategy we’re discussing today.
Informational Media
As I mentioned above, we are working on exclusive content for those able to make a financial contribution to our work, but we don’t believe anyone should lose access to information because they can’t afford it. We are narrowing down some ideas for how to provide useful information on how you can directly support rural America, either with your voice or with your pocketbook. These are still in development, so stay tuned, and let us know if you see something you’d like to help with. We’re always looking to expand the team here at The Back Forty.
Community Building
Our audience continues to grow every week. We’re so grateful to all of you who have joined us on this adventure. I’m meeting and speaking with more of you every day; I’m hearing incredible stories and most importantly, I’m hearing what you need from your representatives.
If our goal is accountability from those we elect to lead us, then our strategy will have to be one born of community. It’s true that it only takes a small group to make big change, but it almost always takes a group. We’ve seen these past few months that we have a huge number of like-minded people living across this great country. All we need now is the coordination to put those voices to good use.
The Back Forty is a gathering place for those voices. We’re not here to tell you how to make these changes in your lives and in your communities, we’re here to give you the space and tools to make that change yourself. I hope you’ll stick around and see what we have in store for you.