They want this. They want you fiercely arguing about what's unknowable instead of focusing on what you do know, what you are going to do and who you are going to do it with. They want more pointless angst and acrimony. They want chaos and noise. Don't give it to them.

This inability to have a conversation about what should happen because we cannot even agree on what is real is what the fascists want for us. It's what they designed for us. This is what the ascent of fascism does. And getting lost in that is how we fail.

Work with what you know and take what action you can. Assess the threats we know to be real: fearmongering against scapegoated communities, particularly Asian folks, right-wing violence, escalations in national and international "security" -- these things aren't question marks.

It's okay to say you don't believe them. It's not okay to fill in the blanks with fantasy and wage war behind that. Defend facts. Defend the idea that they matter. Do not conflate facts with feelings or theories. Defend the truth at all costs.

And defend each other. We are living in the homestretch of the ascent of full blow fascism for a minute now, and whether or not there is actually a COVID crisis in the White House (and I believe there is), *we* are in a crisis, and we must decide what it demands of us.

Our Asian friends, family and neighbors are in great danger. What does that demand of us? I don't have all the answers but I do know we won't find them sitting around and arguing about whether Trump has COVID.

Focus on what you *do* know, what you are going to do about it, and who you are going to do it with. We need as much clarity as possible and as united a front as we can muster. That means less angst and acrimony, not more. It means putting aside old beefs, not starting new ones.

I am serious. We need to put aside a whole lot of quarrels right now. I know my petty beefs over the last yr mean nothing to me now right now. I can't speak for anyone I've had disagreements with, but if y'all are down to fight alongside me, the slate is clean in my book.

We all need to figure out what we can do in this moment to build and uplift alignment. We need to show people that a united front can be a thing, and that it can be focused on keeping marginalized people safe and alive in the coming months, including right now.

So what can you do today to help maintain *clarity*? Because the collapse of a shared reality is the beginning of the end. That simply cannot be allowed to happen. And also, what are you going to do to create or contribute to alignment, a unified front and the creation of safety?

We need to think about the immediate consequences of the rhetoric that has emerged. We must also think about how that persecution of scapegoated communities figures into the further potential solidification of full blown fascism. And we have to organize against all of that.

Note the word *organize*.

The task at hand is to out-organize a fascist coup. To have a hope in hell, you have to show up, whatever that means for you. But don't rely on what the polls are telling you. Those assume rules that don't exist anymore. Don't rely on public sentiment. It will take much more.