Next Stop? Discipline.

I happened upon this yesterday. Nothing to do with my column. Freedom is discipline. Wow. Watch Venus Williams speak about discipline and how she equates it to freedom. It’s less than a minute.

OK, here we are. There is no way we get through this thing, let alone fight it successfully, without discipline. Those of you who know me personally know that discipline for me is sometimes just out of reach. Ok, that’s a lie. It’s around the corner and not even in sight.

My intentions are disciplined. You gotta give me that. Every morning when I get up, I have a disciplined day envisioned in front of me. But this bugle call is something altogether different. This is us being disciplined Americans - together. There is no way we can look back and feel we have kept our country ours if we don’t join collectively in actions to counterattack that which is truly an attack on many of us by a government who promised to protect us. It’s simple, really.

Now, we Americans have been disciplined before …

Things Americans Did Without during WWII:

    1.    Sugar: Sugar rationing limited consumption to about half of pre-war levels.

    2.    Gasoline: Rationed to conserve fuel and rubber for military vehicles.

    3.    Rubber Tires: Restricted due to the need for military use, leading to fewer car trips.

    4.    Meat: Rationed to ensure soldiers had enough protein.

    5.    Coffee: Limited to ensure availability for troops overseas.

    6.    Butter: A common item rationed to redirect resources to the military.

    7.    Shoes: Limited to a certain number of pairs per year due to leather shortages.

    8.    Nylon Stockings: Nylon was redirected for making parachutes and ropes.

    9.    Canned Goods: Metal cans were needed for the war effort, so fresh and preserved foods were encouraged.

    10.    Alcohol: Grain used for alcohol was redirected to produce explosives and food for soldiers.

    11.    Luxury Items: Items like new cars and appliances were unavailable as factories focused on producing military equipment.

    12.    Electricity: Encouraged conservation to avoid overburdening power grids prioritized for military manufacturing.

    13.    Tires and Automobiles: Both heavily rationed as rubber and steel were critical to the war.

    14.    Cooking Oil and Fats: Donated for making explosives.

    15.    Christmas Trees: Limited during the war due to transportation restrictions.

    16.    Chocolate: Redirected to soldiers and rationed domestically.

    17.    New Clothing: Fabric was rationed; people mended and repurposed old garments.

    18.    Recreational Travel: Discouraged to save fuel and avoid unnecessary transportation use.

    19.    New Housing Construction: Slowed significantly to prioritize military-related building projects.

    20.    Dairy Products: Rationed to ensure an adequate supply for troops.

Volunteer Efforts Without Pay during WWII:

    1.    Victory Gardens: Citizens grew their own food to ease the demand on public food supply.

    2.    Scrap Drives: Collected metal, rubber, and other materials for military production.

    3.    Civil Defense: Volunteer air raid wardens, firefighters, and medical personnel helped protect communities.

    4.    War Bonds Sales: Many volunteered to sell bonds to raise funds for the war effort.

    5.    Knitting for Troops: Made socks, scarves, and blankets for soldiers.

    6.    Blood Donations: Organized blood drives for military use.

    7.    USO Work: Entertained and supported troops through volunteer services.

    8.    Food Conservation Programs: Promoted practices like canning and preserving.

    9.    Blackout Drills: Participated in drills to prepare for potential air raids.

    10.    Letter Writing: Sent letters and care packages to soldiers overseas.

    11.    Host Families: Opened their homes to soldiers on leave or training nearby.

    12.    First Aid Training: Learned skills to assist in emergencies at home or abroad.

    13.    Teaching: Volunteered to teach literacy or technical skills for wartime jobs.

    14.    Plane Spotting: Watched for enemy aircraft as part of civil defense programs.

    15.    Ration Board Service: Helped distribute and enforce rationing regulations.

    16.    Recycling Programs: Encouraged waste collection and reuse.

    17.    Childcare: Took care of children for working mothers in war industries.

    18.    Farm Labor: Volunteered to harvest crops to replace labor lost to the draft.

    19.    Community Organizing: Ran drives for war-related charities like the Red Cross.

    20.    Military Morale Programs: Organized local events to boost the spirits of servicemen and their families.

I’m exhausted already, and I come not to shame us but to inspire us. Intention matters.

After World War II, not so much. As I think about it more, I think we went into our gluttonous phase. “What are you talking about,” you demand. I guess we could start with things like potato chips, Coke consumption, phone-scrolling addiction, alcohol, gossiping, lack of physical self-care—need I go on?

Ok, I’ll speak for myself. I am not a part of a disciplined generation of Americans.

But fear not. Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what we can draw from what our country personages have done for us in the past.

We can channel them. We can huddle together, like the huddled masses yearning to breathe a sigh of relief, and draw strength, support, and inspiration as we cheerlead each other and ourselves into the kind of discipline we need.

That’s the ticket starting today! (As a rule, I never use !!! - hate them, which tells you how inspired I am this morning.)

I wrote a piece a while back about the discipline of our dollars. God, do we really need to start here? The answer is yes. Follow the money.

I caucused with my friends and asked if they would be willing to give up Amazon Prime, and the answer, when honestly voiced, was ‘no’. A bunch of us tried for the last two months, and I don’t know anybody who didn’t order anything. But I, along with others, sure ordered a lot less than we ever did before. I haven’t ordered anything since the inauguration. OK, yes, that was only 24 hours ago, so I’m not sure it can be called an overwhelming success, but it sure is a start.

And, you know what else? I didn’t watch any of yesterday’s circus or read about it. I did see the picture of Jeff Bezos front and center in the front row. And I do remind myself that out of every dollar I spend at Amazon, only $0.10 goes back to my local community. The rest goes into his pocket and those he calls his posse—shareholders, people like that. I like that picture in my mind. I would not offer him shelter in a storm, why would I give him my hard earned money, at the cost of buying locally and supporting my neighbors? Why?

I’ve asked people if they’re willing to go off Instagram and Facebook, and the answer again, is no. OK. I appreciate your honesty.

So let’s start with baby steps.

The way Zuckerberg makes money is through advertising. How about we start with not purchasing or clicking on any advertising on any of his platforms? Can you imagine 78 million of us who voted against what is now in power no longer purchasing off our social media platforms or even clicking on the clickbait that advertisers pay substantial money for? Can we start there?

Can today’s commitment around disciplined collaboration with fellow Americans yearning to breathe the sigh of relief begin with just that simple act? And can we ask our friends and family to do the same thing?

My day job—and that which pays for my fabulous dog Bay’s treats—is in strategy and marketing. I promise you, without a shadow of a doubt, if everyone stops clicking on their advertising or anything you didn’t sign up to follow, it’s game over.

You know what I wanted to write about today? I wanted to write about people I knew who were in the Capitol during January 6, and for hours I had no idea if they were dead or alive. I wanted to write about his pardoning the 1,500 people—the thugs, the lowlifes—and how that made me feel. But I was disciplined and did not do that. It would not be moving the ball forward. And, we have no time for pining, or outrage. We have time for becoming the disciplined nation we used to be and must be again.

Maybe it’s a gift to all of us - this moment in time. The underpinnings of what’s been going on in our country for decades that we just didn’t know about, or looked away from, are no longer secret or hidden. They’re staring us in the face. And it doesn’t mean we panic. And maybe we draw on those that came before, only one generation away from many of us, who gave up everything for four years during World War II to accomplish the destruction of a fascist across the pond. Well, now he’s not across the pond—it’s in our front yard. It’s in our schools. It’s tracking, if not you, then some of our neighbors and people who take care of us and who have given a lot to make our lives better.

It’s time to pay up.

The Washington Post

One more thing. Jeff Bezos gave a new mission statement for The Washington Post: “Riveting storytelling for all.” All?

Now we’ve talked about this. When Bezos stopped the Post from endorsing Kamala Harris, as its editors were going to do, I canceled my subscription. When someone sends me an article from them now, I explain to them that I don’t read their articles from The Washington Post anymore and why.

But there’s light at the end of that tunnel. There’s a new game in town from people who resigned from the Washington Post. And God, they’re good. They did strong journalistic content around yesterday’s inauguration.

The Contrarian (click and subscribe)

They started their Substack account less than a month ago, but they already have 300,000 subscribers. Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen have started The Contrarian. They are not the only ones to leave TWP; there are a lot who have already left. But you’re going to want to put them on your own personal news feed. They are working 24/7, and let’s support them. The link is here.

Main Street media is never going to be our friend moving forward. Done and done. Discipline to walk away. I predict that people like Rachel Maddow will join Heather Cox Richardson and go out on her own. It’s just a matter of time.

So today’s a good day people. A few disciplined things to do that begin our collective circle of collaboration for a common goal.

Another day, another chance to excel.