Final Disaster Plan 2024: Evaluation

At one year

Welcome, peaceables! In November 2024, after the Republicans took the Presidency and both houses of Congress, we published the final version of our Disaster Plan, linked below this paragraph. What follows is the one-year evaluation of the plan and its replacement by a new plan in response to the establishment of the Republican fascist regime. the text of the original plan appears as block quotes. The evaluation and update follow each quote, and a recapitulation of the results to inform the new plan appears at the end.

In medias res

The battle lines have been drawn. There is real tension between the MAGA cultists and the rest of us. We anticipate that this tension will explode into violence in 2025. The MAGA cultists are already in the face of all who voted for Democrats.

Sad to say, this anticipation has proved true. The actions of the agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have been violent, resulting in injury, death, and destruction of property. The residents of the United States are now under siege by their own government. Our updated plan makes protection and survival of anyone residing in the US of paramount importance.

Strategic goals to achieve a nonviolent resolution of conflict

Prevention of violent confrontations.

We have failed to prevent violent confrontations between government agents and residents going about their business peacefully. Despite lawsuits and mass protests, people are being hurt and killed. A realistic evaluation of the situation reveals that ordinary people are powerless to resist the authoritarian government, and law enforcement will not come to their aid either. As we espouse non-violence, our new plan will outline means to reduce and avoid interactions with the federal government rather than confronting it directly.

Neutralization of the MAGA assemblies.

We are gratified that the US has not had any mass MAGA assemblies, especially any aimed towards violence, this past year. We will nevertheless be vigilant if any of these should spring up.

Protection of those specifically targeted by Trump, including those who did not vote for Trump.

We have also failed to protect those specifically targeted by Trump, in particular Hispanic citizens who have been detained solely because of their ethnicity. There have been efforts at implementing systems to give advanced warning when ICE or CBP are in certain vicinities, but these have shown moderate success in preventing seizures of innocent persons. We contemplate an underground network where targeted persons can find refuge.¹

SMART Objectives, viz., Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound

Effect a peaceful transition to Trump’s second term from November 6, 2024, to January 20, 2025.

We are happy to record that this objective has been accomplished.

Forestall intimidating and violent assemblies by MAGA. We must prepare for the police to obey orders from Trump and his handpicked officials. This will be especially true of the military; many, if not most, will follow their new commander-in-chief without question.

Rather than by MAGA gangs, the intimidation and violence of the past year have been brought by government agents. Though the police have made a show of standing by to protect ordinary citizens, their presence, when it’s there, has not prevented violence on the part of the federal agents. The military has shown themselves to be loyal to Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and can’t be counted on to disobey illegal orders.²

Action steps to take next

Commit to nonviolent passive resistance to effect change. Counter the MAGA assemblies by holding peaceful assemblies, including civil disobedience. If arrested, contact friendly lawyers from organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), and Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR) for defense.

The “No Kings” and “50501” marches were peaceful, if mostly performative. We rededicate ourselves to nonviolent passive resistance in the face of any attack. See our related article below.

Plan for as much autonomy and independence from the government as possible. Though we favor democratic socialism, in this case, we can better protect ourselves by having as little to do with the government as possible. This may result in a more diffusive form of federalism. Democratic “blue” states have started to form alliances to resist the Federal government.

The discussion of planning for and executing a soft secession of blue states gained traction this past year.³ While we have doubts about the chances for a successful, peaceful soft secession, some of the action steps proposed by its adherents are applicable to our prescription for a life that has as little to do with the federal government as possible.

Resistance

• Protect yourself online.

This advice is of perennial value. Compare:

A household guide for cyber defense against DOGE attacks

• Start forming an off-grid communication network since, under Trump, the government will control the phone systems and the Internet. Radio communication, such as short-wave or ham radio, is the best option for long distances, though it can still be hacked. For short distances, aural communication in person is the safest from surveillance. Couriers could bridge the distance between long and short.

With the government shutdown earlier this fall, the Federal Communications Commission was closed and so unable to process applications for amateur radio licenses. Now that the government is open again, we recommend not wasting any time to finish your application, if you haven’t done so already.

Our suggestions for in-person and courier messaging remain valid and timely.

• Plan for a general strike. A work stoppage across all industries would unite the common folk into a formidable foe to resist authoritarianism.

There has been some buzz about holding a general strike from time to time over the past year, but nothing has come of it. Our plan no longer includes a general strike, as the chances of it happening, let alone it being a success, are slim to none.

Prepare for life under fascism.

• Start with this advice by Melissa Corrigan, she/her

• Secure personal finances. The Republicans’ plans will likely increase inflation rapidly and lead to a financial crisis sooner rather than later.

  • Reduce or eliminate debt, especially any mortgages.

  • Keep more cash on hand. If the economy deteriorates, there may be runs on the banks, and besides, the banks will likely be controlled by the Republican Party, which may seize assets, including homes.

We highly recommend Melissa Corrigan’s still-applicable action steps.⁴

We are glad that the economy escaped a crisis in 2025, though consumer prices have gone up for many items. There are indications that the economy will be troubled in the coming year, not the least of them being Trump’s replacement of Jerome Powell as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Concerning the banks and home ownership, see this recent piece by W. A. Lawrence:

The Government Can Empty Your Bank Account Tomorrow. No Judge Required

Prepare for death.

• Make sure that wills, trusts, and advanced directives are in place.

• Döstädning, death cleaning. Make plans for the disposition of your personal property before you die.

Again, this advice is of perennial value. At the turn of the year, these two points make good resolutions to keep.

Evaluation consisting of regular progress reports

Results of inquiries to friends and other allies in subsequent posts.

Though not comprehensive, the reports that we’ve received from a representative sample of friends and allies show that most have not been following the steps in the Disaster Plan. They are holding out hope that the midterm elections of November 2026 will result in the Democrats gaining a majority in the House of Representatives, which will apply a brake to the headlong rush of the country into fascism. We at Pacific Gravity nonetheless urge our readers to take our prescriptions seriously and, while hoping for the best, plan for the worst.

Results of communications with government officials and elected representatives.

These communications have gone largely unheeded. The Republican officials and representatives ignore them, and the Democratic ones are too powerless to do anything with them. We advise a cessation of direct communication with the federal government, and instead target communications to local governments. In these fraught times, subsidiarity is the byword.

Reports from the widening circle of resistors.

Reports in the news and social media indicate that the resistance has been ineffective in preventing violence both at home and abroad. The core of our planning for the coming year consists of forming mutual-aid associations that can be a form of defense against the intrusions of fascism and provide tangible benefits for its members.

Recapitulation

Points to include in new action plan to survive the fascist US government:

• Protection and survival of anyone residing in the US of paramount importance.

• Means to reduce and avoid interactions with the federal government rather than confronting it directly.

• Vigilance if any MAGA gangs should spring up.

• Rededication to nonviolent passive resistance in the face of any attack.

• Prescription for a life that has as little to do with the federal government as possible.

• Protection online.

• Off-grid communication network.

  • Ham radio.

  • In person.

  • Couriers.

• Preparation for daily life under fascism.

• Preparation for death.

• Annual evaluation.

Subsequent posts will flesh out these points.

Pathfinder

We Are in the Worst-Case Scenario

1. There have been some successes protecting immigrants, worth noting and emulating. For example:

The Americans Who Stood Up for Immigrants This Year

2. We Used to Think the Military Would Stand Up to Trump. We Were Wrong.

3. See the work of Christopher Armitage, perhaps the leading proponent of soft secession.

4.