DECEMBER 16, 2025
Bar the Door, Katie!
The Republicans are handing out their holiday gifts to every one of us, and we won’t like what we find in the crushed and mangled paper-board box that lands on our icy, treacherous door steps. They will be deaf to your “MAYDAY!” cries.
Indivisibles, resolve to strengthen your commitment to non-cooperation and exercise those empathy muscles as we prepare to protect our communities.
Reach out — to strangers and those close to you — and invite them to join us in preserving our democracy, reclaiming it, and reforming it into something better than we’ve known so far.
Be afraid, but be fearless. Be angry, but be compassionate. Be passionate, and be joyful. We will get through this — but only together.
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REVIEW
True North, Strong — America, Not So Much
by Mary Geddry | Dec. 14
Substack
In her latest piece, True North, Strong — America, Not So Much, Mary Geddry draws a sharp contrast between how other democracies respond to extremism and how the United States continues to falter at home—particularly on health care.
The article highlights moments of civic courage abroad, where communities mobilize to protect democratic norms and respond to violence with collective resolve. Against that backdrop, Geddry argues, U.S. leadership remains stuck in a cycle of dysfunction, with Republicans once again targeting the Affordable Care Act rather than addressing rising costs, access to care, or public safety.
She outlines how the GOP’s latest efforts to weaken the ACA prioritize ideological goals and donor pressure over the real needs of families facing high deductibles, unstable coverage, and chronic health conditions. The result exposes a widening gap between what voters need and what party leadership delivers.
Geddry’s larger point extends beyond health policy. Assumptions of safety based on geography, history, or tradition no longer hold. Democracies erode when institutions fail and leaders avoid responsibility. The people demonstrating courage, she argues, are often ordinary citizens stepping forward—while too many elected officials step back.
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REVIEW
Anti-ICE Nativities Take A Stand
Against Trump’s Cruelty
by Emma Ciesslik | Dec. 9
Hyperallergic
n Anti-ICE Nativities Take a Stand Against Trump’s Cruelty, Emma Cieslik examines how churches across the country are using nativity scenes as public expressions of resistance to the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The article documents a growing number of altered nativities that emphasize the biblical themes of exile, persecution, and refuge. In these displays, the Holy Family appears displaced, hidden, or subjected to state violence — paralleling the lived experiences of immigrant communities facing aggressive ICE enforcement.
Cieslik situates these installations within a long tradition of religious protest art, arguing that the nativity story has always carried an anti-authoritarian message. Rather than politicizing Christmas, church leaders featured in the article contend that these scenes reclaim the original context of the Gospel narrative, which centers on forced migration and political violence.
The piece also addresses the backlash from right-wing political figures and some church officials, while noting broader support within the Catholic Church for opposing mass deportation and the dehumanization of immigrants. By connecting contemporary displays to earlier protest nativities and international examples, the article underscores how religious symbolism continues to serve as a tool for moral clarity and public conscience.
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This Week’s To-Do List
Resist in Helena!
1. Honk & Wave
Saturdays, Noon – 1 p.m.
11th and Montana Ave.
Keep on waving, and keep ‘em honking!
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2. Get Your “No Kings” Yard Signs and Pins
We’ve got ‘em, you want ‘em!
Send an email to Indivisiblehelena@gmail.com and we’ll get them to you. The No Kings sign campaign is here until we are sure there will be NO KINGS EVER!
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3. The Boycotts Aren’t Ending: Re-Commit!
Amazon
Home Depot
Spotify
Starbucks
Target
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Helena Indivisibles Stand with Signs of Fascism One Last Time
We were a small, chilly squad on Saturday,
but we stood tall and proud.
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We Have A New Facebook Page!
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The Solidarity Calendar Is Operating Again
If you want to publicize your event whose content advances the local resistance to authoritarians, submit your listing to indivisiblehelena@gmail.com. Please include the who, what, when, where, why of your event listing as completely possible, including the mandatory contact email address for more information. We will review your listing to ensure it meets the criteria (incomplete listings will not be reviewed), or ask for clarification by email before publishing.
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Support Indivisible Helena
If you’d like to support Indivisible Helena in pushing back against fascism, please consider a donation via this link to the Indivisible Helena ActBlue donation portal or use the QR code below. Your information will remain private — neither IH nor ActBlue shares or sells personal data.
Together, we’ll make sure the U.S. has NO KING.
