Aloha Reader,

What a storm! Its unusual size and intensity have affected all the Hawaiian Islands. We hope you and your loved ones are safe as we weather this together. #ClimateChangeIsReal

On the surface, this week’s news looks weird. The massive, chaotic, illegal, unpopular, unsuccessful, inflationary, lethal war on Iran continues with no objective, strategy, or rationale. What does Iran do in response? Close the Strait of Hormuz to strangle the world oil market. What does the self-proclaimed Secretary of War do? Ban photographers from Pentagon briefings, dictate what chyrons media display, and urge an oligarch to buy CNN faster. What does the FCC Chair do? Threaten revocation of broadcast licenses for unfavorable war coverage. What does the commander-in-chief do? Strong-arm the Senate to pass his “SAVE America” act, a massive voter suppression bill. 

The Puzzle Pieces Fit Together

What if all these actions are part of the same story? Consider:

1. Russia is the greatest beneficiary of the war so far. The shuttered Strait of Hormuz has caused shortages of oil, liquified natural gas (LNG), and fertilizer. Oil prices have increased from $60 to $100/barrel. Desperate to lower prices, Trump lifted sanctions on Russia's oil exports. Now, Putin can again use Russia's oil export profits to fund its war on Ukraine and relieve the squeeze on its domestic economy.
2. Iran is one of the world's top exporters of terrorism. Its response to the attacks has not only been to squeeze the global oil market but also to expand the battlefield to 13 countries.
3. The USA is now more susceptible to terrorism than ever. Trump removed the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which was created after 9/11 to protect us from terrorist attacks, and hasn't yet submitted a nominee for confirmation. He had already decimated our foreign intelligence and cybersecurity capabilities across the federal government and put an unqualified 22-year-old in charge of terrorism prevention.
4. Russia still commands some of the most capable agencies in cyber interference. As the Mueller investigation documented, Russian interference in the 2016 election was the largest-scale cyber campaign the US has ever faced. 
5. In addition to the so-called SAVE America Act, Trump has been instructing his minions to rig the 2026 election every way possible, seizing ballots without authority, gerrymandering, demanding voter data, and issuing executive orders to ban mail-in voting. All the while, he has been using federal “immigration enforcement” to normalize lawless plainclothes thugs with military gear in the streets. And, in a sign of how depraved this administration is, they regularly use AI-generated video game-type imagery to glorify their domestic and foreign violence.
6. Trump called Putin and spoke for an hour on Monday. Trump continues to treat Putin like his buddy, taking actions that help him and even downplaying the fact that Putin is sharing intelligence with Iran, helping them attack American bases.

The Emergency strategy of dictators

Dictators often create a domestic crisis to declare an emergency and seize extraordinary powers. In 1933, Hitler had the Reichstag burned and used this as an opportunity to outlaw political opponents, suspend civil liberties, and take control of the legislature. In 1999, Putin's secret police bombed apartments and blamed Chechens to justify a war and throw the 2000 presidential election in Russia. In 2026, Trump could use a real or fake Iranian terrorist attack on election day to justify nullifying the election. Or, his buddy Putin could impersonate the Iranians in a cyberattack on US infrastructure (power grids, traffic control, polling stations) to disrupt election day.

Sound unthinkable? This is exactly how Russia crippled Ukraine in 2014 to seize Crimea and the Donbas region. Since then, Timothy Snyder has been warning us to be prepared for the unthinkable, most recently in The Desire for Terror.

Marc Elias has been warning us about the concerted effort to interfere with elections. Here, he breaks down Trump’s desire that we “shouldn’t even have elections.”

The Antidote

What do we need to do? Stand up as visibly and loudly as possible. We expose, educate, report, resist, rinse/repeat.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to block all supplemental funding for the War on Iran. National Indivisible makes it easy: Click here to make your voice heard.​

TAKE ACTION: Help Indivisible make No Dictators (No Kings on the Continent) the LARGEST PROTEST event in US history. Invite three friends who have not attended before to show up with you or at their own local events. Stand up together against this increasingly reckless, desperate regime.

Five events are scheduled on the Big Island. For Kona, we will gather on Saturday, March 28, 2026, from 4-5 pm on Queen Kaʻahumanu south of Henry Street. Register.

Public Policy Team: Bills Have “Crossed Over”

In the Hawai'i State Legislature, this was the first crossover week: the Senate takes up the House Bills, and vice versa.

WIN: We're doing great so far! 46 of the 62 bills we have championed are moving forward. Below is the breakdown of measures by issue:

• 16 of 17 Migrant Rights bills
• 9 of 14 Working Families tax revenue/credit bills
• 12 of 13 Good Government bills
• 4 of 8 Gun Safety bills (but 2 dead ones have live companion bills)
• 6 of 10 Healthcare Access bills (including gender-affirming care, and one dead bill has a live companion bill).

This has been an extraordinary success. Next, we have 28 Indivisible members signed up for a "Lobby Day" to meet with legislators at the Capitol and continue to push our priorities. We expect to have more good news to report back after our meetings.

Pop-Up Protests

No more illegal foreign wars!  Release the Epstein files IN FULL! Hands off our free and fair elections! And so much more.   Let's stand up for Democracy together at our next Pop-Up Rally.

Our recent pop-up events have been very successful, thanks to your incredible support.  Standing up for something you believe in can be empowering.  When individuals join a collective action, they often feel more confident speaking out and participating in public discussions.

TAKE ACTION: Join us  Friday, March 20, 2026, from 4 to 5:30 pm.

• Please arrive by 3:45 pm.
• We'll meet in the Kona Safeway parking lot near Baskin-Robbins, and we'll walk up as a group to Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway and Henry St.
• Kona Indivisible will provide several large signs; feel free to bring your own!
• You might want to bring a hat and water as it could be hot and sunny.
• If you’re interested in participating, please RSVP to Ellen at lnlubrano53@gmail.com, or send a text to 503-784-6192. It’s important for Ellen to know who is coming so she can communicate any last minute changes to everyone.  

Postcarding

Last week, a small and mighty group of postcarders wrote to register Georgia voters for Senator Jon Ossoff. As always, we had “Great conversations and made new friends!”

It's estimated that this campaign will have at least 20% efficacy, meaning that for every 10 Georgians we write to, 2 folks register and actually vote Democrat! Big mahalo for all your work, and especially to Mary and Bob for hosting. 

Next Postcard Events

• Thursday, March 19, and March 26, 2026, from 1:30 to 3 PM. Gypsea Gelato, 79-7491 Hawai'i Belt Rd, in Kealakekua. Hosted by Mary and Bob. Register.​
• Sunday, April 5, 2026, from 3 to 5 PM. Kahalu'u Beach Pavilion. Postcards! Community! Raffle! (must be present to win) Hosted by Mary. Register.

We provide you with free postcards, voter lists, scripts, and instructions. You provide the stamps, your writing muscle, and your favorite pens. We always appreciate your generous donation of postcard stamps or money toward postage, so that all postcard writers are welcome (including those with limited financial capacity). This way, we can all find ways to help get out the vote.

Postcard at Home

Can’t make it to our postcard parties? We’ve got you covered. Pick up a postcard packet at one of our local hubs and write at home. More info here.

Warmest Aloha,
Sam & the Leadership Team

- The Kona Indivisible Team ​konaindivisible.org​ ​info@konaindivisible.org​

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