What resources should I put together before the November election?

August 31, 2020 10:14 AM

This post, back in 2016, touches on anti-fascist resources of a tactical and strategic nature. In contrast, I'm interested in resources that may become scarce and/or more closely tracked if Trump wins this upcoming election. What items might be good to have on hand in the event of a completed fascist coup of the US government? Asking as a Jewish person.
posted by Alex Haist to Shopping (7 answers total)

Best answer: This will likely vary state-by-state, but having stockpiled Plan-B and other contraceptives one may need might not be the worst plan.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:31 AM on August 31, 2020 [9 favorites]

Best answer: This reminds me of a MeFi question I only vaguely remember and can't find, but the most valuable answers focused on people, not things. Get to know your neighbors, or know them better. Join local political action groups and nonprofit groups. Communicate with your local representatives. The resource that seems to be in increasingly short supply is social trust.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:33 AM on August 31, 2020 [13 favorites]

Best answer: Not meant as snark-- since you mention that you are Jewish (me too), it might be a good time to inform yourself about the Law of Return. http://archive.jewishagency.org/first-steps/program/5131
posted by 8603 at 11:07 AM on August 31, 2020

Best answer: This mefite's experience of surviving in Sarajevo is probably at least a little relevant to your question and one of the all-time great MeFi comments. It also might be the thread Mr.Know-it-some was thinking of.
posted by donnagirl at 11:31 AM on August 31, 2020 [10 favorites]

Best answer: This would be a good time to ensure you have a current, valid passport that won't expire within 6 months of any international travel dates planned for late 2020 through 2021.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 2:29 PM on August 31, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Based on my own mom's experience in Nazi-occupied Vienna, I think the single most important resource is entry permission to a foreign country. Historically, this seems to become scarcest when it's most clearly needed. Had my mom's family left Austria in 1930, they would have had many places they could go. As the situation became dire, more and more countries closed their doors to refugees.

So, I second Unicorn on the cob's advice of checking that your passport is valid, and 8603's advice to inform yourself about the law of return.

Also, I would make a list of the countries your ancestors lived, and investigate whether any of them would offer you current citizenship based on your ancestry. If so, given that citizenship laws can change, you might begin the process now (after first making sure you under stand the tax and legal consequences of dual citizenship.)

Even if you decide not to apply for any other citizenship right now (for Israel or anywhere else), I would make sure you have access to any documents that might be helpful for future citizenship applications. This would include an official copy of your own birth certificate, as well as any birth certificates, marriage certificates, old passports, or other documents that would prove your relationship to an ancestor you hope to claim citizenship to. (Or, in the case of Israel, that would prove your Jewish identity.)
posted by yankeefog at 5:50 AM on September 1, 2020

Response by poster: Thanks, all. @donnagirl, that comment you linked to is ... well. Good food for thought. I started marking answers I found helpful as "best answer", and all of them ended up marked that way, so there we are. I'll get my passport all set.
posted by Alex Haist at 12:29 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]