SOMETHING THERE IS THAT DOESN'T LOVE A WALL -- Robert Frost

I know, I know, I know. A few weeks or maybe even months ago you hit a Trump wall and not the one thats not on the Mexican border. This ones much sturdier than any big, beautiful wall built of concrete, steel and corruption; this wall is made of disgust, despair and a neverending parade of unconstitutional outrages. And the reason I know you hit it is because I did too. Im still nursing the metaphorical lump on my forehead. Something called Life started sapping my political energy until Whats the point?ism got mixed with Let Mueller deal with itocracy, and it got harder and harder to sit down at 10PM after work to write a political blog. After all, our countrymen on the other side of this wall are armed with a weapon that seems stronger than courage or will or intelligence their relentless, unshakeable idiocy. Jesus, what are you supposed to do in the face of that?

Ill tell you what. Were supposed to do what our freedom-loving predecessors always did when they faced a wall, whether it was in Vicksburg Mississippi or East Berlin or Southern Arizona: get out your fucking pick and shovel and start digging. Doubling-down on the dirty work of making phone calls to your MoCs, demanding Town Hall meetings, actually showing up at them to confront your representative, working for any candidate who opposes Big Dumb Brother. Even the Impeach Trump sign in your front yard has the effect of letting others in your neighborhood know its safe to come out and hate whats happening. In other words, were supposed to do what the Tea Partys been doing for the past decade, and what Indivisible Groups have been advising us to do since Black Tuesday, November 8, 2016.

And heres why: it works.

Want an example? Heres one from my Indivisible Group in Sherman Oaks, California. Now were lucky enough to live in the 30th Congressional District, which includes most of Los Angeles famed San Fernando Valley from the scenic sights of Mullholland Drive in the south to the porn capital of Chatsworth in the north and all the Valley Girls between. And yes, Donny, we will be near the In N Out Burger on Radford. As befits such an awesomely excellent District, our congressman, Brad Sherman, was always pretty progressive. But he also always seemed to be so far behind the political curve that he wasnt visible in the rear-view mirror. He even looks a little like Peter Sellers woefully wimpy President Merkin Muffley in Dr. Strangelove.

So when Trump came to power not much in terms of active resistance was expected from Congressman Sherman and thats what he delivered. He went to the Inauguration but assured us it was with a heavy heart, he made a brief wave-and-wink appearance at the end of Womens March, his last Town Hall meeting had something like 10 people, and he didnt have another one scheduled except for a joint meeting with a local Assemblyman in a room that comfortably seated 15.

But then Carolyn Chriss formed the Indivisible Group of Sherman Oaks and, along with other Indivisible Groups throughout the 30th, started calling Shermans office. And demanding a proper Town Hall meeting which all of Representative Shermans constituents could attend and where they could make known their fears and desires for political action. We demanded he support the ACA and oppose Scott Pruitt as head of the EPA and Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Up until Black Tuesday, 12 phone calls was a busy day at the Sherman headquarters; now there were hundreds. The Town Hall was moved to an auditorium that seats 200 and the crowd spilled over into the neighboring outdoor plaza.

And guess what? Congressman Sherman reacted exactly the way his Republican counterparts in Red-ville did when they feared getting Tea Partied. He knew he had to up his game or risk becoming an ex-Congressman in a year and a half. So he actively and vocally opposed Trumps policies in the local and national media. He dramatically increased the number and frequency of his meetings with his angry constituents. His last Town Hall was on August 22nd at a high school gymnasium, with 800 people attending. And on July 12th he was the first Congressman to introduce Articles of Impeachment against Donald Trump on the grounds of Obstruction of Justice. Okay, so he still comes across a little Merkin Muffley-y, but what the hell do you want? I dont care if he bulks up and shaves whats left of his hair to play it more Vin Diesel-y, being the first to try to impeach Trump is pretty bad-ass.

And yeah, I know, I know. Trumps still in power and his followers still define stupidity-on-steroids, but Rome wasnt built in a day and Rome Georgia wasnt made irrelevant in eight months. And thats part of the problem, too: progressives are usually smarter and provably better educated than our countrymen on the other side of the wall, which means we tend to have busy, productive lives full of things to do other than thankless political grunt work. Like watching Game of Thrones so we can see The Wall being destroyed. Hmm.

Time get down in the dirt and start chipping away at the stupidity, knocking a crack in the hopelessness, burrowing under the despair. And who knows, maybe Mueller will come through after all. But whether he does or not, we can still knock down Trumps metaphorical wall and rebuild it. Topped with barbed wire. Around him. Wearing a jumpsuit that matches his hair.

Now thats a dream worth getting dirty for. Lets roll our sleeves back up and get to work.