We hope you are feeling connected within your community, grounded in your commitments, and open to joining with others to build solidarity that can keep us all safer than we would otherwise be. To that end, we ask you to participate in the effort outlined below, to share it with others, and to deepen your own solidarity with those who are targeted by an increasingly fascist regime.

The information in this message may be new to you, but we’ve checked it out, and we believe this call to action addresses a terrifying likelihood that the current administration will seek to deploy the United States military domestically, using it for immigration enforcement AND to target (unconstitutionally) protesters and quash dissent. This series of actions, which is designed to lead toward dictatorship sounds like fiction, but it is outlined in Project 2025, which has been the playbook since January 20th.

You can find a full set of resources, including a pdf of this call to action, an outreach/action guide, flyers, and much more at the Do Not Turn On Us linktree.

Fierce Love!

– from the whole Climate Disobedience Center team 

Call to Courage:
Appealing to US Military and National Guard Members to Not Comply with Unlawful Orders.

We are facing an unprecedented attack on our Constitutional Democracy from a President who took an oath to protect and defend it. President Trump has repeatedly talked of invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, which would give him the power to deploy US military on domestic soil.

In January, he convened a 90-day Advisory Committee to advise him on whether or not to take this step. This committee will release its recommendation around April 20, 2025. We expect it to say yes, and for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act shortly after. 

This is a major step toward the functional equivalent of martial law and a possible Trump dictatorship.

As people committed to collective liberation both at home and abroad, we must be prepared to counter this plan.

We have an advantage on our side: for Trump’s plan to work, it requires that members of the armed forces follow illegal orders.

Article 90 and Article 92 of the US Military Code make it clear that soldiers do not need to follow unlawful orders from a President or Commanding Officer, especially if those orders violate the US Constitution.

Trump’s plan to install a military dictatorship and stifle civilian resistance is blatantly unconstitutional, and his faith that soldiers will simply follow orders is a major crack in his plan.

Members of the military and National Guard will likely soon be forced to choose between following orders and upholding their oath to the Constitution. It is not easy to
refuse an unlawful order alone.

But we believe most active duty personnel did not join the military seeking to enact violence on civilians.

People in uniform can organize collective resistance, too – by refusing to turn on protestors or comply with unconstitutional orders.

Now is a time to help support them in making the courageous choice to protect everyday people and defend democracy.

What Can We Do?

To meet this moment, a small group of organizers and activists have pulled together a grassroots effort to do a massive outreach campaign to active duty military and national guard members.

We need to remind our neighbors in the military that civilian protestors are not their enemy.

We can ask them to honor their oath, protect civilians, and uphold the Constitution. We can go talk to them, remind them of their rights around unlawful orders, and offer to support them in resisting.

If you have family members or friends in the military or National Guard, start talking with them now.

We also want to ask everyone who can to go to local bases and nearby venues to hand out flyers. Let’s put up posters, leave brochures and talk to as many active duty
personnel or their families as we can.

We hope you can use these materials and begin this outreach as quickly as possible. Please go to the Linktree to download what you need (including an outreach guide with lots of suggested ways to engage and materials you can print to hand out), head to the nearest Military/National Guard base, training location, or local hangout, and start talking to folks. 

This is not a protest, but an organizing strategy to plant the idea and make the request that the soldiers do not turn on us, the people.

If you are or know a veteran or clergy person who is willing to join this effort, that’s fantastic! The perspective of these groups often carry particular weight in military circles, so veterans in uniform or clergy people in ceremonial clothes can be especially effective. If you aren’t part of either group, don’t worry! One goal of this project is for everyday civilians to humanize ourselves to our siblings in the armed forces and show that we are not their enemy. Please feel welcome to show up as yourself!

You will find more information about this project on this linktree, including a flyer/brochure, a step-by-step how-to guide for outreach, and additonal articles and resources.

Please continue to check the linktree (it will be updated over time!) and remember to use the feedback form to report back on your outreach efforts. All of this is at https://linktr.ee/donotturnonus