The Crime of Not Agreeing
NSPM-7 is an attack on our right to free speech and on democracy itself—and it will only work if we stay silent.
Trump’s new presidential memorandum, NSPM-7, brands dissent as terrorism. The goal is simple: to identify nonviolent, transformative beliefs — like demanding an economy that works for everyone or denouncing ICE’s oppressive tactics — and label them as forms of extremism. With that conversion, the rights of Americans to demand the government they deserve is gone. If sustained, free speech is dead. But free speech and the right to protest are not gone yet.
The NSPM-7 memo is intentionally and breathtakingly broad. Every action of disruption or any attempt to deny authoritarianism becomes a punishable act. In the 10 Steps to Freedom and Power, organizing, mobilizing, disrupting and denying are central tenets. That is exactly what this memo forbids. Under this Republican regime, marching for immigrant rights, calling out police violence on specific communities, opposing abortion bans, or challenging religious influence on government could all be treated as signals of “domestic terrorism.” Truth-telling isn’t terrorism. It is the obligation of members of a civil society to hold the government accountable.