Editor’s Note: It is Day 342 of the Great Con II. As we wrap up a troubling year for America, its important to stay engaged. Don’t give up your power. We will be entering our third year of The Porcupine and we greatly appreciate you being here with us. We’ve got a new app at the website called the Crony Carousel, an educational tool on people who abuse their positions of leadership. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

The end of the year brings time for reflection, and I must say that I've been impressed with the majority of Americans who have acted to protected the principles and the reputation of the United States. We are a place that people want to immigrate to, that inspires kids everywhere who learn from our history, music, and media. When that changes, something has gone wrong.

While we usually think of resolutions to better ourselves in the new year, I want to encourage you to use your power in ways that will benefit and protect fellow Americans everywhere. We are only one year down in this regime, with three more to go.

Don’t let up.

Find alternatives to Amazon. One thing I worked hard at this year was to limit the use of Amazon. I dropped Prime and switched to alternatives successfully. Though the convenience is hard to beat, the true cost to communities and economic independence is staggering. In this period of creeping autocracy and monopoly, Jeff Bezos sided with the money. He represents how the pursuit of personal wealth led to space, robotics, more wealth, a wife with bigger boobs, with little consideration for the impacts to the middle class. He had the opportunity to spin off the Washington Post to a standalone entity unencumbered by politics. He didn't. He has had the opportunity to ensure communities devastated by economic changes get jobs with livable incomes. He’s not done that. He has continued significant invest in automation and AI. While we like to see the great American story of a fatherless kid made good, we are reaching a point where Amazon is a goliath with the potential to freeze American economic freedom in place.

It's dangerous and un-American.

For nationwide service, Target and Best Buy have higher worker positive reviews, but move at least some of your purchases to locally-owned venues.

Find an alternative to Elon Musk. Elon Musk has been the Wikipedia example of someone who immigrates to the United States, does well, then pulls the ladder up behind him. He has vision but lacks the moral character to ensure Americans don't fall further into a despotic situation. The fact that he was gleeful in cutting tens of thousands of middle-class jobs should terrify Americans.

Don’t forget the pain of this.

He is more suited as a Russian oligarch and should be treated with the same suspicion as one. Avoid praise of Musk and buying his products (Tesla, X, Grok, etc.) until he’s brought back down to Earth. For a tech bro with a good reputation to follow, consider Jensen Huang of NVIDIA, mentioned in Issue 76. Also buy used EV and hybrid, and support Bluesky in social media.

Boycott CBS Paramount. With this week's story of the hand-selected controller of CBS putting the stop to an episode of 60 Minutes, it is yet another example of censorship to seek the favor of the current administration. It's not ethical business, it’s corrupt, and it is not in the spirit of American values.

Your decision to avoid subscription services and products related to Paramount may be a small act on your part, but it can snowball into bigger statements for all to see. It’s hard to find a “clean” alternative streaming service. If internet is not an issue, rabbit ears are making a comeback.

Demand public regulation of AI. The message being sold to Americans is that we must push forward with AI to counter the potential of rogue players such as China. The threat is seen as an AI that can be either controlled or self-conscious enough to counter the actions of a perceived enemy—that if we fall behind, we lose control. While I believe there is danger in not keeping up with the continual growth of AI, I think there is equal danger in having AI that is not treated as a public utility. Just as we work to ensure clean water and ready electricity are available almost everywhere, we must do the same with AI. Regulation as a utility will ensure that the public investment being made now is paid back to consumers and future generations, especially when AI will likely impact every white collar job. The European Union is leading the way so far.

Support local journalism and independent media. The consolidation of media ownership has bankrupted most local papers, created echo chambers, and silenced local voices. Avoid supporting Fox Corporation and Sinclair Broadcasting. Both have been found to support either false or standardized political commentary, not fact-based reporting. Redirect your money to a local newspaper, independent journalist, or investigative outlet. Democracy dies in darkness, but it also withers when only the loudest, wealthiest voices get heard. That is exactly where we are now, where the most wealthy of Americans are behind the scenes pushing buttons and pulling strings on what you read and hear, whether you know it or not. Your subscription dollars and support of certain business are votes for the kind of information democracy you want your kids to live in. ProPublica and The Guardian are highly rated for national and investigative news.

Support at least one other person a month. If they attend a school board meeting, write a letter to the editor, share facts on Facebook, feed the homeless, run for local office, or mow a neighbor’s yard, it really doesn’t matter. Give them praise and a gift card. Anything that shows appreciation for them showing up. Remember that the current power structure has a goal to “flood the zone” and create apathy and absence in the general population. They're counting on you to be too busy, too tired, or too convinced it doesn't matter.

Prove them wrong. Be involved or support those that do.

Read more real books. If there is one act I see that separates those who get stuck, it is the lack of a regular reading regimen. Even though I am a supporter of technology and AI, people must be steeped in history and the wisdom of great thinkers to deal with the shifts ahead. The answer will not be to arm up, but to wisen up. Make a resolution to read a book a month. That's a very doable project.

Many of the un-American acts that we are dealing with today will be rolled back if we get through the next year, but the real change will come when we more fully assess how we got here. This is a wake-up call. The United States was founded on public frustration with a monarchy that issued executive orders without considering the voice of the people. We are in a similar situation now with a wannabe king who would rather dictate than collaborate. It

But here's the truth they don't want you to realize: every autocrat in history has counted on good people choosing comfort over courage, and convenience over conviction. They've counted on you deciding that your individual choices don't matter, that the system is too big to change, and that someone else will do the hard work. They've counted on you being too tired, too distracted, or too defeated to act.

What you want to do is to look at the year 2026 as the year you were part of the resistance. Not with arms, but with a million small actions. Choose now, because history is watching, and your grandchildren will ask what you did when American democracy needed you most.

My youngest son is thinking of a trip to Japan and wants me to go. It has been over 30 years since I spent a summer there. It changed my life. I lived with my Japanese brother, Hirokazu, went to college, toured Japanese businesses, and traveled the country. This is where I first woke up to life outside of our own American culture, and saw the need to travel to break the 15-mile mentality that strangles many Americans.

This little video was a good taste of my experiences, where the Japanese are a predominately peaceful and helpful culture. You can get lost almost anywhere and find a helping hand. There are many things we can learn from other cultures, many of which are thousands of years old, whereas ours is but a few centuries.

We don’t have a lock on sustainability, and it won’t be knuckle-headed autocracy that brings it either. Enjoy this moment of zen.

This is a story that is the epitome of what the season is supposed to mean. Act where you are able; do what you can. And Rick Steves can truly be said to live a life in service to others. If there is one thing I learned of my Christian upbringing, it is to beware of building your comfort on the discomfort of others, or ignoring the opportunities to offer respite to those around you. There are mentions over and over in every spiritual belief of sharing your talents, assisting the stranger, and giving blessings to the downtrodden. The lesson is to live a life of awareness, to look for and listen for the ways to help. They will come if your heart and mind is open.

Have you ever wondered about the guy behind Wikipedia? This is a great interview on the man and his product that has really made a difference with the internet. In the early years, Wikipedia was not considered a reliable source. I believe that’s changed. It’s now a product worth billions if it was to be privatized.

With a community focused on facts, reliability, and worldwide free access, Wales has accomplished what the internet was meant to do; bring knowledge to everyone around the world regardless of ability to pay.

The fact that he has triggered Musk is another indicator that he has done it right.

And Now….

Thank you again for another year. I hope you will do me the honor of sharing The Porcupine with others and asking them to subscribe for the year ahead. Continue to practice your gratefulness.

Always strive to be a good human.