ProdigalFrog

3

The wget and dpkg commands on their website are adding an online repository that has the proton VPN package, which means it shouldn't matter what directory you're in when you run the final apt install command.

If you're sure you did a sudo update before trying to install it and it still says it can't be found, try doing a sudo apt search command to see if they changed the name of the package, so something like

        Sudo apt search proton

Or

        Sudo apt search proton-vpn

If it finds something, then sudo apt install its exact name. If it doesn't find anything, that might indicate the repo was not successfully installed, and you might want to try doing the wget and dpkg commands again and seeing if any errors pop up in the terminal.

3

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 24h ago

Sorry to hear your dad has been brainwashed into a cult. There was a good documentary about this called 'The Brainwashing of my Dad' in 2015, which shows the mechanism of how it happens.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 1d ago

Welcome to the Fediverse! Glad to have you with us ^^

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 1d ago

No politician will save us. Only you and your local community working together can.

Here are concrete steps we can take to combat the regime with our last non-violent pathways (the titles below expand if you click them).

**Learn First Aid!** ⛑️

As we're seeing, deadly violence is being used against us and it will only continue. It extremely important to have the skills to be able to keep yourself and others alive if they get hurt. You can never have too many medics.

Tacticool Girlfriend provides a great introduction to building a personal first aid kit, called an IFAK, which can deal with things like bullet wounds and other serious bleeding wounds. I also want to emphasize her recommendation of only buying medical gear from reputable sources (not Amazon!), such as North American Rescue to avoid fakes that could cost you your life.

But you'll need to learn how to use that equipment, too. The best resource for that is to take a local Stop The Bleed class, which are pretty widely available in most places. They may cost a small fee, but can also sometimes be free. Alternatively, if you cannot access a local class, this video by PrepMedic will give you a solid understanding of how to use Tourniquets and Gauze for wound packing.

Injuries are less harmful if they are tended to early. Learning first aid can help conserve resources when healthcare becomes unaffordable. Having several medics in case of harm by police is an extremely powerful morale booster during a protest that may become a police riot. When you become comfortable with the basics of first aid, riot medicine is the next suggested step.

**Establish or join local Mutual Aid networks** ✊

If you haven't already, get to know your neighbors. Mutual aid is a willingness to support and grow your community. This can include informal networks through friends, tenant/renter organizations, solidarity groups, and industrial unions.

These are groups using direct action to solve each other's problems. Building strong communities makes it difficult for fascism to take root. The actions of the government are going to hit every community hard, and the ones who build trust in each other and work together are most likely to survive. We've been building a list of resources in !inperson@slrpnk.net to help you on your way. Also check out this handy guide to find existing groups in your area.

This isn't only for your own community protection. Your ability to organize today will change the political landscape tomorrow. When revolution occurs, the social organizations that show the greatest resilience through the regime are the ones typically calling the shots when the dust settles. When it comes to elections, get out the vote drives are useless if most of the voters are fascists. At some point, you have to do grassroots political education if you don't want fascist candidates winning elections. Mutual aid networks are excellent forums not only for teaching each other good political ideas, but demonstrating them in practice.

**Join a Union and Prepare for an even longer General Strike!** 💪

The most effective non-violent action we can take is preparing and organizing for a General Strike.

The country would be brought to its knees if suddenly deprived of profit and labor. That tactic was extremely effective in Chile in 2019, and had they not fallen for the trick of liberal reform, they would've had a successful revolution on their hands with virtually no bloodshed.

If you aren't in a union (or even if you are, it's worth dual-carding), consider joining the IWW to unionize your workplace (bonus: you'll get higher wages, better benefits, and more time off if you succeed!) to strengthen a general strike if we manage to enact one, as most unions have a strike fund that can supplement your income during a general strike to make it more financially bearable (you should also save as much money as you can reasonably do, so it can also be used to keep yourself afloat during a strike).

🌍 US/Global: IWW (Français) - (Español)

And for our international friends, you should join one as well, as fascism is gaining momentum globally. If your country isn't listed below, just contact the IWW directly in the link above, and they'll help you set up a new local branch.

🇦🇷 Argentina: FORA
🇦🇺 Australia: ASF-IWA
🇧🇷 Brazil: FOB
🇧🇬 Bulgaria: ARS, CITUB
🇩🇪 Germany: FAU
🇬🇷 Greece: ESE
🇮🇹 Italy: USI
🇳🇱 🇧🇪 Netherlands & Belgium: Vriji Bond
🇪🇸 Spain: CNT
🇸🇪 Sweden: SAC
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: UVW

**Adopt Security Culture and Digital Camouflage** 🛡️

Sometimes benign seeming efforts can turn into unexpected personal data collecting traps. Like an obscure website for exchanging contact info with other students turning into a global ad-tech surveillance network (Facebook), or innocent seeming online personality tests being use to harvest character profiles. Even Etsy, Reddit, Tinder, and Duolingo are feeding information to US Government Agencies like ICE.

Security culture is commonly used to describe the general awareness of such potential traps and how it can affect groups or entire communities. This goes beyond mere individual privacy efforts, as without joint efforts these often fail to work.

Especially in activist circles, security culture is paramount. For opsec reasons not everyone in the group might be aware of what clandestine efforts others are involved in, but with a general security culture many potential data leaks can be avoided.

Movements are made by the volume of their participants, and the easier and less dangerous it is to participate, the more people will get involved. As more people get involved, individual involvement becomes even less dangerous, creating a virtuous cycle.

We'll start it off with some General Advice:

Mentally wall off personal uniquely identifying info from your online presence, actively build a habit of opsec so that withholding information is your default mental state
Be careful about who you meet online
Use different, unrelated usernames, passwords & emails for every account. And try not to connect to those accounts with your real IP address (use Tor or a VPN)
Be mindful that anything done online leaves a trail
agents provocateurs may seek to find patsies willing to perform an ill-advised illegal activity in order to legitimize police repression. If someone is trying to pressure you, especially if you don't have a long and proven history with them, be extremely wary.

For a full guide on what encrypted communications platforms to use, and how to stay off the radar, read the Digital Camouflage section within the Monthly Meta post here (you'll need to scroll down. I'd add it here, but it won't fit in this comment).

I'd also highly recommend anyone reading this to read Full Spectrum Resistance if you can for further info.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 2d ago

(Image source, for those curious)

1

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

There is a bigger coordination for a mass general strike on May 1st 2028 headed by the UAW. Being 2 years out sucks, but it was planned before trump won the election, and it's a concrete date that all unions can plan for.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

It is not.

Still, it'd be a good idea to get your passports in order now as at some point you may be able to seek asylum in another country if the US is deemed a warzone.

Our instance put together a guide to prepare for a fascist regime, which includes info on emigration and passports.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

Besides reading Full Spectrum Resistance, here are concrete steps we can take to combat the regime with our last non-violent pathways (the titles below expand if you click them).

**Learn First Aid!** ⛑️

The future us likely to be violent, and It extremely important to have the skills to be able to keep yourself and others alive if they get hurt. You can never have too many medics.

Tacticool Girlfriend provides a great introduction to building a personal first aid kit, called an IFAK, which can deal with things like bullet wounds and other serious bleeding wounds. I also want to emphasize her recommendation of only buying medical gear from reputable sources (not Amazon!), such as North American Rescue to avoid fakes that could cost you your life.

But you'll need to learn how to use that equipment, too. The best resource for that is to take a local Stop The Bleed class, which are pretty widely available in most places. They may cost a small fee, but can also sometimes be free. Alternatively, if you cannot access a local class, this video by PrepMedic will give you a solid understanding of how to use Tourniquets and Gauze for wound packing.

Injuries are less harmful if they are tended to early. Learning first aid can help conserve resources when healthcare becomes unaffordable. Having several medics in case of harm by police is an extremely powerful morale booster during a protest that may become a police riot. When you become comfortable with the basics of first aid, riot medicine is the next suggested step.

**Establish or join local Mutual Aid networks** ✊

If you haven't already, get to know your neighbors. Mutual aid is a willingness to support and grow your community. This can include informal networks through friends, tenant/renter organizations, solidarity groups, and industrial unions.

These are groups using direct action to solve each other's problems. Building strong communities makes it difficult for fascism to take root. The actions of the government are going to hit every community hard, and the ones who build trust in each other and work together are most likely to survive. We've been building a list of resources in !inperson@slrpnk.net to help you on your way. Also check out this handy guide to find existing groups in your area.

This isn't only for your own community protection. Your ability to organize today will change the political landscape tomorrow. When revolution occurs, the social organizations that show the greatest resilience through the regime are the ones typically calling the shots when the dust settles. When it comes to elections, get out the vote drives are useless if most of the voters are fascists. At some point, you have to do grassroots political education if you don't want fascist candidates winning elections. Mutual aid networks are excellent forums not only for teaching each other good political ideas, but demonstrating them in practice.

**Join a Union and Prepare for a General Strike!** 💪

The most effective non-violent action we can take is preparing and organizing for a General Strike.

The country would be brought to its knees if suddenly deprived of profit and labor. That tactic was extremely effective in Chile in 2019, and had they not fallen for the trick of liberal reform, they would've had a successful revolution on their hands with virtually no bloodshed.

If you aren't in a union (or even if you are, it's worth dual-carding), consider joining the IWW to unionize your workplace (bonus: you'll get higher wages, better benefits, and more time off if you succeed!) to strengthen a general strike if we manage to enact one, as most unions have a strike fund that can supplement your income during a general strike to make it more financially bearable (you should also save as much money as you can reasonably do, so it can also be used to keep yourself afloat during a strike).

🌍 US/Global: IWW (Français) - (Español)

And for our international friends, you should join one as well, as fascism is gaining momentum globally. If your country isn't listed below, just contact the IWW directly in the link above, and they'll help you set up a new local branch.

🇦🇷 Argentina: FORA
🇦🇺 Australia: ASF-IWA
🇧🇷 Brazil: FOB
🇧🇬 Bulgaria: ARS, CITUB
🇩🇪 Germany: FAU
🇬🇷 Greece: ESE
🇮🇹 Italy: USI
🇳🇱 🇧🇪 Netherlands & Belgium: Vriji Bond
🇪🇸 Spain: CNT
🇸🇪 Sweden: SAC
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: UVW

**Adopt Security Culture and Digital Camouflage** 🛡️

Sometimes benign seeming efforts can turn into unexpected personal data collecting traps. Like an obscure website for exchanging contact info with other students turning into a global ad-tech surveillance network (Facebook), or innocent seeming online personality tests being use to harvest character profiles. Even Etsy, Reddit, Tinder, and Duolingo are feeding information to US Government Agencies like ICE.

Security culture is commonly used to describe the general awareness of such potential traps and how it can affect groups or entire communities. This goes beyond mere individual privacy efforts, as without joint efforts these often fail to work.

Especially in activist circles, security culture is paramount. For opsec reasons not everyone in the group might be aware of what clandestine efforts others are involved in, but with a general security culture many potential data leaks can be avoided.

Movements are made by the volume of their participants, and the easier and less dangerous it is to participate, the more people will get involved. As more people get involved, individual involvement becomes even less dangerous, creating a virtuous cycle.

We'll start it off with some General Advice:

Mentally wall off personal uniquely identifying info from your online presence, actively build a habit of opsec so that withholding information is your default mental state
Be careful about who you meet online
Use different, unrelated usernames, passwords & emails for every account. And try not to connect to those accounts with your real IP address (use Tor or a VPN)
Be mindful that anything done online leaves a trail
agents provocateurs may seek to find patsies willing to perform an ill-advised illegal activity in order to legitimize police repression. If someone is trying to pressure you, especially if you don't have a long and proven history with them, be extremely wary.

For a full guide on what encrypted communications platforms to use, and how to stay off the radar, read the Digital Camouflage section within the Monthly Meta post here (you'll need to scroll down. I'd add it here, but it won't fit in this comment).

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

Guessing the Teamsters? they're known for having the highest percentage of MAGA members, the majority voted for Trump, and Sean O'Brien is a corrupt bootlicker through and through.

If you are a teamster, I'd suggest taking a look at Teamsters Mobilize, and trying to vote O'Brien out if you can. Richard Hooker looks promising.

The unions I linked to in my big comment are all explicitly leftist anticapitalist unions that wouldn't tolerate the behavior found within the teamsters.

2

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

Here are concrete steps we can take to combat the regime with our last non-violent pathways (the titles below expand if you click them).

**Learn First Aid!** ⛑️

The future us likely to be violent, and It extremely important to have the skills to be able to keep yourself and others alive if they get hurt. You can never have too many medics.

Tacticool Girlfriend provides a great introduction to building a personal first aid kit, called an IFAK, which can deal with things like bullet wounds and other serious bleeding wounds. I also want to emphasize her recommendation of only buying medical gear from reputable sources (not Amazon!), such as North American Rescue to avoid fakes that could cost you your life.

But you'll need to learn how to use that equipment, too. The best resource for that is to take a local Stop The Bleed class, which are pretty widely available in most places. They may cost a small fee, but can also sometimes be free. Alternatively, if you cannot access a local class, this video by PrepMedic will give you a solid understanding of how to use Tourniquets and Gauze for wound packing.

Injuries are less harmful if they are tended to early. Learning first aid can help conserve resources when healthcare becomes unaffordable. Having several medics in case of harm by police is an extremely powerful morale booster during a protest that may become a police riot. When you become comfortable with the basics of first aid, riot medicine is the next suggested step.

**Establish or join local Mutual Aid networks** ✊

If you haven't already, get to know your neighbors. Mutual aid is a willingness to support and grow your community. This can include informal networks through friends, tenant/renter organizations, solidarity groups, and industrial unions.

These are groups using direct action to solve each other's problems. Building strong communities makes it difficult for fascism to take root. The actions of the government are going to hit every community hard, and the ones who build trust in each other and work together are most likely to survive. We've been building a list of resources in !inperson@slrpnk.net to help you on your way. Also check out this handy guide to find existing groups in your area.

This isn't only for your own community protection. Your ability to organize today will change the political landscape tomorrow. When revolution occurs, the social organizations that show the greatest resilience through the regime are the ones typically calling the shots when the dust settles. When it comes to elections, get out the vote drives are useless if most of the voters are fascists. At some point, you have to do grassroots political education if you don't want fascist candidates winning elections. Mutual aid networks are excellent forums not only for teaching each other good political ideas, but demonstrating them in practice.

**Join a Union and Prepare for a General Strike!** 💪

The most effective non-violent action we can take is preparing and organizing for a General Strike.

The country would be brought to its knees if suddenly deprived of profit and labor. That tactic was extremely effective in Chile in 2019, and had they not fallen for the trick of liberal reform, they would've had a successful revolution on their hands with virtually no bloodshed.

If you aren't in a union (or even if you are, it's worth dual-carding), consider joining the IWW to unionize your workplace (bonus: you'll get higher wages, better benefits, and more time off if you succeed!) to strengthen a general strike if we manage to enact one, as most unions have a strike fund that can supplement your income during a general strike to make it more financially bearable (you should also save as much money as you can reasonably do, so it can also be used to keep yourself afloat during a strike).

🌍 US/Global: IWW (Français) - (Español)

And for our international friends, you should join one as well, as fascism is gaining momentum globally. If your country isn't listed below, just contact the IWW directly in the link above, and they'll help you set up a new local branch.

🇦🇷 Argentina: FORA
🇦🇺 Australia: ASF-IWA
🇧🇷 Brazil: FOB
🇧🇬 Bulgaria: ARS, CITUB
🇩🇪 Germany: FAU
🇬🇷 Greece: ESE
🇮🇹 Italy: USI
🇳🇱 🇧🇪 Netherlands & Belgium: Vriji Bond
🇪🇸 Spain: CNT
🇸🇪 Sweden: SAC
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: UVW

**Adopt Security Culture and Digital Camouflage** 🛡️

Sometimes benign seeming efforts can turn into unexpected personal data collecting traps. Like an obscure website for exchanging contact info with other students turning into a global ad-tech surveillance network (Facebook), or innocent seeming online personality tests being use to harvest character profiles. Even Etsy, Reddit, Tinder, and Duolingo are feeding information to US Government Agencies like ICE.

Security culture is commonly used to describe the general awareness of such potential traps and how it can affect groups or entire communities. This goes beyond mere individual privacy efforts, as without joint efforts these often fail to work.

Especially in activist circles, security culture is paramount. For opsec reasons not everyone in the group might be aware of what clandestine efforts others are involved in, but with a general security culture many potential data leaks can be avoided.

Movements are made by the volume of their participants, and the easier and less dangerous it is to participate, the more people will get involved. As more people get involved, individual involvement becomes even less dangerous, creating a virtuous cycle.

We'll start it off with some General Advice:

Mentally wall off personal uniquely identifying info from your online presence, actively build a habit of opsec so that withholding information is your default mental state
Be careful about who you meet online
Use different, unrelated usernames, passwords & emails for every account. And try not to connect to those accounts with your real IP address (use Tor or a VPN)
Be mindful that anything done online leaves a trail
agents provocateurs may seek to find patsies willing to perform an ill-advised illegal activity in order to legitimize police repression. If someone is trying to pressure you, especially if you don't have a long and proven history with them, be extremely wary.

For a full guide on what encrypted communications platforms to use, and how to stay off the radar, read the Digital Camouflage section within the Monthly Meta post here (you'll need to scroll down. I'd add it here, but it won't fit in this comment).

Also, I strongly suggest reading Full Spectrum Resistance.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

Alcohol really sucks as a drug so I am really happy about that.

Even in low doses it sucks! I would occasionally have a beer with meals, but I noticed that even if done very occasionally, a single beer would make it very difficult for me to sleep, which would leave me exhausted the next day. Eventually I just said screw it and stopped buying it, wasn't worth it the slight relaxation it could bring.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

Pixelfed is like a federated instagram. Piefed is like Lemmy (and Lemmy is like reddit), but different.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

It's a word with a long history, originating from the 1950's. It was used by leftists to quickly describe authoritarian leftists who supported Stalinism and dictatorship of the state through violent ends in the name of Communism.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

To add onto this:

Most cities often have a group that renders mutual aid directly to those most in need, and they would love your help. Food Not Bombs is the most well known, and they have an index you can search to find one local to your area.

If you don't have one in your area, you and some friends could start your own Food Not Bombs chapter instead! Alternatively, a local church who is already assisting the homeless can be a good place to find an established group, even if you're not religious.

For people in need while on your way to work or the grocery store, assembling Care Packages can allow you to immediately render useful aid. The contents of a care package will be determined by your area and the needs of the people you're looking to give them to. Chatting with a person in need and asking them what would be most helpful to them is one of the best ways to narrow down the essentials, and avoid things that won't actually be of much use.

But there are generally a few universal things that will always be appreciated.

::: spoiler 🔻 General Care Package Contents 🔻

Socks! - This is often the most requested aid, as they prevent blisters, and wear quickly due to constant use and frequent walking. Used socks are fine as long as they're washed and clean. For colder or wet climates, wool socks are vastly preferred, as they have anti-bacterial properties, and still provides warmth even when wet.
Hygiene supplies - Things like a bar of soap (with sealable bag to store it when wet), deodorant, babywipes, a washcloth, toothbrush and paste, rinseless body wipes, comb.
Menstrual hygiene supplies.
Over-the-counter Medical supplies - Painkillers, bandages, antibiotic ointment, rubbing alcohol.
Calorie-dense non-perishable food - This often takes the form of canned foods (ensure they have a pull tab!), protein bars, or dehydrated fruits. Try to avoid hard or crunchy food, as it's possible the person you're trying to help may have active dental issues that may not allow them to chew those types of foods. Softer foods are preferred.
Electrolyte drinks or drink packets - Especially needed in hotter climates where electrolyes will be constantly lost through sweat, and can be life threatening if not replaced. Ones with sugar tend to have more calories, but may not be usable by those with diabetes, so it may be a good idea to have some with alternative sweeteners as well.
Money - Cash can drastically increase the quality of life of someone without access to an income, and allow them to obtain the things they need most when they need it. Any amount you can afford is useful.
Backpacks - If they don't already have one, a backpack is generally much appreciated to help carry around the supplies in your care package. You can often find them used at thrift stores.
Petfood - Catfood is preferable to dogfood, as catfood can be eaten by either dogs or cats, while the same can sometimes not be true for dogfood. People with a pet companion will be quite grateful.
Resealable Waterproof bag - Something like a large ziplock so that they have a waterproof place to protect their supplies.

Lastly, if you have access to a printer, try to include a page of resources such as a list of local mutual aid groups where they can obtain more help in the future, along with their address and times that they operate. On the opposite side, a map of your area and any local public transit routes and timetables would also likely be useful.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

I would say that having a variety of software options also helps keep one party from having too much power

I don't disagree, but since Mbin, Piefed, and Lemmy are all open-source and interoperable, none of them can ever have any meaningful power no matter which one became dominant, as each project can be forked if they go off the rails or if development from the OG devs stopped (as happened with Kbin, which was forked into Mbin).

As an example, the app 'Organic Maps' recently had controversy because the main dev was using donated funds for personal expenses without informing anyone. This caused a lack of trust, and it was just forked into CoMaps instead. That's the inherent advantage of free and open-source software.

ProdigalFrog @slrpnk.net 3d ago

What do you mean federating with instances that bring endless trolls, fights, spam, fascist and racist material?

All of the right-wing instances that were created housed that material and those types of users. Most instances defederated from them because of it. They did not defederate from them because they were John McCain style conservatives who wanted small government and lower taxes, they defederated from them because the admins of those instances allowed and approved of genuinely far-right fascist material and dangerous misinformation being posted there, and their users were often trolls or sealions that would mess with users on other instances.

As I responded on a different reply I gave a brief recount of my wandering onto a hexbear post not knowing they were tankies and getting mobbed by like 100 replies

That is why many instances defederated from Hexbear and Lemmygrad, including my own instance, despite being leftist itself.

But just being federated with them, their users come onto your threads and talk trash? But if not federated they can’t come onto your threads?

Yes, that's right.

What if my instance is federated with them, and your isn’t, and we are all on the same thread on an instance we all are federated on, can they only see my replies and not yours?

Yes. I would be able to see your replies, but I wouldn't be able to see the other comments from the defederated instance, nor would they be able to see mine.