Our Name
re·fuse | \ ri-ˈfyüz
verb
- to express oneself as unwilling to accept
- to show or express unwillingness to do or comply with
- to not allow someone to have or do (something) : DENY
tyr·an·ny | \ ˈtir-ə-nē
noun
- oppressive power
- a government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler
- the office, authority, and administration of a tyrant
- a rigorous condition imposed by some outside agency or force
- an oppressive, harsh, or unjust act : a tyrannical act
“Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.”
– Thomas Jefferson
Our Logo
So what’s up with our logo? We wanted to find a symbol to embody the tyranny that we all can band together to oppose. There were so many ideas that came to mind, almost all of which we thought would be very political and divisive. We tried to keep individual prejudices, however justified, out of the logo.
Corruption can easily be iconized as money, however we wanted to make sure that we didn’t display an anti-capitalistic mentality. Capitalism and greed are certainly sources of tyranny throughout the world, but we believe in a fair, regulated free market. Oppression and authoritarian regimes are also imposed by fanatics and demagogues whose motivations aren’t necessarily tied to greed as much as their own perverse beliefs. Because of these thoughts, we wanted to avoid directly tying our logo to a monetary symbol.
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”
– Edmund Burke
We found ourselves drawn to the symbol of the Tyrannosaurus Rex as the name was derived from the Greek words “tyrannos”, meaning “tyrant” and “sauros”, meaning “lizard”, and the Latin word “rex”, meaning “king”. The symbol of a “tyrant lizard king” seemed to just click. Thankfully T-Rex’s aren’t around anymore, so I don’t think they’ll get offended.
Our Mission
Refuse Tyranny is about educating and motivating people to speak out against corrupt government and stand up for their civil rights and the rights of their neighbors. Our goal is to help people get out to change their local, state, federal, and world politics for the better.
“Think globally, act locally.”
– Grassroots people / Programmers
One of the guiding principles of our outlook on life is “think globally, act locally”. We believe everyone should take this principle to heart and change their mentality and habits, but it’s especially important that our people in power promote this ideal throughout all of the governments and businesses of the world. The thoughts and feelings of each individual in their own life has to be taken into account when applying action through communities that affect it’s populace. The push and pull of individual versus communal needs are what strike the largest contrast in a capitalistic society. More often than not, the greed of the few overtake the needs of the many.
“I can’t breathe.”
– Eric Garner
This site was originally conceived in September 2014 after the events in New York and Ferguson Mo. where police officers murdered Eric Garner and Michael Brown respectively. After reading the aftermath of those events and the injustice permeating from the lack of transparency and accountability from the police responsible, I felt spurred to speak out. The following murder of Tamir Rice and the announcement of no indictment in the Michael Brown case peaked the #BlackLivesMatter movement and furthered the need for police reform and elevated my disdain for our country’s current political environment.
“Nobody likes him.”
– Hillary Clinton
The 2016 Democratic primary race became another point of contention when it became apparent that the Democratic National Convention had undermined our voting process by giving preferential treatment to Hillary Clinton. Along with the mainstream media, the DNC did everything they could to hinder Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign. When it came time to assign delegates at the convention, blatant disregard for people’s votes were on display when delegates which should have been assigned to Sanders went to Clinton. We all know that led to the election of a terribly incompetent president.
“You think our country’s so innocent?”
– Donald Trump
The fallout from the 2016 election is continually sending shock waves throughout our society. With the Mueller investigation into Russian election interference, the separation of children from their families at the Mexican border, the permanent physical deformities incurred by some of the ICE detention centers, the gutting of the EPA, the endless war on terror, the impeachment of the president, and an innumerable amount of other bleak policies and corruption, our lives have become more stressful and dangerous. The need for a societal overhaul is more apparent now than anytime since 100 years ago.
“Compassion.”
– Bernie Sanders
The stark realization of the types of presidents we’ve had in the United States over the past 40+ years became crystal clear in the Barbara Walters interviews of the presidential candidates in 2016. When asked in the interview what one word he would hope people would use to describe a Bernie Sanders presidency, he said “compassion”. Hearing that response made an enormous impact and by far showed what we’ve been missing in America, especially since Trump’s election.
“Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.”
– Noam Chomsky
We hope to contribute to the progressive movements of the land now and in the future. There is no fact as immutable as that change is ever-present. A truly working democracy begs for change. People’s needs evolve as they age, work, migrate, build a family, and hopefully retire. Considering the course of one’s life and the point at which they’re currently at then making educated decisions and taking action to bring those decisions to light should be the fabric that a democratic society is woven. Many roadblocks impede this process. Refuse Tyranny.