Authoritarian playbooks thrive on polarization, isolation, and exhaustion. This is how they dismantle institutions: by silencing opposition or dissent through apathy or fear. Your Democracy Defense Pod (DDP)— a central feature of my book’s Action Plans—will be your commitment to counter the threat of authoritarianism by forging small, committed cells of three to five people besides yourself who meet weekly, if possible, in person or virtually to educate, motivate, and activate locally.