Same here, Jeff. I'm older than you, Republican since 1980. Attended my first protest ever (Hands Off), followed by No Kings and one more. I live in Montana (purple state turned red) and I'm in the reddest county. We had an AMAZING turnout in both Hands Off and No Kings, marching through downtown Kalispell. (1,000 and 1,500, respectively--HUGE for here)
However, the organizers of our local protests are EXACTLY the kind of Democrats you're talking about. After attending a couple of protests, we wanted to get involved with them. We attended one of their meetings last summer. It turned out to be an absolute clusterf*ck. It was more like a potluck, with everyone chatting instead of strategizing. The classic "bringing a casserole to a knife fight." When we asked them where the strategizing was, the response was "we need to build our social ties." WTF?
Fast forward to today's No Kings. The organizers heard some rumors about some hateful people that might be at a downtown protest in response to the Charlie Kirk assassination. These folks would be carrying guns (perfectly legal in Montana and we saw a few at the last protest, and I see it all the time in grocery stores and fast food joints. Nothing new). They are so afraid that they moved the protest to a small overpass on a rural road over the local bypass. he protest will basically be almost invisible. This could be the biggest protest in American history, and they want to do it on an overpass. Holy Christ! We called them out on it and got the usual "safety first" response, even though we pointed out the ramifications of what's happening in our country. They wouldn't budge.
We know that the protest they planned won't be effective. But we have to be a part of the largest protest in American history, so we've decided to go stand in front of City Hall in Whitefish on a corner that gets tons of traffic. It may only be the two of us, but hopefully some of the other protesters who stand their often will be alongside us. Even if it's only the two of us, a lot of people will see us. This protest is just too important to sit out.
PS: I wish I could share a photo of the sign I made for this one. The text is NO FAUX-
KING WAY! There is a picture of Trump wearing a crown at the top. I glued a plastic Trump doll wearing an orange jumpsuit to the left of the text. The doll is flipping the finger.
At 73, it wasn't my first protest, but this time I was doing a whole lot more than just chasing a pretty girl. This time it was legitimate...because the threat facing my country is legitimately existential.
I am a 75 year old retired military officer and I also went to my first protests this year. The idea of using the military against American citizens like this is unconscionable. No Kings.
Wow! Before Trump the last protest I went to was over the Vietnam war. And that was for different reasons. The current regime is out to destroy democracy, The would-be-king is dumber than a ditwad and being lead by his evil taskmasters, Bannon, Miller, et. al. We all need to act immediately and strongly to avoid disaster. Democratic leaders need to show some backbone. The old men in the legislatures are hiding behind boulders to avoid responsibility. It's time for strong leadership. It's time for strong action. The Republicans are in the gutter. The Democrats are nowhere to be found.
I have you beat by 15 years. Why did I go to my first protest in 73 years? Many reasons, but here's the most egregious: Armed, masked, unidentified thugs are handcuffing people, shoving them into unmarked vans, and spiriting them off to God knows where -- all of this sanctioned by top government leaders. Where is this happening? North Korea, El Salvador, Russia? NO: Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. This is an America I don't recognize. It's intolerable.
Absolutely on target! I am a lifelong Democrat who cares about a lot of issues, but none of them are worth dividing a “save democracy” coalition. (I can quietly protect and advocate for those who are vulnerable, while noisily defending our democratic experiment.) I gathered with 15,000 in Milwaukee last Saturday and loved the positive energy and spirit of strength and hope. My one criticism was that we had almost two hours of speakers before we finally marched. Instead of a laser-like focus upon the “No Kings” theme, organizers seemed to feel they needed to cover every conceivable social justice issue the Democratic Party has ever stood for. I tried to imagine how it would feel to be pro-democracy, but not necessarily aligned on other issues. I’ve found no way of offering this feedback to the organizers. I’m hoping that some of you who have a larger megaphone - especially former or disenfranchised Republicans - can get this message across.
Excellent piece- as a former Republican, loved the comment, “They’ve traded the Constitution for Trump’s incoherent, semi-literate, all-hat-no-facts feed of grievance-soaked gibberish on Truth Social.” Also, perfect timing when it seems some do want to bring past grievances into play. It is DEFCON 1 for Democracy, it’s boots on the ground, can’t afford to loose one pro-Constitutional soldier go time! Thank you.
Cheeto Jr(JD Vance) showed up in LA to make a case for the his Nazi Gestapo tactics in terrorizing immigrant communities in Southern California Let’s remember that the underlying take away from the current Nazi regime is that EVERYTHING THEY SAY IS A LIE
Also remember that Cheeto Jr has said that in order to rebirth the country the Nazis will have to “burn it all down and start over” Yarvin his compadre in fascism has said that people will just have to get over their “dictatorphobia” And then there’s Cheeto Jr financier Thiel who oversees the Palantir software, playing the role as participant in trying to turn the US into the Third Reich
Now Cheeto Jr shows up in an LA presser to disrespect Senator Alex Padilla who was handcuffed by ICE and called him Jose Padilla(BTW convicted terrorist) to do “political theater” and an obvious racial slur Of course he called LA as a hell hole filled with criminals and rapists and thank God for the Nazi regime to round all these “terrible terrorists” up and protect federal buildings with troop deployment The Nazis need to protect Americans which is the basic problem
This was not serious Cheeto Jr was in LA to push the Nazi PROPAGANDA, a classic Cheeto Sr tactic
Not all the masked hoodies are Ice employees. As a woman when a few men with black hoodies black masks and sunglasses come to me the first thought is the SOBs are in the business of kidnaping and I have to use the police advice.
From the first day I saw those men in the news I thought these were not acting as an officer-help ?! this time pay attention their attire is not 100% the same as the real ones. Majority are skinheads , patriots😀Proud boys, those released from the jails. In the worst situation Immigration officers were more civilized than these ….
💯 Americans need to remember the basics of what America is about!!! The fundamentals is what WE THE PEOPLE need to focus on - freedom, rule of law, the constitution!!! We have NO kings here!
Visual numbers count. Perhaps our media won’t mention it as much, for fear of offending ‘the great leader’, but people around the world will and hopefully it conveys to them that we all haven’t sided with the fascists.
I’ve seen protests my entire life. I grew up in the 1960s. Yeah. But it is hard to do it right. Ghandi and MLK, Jr understood that the strength of non violent protest is that it takes power away from those you are protesting against. Unfortunately, there are just enough bomb throwers to cast a taint on all of us. We need to ostracize them, make it understood that they do more harm than good, and that they need to stay away.
A few years ago I realized that the hard fought progress we’d made through the 1990s was at risk, and that we all need to stand up for what we have rather than crying out for more, more, more, no matter how righteous those other items may be. If we can’t hold the line where it already is, we sure can’t get any further down the road. Everybody wants a pony, but let’s make sure we got leather on our feet first to walk that first thousand miles.
Thank you thank you thank you. My husband, a life-long Republican, now Democrat, protests with me and has a knack for making creative signs. We need everyone regardless of party, religion, etc, to put ourselves on the front lines of saying NO. Thank you for stating so well (and funny, too) what we are facing. We simply must make this into something that will save us; we have learned that only we can do it.
Same here, Jeff. I'm older than you, Republican since 1980. Attended my first protest ever (Hands Off), followed by No Kings and one more. I live in Montana (purple state turned red) and I'm in the reddest county. We had an AMAZING turnout in both Hands Off and No Kings, marching through downtown Kalispell. (1,000 and 1,500, respectively--HUGE for here)
However, the organizers of our local protests are EXACTLY the kind of Democrats you're talking about. After attending a couple of protests, we wanted to get involved with them. We attended one of their meetings last summer. It turned out to be an absolute clusterf*ck. It was more like a potluck, with everyone chatting instead of strategizing. The classic "bringing a casserole to a knife fight." When we asked them where the strategizing was, the response was "we need to build our social ties." WTF?
Fast forward to today's No Kings. The organizers heard some rumors about some hateful people that might be at a downtown protest in response to the Charlie Kirk assassination. These folks would be carrying guns (perfectly legal in Montana and we saw a few at the last protest, and I see it all the time in grocery stores and fast food joints. Nothing new). They are so afraid that they moved the protest to a small overpass on a rural road over the local bypass. he protest will basically be almost invisible. This could be the biggest protest in American history, and they want to do it on an overpass. Holy Christ! We called them out on it and got the usual "safety first" response, even though we pointed out the ramifications of what's happening in our country. They wouldn't budge.
We know that the protest they planned won't be effective. But we have to be a part of the largest protest in American history, so we've decided to go stand in front of City Hall in Whitefish on a corner that gets tons of traffic. It may only be the two of us, but hopefully some of the other protesters who stand their often will be alongside us. Even if it's only the two of us, a lot of people will see us. This protest is just too important to sit out.
PS: I wish I could share a photo of the sign I made for this one. The text is NO FAUX-
KING WAY! There is a picture of Trump wearing a crown at the top. I glued a plastic Trump doll wearing an orange jumpsuit to the left of the text. The doll is flipping the finger.
At 73, it wasn't my first protest, but this time I was doing a whole lot more than just chasing a pretty girl. This time it was legitimate...because the threat facing my country is legitimately existential.
Excellent points, very good sense of humor.
Welcome to the group that loves democracy to the core
I am a 75 year old retired military officer and I also went to my first protests this year. The idea of using the military against American citizens like this is unconscionable. No Kings.
Well said. We need to focus on the most threatening, common enemy.
We rejected a King in 1776, we can do no less in 2025!
Wow! Before Trump the last protest I went to was over the Vietnam war. And that was for different reasons. The current regime is out to destroy democracy, The would-be-king is dumber than a ditwad and being lead by his evil taskmasters, Bannon, Miller, et. al. We all need to act immediately and strongly to avoid disaster. Democratic leaders need to show some backbone. The old men in the legislatures are hiding behind boulders to avoid responsibility. It's time for strong leadership. It's time for strong action. The Republicans are in the gutter. The Democrats are nowhere to be found.
I have you beat by 15 years. Why did I go to my first protest in 73 years? Many reasons, but here's the most egregious: Armed, masked, unidentified thugs are handcuffing people, shoving them into unmarked vans, and spiriting them off to God knows where -- all of this sanctioned by top government leaders. Where is this happening? North Korea, El Salvador, Russia? NO: Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. This is an America I don't recognize. It's intolerable.
Absolutely on target! I am a lifelong Democrat who cares about a lot of issues, but none of them are worth dividing a “save democracy” coalition. (I can quietly protect and advocate for those who are vulnerable, while noisily defending our democratic experiment.) I gathered with 15,000 in Milwaukee last Saturday and loved the positive energy and spirit of strength and hope. My one criticism was that we had almost two hours of speakers before we finally marched. Instead of a laser-like focus upon the “No Kings” theme, organizers seemed to feel they needed to cover every conceivable social justice issue the Democratic Party has ever stood for. I tried to imagine how it would feel to be pro-democracy, but not necessarily aligned on other issues. I’ve found no way of offering this feedback to the organizers. I’m hoping that some of you who have a larger megaphone - especially former or disenfranchised Republicans - can get this message across.
OMG, it's the same here! We march a mile, then spend HOURS in the park listening to speakers (where no one can see us). Frustrating, to say the least!
Excellent piece- as a former Republican, loved the comment, “They’ve traded the Constitution for Trump’s incoherent, semi-literate, all-hat-no-facts feed of grievance-soaked gibberish on Truth Social.” Also, perfect timing when it seems some do want to bring past grievances into play. It is DEFCON 1 for Democracy, it’s boots on the ground, can’t afford to loose one pro-Constitutional soldier go time! Thank you.
Cheeto Junior Arrives in LA to Spew Propaganda
Cheeto Jr(JD Vance) showed up in LA to make a case for the his Nazi Gestapo tactics in terrorizing immigrant communities in Southern California Let’s remember that the underlying take away from the current Nazi regime is that EVERYTHING THEY SAY IS A LIE
Also remember that Cheeto Jr has said that in order to rebirth the country the Nazis will have to “burn it all down and start over” Yarvin his compadre in fascism has said that people will just have to get over their “dictatorphobia” And then there’s Cheeto Jr financier Thiel who oversees the Palantir software, playing the role as participant in trying to turn the US into the Third Reich
Now Cheeto Jr shows up in an LA presser to disrespect Senator Alex Padilla who was handcuffed by ICE and called him Jose Padilla(BTW convicted terrorist) to do “political theater” and an obvious racial slur Of course he called LA as a hell hole filled with criminals and rapists and thank God for the Nazi regime to round all these “terrible terrorists” up and protect federal buildings with troop deployment The Nazis need to protect Americans which is the basic problem
This was not serious Cheeto Jr was in LA to push the Nazi PROPAGANDA, a classic Cheeto Sr tactic
Not all the masked hoodies are Ice employees. As a woman when a few men with black hoodies black masks and sunglasses come to me the first thought is the SOBs are in the business of kidnaping and I have to use the police advice.
From the first day I saw those men in the news I thought these were not acting as an officer-help ?! this time pay attention their attire is not 100% the same as the real ones. Majority are skinheads , patriots😀Proud boys, those released from the jails. In the worst situation Immigration officers were more civilized than these ….
Totally agree
Welcome aboard. Glad to have you protesting with us💕💕💕
💯 Americans need to remember the basics of what America is about!!! The fundamentals is what WE THE PEOPLE need to focus on - freedom, rule of law, the constitution!!! We have NO kings here!
So glad after decades of supporting voter suppression and exclusionary policies, you finally noticed the WE THE PEOPLE.
Visual numbers count. Perhaps our media won’t mention it as much, for fear of offending ‘the great leader’, but people around the world will and hopefully it conveys to them that we all haven’t sided with the fascists.
I’ve seen protests my entire life. I grew up in the 1960s. Yeah. But it is hard to do it right. Ghandi and MLK, Jr understood that the strength of non violent protest is that it takes power away from those you are protesting against. Unfortunately, there are just enough bomb throwers to cast a taint on all of us. We need to ostracize them, make it understood that they do more harm than good, and that they need to stay away.
A few years ago I realized that the hard fought progress we’d made through the 1990s was at risk, and that we all need to stand up for what we have rather than crying out for more, more, more, no matter how righteous those other items may be. If we can’t hold the line where it already is, we sure can’t get any further down the road. Everybody wants a pony, but let’s make sure we got leather on our feet first to walk that first thousand miles.
Thank you thank you thank you. My husband, a life-long Republican, now Democrat, protests with me and has a knack for making creative signs. We need everyone regardless of party, religion, etc, to put ourselves on the front lines of saying NO. Thank you for stating so well (and funny, too) what we are facing. We simply must make this into something that will save us; we have learned that only we can do it.