My No Kings 2 Experience

I live in a relatively small town on the Oregon coast, so it's not like we'd have the same crowd size as Portland; but still, 1200 people was a great turnout.  We definitely received more toots than fingers; and there wasn't a whiff of trouble anywhere that I could tell.  Nothing bad on the news either, with local websites showed shots up and down the coast, with similarly peaceful results.  I'm telling you, it's only the out-of-town crazies which come cause the trouble.

So first off, SHAME on President Trump and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who characterized Democrats as,

 “ made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals,” or at least that's who we cater to.  Simply because we're invoking our constitutional right to assemble peacefully.

We met at a local Congregational Church which allowed their Sanctuary be used for speakers; tables with information and buttons were in their lobby; and their parking lot was open for participants.  Kazoos were offered, but I'd brought my own.

State Representative David Gomberg (l) spoke a few words of encouragement, along with local civic leaders.  One remark in particular received a round of applause from this mass of "Senior revolutionaries with our PBS tote bags" (I do own one); something to the effect,

"If nothing else, today shows us that we are NOT alone (in our thinking)."

Rosemary and I attended the first No Kings last June, but she's back south for the winter so I went by myself.  I'd signed up last week and had been receiving daily updates and reminders to remain peaceful, no matter what; and encouraging people to take pictures and post them (not in Real Time) but only showing the backs of people's heads so they don't become targets, which is why I've blurred my face others.  We were also encouraged to wear YELLOW, a unifying symbol of peaceful resistance and solidarity, and which  represents the belief that power belongs to the people, not to authoritarian figures. 

Good idear, but damn, there went my witch's costume. So I ran to Goodwill, found a yellow sweater I can wear anytime, then ran back to grab this yellow Cowboy hat in the Halloween section for $5.  I figured I could peel off the Toyota promotional logos; but they were as difficult as removing striping on an RV, maybe also a car, I don't know.  I created a sticker to cover front and back and tacked them on with fishing wire and beads.  After all that work, I wasn't about to NOT wear it.

I wasn't scared, per se, but a bit apprehensive after hearing snippets about phones being confiscated (I brought my pocket camera) and warning protestors not to wander off alone - travel in pairs.  Which is why I followed this pair of Unicorns back to the church parking lot; you can't help but laugh.

It's pretty hard to punch someone when you're laughing.  There were many different blow-up costumes (flamingos, frogs, dragons, bees), for several reasons: (1) in solidarity with the Portland Frog, who was pepper-sprayed through his frog costume's air intake valve (but who later turned out to be an extremist who should not be lauded); (2) to prove that we are not the dangerous, horrible people we're made out to be; and (3) it's almost Halloween.

Sure, there were many protesting ICE arrests and people being snatched off the streets, I care about that as well.  I'm certainly not anti-ICE agents personally, for most of them are doing as they're told.  We might not like what they're being told to do by the Administration, but we shouldn't be hands-on preventing any of them for doing their job.  That's not up to us unilaterally.

What concerns me is the issue of qualifications of recruits being enticed to ICE with bonuses up to $50,000.  Hell, who wouldn't be tempted, if only for a moment?  What basic requirements must they possess, besides blind loyalty to the President?  Haven't they already eliminated the need for a college degree to join the FBI, which will whitewash any imbeciles appointed?  How much and what kind training do they receive, or are they quickly thrown into menacing outfits and into our midst?  Can they belong to the Proud Boys or another extremist group?

We all know there are good cops and bad, and the good far outnumber the bad.  But we do need high caliber people who can think and protect us without accidentally killing us in the process.  An emergency is not the time to discover how someone will react in an emergency.

Reports of illegals who aren't dangerous criminals being snatched from their homes, schools, places of worship and workplace do alarm me; for with the loss of rights for non-citizens goes the loss for the rest of us.  The daily dismantling of our government, in particular any oversight committee or Inspectors General, scares me.  Our President should not feel he's got the Supreme Court in his back pocket; we're all praying they're not completely.  Trump's 'shoot from the hip' diplomacy will shoot us all in the foot if not the head when he deploys even more troops overseas and the body bags start coming home.

Why is Trump suddenly blowing up ships and announcing covert operations (there's an oxy-moron) unless he's preparing us for the eventuality of becoming embroiled in a conflict somewhere?  Didn't he say he wouldn't get us into any wars?  Sure seems like he's pushing the limits, putting our military and civilians overseas in harm's way.  There were quite a number of Veterans at Saturday's demonstration.  Is he calling them anti-American, Hamas-loving insurrectionists?  Geez, like he knows anything about serving.

This can't be a country for the elites alone, but that sure seems where most of our official interests lie.  Congress and the Supreme Court are supposed to keep the President in check, but they seem happy to let him do as he pleases, only complaining in private, if leaks be true.  And if that doesn't frighten you...well, you can't claim later that you had no idea, ja?

7 million of us took to the streets last Saturday, and I'm proud to say I was one of them.  In bright yellow.