No Kings Day 2.0 Rally For Democracy

This was the largest single day protest in US history. We showed up to rally against the authoritarian policies of that orange POS and alleged corruption in his administration. We showed up because that’s what this country is all about.

We are anti-fascists. Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups, and individuals. It began in European countries in the 1920s.

Have you witnessed any of the ICE kidnappings? I haven’t personally, but I have seen videos of some in a nearby town. It’s absolutely disgusting.

It’s estimated that 10,000 people showed up to protest against the fascist regime in my very own little beachy town and a conservative estimate of 50,000 in San Diego. New York had 350,000 show up and there were 100,000 in Chicago and Boston.

Wherever you live, I hope you were able to participate. We’re the true patriots, we’re the ones who respect the Constitution and Bill of Rights and equality for all.

The Bill of Rights is CLEAR, this regime is in violation of so many of our basic rights:

First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Fourth Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

This was one of my favorite signs:

In addition to all the senior citizens and veterans who have consistently shown up to support freedom, this time there were a lot more young people, and that’s awesome.

The message is powerful…REMOVE THE ORANGE POS and RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!

Those of us in Southern California had another total bizarre shitshow to deal with. The sofa loving Vice President decided to stage dangerous war games by firing live rounds OVER our major freeway and OVER homes in a repugnant self glorifying display of power at Camp Pendleton. For safety, the California Highway Patrol had to shut down Interstate 5 for most of the day to feed the ego of a sociopathic lunatic. This narcissistic exhibition was touted as a celebration for the Marine Corps birthday–however, the MC birthday is on November 10, so it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out he chose THIS day to attempt to disrupt our peaceful protests and cause trouble. And since the rethugs have shut down the government, all of those soldiers from Camp Pendleton were working without a paycheck.

Also in California, we have an important item on the November ballot; Proposition 50, which authorizes temporary changes to congressional district maps in response to Texas’ partisan redistricting. I already voted a resounding YES and I hope it passes. I like the way our Governor Newsom responds to the lunacy in Washington and look forward to voting for him in the next presidential election.

If you need any more evidence that we need to remove that demented, evil orange POS, check out his response to today’s rally for democracy:

Poetic Truth : Pity The Nation

We are living in sad and scary times. Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote the poem “Pity the Nation” in 2007, drawing inspiration from Khalil Gibran’s original work of the same title, published in 1933. Their words are a reminder about the cycles of history.  

We’ve been warned.

PITY THE NATION

Pity the nation whose people are sheep
   And whose shepherds mislead them
 Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
            Whose sages are silenced
  And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
 Pity the nation that raises not its voice
          Except to praise conquerers
       And acclaim the bully as hero
          And aims to rule the world
              By force and by torture
          Pity the nation that knows
        No other language but its own
      And no other culture but its own
 Pity the nation whose breath is money
 And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
      Pity the nation oh pity the people
        who allow their rights to erode
   and their freedoms to be washed away
               My country, tears of thee
                   Sweet land of liberty!
 Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 2007

                         

PITY THE NATION
By Khalil Gibran, 1933

Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.

Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest, and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity the nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpetings, and farewells him with hootings, only to welcome another with trumpetings again.

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.