Our Little Protest

Exceeded my Expectations

It was loud. The horns honking in affirmation were at times deafening. This small town was alive. A bigger turnout than I expected. Was it a thousand? The street was lined with a terrific variety of creative signs. The fury and frustration with an administration gone wild was on full display in this little village.

Oldsters were there early. At first it felt like a “senior moment”. But then as the start time came closer, waves of people of all ages swarmed the park. A young man who walked with some difficulty had a large sign which read “Don’t Defund Disabilities”. There were several that said “Stop the Cruelty”. A couple held a replica of the original 13 star flag - upside down. Distress was in the air.

A prevalent sentiment was anti-Musk. This was one sign that wasn’t vulgar. Just on point. Several of the surrounding towns loaded up busses to fuel the big rally in Boston. The organizers wanted to boost the big city numbers. They did. It was big. But there were many of us who preferred to stay local and still be part of the national effort. It felt good.

It felt really good. To be among so many like minded people. To share our frustration and disgust. But here’s the thing. Despite the fact that we were all royally pissed off, most of us were smiling with a sense of solidarity. Instead of staring at our phones reading the latest horror from the Fascists, we were together. Sharing.

”No King” was by my count, the most prevalent sign. But there were a lot of sentiments. Here’s my sign - front and back.

This was a good week. Corey Booker inspired us. And a whole lot of people across the country made some good noise. It won’t change the mind of the kid who drove by us with a $Trump flag. But as the Orange Menace Sociopath and his Drug Addled Enemy of Empathy Sidekick rip this country to shit, people are waking up.

Someone I respect and love said to me yesterday that the protests won’t change anything until Congress does something. She is right. But IMO, the pain from the slaughter of our Federal Agencies will be felt slowly and then all of a sudden. There will be a tsunami of suffering. And Red States will feel it more than Blue. Maybe 77 million people voted for “smaller government”. But they didn’t vote to punish veterans and kids.

I don’t think I have ever protested as an adult. I really don’t like crowds at all. I do remember protesting something in high school. Can’t remember the issue!

But despite the cold rainy weather I had the best time in a long time. I think we are just warming up this resistance. Below is my new hat.