No Kings, Big Protests, Overreaction #341
By Hank Silverberg
"No Kings!" That was the cry that brought as many as seven million people out to protest in more than 2,000 communities from large venues like Los Angeles and New York City to small towns like Fredericksburg, Virginia. In general, they were mostly peaceful, with only a few confrontations, mostly on the west coast.
What the demonstrations made clear is that there are millions of people very unhappy with some major policies from the Trump administration after just six months in office.
For some it was the insidious ICE fishing expeditions where they rounded up the usual suspects and sorted out who is actually a criminal later, while punishing people who did nothing wrong but crossed a border to look for a better life.
For others it's the massive cuts in federal spending that have ruined some lives already, and could hurt millions more if they all go through. Among those who could be hit hardest are the elderly, the poor and veterans.
But most of all, it is a feeling that those in power right now DO NOT CARE about most of us and want to stay in power no matter what, and seem willing to abandon the rule of law and the checks and balances in our government set up by our Founding Fathers.
I live near Fredericksburg, Virginia, where about a thousand people lined up along historic William Street and the Blue and Gray Highway as part of the "No Kings" nationwide protests. It's notable this was hallowed ground, just a few hundred yards from a Civil War battlefield. There was only ONE police car nearby, and the organizers were politely reminding everyone to stay out of the street, keep room on the sidewalk for pedestrians and not to go onto private property. Everyone cooperated. The line was a half mile long, double rows in some places. Like most protestors nationwide, these were not radicals or hooligans. They were just people who are angry, nervous and upset with how Donald Trump is running the country. No one was "paid" to be there, a charge made by some Trumpites about those attending such protests is ludicrous. Here are some more of my photos from the local protest.
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| (They were lined up for a half mile, sometimes two deep) |
Unfortunately, the folks in the White House have no idea what's going on in much of the country. Or even more worrisome, they don't seem to care.
It's also notable that all this was happening on the same day as a very expensive ($45 million) military parade held on Trump's birthday that was poorly attended.
Of Note: The President may have given in on the immigration deportations a bit. After hearing complaints from his friends in the hospitality industry and from the farm lobby that their employees were disappearing, either from ICE sweeps or because they were afraid of getting arrested, the President has told ICE to ease off on tracking down illegal immigrants with long term employment at such places. Not sure if this will stick though because the folks at ICE are very cold in their approach to sweeps--no pun intended.
News You May Have Missed
Invasions?
Here's a story that got by a lot of news organizations. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon has "contingencies" for the invasion of Greenland and Panama. During a hearing before the House Armed Service Committee, he was asked a question by Republican Mike Turner, who wanted to confirm that. Hegseth said "The Pentagon has plans for any number of contingencies."
Remember, President Trump has said he wants to acquire Greenland and Panama and didn't rule out using force.
Contingency plans at the Pentagon are not that unusual. They surely have scenarios for defending Taiwan against China or attacking Iran and helping Israel. But Greenland is owned by Denmark, a NATO country, and Panama is an independent state which is no threat to the U.S. Those plans may exist now only because of Trump's bombastic threat.
Trump thinks Denmark hasn't done enough to protect Greenland from Russian influence, and he thinks the Chinese have too much control over the Panama Canal because of the large volume of business China does do there. But there's no real proof of that, and it's certainly no excuse for an invasion.
We haven't invaded another country simply to expand our territory since the 1848 war with Mexico. Territorial acquisition by the U.S. just doesn't fit the 21st Century, but it's often been said that Trump is a century behind in foreign policy.
New Climate On Pluto!
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| (© NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI) |
It's been over a decade since Pluto lost its status as a full planet and fell to a dwarf planet. But now the James Webb Space Telescope has produced some data that may give Pluto a new status. It apparently has a new unique climate. Its high-altitude blue haze was first reported in 2017, but now an analysis of that haze indicates it is made up of organic molecules from sunlight-driven reactions to methane and nitrogen.
Computer models say the particles absorb sunlight during the day and release it back into space at night, cooling the atmosphere--a possible explanation for the upper atmosphere's temperature of roughly -333 degrees Fahrenheit.
While all this has thrilled astronomers because of its uniqueness in our solar system, it hasn't changed Pluto's overall status. It's still a dwarf planet.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumb and dangerous quote comes from Sheriff Wayne Ivey from Brevard County, Florida prior to the No Kings protests on Saturday. He said it was okay for people to protest, but he warned against any violence this way:
"If you hit one of us, you're going to the hospital and jail, and most likely get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs that we have here. If you throw bricks or firebombs or point a gun at our officers, we will notify your family where to collect your remains because we will kill you, graveyard dead."
That kind of language and warning from a law officer is NOT called for and unfortunately, fits into the narrative that the people protesting are some how violent or outlaws. It turned out that the protest in Brevard was orderly and peaceful with no confrontations at all. Sheriffs are elected in Florida. It will be interesting to see how this authoritarian rhetoric plays out the next time Ivey has to face the voters.
(You suggestions and comments are welcome)
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