Great job, Chris, and thanks for sharing it with us.
My only protest experience is two Tea Party events and a silent pro-life vigil, but if I had been in town, I was tempted to attend the No Kings rally in my city. AFAIK there were no public events there for the previous rally dates.
No Kings is a lot like the Tea Party. It’s a widespread, grassroots phenomenon made largely of alarmed middle class voters. Republicans ignore them at their peril.
I'm seeing some discussion comparing how much larger the #NoKings movement than the Tea Party one was. Not quite sure what to make of that yet - protest sizes seem to be significantly larger, but that doesn't measure the supporters at home, but putting the two side-by-side is an interesting mental exercise in prognostication.
Edit: A fun Washington Examiner article that touches on the comparison a bit:
Thanks for the report and the photos. The young Statue of Liberty lady was impressive.
You mentioned Puerto Rican flags. There was a news feed last week (no political agenda that I could discern) about a movement in Puerto Rico to become a semi-autonomous part of Spain like the Canary Islands. It seems there is discontent about their lack of representation in the USA government.
You pretty much indicated that the statistics concerning the percent of the population protesting required to make a lasting difference was inconclusive. I agree but in four years when we have a new President, you and your fellow travelers can claim credit for preventing the coronation of Donald Trump.
"The young Statue of Liberty lady was impressive."
We chatted a bit when we were on our Michigan Ave. break. In addition to her Lady Liberty costume and Game of Thrones props, she was also wearing pendant with the same Rebel insignia on my flag. Star Wars nerds have friends everywhere**.
As for Puerto Rico, one of Biden's biggest mistakes and missed opportunities was not getting the ball rolling on Puerto Rican statehood. I don't know if it would have finished by the time of his disastrous debate, but it would have made for an interesting national conversation. I don't know where I sit on DC statehood*, but I'm in full support of adding Puerto Rico as our 51st state.
As for the outcome, we'll have to see. At least I have a better story than "I stayed home and played video games" to tell my nieces and nephews and their eventual spawn.
* I think I'd prefer DC be treated similarly to how the Vatican is within Rome, with no official citizens, just people who lived and worked there and enjoyed full voting rights in either neighboring Virginia or Maryland.
If not DC statehood, then perhaps re-districting (for lack of a better term at the moment) that makes DC solely be the actual government buildings and their immediate surroundings rather than the wider area. Then the areas outside could go back to their original states.
I'm not keen on statehood for Puerto Rico. About 40 years ago we had a contract with to help PR improve their infrastructure including power supply and power grid. Two of my project engineers were on the team and they were good. They made numerous recommendations, and the Feds have given aid for that purpose with no good results. Forty years of problems with no meaningful changes indicates uninformed voters, bad government, poor management, corruption and labor difficulties.
"the familiar pattern where a peaceful event happens during the day, but the folks looking to start trouble stick around and start tearing places up when the sun goes down"
IIRC, there was a different protest in Seattle that started at the same time the No Kings protest ended, starting at the location where the No Kings protest ended. Sorta fits this a bit.
As bad as my feet felt, at least I wasn't the civilian fellow dressed in black combat fatigues, complete with body armor plates, ready for trouble that never appeared.
Great job, Chris, and thanks for sharing it with us.
My only protest experience is two Tea Party events and a silent pro-life vigil, but if I had been in town, I was tempted to attend the No Kings rally in my city. AFAIK there were no public events there for the previous rally dates.
No Kings is a lot like the Tea Party. It’s a widespread, grassroots phenomenon made largely of alarmed middle class voters. Republicans ignore them at their peril.
I'm seeing some discussion comparing how much larger the #NoKings movement than the Tea Party one was. Not quite sure what to make of that yet - protest sizes seem to be significantly larger, but that doesn't measure the supporters at home, but putting the two side-by-side is an interesting mental exercise in prognostication.
Edit: A fun Washington Examiner article that touches on the comparison a bit:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/3442634/no-kings-very-polite-liberal-tea-party/
Thanks for the report and the photos. The young Statue of Liberty lady was impressive.
You mentioned Puerto Rican flags. There was a news feed last week (no political agenda that I could discern) about a movement in Puerto Rico to become a semi-autonomous part of Spain like the Canary Islands. It seems there is discontent about their lack of representation in the USA government.
You pretty much indicated that the statistics concerning the percent of the population protesting required to make a lasting difference was inconclusive. I agree but in four years when we have a new President, you and your fellow travelers can claim credit for preventing the coronation of Donald Trump.
"The young Statue of Liberty lady was impressive."
We chatted a bit when we were on our Michigan Ave. break. In addition to her Lady Liberty costume and Game of Thrones props, she was also wearing pendant with the same Rebel insignia on my flag. Star Wars nerds have friends everywhere**.
As for Puerto Rico, one of Biden's biggest mistakes and missed opportunities was not getting the ball rolling on Puerto Rican statehood. I don't know if it would have finished by the time of his disastrous debate, but it would have made for an interesting national conversation. I don't know where I sit on DC statehood*, but I'm in full support of adding Puerto Rico as our 51st state.
As for the outcome, we'll have to see. At least I have a better story than "I stayed home and played video games" to tell my nieces and nephews and their eventual spawn.
* I think I'd prefer DC be treated similarly to how the Vatican is within Rome, with no official citizens, just people who lived and worked there and enjoyed full voting rights in either neighboring Virginia or Maryland.
** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_45opF5ZPA
If not DC statehood, then perhaps re-districting (for lack of a better term at the moment) that makes DC solely be the actual government buildings and their immediate surroundings rather than the wider area. Then the areas outside could go back to their original states.
Far better than DC statehood. Shortcoming is probably at least two more blue congressional districts.
I'm not keen on statehood for Puerto Rico. About 40 years ago we had a contract with to help PR improve their infrastructure including power supply and power grid. Two of my project engineers were on the team and they were good. They made numerous recommendations, and the Feds have given aid for that purpose with no good results. Forty years of problems with no meaningful changes indicates uninformed voters, bad government, poor management, corruption and labor difficulties.
"Forty years of problems with no meaningful changes indicates uninformed voters, bad government, poor management, corruption and labor difficulties."
Maybe we should have all the States revert back into Territories. It'll be new for the original 13, but the other 37 have practice at it already.
;-)
President Washington and President Lincoln would not have allowed that. It's like deportation. We are stuck with the states and citizens we have.
Drat.
"the familiar pattern where a peaceful event happens during the day, but the folks looking to start trouble stick around and start tearing places up when the sun goes down"
IIRC, there was a different protest in Seattle that started at the same time the No Kings protest ended, starting at the location where the No Kings protest ended. Sorta fits this a bit.
As bad as my feet felt, at least I wasn't the civilian fellow dressed in black combat fatigues, complete with body armor plates, ready for trouble that never appeared.
Interesting. Thanks for the report, Chris.
Happy to oblige. Figured that I might as well make the most out of the torture I inflicted on my ankles on Saturday!