GREAT Governor Mike Kehoe, of the Wonderful State of Missouri, which I love and won SIX times, including with
1.8 Million Votes in 2024 (by far the most Votes in History!), just called a very Special Session to begin passage of a new, much fairer, and much improved, Congressional Map, that will give the incredible people of Missouri the tremendous opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the
2026 Midterm Elections — A HUGE VICTORY for our America First Agenda, not just in the “Show-Me State,” but across our Nation. [….]
Today at noon close to 2000 individuals gathered at Mill Creek Park, 47th and Main, in Kansas City Missouri to protest the continuing
shitshow of Donald Trump (r), his administration, and his sycophants and enablers.
Today, starting at 11:00 a.m., a group of eight demonstrators opposed to the administration and policies of Donald Trump (r) set up in the right-of-way near the intersection of U.S. Highway 65 and U.S. Highway 50 in Sedalia, Missouri. There is a lot of passing traffic at this intersection.
“Are we great yet?”
“No Kings”
There were a few passing Trump (r) loyalists. They were upset by the demonstration. Most of them used language you’d expect.
“…[@#$%&!^] liberals…”
“Only You Can Prevent Fascist Liars”
Those showing support far outnumbered those expressing disapproval.
Today at noon over seventy-five individuals gathered on the Johnson County Courthouse lawn in Warrensburg, Missouri to commemorate the birthday of John Lewis (D) and to resist the continuing excesses of the Trump (r) Administration.
There were chants. There is a joy in the battle. There was a cowbell.
There were honking horns. There was a shout – “Socialists” – from a passing car in the public street. Think about that for just a brief second. There were a few revved motors – you guessed it – from pickup trucks.
There were mostly honking horns.
“Good Trouble”
“Protect Public Ed!”
“Stop the ICEholes”
Later, a passerby stopped to “ask” about the flag. What did it mean? It turns out that the passerby was disturbed about this particular display. The holder explained what it meant, and added, “I am a veteran.”
“Melt ICE, deport Trump”
“Human rights”
“Separate Church and State”
“Where is the list? With Liberty and Justice for All.”
A benediction:
“Stop the billionaire coup”
“This is not okay”
There was a reporter from a national publication interviewing demonstrators.
The resistance will continue.
“RESIST” (2024) Posterboard. Permanent marker. 22 x 28.
This morning at 10:00 a.m. over thirty individuals gathered at the Henry County courthouse square in Clinton, Missouri to celebrate John Lewis (D) and hear a few words about continuing to protest and the right wingnut assault on public education in Missouri.
A week day morning. There were signs. There were passersby.
“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
“In America we shouldn’t have to protect Democracy from the President”
“Equality is greater than division”
“No Kings. No idiots, either.”
“12 million will lose healthcare”
“Love, not hate, makes America great”
“Power to the people”
“I identify as a former republican”
The organizers and participants are a persistent bunch. They plan to continue these demonstrations.
“…Do not diminish those who are raising alarm bells by scolding them that they are hurting the cause—do not believe that if only they dialed it back, then the troubling behavior they are describing will somehow go away. History shows that the opposite is true…” – Eric Larson – 10 Lessons from a Dark Past [David Pepper]
“…All we really have in the end is massive resistance. That is where we are heading–acquiescence or resistance. You and I will all need to make our choices about whether we will stand up against oppression in ways that a lot of our ancestors did not stand up…” – Erik Loomis
“…in the face of the impulse to normalize, it is essential to maintain one’s capacity for shock. This will lead people to call you unreasonable and hysterical, and to accuse you of overreacting. It is no fun to be the only hysterical person in the room. Prepare yourself…”
“…Don’t make compromises. [….] In an autocracy, politics as the art of the possible is in fact utterly amoral…” – Masha Gessen – Autocracy: Rules for Survival
“…Write down what you value; what standards you hold for yourself and for others. Write about your dreams for the future and your hopes for your children. Write about the struggle of your ancestors and how the hardship they overcame shaped the person you are today.
Write your biography, write down your memories. Because if you do not do it now, you may forget.
Write a list of things you would never do. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will do them.
“….People can’t get to [xxxxxxxx] work and be a normal person, that’s what I’m upset about…” – San Francisco man, upset about ICE protest/confrontation blocking traffic.
We’re doomed.
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done had you lived in Germany in the 1930s, you’re doing it now.
The sights and sounds of freedom on our national holiday.
This afternoon around twenty individuals with signs gathered along the right-of-way near the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 65 in Sedalia, Missouri. On summer holidays and weekends there’s a considerable amount of traffic passing through the city at this location.
“Freedom, Democracy, Justice, Tolerance”
“No Kings…”
“Immigrants Make America Great”
An hour into the demonstration two Sedalia Police vehicles appeared. Apparently a Karen in an establishment next to the empty lot complained that a few protesters’ vehicles were blocking access to a few of the angled parking spots to the side of her building. The police asked that those vehicles be moved – they were. In one conversation one of the officers asked, “Did you get a permit?” [Hint: There was no march, the demonstration was on the right of way on public property. There is no requirement nor need for a “permit”.] The police officer stated that he would be contacting the owner of the empty lot where the demonstrators parked their cars. Like non-existent customers ostensibly blocked from parking in a few spaces in a more substantial parking lot, good luck finding or contacting anyone at 2:00 p.m. on a national holiday.
“The Ballad of Karen”
“Resist!”
A reporter for the Sedalia newspaper interviewing one of the protesters:
Interview.
There were a few shouts and other signs from angry people in pick-up trucks, some who made multiple passes, which by appearances one would assume the owner was underwater on their loan.
ICE and Donald Trump’s (r) DOJ keep telling us that tattoos are a primary indicator of something, something, right?
Detail.
A few upset passersby shouted unintelligible phrases, one individual made multiple passes in an over accessorized pick-up truck using a sound system to call out other unintelligible phrases. One self-righteous individual pulled up in a white pick-up and tried to start an argument with a veteran holding an upside down American flag. He drove off after a minute or so.
“No Kings!”
There was a constant and substantial number of supportive honking horns from passing traffic throughout the demonstration:
Bad combover. Check. Too long red tie. Check. Orange spray tan. Check. Tiny hands. Check. Cluelessness. Check. Conviction. Check.
The delusional autocrat is up early this morning:
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York. Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards. I’ll save New York City, and make it “Hot” and “Great” again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!
German Nazi Swastika Flag, National Museum of American History. Catalog number 1977.0788.03, 29 in x 49 in; 73.66 cm x 124.46 cm.
What distinguishes a concentration camp from a prison (in the modern sense) is that it functions outside of a judicial system. The prisoners are not indicted or convicted of any crime by judicial process.
Now in Florida:
[….]President Trump visited Florida on Tuesday to tour what’s been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” a controversial migrant detention center in the Everglades that officials say is poised to start filling its bed in a matter of hours.
The president was joined by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state emergency management officials as he toured the makeshift facility, which the state put together within days of receiving federal approval last week.
“I thought this was so professional, so well done,” Trump said after touring the center, which features rows of fenced-in bunk beds and a razor-wire perimeter. “It’s really government working together.”
The facility is situated within the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, an isolated, 39-square mile airstrip located within the wetlands of the Big Cypress National Preserve, next to Everglades National Park.[….]
“I thought this was so professional, so well done,” Trump said after touring the center, which features rows of fenced-in bunk beds and a razor-wire perimeter. “It’s really government working together.”
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done had you lived in Germany in the 1930s, you’re doing it now.