First Amendment!

F**k the 1^st Amendment!

That is what Tennessee legislators just did. You can now be arrested for protesting an anti-LGBTQ+ speaker. Apparently, you can protest all the pro-LGBTQ+ speakers you want... but speak out against an anti-LGBTQ+ speaker, and it’s jail time for you!

Tennessee lawmakers pass ‘Charlie Kirk Act’ targeting students who protest anti-LGBTQ+ speakers

Tennessee lawmakers passed the so-called “Charlie Kirk Act” on Wednesday (15 April), a sweeping bill that could see students and faculty disciplined, or even expelled, for protesting speakers on campus over anti-LGBTQ+ views.

PinkNews

Written by Siân Thompson

April 16, 2026

The legislation would bar Tennessee colleges and universities from restricting invited speakers based on their views, explicitly protecting “opposition to abortion, homosexuality, or transgender behaviour”.

The bill is now headed to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for signature. Once signed, the policies outlined in the bill will take effect immediately; the rest of the bill’s provisions will take effect on 1 July.

Under the bill, common forms of protest such as walkouts, chanting, or holding signs that obstruct views could be deemed disruptive and punished with probation, suspension, or expulsion.

And then when I see wording like this:

Institutions will also be required to adopt the University of Chicago’s free expression policy, which prioritises open debate over shielding students from harmful or inflammatory rhetoric.

I wonder: who decides what is "harmful or inflammatory rhetoric"?

Protest or disruption? Tennessee’s Charlie Kirk Act raises new questions on campus

WKRN

by: Kelly Milan

Apr 15, 2026 

The Charlie Kirk Act is now on its way to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk after passing along party lines. Supporters frame it as a necessary guardrail for free speech on public college campuses. Critics warn it may do the opposite.

At its core, the legislation targets student behavior during campus events. Under the proposal, students who interrupt invited speakers, whether through walkouts or demonstrations, could face suspension or expulsion.

State Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) argues the bill ensures speakers can be heard without interference, calling it a defense of “civil, robust debate” under the First Amendment.

The Charlie Kirk Act is now on its way to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk after passing along party lines. Supporters frame it as a necessary guardrail for free speech on public college campuses. Critics warn it may do the opposite.

At its core, the legislation targets student behavior during campus events. Under the proposal, students who interrupt invited speakers, whether through walkouts or demonstrations, could face suspension or expulsion.

State Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) argues the bill ensures speakers can be heard without interference, calling it a defense of “civil, robust debate” under the First Amendment.

This squelches... "abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly"

What makes this bill biased?

“Any attendee or speaker can sue if these uninterrupted disruptions happen and because it requires discipline, a speaker could sue the university if the university doesn’t follow through with punishments,” Shahverdian said. “This opens up the floodgates really to lawsuits, potentially even invites them in.”

They are only targeting protests against anti-LGBTQ+ speakers! I am not a lawyer, but even I can see this bill is targeted, and courts generally hate that. I can imagine a judge’s first question: "What about protests against pro-LGBTQ+ rallies?"

---

What can we do?

First, remember that when they sue, it opens them up to discovery for all correspondence related to the case (except for attorney-client privileged communications). Furthermore, they carry the burden of proof to show that a disruption was "substantial."

Second, challenge the law for being too vague!

Third, counter-sue! Sue them for infringing on your Constitutional First Amendment rights and for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Tie them up in court. This tactic goes back to the 1950s and 60s with the Greensboro Four and the lunch counter sit-ins, where the strategy of institutional saturation was used to overwhelm the system.

If they sue 100 protesters, and those protesters counter-sue for $100,000 each, that is $10 million in play. If a speaker sues 100 people, they have to prove individually what each person did. They will have to get on the stand and swear under oath exactly how one specific person—not the group, but that individual—disrupted the speech. By counter-suing, protesters shift the narrative: "The government and the speaker are weaponizing the law to bankrupt students."

The legislators knew we could use Anti-SLAPP laws, so the Republicans added text specifically stating that actions brought under this act are not subject to the Tennessee Public Participation Act (TPPA). They stacked the deck against us.

But we don’t need the TPPA; we can fight back with the full weight of the Constitution!

---

"You don't know what privilege is until you have to fight for it in court."

The Protests Began!

Protesting has begun in Idaho over the draconian anti-trans laws that seek to criminalize our very existence!

More protests over Idaho’s new bathroom law lead to more arrests
Idaho Statesman
By Shannon Tyler
April 4, 2026

 

Six people were arrested on trespassing charges Friday afternoon at the Idaho State Capitol while protesting the state’s newly signed bathroom law. Idaho State Police confirmed that law enforcement responded to a report of a disturbance inside the building Friday afternoon. Shortly thereafter, troopers arrested six of the 12 people demonstrating against House Bill 752, which criminalizes people using public toilets that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth.

This is the second protest over the law in the Capitol that has ended in arrests. On Wednesday, nine people taking part in a sit-in protest inside Gov. Brad Little’s office were arrested when they refused Idaho State Police requests to leave the Capitol after public business hours.

[...]

 

According to a recent news release from ISP, the demonstrators were using whistles and bullhorns, then gathered in a bathroom. ISP states that troopers gave several warnings, and the group refused to leave when instructed.]

I can think of other powerful ways to protest, taking a cue from the Civil Rights lunch counter sit-ins. We could send one trans woman at a time to be arrested, forcing the state to tie up its resources and assign officers to a literal "bathroom police" force.

Furthermore, we need our trans brothers to do the same. Imagine the irony of a trans man—who the state insists is "female"—being arrested for using the women’s bathroom. If they get arrested, we sue for false arrest and highlight the utter absurdity of these laws.

We also need our gender-nonconforming and masculine-presenting cisgender allies to join us. When they are inevitably swept up in this "gender policing" and arrested, they too can sue for the violation of their rights.

We cannot do this by ourselves. We need our allies to stand with us in the line of fire.

 

***** 

 

This morning, I wrote about how important our allies are and you can read it here.

No Kings

The New York Times had five takeaways from the "No King" rallies...

• The war seemed to galvanize younger voters.
• Trump’s immigration crackdown remains a focus.
• Dueling protests unfolded near Mar-a-Lago. (Grab ’em by the midterms)
• Midterm candidates came out in force.
• Democrats found fresh fuel for their ‘No Kings’ slogan.

The article ends with,

In a nod to the protests, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the chair of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, said on Saturday that she planned to introduce a bill to bar presidents from putting their name, likeness or signature on federal property or money.

“In America,” Ms. Gillibrand said in a statement, “we do not bow to kings.”

Besides Being Racist

They are also Islamophobic! Let’s face it: many in the GOP are driven by Odium Theologicum—they seem to harbor a deep-seated hostility toward any non-Evangelical religion.

Right-wing media’s Mamdani outrage fuels GOP anti-Muslim rhetoric

Mike Johnson refuses to condemn Republicans for turning attack at Mamdani’s home into Islamophobic campaign

Salom

By Sophia Tesfaye

March 12, 2026

During Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world fast from dawn to sunset and gather with family and neighbors each evening to break that fast, the American right is manufacturing outrage about Muslims in public life. Worse yet, they are turning it into a vehicle for increasingly explicit calls to push Muslims out of American society altogether. 

What should have been a straightforward story about an anti-Muslim rally escalating into violence instead became a right-wing media opportunity to cast New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and by extension all Muslims, as the villain. Saturday’s protest outside Gracie Mansion, the city’s mayoral residence, was explicitly billed as a demonstration against the supposed “Islamic takeover of New York City.” Organized by Jake Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionist who promised to burn a Quran, the event attracted counter-protesters. Amid the chaos, two men allegedly hurled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) filled with bolts and screws into the crowd of anti-Muslim protesters.

So, are we to believe that the people who showed up to a mayor's residence to throw bombs loaded with nails and screws are now the "heroes" of the MAGA movement?

Within hours, right-wing media and Republican politicians had reframed the entire episode into a grievance against Mamdani himself. The logic was almost comically circular: an anti-Muslim rally was held outside the home of a Muslim mayor and violence erupted, therefore the mayor’s response was suspect. When Mamdani criticized the Islamophobia driving the rally, that criticism itself became the outrage. Even the New York Times curiously questioned why Mamdani “did not turn to his typical means of communication,” like “short-form videos posted to social media about the attack.”

And yet, they are the ones claiming that liberals are the terrorists?

Breaking News!!! Another Protester Shot!

Early reports is that she was shot in the hand with non-lethal pepper ball gun while holding a phone recording the conformation!

So far only a video on Facebook shows the shooting.

There are reports that ICE has been targeting cellphones and new reporters.

A Doctor's Appointment...

You are on your way to your doctor's appointment and you turn the corner just down the street from his office. You turn onto the road and right smack in the middle of an ICE raid, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the President labelling you a terrorist for trying to go to your doctor's appointment!

Video shows woman dragged from car by ICE agents in Minneapolis as she tells them she's autistic

The woman can be heard saying she is an 'autistic disabled person' trying to get to her doctor

Mark Gollom · CBC News · Posted: Jan 14, 2026

As violent clashes between ICE agents and protesters escalate in Minneapolis, video is now circulating of a woman who is dragged from her car and hauled away by masked agents as she says she is a disabled autistic person trying to get to the doctor.

The confrontation with the woman occurred on Tuesday, reportedly just a couple of blocks away from where Renee Nicole Good was shot to death by an ICE agent last week.

In the Tuesday video, which has been posted to YouTube by Freedom News TV, the woman is shown sitting behind the wheel of her vehicle, which is stopped on the street with the driver's side window rolled down.

Multiple masked ICE agents approach her car and tell her to move it, as another agent points in the direction he wants her to go. She responds, but it's not clear what she says or who she's speaking to.

Yet, Trump & Company keeps saying that the protesters are characterized as "professional agitators" and "insurrectionists."

This was just a woman who left her house to go to a doctor's appointment only to drive into an ICE operation and,

That same agent then pulls on the driver's side door handle, but is unable to open it. The woman then drives slightly forward and stops. Agents again approach the car, demanding she move.

At that point, another agent, located on the passenger side of the vehicle, breaks the window in the passenger door. Throughout the altercation, protesters and ice agents can be heard yelling at each other and at the woman. Some people who appear to be protesters, tell her to drive away.

This is just an ordinary person who gets trapped in a nightmare. It could be any of us, at the wrong place at the wrong time. She probably driven a dozens times on that road going to her doctor's but this time it makes her "professional agitators!"

Mini-Post: Oh Look Over There... Not Here

So where is the FBI investigating the killing of Ms. Good? Why the are investigating her wife!

3 Prosecutors Quit After Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim’s Widow

Joseph H. Thompson, a career federal prosecutor who was the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota last year, quit after the Justice Department sought to examine the woman’s supposed ties to activist groups.

The New York Times

By Ernesto Londoño

Jan. 13, 2026

Three Minnesota federal prosecutors resigned over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the widow of a woman killed by an ICE agent and its reluctance to investigate the shooter, according to people with knowledge of their decision.

Joseph H. Thompson, who was second in command at the U.S. attorney’s office and oversaw a sprawling fraud investigation that has roiled Minnesota’s political landscape, was among those who quit Tuesday, according to three people with knowledge of the decision.

Mr. Thompson’s resignation came after senior Justice Department officials pressed for a criminal investigation into the actions of the widow of Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent last Wednesday.

Mr. Thompson, 47, a career prosecutor, objected to that approach as well as to the Justice Department’s refusal to include state officials in investigating whether the shooting itself was lawful, the people familiar with his decision said.

They know the right and wrong of this... it is going to be a dog & pony show.

"Circling the Wagons"

From a government agency this mindset is frighten and especially when it comes from the very top!

“One Of Ours, All Of Yours”

That is what was on the podium when Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference at One World Trade Center in New York. I don't about you but that is not what want from a law enforcement agency.

Noem Attempts to Distract From ICE Execution

A day after one of her ICE agents shot a woman to death in broad daylight, the secretary of homeland security was in Manhattan urging Americans to buy them lunch.

American Prospect

by Whitney Curry Wimbish

January 8, 2026

A day after federal agents executed legal observer Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis with three shots to the face, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was in Manhattan attempting to redirect attention to an unnamed Customs and Border Protection agent who was shot while off duty six months ago.

Speaking behind a podium bearing the phrase “One Of Ours, All Of Yours” at One World Trade Center, Noem recounted the July 2025 shooting, in which two men allegedly shot a 42-year-old officer in the face during a botched robbery in Fort Washington Park. The incident was the genesis of an ongoing investigation within New York called Operation Salvo, she said, which “is just the beginning of a broader and a much more sustained effort.”

Noem called the peaceful protest where Ms. Good was murdered;

“This was an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem said. “In every single thing the Trump administration does, we put the American people first.”

They were peaceful protesters exercising their Frist Amendment rights!

To me that phrase sounds like they have appointed themselves as judge, jury, and executioners! And couple that with what agent Ross uttered when he murdered Ms. Good, "F*cking B*tch" it sounds like DHS is becoming a bunch vigilantes! They are developing a siege mentality.

I remember watching Dragnet, them standing behind the motto of the LA Police Department that said "Protect and Sever" while  “One Of Ours, All Of Yours” stands that on its head! In 1984 Orwellian terms, the "Inner Party" (DHS) is protecting its own at any cost.

Mini-Post: I Noticed Something

[Editorial]

The "No Kings" protest illustrated something. The rhetoric didn't match what happened. The Republicans preached fire and brimstone, and nothing but peace happened. Some Republican governors activated their National Guard in preparation for violence that never happened.

Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, said, “We call it the ‘hate America’ rally … I bet you’ll see Hamas supporters, antifa types … the terrorist wing of their party.” But what it turned out to be was the voice of the people.

Many of the politicians are using red herrings to point out “violence” by the demonstrators to distract from the fact that yesterday was peaceful. But they were minor and not connected to the rallies. In one city protesters blocked an ICE detention facility but that was at night long after the rally ended.

Back on August 17, 1969, Max Yasgur, a dairy farmer, said at Woodstock:

“I’m a farmer… I don’t know how to speak to 20 people at one time, let alone a crowd like this. But I think you people have proven something to the world… that a half a million young people can get together and have three days of fun and music and have nothing but fun and music, and I — God bless you for it!”

And I think yesterday proved to the people of the United States and the world that we can get together to protest peacefully, to "...peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

[/Editorial]

Take Away!

👉 "This isn’t a fringe uprising — this is your community speaking."

The Republicans are worried. Despite all their warnings about violence... there was none at any of the rallies. Oh, they are trying to label violence at ICE facilities around the country on the "No Kings" rally, but they are all lies!

3 takeaways from the second No Kings day of nationwide protests

NPR News

October 19, 2025

By Alana Wise, Chandelis Duster, and Emma Bowman

One of the biggest days of protest against the Trump administration's policies happened on Saturday in cities around the U.S. The overriding theme of the marches was the accusation that President Trump is behaving more like a monarch than an elected official.

It marked the second massive wave of protests organized by No Kings — a network of progressive organizations fighting against Trump's agenda.

[...]

Here's a recap of how the protests unfolded.

1. United in protests to 'protect America'

Protesters showed up to oppose a wide range of issues, including the administration's immigration tactics and its push for federal and military intervention in Democratic-led states as a way to tackle crime. The diversity of concerns was strung together by the broader messaging of democracy, constitutional rights and the freedom the U.S. was founded on.

[...]

2. The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers weighed in

House Speaker Mike Johnson slammed Saturday's protests as a "hate America rally," and other Republicans have derided the event as anti-American.

Responding to NPR's questions about the protests, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: "Who cares?"

Trump was not at the White House during the protests but on a visit to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Connecticut House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora told Connecticut Public that he considered the "No Kings" messaging of the protests "divisive." He also doesn't share protesters' concerns but supports their right to exercise their First Amendment rights.

"I think our democracy is still strong as ever — but, you know, they're free to express themselves," Candelora said.

[...]

3. Peaceful protesting with song and dance

Despite the many criticisms that anti-Trump protesters came to preach, there were displays of optimism, hope and whimsy in several cities.

Yesterday was brought to you by:

Housewives with signs,

Elderly people in lawn chairs,

Teenagers in baseball caps,

Families with strollers

Times Square New York City from the USA Today article.

Just a bunch of ordinary people. No paid agitators, no Antifa, no violence! 

'No Kings' rallies ran from coast-to-coast; protesters waved signs, wore costumes

Protesters turned out at roughly 2,700 rallies around the country to celebrate free speech and protest many of the Trump administration's actions.

By Sarah D. Wire and Jeanine Santucci

USA TODAY

Oct 18, 2025

Millions of people turned out nationwide on Oct. 18 to protest actions by the Trump administration and celebrate their Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly.

[...]

U.S. Army veteran Brian Wofford, who was wounded while serving in Iraq, attended a rally in Oklahoma City in his green service coat emblazoned with the honors he had earned in the military.

"I was willing to die and lost a leg in a foreign country fighting for their rights," said Wofford, a lifelong Oklahoman who lives in Moore. "There’s no way I’m bending the only knee I have left for a king here in America. I can’t sit idly by while rights are trampled on and ignored, and people are pushed and treated like second-class citizens."

There was a big disconnect between the Republican rhetoric and reality — and the people see it. And they don't like all their lies and fear-mongering! They are saying: Enough is enough!

---

I tried going to the Provincetown rally but it was mobbed, it was more like a July day than October 18, all the parking lots were full and trying to get around was all but impossible with all the people walking in the streets/

---

Updated @ 11:45AM

Johnson defends calling anti-Trump protests 'hate America' rallies

The Republican House leader said he was referring to the rhetoric of protesters.

ABC News

ByNicholas Kerr

October 19, 2025

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended labeling this weekend's "No Kings" rallies opposing President Donald Trump as "hate America" rallies, arguing that he was not referring to Democrats themselves but the message of the protesters. 

"Just on this notion that these are, 'hate America' rallies -- and you not only talked about anarchists, antifa advocates, pro-Hamas wing -- you said this is the modern Democratic Party," ABC News' "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl asked, referring to comments Johnson made last week. "But I remember not that long ago what you said after the murder of Charlie Kirk when you said that we should view fellow Americans, not as our enemies, but as our fellow countrymen."

[...]

"I mean, we have video and photos of pretty violent rhetoric calling out the president, saying fascists must die and all the rest," he added. "So it's not about the people, it's about the message."

So... you are right and 7 million people are wrong? Just maybe you should listen to the people and not the party talking points!

"Look at what's happening in New York. They're about to elect an open socialist Marxist as the mayor of America's largest city. There's a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party. It's an objective fact, and no one can deny it," he said.

You know there is a name for that... it is a "red herring" My Speaker, the topic are the rallies and not an election and not you labeling a Democrat a Marxist when you all are trying to make a dictatorship!

NO KINGS

Today is the day of the second “No Kings” protest.

Today millions will take to the sidewalks. What is the Republicans response?

Abbott to send National Guard to Austin for No Kings rally

Abbott’s deployments come as Republicans, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, vilify the planned nationwide protests as a “hate America” gathering.

Politico

By Gregory Svirnovskiy

10/16/2025

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is deploying the state’s National Guard to Austin ahead of this weekend’s planned No Kings rally in the Texas capital, he announced Thursday, as top Republicans around the country vilify the protests as Antifa-linked and led by the radical flank of the Democratic Party.

“Violence and destruction will never be tolerated in Texas,” Abbott said in a statement Thursday. “Today, I directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard to deploy all necessary law enforcement officials and resources to ensure the safety of Austin residents.”

In addition to the National Guard, Abbott is surging Texas Rangers, state troopers and Department of Public Safety personnel to Austin, whom he said would be “supported by aircraft and other tactical assets.”

Meanwhile other Republicans have tried to brand the “No Kings” rallies as…

House GOP leader dubs upcoming ‘No Kings’ protest a ‘Hate America’ rally

The Hill

by Ashleigh Fields

10/14/25

House GOP Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) on Tuesday slammed the “No Kings” protests slated for Saturday against the Trump administration as a “hate America” rally backed by the left.

“These guys are playing to the most radical, small, and violent base in the country. You’ll see them on Saturday on the Mall. They just do not love this country,” Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said during a Tuesday appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) backed Emmer’s theory that the protests were tied to a “hate America” mentality during a Tuesday press conference and suggested the demonstrations were tied to Senate Democrats amid the federal shutdown. 

Scalise said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was “throwing a temper tantrum” to “appease the most radical elements of his base.” 

BINGO! This is all for show! To rally their base that they are against the Constitution’s 1^st Amendment rights and only their views matter!

No Kings

No Dictators

No Clowns

MSNBC reports that,

The GOP’s coordinated attack on the ‘No Kings’ rally is ridiculous

The Republican talking points are out of touch with the reality of Saturday's protests.

Oct. 16, 2025

By Michael Steele,

In recent days, Republican leaders have warned darkly about the "No Kings" national protests scheduled for Saturday.

Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “hate-America rally” that will draw “the pro-Hamas wing” of the Democratic Party and “the antifa people.” House Republican Whip Tom Emmer claimed that “you’ll see the hate for America all over this thing when they show up” for the rally. Sen. Roger Marshall claimed protesters were being paid and suggested the National Guard might need to show up.

Trust me when I say these comments aren’t spontaneous. When I was chairman of the Republican National Committee, I sat in countless meetings where we carefully crafted the talking points for the week, fine-tuning the language so everyone from local lawmakers to friendly cable news pundits could stay on message.

But when we did that, it was to keep someone from upending the party message by saying something unhinged. This time, the unhinged comments are the message.

We the People!

Not We the Billionaires!

Joe Perticone writes for The Bulwark that,

The upcoming anti-authoritarian “No Kings”1 rally, which is scheduled to take place across the country on Saturday, including on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, has set off klaxons for Republican lawmakers, who are scrambling to mount a preemptive defense. While many GOP lawmakers are describing No Kings as an astroturfed political operation meant to benefit Democrats in the continuing government funding fight, some in party leadership are going further by branding it a pro-terrorism demonstration—an unambiguously false allegation meant, clearly, to get ahead of a potentially massive protest against the president.

Gee, let's see... somewhere between 4 and 6 million people nationwide. Say someone gave each protester $100 to show up. Hmm… at 5 million people, that’s $500 million! Who wrote the checks—the Tooth Fairyt That’s more than Trump raked in from tariffs! 

When Kings Fall

Freedom Stands Tall

The Daily Beast wrote,

MAGA Melts Down Over ‘Unhinged’ Anti-Trump No Kings Protests

The rally is expected to be the largest single day of protest in modern American history.

By Farrah Tomazin

Oct. 15

MAGA Republicans are melting down over this weekend’s planned “No Kings” anti-Trump protest, branding expected attendees as unhinged terrorists and suggesting that the National Guard should be deployed against them.

The nationwide demonstration on Saturday is expected to be the largest single day of protest in modern American history, spurred on by growing anger over the tactics of ICE agents and the administration’s push to surge military troops across Democratic cities.

[…]

According to the latest figures, there are more than 2,500 registered demonstrations taking place across the country on Saturday—already exceeding the 2,100 that took place during the last “No Kings” rally in June.

But while Democrats and grassroots groups are hoping the event will help galvanize voters ahead of next year’s midterm elections, Republicans and right-wing influencers are raging against the day.

They are quaking in their boots! They’re worried of Saturday nigh news… they are worried that the people will not believe their lies, they are afraid that millions peacfully protesting against Trump’s regime!

Melt ICE

Be there or be square!

 

 

No Kings 

 About this event

In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings.

IN PROVINCETOWN WE WILL BE CELEBRATING WOMEN'S WEEK AND THE LONG PLANNED DYKE MARCH THAT WILL BE THE LEAD IN FOR THE NO KINGS RALLY.

11:30AM Those marching with the dyke march step off from Johnson St Parking lot and march to Bas Relief Field. Those not marching are encouraged to gather with signs and stand out ready to greet and make room for the marchers.

Upon arrival the speaker portion of the rally will begin. Confirmed speakers include State Senator Julian Cyr and State Representative Hadley Luddy.

Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, carried by millions in chants and on posters, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.

The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty. Grow our movement and join us.

📍 Where: 106 Bradford St, Provincetown, MA 02657 📅 When: 11:30am – 12:30pm EDT October 18, 2025

A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.

Politics Are About Trans.

[Editorial]

I get a number of people saying that I say this is a trans blog and all you talk about is politics!

Well politics made it a trans issue. Our very rights are depended upon the man in the oval office. He is ready to hang us… and I don’t mean figuratively.

Politics are determining our ability to live safely, access healthcare, and participate fully in society. For us, political decisions are not just abstract policies—they can directly shape our daily life, dignity, and survival.

Politics affect us through laws and regulations related to healthcare. We rely on gender-affirming care, which can include hormone therapy, surgeries, and mental health support. Politics can make healthcare is accessible, affordable, or even legal. Or it can become a nightmare for us. States have restricted or ban gender-affirming care, particularly for trans youth, which can have severe consequences on mental health and well-being on us which lead to an increase in suicidal thoughts.

Politics determine who are legally protected from being fired, denied housing, or refused service based on their gender identity depends on local and national laws.

Politics are trans issues because politics shape our rights, our access to care, pur personal safety, and our societal acceptance.

As such we need to talk participate in them… donate. Speak out! This Saturday is “No Kings” rally! Take part… be there or be square! We need to have our voices heard! We need to be seen! We need allies!

[/Editorial]

Maybe They Should Listen To The People

No King's

Has popped up on the right-wing radar... and they are worried!

Johnson describes planned No Kings rally as ‘hate America,’ ‘pro-Hamas’ gathering

Organizers largely blew off the rhetoric, but some Democrats online criticized the tone.

Politico

By Gregory Svirnovskiy

10/10/2025

Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday slammed the No Kings protest march scheduled to take place at the National Mall next week, describing the planned protest as the “hate America rally” that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.” His characterizations, however, drew condemnation from some Democrats who defended the protest movement, whose first big demonstration was overwhelmingly peaceful.

“They’re all coming out,” Johnson said Friday in an interview on Fox News. “Some of the House Democrats are selling t-shirts for the event. And it’s being told to us that they won’t be able to reopen the government until after that rally because they can’t face their rabid base.”

[...]

The organizers of the upcoming rally largely brushed off House GOP leaders’ characterization. In a joint, unsigned statement, which they said they issued “after a few moments of laughter,” they pressured Johnson over the government shutdown.

“Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down,” the No Kings coalition wrote. “Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.”

The organizers of the rally run the gamut of the Democratic coalition, from labor unions to the Indivisible to Vote Save America, the fundraising and volunteering arm of Crooked Media.

Maybe they should listen to the people?

Ahead of No Kings events, Republicans’ anti-protest rhetoric takes an ugly turn

GOP leaders appear so concerned about a scheduled protest that they're falsely labeling a No Kings gathering as a “hate-America rally.”

MSNBC

Oct. 13, 2025

By Steve Benen

Donald Trump’s approach to peaceful American protesters has long reflected a president uncomfortable with dissent. Indeed, the Republican has spent years trying to delegitimize dissenters, urging the public to see his detractors as “paid protesters,” as if his opponents are inherently inauthentic.

But that’s not all he’s said. In June, Trump announced that anyone who dared to protest a military parade he was excited about would be met with “very heavy force.” A month earlier, he said Americans “are allowed to protest,” but only in ways he deems “reasonable.”

Responding to a conservative reporter who said that anti-war protesters near the White House “still have their First Amendment right,” the president replied last month, “Yeah, well, I’m not so sure.”

So what did happened on June 14, 2025?

Houston Chronicle — “‘Houston at its best’: Mayor John Whitmire praises protesters and police for peaceful No Kings event”

The article reports that over 15,000 people marched in Houston with no arrests, no property damage, and no graffiti. The mayor praised the measured, restrained approach of law enforcement.

Colorado Public Radio — “Thousands gather across Colorado for ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump administration.” In various Colorado cities, observers and police described the protests as peaceful through most of the day. One exception: later attempts by some groups to march onto I‑25 prompted police use of pepper balls / gas.

Honolulu Star‑Advertiser — “Hawaii protesters impassioned but peaceful during ‘No Kings’ rally at Capitol.” In Honolulu, an estimated crowd of up to 7,000 gathered, with protestors chanting and holding signs in a calm, orderly manner.

Missouri Independent — “Anti‑Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands to peaceful protests across Missouri,” In Missouri, many events involved people quietly standing, holding banners, and conversing about democratic concerns; in small towns the protests were especially calm and without chants or speeches in some areas.

PBS NewsHour — “Protesters gather across the U.S. at nationwide anti‑Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies”

PBS notes that many local protests featured citizens handing out U.S. flags, signs, and unified chants, often in peaceful public spaces like plazas and parks.

The Washington Post — “‘No Kings’ protests against Trump draw huge crowds across the U.S.”

The Post describes that organizers intended the rallies to be peaceful and free of confrontation. In many locales, that’s how things unfolded, though the article also notes several incidents of violence and tension in some cities.

Once again the Republicans are running scared of the truth! back then Fox News reported...

‘No Kings’ rallies are a Trojan Horse for radical, violent Leftists

Legacy outlets are giving glowing coverage of 'No Kings' rallies while ignoring the violence that follows

By Jason Rantz  By Jason Rantz

June 20, 2025

So, the "No Kings" rallies went off without a hitch from coast to coast — and they were peaceful. Great news, right? That must mean the rioting and violence are over. Think again. This is the same script we saw with the Black Lives Matter movement, and we know exactly how it ends.

When I warned in my Fox News op-ed last week that the "No Kings" rallies would provide cover for violent Antifa, anarchists and other thugs, every prediction came true—not hypothetically, but in brutal, tangible form across the Pacific Northwest.

Take Seattle, where I live. On June 14, an estimated 70,000 protesters marched peacefully from Capitol Hill to the Seattle Center to decry the Trump administration. Just as expected, the rally was without incident, with little more than minor vandalism and the normal unhinged, angry messaging from the Radical Left complaining about authoritarianism and fascism, two concepts the average activist can even define.

That is why the Republicans are saying it will be violent! Because of the half-truths and lies the conservative media reports!

Robert Reich writes,

They’re calling it a “Hate America” Rally

Rubbish. We’re rallying on Saturday because we LOVE America

Oct 13, 2025

Friends,

You know Trump Republicans are worried when they slam a planned protest — more than a week before it occurs.

Last Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson described this coming Saturday’s No Kings rally as the “hate-America” rally that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.”

I’m sure these phrases have been distributed to senior Republicans by the White House. They’re all delivering the same lines.

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) claims Democrats are refusing to vote to fund the government “to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold ... a hate-America rally” on Saturday.

So what is the White House worried about? Why are they trying to discredit the rally before it’s even occurred?

Because it’s likely to be even larger than the first No Kings rally — which was the largest demonstration against Trump since his return to the Oval Office.

And it will happen all over America, so it’s likely to generate a huge number of news clips on local television.

I will tell you who was at the last "No Kings" ... Mothers. Fathers. Sons and daughters. Grandmother and grandfathers. ex-Military servicemembers. The neighbor down the street who never went to a rally in his life. 

He goes on to say...

And when you do, please help make it:

1. Peaceful.

The first No Kings rally was overwhelmingly peaceful, which made it hugely effective. This one must be, too.

2. Fun.

The underlying issue — the usurpation of American democracy by a tyrant — is dead serious. But it’s important that we also use satire, mockery, ridicule, parody, and humor to make our points.

Not only do these drive Trump nuts, but they show that we’re able to stand up to his hatefulness and fear with cheerfulness and wit. And they can make the event fun.

3. Clear.

This is about saving our democracy. It’s not about other issues that we may feel strongly about such as climate change, immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ+ rights, universal health care, Israel’s war in Gaza, or Putin’s war in Ukraine.

4. Patriotic.

We stand for America and its best values. We shouldn’t let Trump Republicans claim the American flag. It’s ours. We should claim it — along with the patriotism (not nativism) it stands for.

5. Relevant to the 2026 midterms.

If they’re to have a real-world effect, demonstrations need to be linked to real-world politics. The highest political priority right now is to regain control of Congress.

Just maybe, just maybe it might give some backbone to those Republicans are already in Congress. Maybe it might get them worried enough that they might lose the elections and do the will of the people and not of the cult leader. But I doubt it.

Be there or be square!

Where Will You Be?

Next Saturday is the next "No King" rally! Where will you be?

What to know about upcoming ‘No Kings’ protests

The Hill

by Ryan Mancini 

10/11/25

Demonstrators will once again take to the streets for “No Kings Day,” a nationwide series of protests against the Trump administration, on Oct. 18.

While protests against President Trump have not been uncommon since his first term, “No Kings Day” kicked off on June 14. These gatherings were organized in response to the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary military parade in Washington, D.C., which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.

Across the country, 2,000 “No Kings” protests are scheduled for next Saturday, according to a post from the Indivisible project. There are plans in major cities like Los Angeles; Boston; Washington; Chicago; Atlanta; New Orleans; Kansas City, Mo.; and Bozeman, Mont. Planned protests stretch into Canada and as far south as Madrid, a town in Mexico.

Where will you be?

What does Trump & Company think about the rallies?

Johnson describes planned No Kings rally as ‘hate America,’ ‘pro-Hamas’ gathering

Organizers largely blew off the rhetoric, but some Democrats online criticized the tone.

Politico

By Gregory Svirnovskiy

10/10/2025

Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday slammed the No Kings protest march scheduled to take place at the National Mall next week, describing the planned protest as the “hate America rally” that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.” His characterizations, however, drew condemnation from some Democrats who defended the protest movement, whose first big demonstration was overwhelmingly peaceful.

[...]

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), another senior House Republican, also criticized the planned demonstration and blamed it for prolonging the shutdown. Telling reporters Democrats had caved to the “terrorist wing of their party,” Emmer alluded to a “hate America rally in D.C. next week.”

[...]

“Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down,” the No Kings coalition wrote. “Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.”

You think maybe the Republicans are getting worries? Naw.

Common Dreams wrote...

GOP Leaders Smear Upcoming ‘No Kings’ Marches as ‘Hate America Rallies’ by ‘Terrorists’

“Looks like everyone in my former political party has signed on to the Donald Trump/Stephen Miller game plan, which means calling Democrats ‘terrorists,’” wrote a disgusted ex-Republican in response.

By Brad Reed

Oct 10, 2025

Multiple Republican lawmakers on Friday lobbed smears against the upcoming “No Kings” rallies scheduled to take place on October 18 across the US.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) described the “No Kings” events as “a hate-America rally,” which he said would include “the Antifa crowd, the pro-Hamas crowd, and the Marxists.”

[...]

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), during an interview on Newsmax, described the October 18 protests as “a Soros paid-for protest” filled with “professional protesters” and “agitators,” and threatened those who attend with a deployment of armed forces like the ones President Donald Trump has imposed on cities including Chicago and Memphis.

[...]

Contrary to the Republican lawmakers’ claims, these protests were overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrations against what organizers described as “the gross abuse of power that we’ve seen consistently from the Trump administration.”

Ezra Levin, cofounder of progressive organization Indivisible, one of the groups behind the “No Kings” marches, vowed on Thursday that the upcoming events will be “the largest peaceful protest in modern American history.”

Will Trump bring in the Troops? Bring in his Gestapo, ICE?

Be there or be square!

No Kings

No Dictators

No Clowns

Mini-Post: Power To The People!

Gorilla action!

As fast as they remove them, the people are painting them back.

There has been some reports circulating about the crosswalks being repainted overnight in protest. Newsweek reported...

The restoration was led by local community members and LGBTQ+ advocates who gathered at the intersection following the overnight state-directed repainting. In a video shared to social media by the account @jeremy_rodrigue, people can be seen DIY-ing the rainbow crosswalk and drawing the colors back onto the ground.

"While this attack was meant to demoralize us and push us back in the closet, Orlando refused to be erased," Democratic state Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, who became the first openly gay Latino elected to the Florida legislature in 2016, told Newsweek. "It was inspiring to see so many local residents spring into action in response to the Governor's cowardly abuse of power."

Stand Up Fight Back!

What they have really done is to unify the community. Not just the LGBTQ community but also the public who are seeing as harassment of us.

Mini-Post: In Cahoots

I feel sorry for the troops, they never signed up for this, to be used a s political pawns, Republican state governors are lining up to send their brave men and women to Washington DC so that they can gain favor with Trump!

Three Republican-led states to send hundreds of National Guards to Washington at Trump's request

The activations of external Guard troop deployments suggest the Trump administration sees the need for additional manpower, despite the president personally downplaying the need for Washington to hire more police officers.

Euro News

By Malek Fouda

17/08/2025

Three Republican-led sates said on Saturday that they were deploying hundreds of National Guard members to the nation’s capital in an effort to bolster the Trump administration’s initiative of overhauling policing in Washington through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness.

West Virginia said it will be deploying between 300 to 400 Guard troops. South Carolina pledged 200, while Ohio says it send 150 in the coming days, marking a significant escalation of the federal intervention.

The move came as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in the heavily Democratic city following US President Donald Trump’s executive order federalising local police forces and activating about 800 of the capital’s National Guard troops.

Are these states currying favor with Trump? Oh master we see an obey!

By adding outside troops to the existing Washington Guard deployment and federal law enforcement presence, Trump is looking to exert even tighter control over the city in a power play he’s justified as an emergency response to rising crime and homelessness.

Local Washington area officials say the move is unjustified as they noted that violent crime is lower today than it was during Trump’s first term in office.

Not only that, but the crime rate in New Orleans is 30% higher than Washington, D.C.’s, and Memphis is almost 25% higher!

And here’s the kicker: as the article states, the crime rate in Washington, D.C. was actually higher during Trump’s first term... so why act now? Could it possible be because he is playing to his MAGA base?

Will other Republican governors jump on the bandwagon to curry favor with Trump and get on his "Who’s naughty and who’s nice" list? Are they worried that the next disaster might mean they won’t get federal aid?

Another concerned of mine are those in the military who think these are unlawful orders leave the military and as those who think it is okay as long as Trump orders will stay and other join who also think that having another Gaza here is okay will stay. And the result of that is we get a military politically divided who put party loyalty before the Constitution.

Mini-Post: "Say it ain't so..."

Surprise, surprise... Federal agents lied!

Justice department drops cases against LA protesters after officers caught making false claims

Revealed: records show border patrol gave inaccurate testimony about people it jailed. Prosecutors now face ‘embarrassing’ dismissals

The Guardian

Sam Levin

Mon 28 Jul 2025

US immigration officers made false and misleading statements in their reports about several Los Angeles protesters they arrested during the massive demonstrations that rocked the city in June, according to federal law enforcement files obtained by the Guardian.

The officers’ testimony was cited in at least five cases filed by the US Department of Justice amid the unrest. The justice department has charged at least 26 people with “assaulting” and “impeding” federal officers and other crimes during the protests over immigration raids. Prosecutors, however, have since been forced to dismiss at least eight of those felonies, many of them which relied on officers’ inaccurate reports, court records show.

But now weeks latter...

The Guardian’s review of records found:

• Out of nine “assault” and “impeding” felony cases the justice department filed immediately after the start of the protests and promoted by the attorney general, Pam Bondi, prosecutors dismissed seven of them soon after filing the charges.
• In reports that led to the detention and prosecution of at least five demonstrators, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents made false statements about the sequence of events and misrepresented incidents captured on video.
• One DHS agent accused a protester of shoving an officer, when footage appeared to show the opposite: the officer forcefully pushed the protester.
• One indictment named the wrong defendant, a stunning error that has jeopardized one of the government’s most high-profile cases.

“When I see felonies dismissed, that tells me either the federal officers have filed affidavits that are not truthful and that has been uncovered, or US attorneys reviewing the cases realize the evidence does not support the charges,” said Cristine Soto DeBerry, a former California state prosecutor who is now director of Prosecutors Alliance Action, a criminal justice reform group.

The government got what they wanted... a perp walk! They got on every newspaper, on every evening news of them busting heads and enforcing the law... so what the cases got thrown out, they got the talking heads on the evening news to talk about them.

I Think That I Figured Why...

... Stonewall Uprising stuck while others didn't.

First off, in the TV show American Experience: Stonewall we get trans washed out of the uprising but what I want to talk about is why the Cooper’s Do-Nuts, Black Cat Tavern, Dewey's, Compton’s Cafeteria were back in the shadows of history while Stonewall took off.

I had American Experience: Stonewall on in the background while I was doing the dishes when something caught my attention. The Village Voice was just down the street, a reported ran back to the office and shouted the Stonewall Inn is being raided and they are fighting back! Three reporters ran down to the Stonewall and ended up in the bar with the police when they were barracked in because of the mob outside.

My theory is those three reporters made the difference. With a free and present press, truth spreads, movements grow, and history gets written.

Mini-Post: They Always Blame Someone Else

There was a Pride parade that was against the law in Hungary and it set the dictator there into a tizzy!

Hungary's Orban accuses EU of orchestrating 'repulsive' Pride march

By Reuters

June 29, 2025

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called Saturday's Pride "repulsive and shameful", accusing the EU of directing opposition politicians to organise the event, which turned into an anti-government protest, local media reported in Sunday.

The march in Budapest for LGBTQ+ swelled into one of the largest displays of opposition to Orban in recent years, as an estimated 100,000 participants defied a police ban and threats of fines to join the demonstration.

Have you noticed that Strongmen dictators always blame someone else. For example Trump blames the protester on paid protester with no evidence! The New York Times wrote...

“These people are agitators, they’re paid, they’re professionals, they’re insurrectionists, they’re troublemakers. They’re all of those things. But I believe they’re paid.”

— at a bill signing on Thursday

This lacks evidence. For years, Mr. Trump has accused those protesting his political candidacy and aims as “paid” and their demonstrations as inorganic. But he and his allies have provided scant evidence.

Mini-Post: The Conch Republic of Key West

Back in the stone age there was something called the Conch Republic in Key West Florida. You ICE was going after immigrants (Sound familiar?) and Key West rebelled! You see in 1982 the Conch Republic was a direct response to perceived overreach by federal immigration. When legal attempts to remove the ICE (Back then it was the Border Patrol) roadblocks. Back then there were checkpoint set up on U.S. 1, Key West Mayor Dennis Wardlow declared the city's independence, proclaiming it the "Conch Republic." 

Now...

ICE remakes Key West

Key News

By LINDA GRIST CUNNINGHAM

June 14, 2025

The North Roosevelt Boulevard Promenade, that palm-lined, tourist-attracting raceway alongside the car lanes, is shockingly empty these days.

Gone are scores of locals on their e-bikes. They were easy to recognize. Destination-focused, wearing the branded uniforms of their local employers, ready for another day of working water sports, construction, landscaping, office, retail, healthcare and hospitality jobs. Same routine for the trip home at the end of the day.

Many are of Haitian, Cuban, Bahamian, Eastern European, Venezuelan, Nicaraguan and Guatemalan descent. Some are born-and-bred U.S. citizens or immigrants with legal status to be here. Some, I am certain, have lived and worked here for years without the requisite paperwork. They are our neighbors, our families, our friends or the strangers whose jobs serve the rest of us, often virtually invisibly.

[...]

Key West and the Keys have always had significant federal immigration presence simply because we are a historic U.S. gateway for Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas. But ICE presence on the island today is noticeably more pronounced than even a year ago — and more aggressive.

I think that is the key word aggressive. They are now behaving like Gestapo! They lead with their billy clubs.

Feeling helpless? Do something that’s both small and extraordinary: Say aloud to those you know: “This is wrong. This is not who we are nor who we want to become.” Do it privately if you must. Do it publicly as I am doing, even in the face of warnings from state and the federal governments that my protests, my words, are grounds for retaliation.

Silence is not an option. I want those e-bikes back on the boulevard — even if they are going too fast.

You don't need to be on the front lines, you need to speak up, silence is complicity... remaining silent in the face of injustice, wrongdoing, or harmful actions is tacit agreement or support for those actions. Choosing not to speak out or take action against something is the moral equivalent to actively participating in it. Speak out against injustice!