I spent some time Saturday among the several thousand or so people who gathered for the No Kings rally at the Nebraska State Capitol.
As a journalist, a big part of attending Lincoln’s version of No Kings (one of 15 events across Nebraska), as with any event in a similar venue, was looking at the numbers, gauging the mood, and determining what was new and what was news.
In other words, although the business was peaceful, the people expressed considerable dissatisfaction and growing dissatisfaction with the country’s current leadership. Hear the joyful noise of cheers, chants, and a chorus of cheering car horns along Capitol Parkway and call it a good problem.
Much of that sentiment was expressed in hundreds of fierce and funny signs, some pointed, some profane, but each adding to the undercurrent of commitment that permeated the proceedings. As was the case at the Nor Kings event in June, the presence of the American flag was also prominent. I’m just saying.
While I was there to exercise my journalistic rights (which in some cities are constitutionally guaranteed under siege), I was also happy to exercise my right to participate in a peaceful assembly petitioning the government to end its illiberal nonsense.
Some may argue that the signs and voices of thousands of people fall within the right to speech. This means that if I had chosen to kneel in prayer without any constraints, or if I had intentionally refrained from doing so, I could have exercised the full First Amendment’s freedom quintuplet.
I mentioned the democratic principles of having (or at least should have) civil and political discussions because before the rally, some officials in Washington sounded as if the country was about to be overrun by a horde of vandals and reckless people bent on destroying what we hold dear.
Typically, one might attribute such hyperbole (more on this in the next two paragraphs) to political hyperbole, mere bombast, or simple gasbagging. But as you are aware, we are no longer in normal times.
For the record, I don’t hate my country or support Hamas. Hamas is an ideology promoted by some Republican leaders, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who went so far as to declare the Lincoln convention a “terrorism” event.
I haven’t read any specific comments from Nebraska’s Congressional delegation regarding the No Kings event, but unfortunately there are more. I’m not a Marxist, and it may be difficult to define the designation in terms relevant to modern politics, but one Johnson was a good description of the millions of people who were in the streets on Saturday. But I wholeheartedly support the Constitution and its principles.
Oh, and that asshole from the Antifa boogeyman that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claimed was not a member of No Kings? It turns out that, like anti-fascism, Antifa is an idea, not an organization that people can become members of, like the YMCA or the Young Republicans. Go figure.
Finally, to another accusation of those seeking to weaken the influence of a rally where millions of Americans gather to express dissatisfaction with the current administration, no one, including the oft-quoted bogeyman George Soros, paid me, offered to pay me, or even gave me a coupon for a free sub sandwich or discounted car wash for my attendance.
That covers everything from the “let’s just make it and see what happens” crowd. To the apparent chagrin of many, the No Kings group was a diverse group of people, with a wide range of skin colors, genders, ages, and abilities. Individuals in the group were also clearly equivalent in rally status.
They were keen to involve and encourage friends and strangers alike. All of this meant that if Lincoln’s No Kings rally had been a government agency, it would have been unceremoniously shut down to prevent DEI energies from influencing local politics.
I didn’t see any masked federal agents, but I could see the faces and name tags of two local police officers who were passing by on bicycles. In the crowd were some counter-protesters, some promoting personal causes, and perhaps a few professional people-watchers, along with assorted uncool people gathered to enjoy the view.
According to news reports, the total number of attendees at the No Kings event was 7 million, which is millions more than the number of attendees in June. Despite the second-guessing and slander and lies about who was there and why, it’s a completely contrary opinion. Last I checked, this is a hallmark of our democratic republic and the rights and responsibilities of its citizens.
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