It was a joy to join in with our beautiful city of subdued excitement to protest this usurpation of our democracy at the No Kings rally this last Saturday. Maritime Heritage Park was filled with families and others, multi generational, creative, caring, and well informed folks who want to keep our self-government, our democracy. We were greeted at the entrance to the park by lovely young people giving out carnations and others who had water and sandwiches! They were thoughtful and set the tone of this gathering as a peaceful, community minded event. I enjoyed the dancing-dinosaurs-for-democracy and saw many sweet dogs-for-democracy too. They are helping us to smile in these perilous times.

Today, the day after the global rally, I have been reading, and enjoying the heart lifting coverage of the day. However, one young voice compels me to write to you. She said:

" 'Protesting is the only way to get our voices out,' said Libby Smith, 17, who attended a rally in Pittsburgh. She said her plans to join the military after high school were deflated when Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, fired a string of women leaders and said he wanted women out of combat roles."

New York Times, Oct 18,article on the nation wide protests.

Gathering like this is not the only way to be heard. It is a part of the way. It is the way we see and learn from one another, but this is the easy piece of taking responsibility for our part in our self-government. Our democracy and our Constitution were created out of debate, sacrifice, and persistence as has been every amendment added to move us ever closer to a just and inclusive society living up to the ideals the founders voiced (but did not fully enact).

This regime has infiltrated our constitutionally protected freedoms and federal system like a computer virus, making inoperable the laws put in place by the will of the people over two centuries and defended by the lives of our ancestors, repeatedly sacrificed in wars we were told were fought to prevent tyranny, dictatorship, and monarchy, and would protect our democracy.

This virus has been engineered to be injected at the point of a perfect storm in which the ballast of our ship of state has been tipped in a way our founders evidently did not anticipate, i.e. a Supreme Court that has given the Executive free reign and a "get out of jail free card" with no consequences and no restraint, a lock-step Congress following his every whim, and what should have been steadfast institutions crumbling to cater to his self-aggrandizement and greed.

We were not prepared for this. We did not know that many things, like integrity, were optional. I cannot imagine John Adams selling tallow candles from the office, actually making money from his elected position of service to We the People!

Nor could we imagine the formation of a private army to further inflate this insatiable balloon of ego and greed occupying our White House. But that is what he is creating with his reign of terror in our communities, unleashing masked bullies monetarily incentivized to brutally grab any person who is not white (for now) off the streets, children included, and take them without any due process to horrible places.

I suspect he is also trying to incite a war with Venezuela so he can invoke military wartime control over us. Why do you think the pompous, former Fox television host, and strutting-cock, scolder of medal-bedecked generals would ban a free press from his fiefdom?

These are just a few of our current grievances.

So, back to what do we do? Well, first, we do not cooperate or collaborate with these unconstitutional operations. Do not join, assist, or enrich any member, organisation, or corporation that is in anyway engaged with or consenting to these egregious activities.

This is where it gets difficult for us because we must say "no" to many conveniences, comforts, and habits we enjoy. Do you love democracy and justice? How much do you love it? Our ancestors gave up sugar, tea, cotton, time, comfort, and more to birth our democracy. What can we give up? We vote with more than our ballot. We vote with our pocketbooks. We recently witnessed that power when we cancelled our subscriptions to protest the suppression of free speech in the attempted removal of Jimmy Kimmel.

Now is the time to look at who is propping up this disgusting usurper and wannabe tyrant.

Who is bending at the knee? Who is paying to go to his dinners? Who is profiting from this rise in detainment and disappearance of the undocumented and others? Do you know where your stock is tonight? If you are privileged to own stock, speak up and/or dump it and let them know why you are doing so. Where are your retirement funds? Also, what businesses do you frequent that are tied to this regime? Can you be as strong as our ancestors and give it up until we get our democracy back?

Giving up the things we love is not easy, so how can we make it as nice as gathering together in the park? Maybe we can find local substitutes, even support the start of new, small businesses that can meet our desires and needs. Wouldn't it feel good to support our local workers, families, and community and at the same return our "right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" to a sound democracy?