Being a baby boomer who protested against the Vietnam debacle, what the Trump regime is now doing is disgusting. All this week we see Republican Congressional minions and members of the Trump gang standing in front of cameras calling those who peacefully protest as Terrorists. Webster’s dictionary defines a terrorist as ” A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” The sad irony is that it was the mob on January 6th, 2021 at the Capitol building who acted like terrorists, especially when they invaded the legislative chambers using their violence and intimidation against the Congress people (civilians). For goodness sakes, at Trump’s direction they actually wanted to ‘ Hang Mike Pence’! That day alone added up to the need for the Department of Justice to indict Trump once he was no longer president. A more recent irony is how many of the ICE agents, hiding their faces, have used terrorist acts against civilians? I ask any decent and law abiding American ‘ How can they make these types of people into ICE agents?’ Storm trooper would be a better term for them.

So, this Saturday there are plans nationwide, and even worldwide, for peaceful protests encompassing millions upon millions, once again declaring ‘ No Kings’. Imagine the utter audacity of this president, led by his inner circle, to consider using the Insurrection Act of 1807. The few times in our recent past that it was used was when Presidents Eisenhower and JFK used it to enforce desegregation laws in certain Southern states when violent mobs of whites were threatening black citizens. It was used after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 when looting was excessively prevalent, and in Los Angeles in 1992 during the violent riots after the Rodney King case set free the LAPD cops who savaged him, after being caught on video.

When the group I had organized in 2004 to protest the illegal ( and immoral) invasion and occupation of Iraq, we stood peacefully on the same street corner each Tuesday at rush hour. One week, we had visits from more than one police officer as we found our spots on that corner. First they informed us incorrectly that we ‘ Had to keep moving our picket line’. They went away when told that this was not a strike, rather a demonstration. Then a supervisor drove up and told us that ‘ We got a call that you folks are going out into the road and hassling the motorists.’ A lie and he then disappeared. I immediately called our city’s mayor ( a diehard libertarian) and complained to him. He said ‘ Phil, you folks have been out there peacefully for weeks. You have every right to protest and I’m going to call the police chief and smash this nonsense.’ And he did.

Perhaps it’s time for all those so called Republican libertarians and civil liberty backers to get off their asses and let Trump and company know how they feel, before this goes way too far.