I guess I’ve been fixated on my upcoming trip to Egypt, because the title for this post about today’s “No Kings” rally popped into my head before I’d even started thinking about a title.
Physically, I didn’t travel very far this morning – a 4-mile bike ride from my house to the Grosvenor Metro Station, one of the staging areas for today’s No Kings rallies in Montgomery County. Mentally, though, I journeyed farther.
When I got to the rally, I was thinking, with some despair, that we are far closer to authoritarianism today than we were at the No Kings rallies in June. But after feeling the energy of thousands of truly patriotic Americans seeking to reverse our slide, I felt better.
When I looked closer and saw Americans of all ages and many ethnicities, I felt better.
When I saw the creativity of the signs seeking to reclaim our democracy, I felt better.
When I saw a good turnout by veterans, I felt better.
“We’re all in this together.” Often, that’s said with an emphasis on “all,” to signify that everyone in a group is adversely affected, not just one or two members. But it can be stated another way: “We are all in this together.”
And that’s one of the most important aspects of these rallies. I realize that deep blue Montgomery County, Maryland is not representative of the country as a whole, but rallies like this throughout the country have drawn millions of protesters who are willing to publicly air their resistance to the Trump Regime.
For any individual who despairs of where we’re headed, keep that in mind: you, and millions of others, “are all in this together.”
So I left the rally in a much better frame of mind than when I arrived.
Physically, alas, I was faced with the largely uphill return trip, and having biked three days in a row, my legs were heavier than the piles of money delivered to Trump’s pals by his Big Beautiful Bill.
PuffinlessTravel 
Thanks for this Jeff! I hope your legs have recovered!
It was an inspiring day. My legs are doing much better – thanks!
Perfect title, Jeff! Someone should make a coffee table book (showing my age/generation) of all the creative/inspiring/witty signs people have come up with for these rallies.
Thanks – if I post the puzzle I shared with you, this will be the new title. I’m a big fan of coffee table books, and that’s a great idea – it could even be turned into a fundraiser – Signs of the Times, or something like that.