This Saturday, June 14, from 11 am to 1 pm hundreds of concerned folks are expected to respond to a call for a No Kings roadside witness at Route 31 and McCullom Lake Road in McHenry. The event sponsored locally by Indivisible Mc Henry County is one of more than 1800 Day of Defiance rallies and marches nationwide. Chicago will hold one beginning with a rally at Daily Plaza at 2 pm. That will coincide with major Anti-ICE protests.
There is a palpable sense that we are at a tipping point between outright fascism and a successful resistance to oppression. Here is why…
Trump embracing--or molesting--the Flag.
Saturday is Flag Day, a Federal holiday of such relative obscurity that many folks hardly know exists. As a regular post here put it:
Flag Day, a demi-holiday easily overlooked is celebrated by displaying the American Flag….No other country on Earth makes quite the fetish of its flag as does the United States. The word idolatry comes to mind. At its worst it elevates the symbol—the Flag—over the substance—the democratic values espoused in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Constitution. It is an absolute truism that those who wrap themselves most in the Flag—and these day that is not just a figurative term—are the most disingenuous and dangerous.
It is also considered the birth day of the United State Army by the official creation of the Continental Army on June 14, 1775 during the Revolutionary War. That makes the Army more than a year older than the Independence. A 250 year anniversary is certainly a notable achievement and worthy of note. But no other significant milestones were celebrated with much hoopla beyond opening forts and bases to the public and some parade ground drill.
Oh, and little Donny Trump is having a birthday and thinks that a big, exciting, and intimidating grand military parade is better than clowns and balloons for his party. He loves parades and when he goes to Europe he gets green eyed with envy for things like France’s Bastille Day hardware display, Moscow’s May Day marches, and D-Day celebrations.
The French Bastille Day military parade was the porno for Trumps teeny erection for one of his very own.
In his first term the Fête Nationale in Paris inspired his desire for Fourth of July spectacular of his own down Pennsylvania Avenue. But the hubbub in the aftermath of his Capitol insurrection, investigations, impeachment drama, and resistance by the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoiled that dream. All he got was a delayed Veteran’s Day parade stripped of it heavy armor and missile launchers with few spectators and half-empty reviewing stands. So disappointing.
His recent European trip inspired him to try again linking the celebration to World War II victory which he says “We won” demeaning the sacrifices of Ally nations except for noting that the Soviets lost 55 million people (one of his plucked-from-the-ass exaggerations) but not their Eastern Front victories. Tying a bigger and better parade to the 80th anniversary was golden opportunity.
The Grand Review of the Armies in Washington after victory in the Civil War.
The parade he plans for Saturday is unprecedented. The Grand Review of the Armies in May of 1865 was an impressive troop procession of victorious armies. Homecoming parades of American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in 1919 after the Great War were also victory laps. But millions under arms scattered across the globe made any such mass grand display logistically impossible. Troops returning from Korea and Japan were barely acknowledged.
Trump had to dispatch the old Joint Chiefs and most senior commanders to elevate toadies who would not only let him have his precious parade but also be unqueasy about defying Constitutional restraint.
Heavy armored vehicles are already being positioned for Trump military parade this Saturday,
His big parade is more than just a boondoggle ego trip—it is a declaration of raw power and a threat to any and all who oppose his whims. He made that clear Tuesday. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office right after he spoke about sending the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests there. “If any protesters want to come out, they will be met with very big force.” He pointedly did not make any distinction between peaceful demonstrations and alleged rioting.
Repeated images of the same few incidents in Downtown Los Angeles gave the impression the whole city was in flames. It was not. Thousands demonstrated peacefully in the city and most residents went about their business unmolested.
As the timing of that threat makes clear, the danger is in sharper focus than ever in response to resistance to ICE workplace raids and kidnappings in Los Angeles. Thousands have taken to the streets to protest and to block raids. The militant, but largely peaceful demonstrations saw some street tussles and a few arrests. Some clashes did occur in a few block area of downtown LA including rock throwing, window smashing, vandalism, and a couple of car arsons. Repeated clips of the same incidents of TV and cable news gave the impression that rioting was widespread over the city. It was not.
It may have given Trump his Reichstag moment—a phony excuse to usurp dictatorial power. He first mobilized 2000 California National Guard troops invoking a claim of national emergency over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsome and a Constitutional prohibition of the use of the military against domestic civilians. Predictably the move inflamed the situation. Thousands more have taken to the streets. The Governor and President exchanged insults and threats. Trump and his lapdog emigration enforcement Czar threatened to arrest him and the Speaker of the House of Representatives suggested the being tarred and feathered was another alternative.
S peaker of the House Mike Johnson suggested the Governor Gavin Newsom be tarred and feathered.
Trump doubled down with more Guard call ups and 700 active duty Marines with combat vehicles and armed with live ammunition. Clashes in the downtown area escalated with the use of flash bombs, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Hundreds of arrests have been made mostly by the LAPD. Most Guardsmen have not been deployed on the streets and Marine officers have admitted that their troops have not been trained in crowd control.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have each suggested that similar deployments will be made to other sanctuary cities. That might be tested after the announcement of special immigration enforcement raids using armored vehicles in five Democratic cities including Chicago on Friday. Major resistance is expected in all of them.
California National Guard troops stand guard in front of the Federal Building in Los Angeles.
And on Wednesday Hegseth told a Congressional committee that he would not commit to being bound by any court decision against his deployment of Marines. “What I can say is we should not have local judges determining foreign policy or national security policy for the country.”
The concern is that clashes in those cities could open the door to a Declaration of Insurrection that would suspend Habeas Corpus, allow mass civilian detentions, override the courts, seize local governments, and possibly even suspend elections.
Events are unfolding faster than a mere blogger can keep up with.
Patrick- nokings.org lists a 12p start in Daley Plaza.
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