No Kings: We are in trouble if we expect the Dems to end war$

No Kings rally in Brunswick, Maine on October 18

Steve (left) and Eric from local group PeaceWorks

Lots of goofy costumes, American flags, soap bubbles, most signs reading just 'No Kings', and people in the crowd singing patriotic songs

Four of the eight people in the huge crowd with signs about Palestine. You'd never know there is a genocide going on with massive bi-partisan support!

Mary Beth and I spent two hours on Saturday carrying our signs through the enormous No Kings rally crowd in Brunswick, Maine. I'd guess the number was 1-2 thousand people. They were lined up for a couple blocks on both sides of Maine Street and pretty much filled up the town green.

The Democrat party run event had no sound system and without fail did no serious education of their voting base who showed up for the event. It felt more like a 'happening', a party, a festival, a circus. A campaign event.

MB and I repeatedly walked threw the crowd with our signs and I'd say I got about 30 friendly nods - and only a few positive comments. I handed out a couple dozen mini-flyers about Palestine. Most of the nods were sort of given to me in a quiet way - as if not wishing anyone else to notice. 

But the sneers and turning away as I passed were much more frequent from people who clearly did not approve of my sign's message which was 'Stop funding Israeli terrorism'. How could any living human being these days deny that Israel's genocide in Gaza and the West Bank is not terrorism?

One local woman courageously stood by the gazebo in the park and chanted the messages on a couple of the Palestine solidarity signs that were being held from the gazebo. Two of the Democrat organizers came up to her and told her to stop - that she was not allowed to chant. The chanting woman asked 'Wasn't freedom of speech one of the goals of the protest'? Apparently the Dems ignored the question.

During our time wandering thru the crowd with our signs I saw only two other signs that had a foreign policy link and they both were supporting the US proxy war by Ukraine aimed at Russia. Otherwise,  I saw nothing to do with Washington's $1 trillion a year war machine which now appears to be getting ready to attack Venezuela. 

My opinion of the No Kings events is they don't actually intend to address serious current issues. These rallies are preparation for the 2026 Congressional elections. (While walking thru the crowd I ran headlong into our Democrat Congressional Rep. Chellie Pingree.) 

The Dems are charging up their base, raising alot of money online from them, with the hope they can take back the Senate and House of Representatives. If the Dems can pull that off it will be back to 'business as usual' and the once agitated base will fall back into their usual slumbers.  The war spending will continue along with cuts in social programs and civil liberties attacks. Both parties are corporate controlled. 

It's a sad state of affairs politically across the nation. No real debate about Pentagon spending, foreign endless war$, surveillance society, digital economy, and much more - all left to be discussed by those on the fringes.

It was mostly an older crowd. Some younger people, who tend to care more about the topics I just mentioned, were indeed present but in much smaller numbers and few if any were taking on tough issues with their signs.

Bruce

PS If you want to see who funds these Democrat party front groups see here