We smashed the State yesterday. You’re welcome.
Herself and I were part of a crowd guesstimated in the thousands that piled into Civic Plaza for our local Hands Off! rally, taking a raucous stand against fascism.
We carpooled with two friends to the thing, and met up with a few others at the plaza. Frankly, I was not expecting a big turnout — the “high” temperature of 43° just missed the record low, set in 1983, by a single degree — but I was delighted to be proven unsmart as per usual.
In Bibleburg it was easy to think we were the only libtards in town, though we knew better; it just felt that way sometimes. As in almost always, especially during election years.
In Duck!Burg, we’re surrounded by fellow travelers — but even here, with the endless cascade of caca pouring out of DeeCee, some days it seems that no umbrella, no matter how all-encompassing, can keep the stink off you.
So, yeah — even I, Captain Cynicism, was moved to see the throng hooting and hollering along with emcee Robert Luke, legendary activist Dolores Huerta, Mayor Tim Keller, former Interior Secretary turned gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, state Attorney General Raúl Torrez, former Albuquerque poet laureate Mary Oishi, and others.
There were so many excellent, creative, handmade signs in evidence that I regretted dogging it and downloading prefabs from the Hands Off! people. My faves included “Shut Your Heil Hole,” the ever-popular “Elect a Clown, Expect a Circus,” and “Deport This Pendejo,” with an image of everyone’s favorite Swasticar salesman. There was even an excellent “Chingatumaga” placard, which we praised to its grinning creator.
So, props to Hands Off! and their partners for pulling off this nationwide dance party, which grabbed a whole lot of headlines. Now, the question is … where do we go from here? Or as that old troublemaker V.I. Lenin put it, “What is to be done?”
Mad Blog Media 
When I grow up, I want to be like Patrick and Shannon!
If you had really thought about and written your own sign, it would have made national news. I don’t think trumpleforeskin could weather a “Foaming Rant.”
If I really got off on a rant I’d probably have to use a sandwich board instead of a sign, with a jumpline:
“Continued on Back Page.”
My friend from down the street had the equivalent of a sandwich board.
We saw some truly elaborate setups that were more like art than simple signs. Very imaginative. I wanted to photograph a few of the really cool ones, but decided to stick to basic crowd shots, not wanting to come off like someone’s crazy grandpa at the family picnic, or worse, a fink for the FBI.
I have a friend up this way who saw people taking notes and photos, thus concluding it was a fink for a MAGA agency. Let’s see if I can get into my building this week.
My favorite sign was one with a big picture of Smokey the Bear, with the inscription underneath: Only You Can Prevent Fascist Liars.
Some people are just born informers. Drop a dime, any time.
I saw a couple young folks who looked like Black Bloc types, with the characteristic clothing, masks, and backpacks. I kept an eye on them for a while, but they seemed harmless.
Last time we bumped into that crew was in Bibleburg, during an Iraq War protest at Palmer Park. They started acting the fool on Academy Boulevard at Maizeland, blocking traffic, and the gendarmes broke out the tear gas. Spoiled the atmosphere in more ways than one.
Same here on the sign-art. Quite a few Canadian flags, too. I wish I had remembered the lyrics to “O, Canada”. Or at least rummaged around for a Montreal Canadiens hat.
No window smashers up here. There were some younger folks wearing K95 type masks up at the Roundhouse protest, but they looked innocuous, unlike the typical Black Bloc types. There were some scowling people with “Free Palestine” signs, but no one was trying to pull a Monty Python People’s Front of Judea skit. Was a peaceful and exuberant crowd up here, with most everyone focusing on the cesspool in Dee Cee.
One carload of people waving big Trump signs drove by as we all hiked up to the Roundhouse. But they were also waving at us with all five fingers extended, so we waved back with all five extended. No point in getting into shitfests on a nice, snowy Saturday. My better half noted the heavy snowfall as we were walking back home (we live a little less than a mile and a half from the Roundhouse, so used the Shoe Leather Express to get there and back), suggesting it was a good omen, given the drought.
One of our friends is Canadian, married to a Yank, two kids, both born here. She plans a visit to the folks back home this summer and is understandably concerned.
As if traveling from here to the Great White North and back with a couple of squirts isn’t rough enough, right? You gotta take the chance of some border guard deciding you’re an advance scout for a Mountie invasion, tossing you into the clink, and sending the kids to a MAGgot re-education camp in Turdreich, Idaho.
Best man at my first marriage was my best friend from high school, Kevin, son of two Canadian immigrants from Montreal. Hence my loyalty to the Canadiens. Kevin’s dad played semipro hockey up there before getting a job with NY Telephone.
I was born and was a kid in spitting distance from the Peace Bridge. I still can’t believe I need a passport to cross that border. It’s just ridiculous.
I have a good friend that lives in the free land north of the border. Due to a circumstance that was mostly her doing, the US dropped her off at the AlCan border at Beaver Creek with a please do not return card. The last this friend inquired of her, she was doing reasonably well working as an Engineer and had a piece of land within site of the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
I’m really pissed that the barely elected buffoon of this societal circus is screwing with the friendly allied relations of this country.
And where was the “uno naranja grande y gordo” on Saturday..? Playing “cheaters” golf while worldwide economies crater. Tiene un cerebro hecho de puré de manzana. And that is being generous. Tariffs on penguins and seals..? In plain, brutal simple English… dats batshit stupid.! Miss Mia Sopaipilla for President in 2028. Cuz cat know better.!
If the DOGEbags want to save a few centavos they should get Arnold Palm-Hair to 86 his golf getaways. A million here, a million there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.
Good for you for joining the protest OG. The Orange Clown should have been a magician, he made a lot of money disappear, even mine, and I had absolutely nothing to do with him being elected. I read an article on CBC (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/canada-us-tariffs-north-south-dakota-farmers-1.7502342) about farmers in South Dakota (where he got 68% of the vote) were complaining about how bad the tariffs were effecting them. Hard to feel sorry.
Sigh. I think we all agree that stupidity should be painful. But the pain should be confined to the stupid.
Alas, the rest of us get to share it.
It’s worse than measles. At least there’s a vaccine for that.
We’ve been here before. We got through the mess last time.
Stay the course…
The only thing that stands between him and a third term is the courts or death. Will the judicial branch power check him? I am not optimistic. This time is different.
Yeah, I think so too. This one is different. The guard rails are failing.
I agree. The ground beneath squalid golf buffoons remains stable for only so long. History indicates to us that we shall repeat it, but then we recover and move on. The sooner the better.
Thank you to all who have participated in Hands Off events recently. Your pooled efforts are appreciated very much. As Mr. Roddenberry most likely would have said, “Live Long and Protest”.