I attended the No Kings rally in a nearby town in mid-Michigan last Saturday, and I wanted to share some of the things I experienced and observations I made. It was a last-minute decision to attend, and the day before I got a rush sign made at the local print shop, with all caps WAR IS A RACKET, and two QR codes for further reading: one for Smedley Butler’s booklet of the same name, and the other for Joel Andreas’ Addicted To War history comic. I made a pinback for my coat with a patch in support of Palestine mounted on craft foam as a backer; it’s been on my coat since wearing it to the event.
I went for different reasons than most attendees – to bring an anti-imperialist message, and to disrupt the liberal mindset that if Trump is gone, so will be all our woes, because that is simply untrue. The capitalist system that produced a Trump presidency is itself deeply problematic, but those who own it have been able to convince most Americans that it is the very best humanity can achieve. Those of us who have studied its history and policies know better. Trump would not have been possible in a truly democratic system that is the best humanity is capable of, and it was my goal to help people start to recognize that.
I did not go to the event expecting to immediately change the minds of people invested in US mythology, but I do hope that I helped plant a seed of doubt in their mind that might grow, much like seeds of doubt were planted in my mind by things I’ve experienced in the past – both in terms of capitalism, and the JW cult in which I grew up. Seeds are powerhouses of growth – literally (I’m a gardener) and metaphorically.
Initial Impressions
I arrived a few minutes earlier than the stated starting time, and didn’t see anyone gathering, so I sat in my car in the parking lot across the street and waited to see activity. It took a few minutes, but some people with signs and PA equipment began showing up, so I got my folding chair and sign, along with my bag – featuring a kufiya print and “RESISTANCE IS EXISTENCE” message – containing my water bottle, and made my way across the street. (I received the tote bag as a bonus item in an order from We Are The Peace, but it appears it is no longer in production. However they have many other excellent designs on tote bags and more. I’m not paid by them, I just like their stuff, and you might, too.) I was wearing my READ MICHAEL PARENTI shirt, however, it was so cold and windy that I had to wear my big coat, so nobody saw it. Perhaps another time in better weather it will help spur conversations.
I met one of the main organizers and asked where it would be best to put my chair since I cannot stand for long periods due to the spinal injury I suffered in November of last year. She gave me a general idea of the format, since I’d never attended one of these events prior, and I let her know I couldn’t walk in the march after the rally due to health problems. She said that was respected and that they understand not everyone can do it. She returned to setup and later returned (in a costume) to check in on me. I started out on the lawn, but as I saw people lining up on the sidewalk, I realized that if I wanted to have my sign seen, I’d need to relocate there too. I found a spot on the street side of the sidewalk near the parallel parking area in front of the community center and set up my chair there.
Many other signs I saw were focused on Trump personally and I while agree that he is vile, so are all US presidents – most have just had great propagandists spinning for them, to keep the ugly sausage-making of empire from public view, whereas DJT and his cabinet are just overtly terrible, without concern for maintaining an illusion of decorum. Focusing on him and his crew as the sole source of American’s problems is historically and materially inaccurate, but that’s also what these protests are designed to be – rallies and parades for (primarily white) Liberals acting as pressure relief valves to keep them loyal to the system, by attacking the current administration as an aberration compared to what they are accustomed in US politics. But obfuscated fascism is still fascism, and each side of the US political duopoly represents the interests of finance capital, which uses fascism to enforce the will of the capitalist class.
The Main Event
The rally included speakers, one of whom read the opening lines to the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I interjected to the people within earshot from my chair, “Except for these slaves we founding fathers own!”
Most people remained silent, but one woman thought about it for a minute, and then told me I was correct, and that those words were written about white men for white men. Based on other things I observed, she is likely a radical liberal who is starting to recognize that assumptions need to be challenged, but who is reluctant to leave the safety of the liberal cocoon.
Just as remaining in the cocoon means exhaustion, dehydration, premature hardening of the wings, then eventual death for the pupa, with their remains to be consumed by forces of putrefaction, so it will for liberals who refuse to metamorphose into the next life stage humanity requires in their politics. They’d do well to read Domenico Losurdo’s Liberalism: A Counter-History to understand Liberalism’s role in historical development. Liberalism has led to a Herrenvolk democracy – one in which a favored ethnic group holds power over other disenfranchised and ethnic groups. The Democratic party does not oppose that arrangement, and its outcomes provide them a great fundraising platform to use over and over again, as human “rights” fluctuate from administration to administration in the US. In fact, it pays influencers to boost and popularize the party’s internet presence, not unlike the GOP and Zionists. (I have done all of this uncompensated, and at a cost to my family.) You’ll note that they are not paying people to vehemently oppose genocide, and in fact, much of the Democratic party’s messaging is pushing back on opposition to the ethnic cleansing that is being done by Zionists in West Asia, including, but not limited to Gaza. It’s telling. There is a move by a DNC Committee member to reject AIPAC (Zionist) funding at this month’s meeting; we’ll see where that goes.
There was official acknowledgement, praise, and a call for applause for the local police who were patrolling the event from the podium, through which I bit my tongue and gritted my teeth as best I could. Conservatives embrace and celebrate fascism, and liberals tolerate it, because if they were truly anti-fascist, they would already recognize the role of US law enforcement in fascism. But I digress.
Many people who read my sign paused to consider what it meant, and mostly agreed with me. Some were more enthusiastic, others reluctantly acknowledged that it was true. I think the reluctance came as they quickly thought in their head about how their favorite Democratic presidents also conducted wars of aggression – a crime under the Geneva Convention. There was a family walking by where the parents seemed to be Trumpists showing their kids “the lib circus,” at least, that’s the vibe I got. One of their kids stared at my sign, craning their neck to look back as the family kept moving, and said “War is a racket? Is that like a tennis racket?” I hope that they look up the definitions of racket and keep pulling on the thread of what that means in the context of war. Maybe they’ll find Smedley Butler’s work. Maybe they’ll grow up questioning and then opposing the entire fascist system instead of embracing one faction of it, like their parents do.
MAGA Trolling
One townie was walking his dog on the sidewalk and the golden retriever mix made eye contact with me and smiled (if you don’t know that dogs smile, I feel bad for you) and I said “Who’s such a good doggo? You are!” and she wanted to come over for pets, which I would have gladly given her. But her guardian jerked her back on her leash, much to her shock, and said “She doesn’t agree with you, and neither do I.” I called after him as he continued walking, “Oh so you LIKE war?” He didn’t answer. In retrospect, I wish I would have said, “I was talking to her, not you.” Obviously he’s part of the other fascist faction in this country, the conservative/Republican/MAGA side. Both are wrong; in most cases the supporters among the working class are people who are deeply misled by propaganda and psychological operations, and have not developed their political and historical education, only stagnated in the Duopoly traditions that serve capitalists – not the majority of Americans.
There were, unsurprisingly, MAGA supporters who used the opportunity to express their disgust at any public gathering that doesn’t support their idol, and quite a flock of fingers flew by as they passed – always from their vehicles. There were two men walking around, one in a gaudy Spirit Halloween looking king costume – and I think they were MAGA trying to taunt the rally, but I only saw them pass by once, so I’m not sure that they stuck around long. I didn’t witness anyone reacting to them, so if they were there to try to “trigger the libs,” it seems they were probably unsuccessful.
I left after the rally as much of the crowd started their .75-mile parade march around the small town, during which they were instructed to pick up any garbage and leave things looking better than they were. I read on social media that a MAGA supporter coal-rolled the marchers, but he was pulled over nearly immediately by the police. I wonder if he was ticketed or simply warned.
The US Is Not A Monarchy, It’s An Oligarchy
The “No Kings” concept is in itself not an accurate portrayal of what we have in the US, even under Trump. He is not a monarch, he is a regular US President, and not the first to abuse his power.
A 2014 study by Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page in the journal Perspectives In Politics, entitled Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens determined that “policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans.” The authors demonstrate that interest groups and lobbyists backed by the tiny minority capitalist class control the policies of the US: “As to empirical evidence concerning interest groups, it is well established that organized groups regularly lobby and fraternize with public officials, move through revolving doors between public and private employment, provide self-serving information to officials, draft legislation, and spend a great deal of money on election campaigns. Moreover, in harmony with theories of biased pluralism, the evidence clearly indicates that most interest groups and lobbyists represent business firms or professionals. Relatively few represent the poor or even the economic interests of ordinary workers, particularly now that the U.S. labor movement has become so weak.” I wish more Americans would read their study, because it contains helpful insights into the structure of capitalism in its final stage, called Imperialism, that are useful for guiding our politics.
Imperialism – monopoly capital, finance capital, and robber barons – began roughly around 1898 with the Spanish-American War, and we’ve lived in it ever since. Make no mistake – the previous stages of capitalism were problematic in their own ways, which history bears out. Imperialism is the stage we are in now, and therefore my focus in this article. Imperialists use fascism as a tool to enforce the will of the capitalist ruling class, and while Trump’s administration is blatant in their utilization, they are not unique.
Many Americans see Mussolini and Hitler as the first manifestations of fascism, but in fact, both men and their movements were inspired by the history, policies, and practices of the United States and the British Empire. This has been well documented and analyzed, and plenty of reading exists on the matter. Liberal book clubs should consider including books on the subject in their rotation, along with texts showing the continuation of US fascism since World War II. Several options are available on the Comrade Birb Anti-Fascist Reading List:
Post-Event Pondering
Some of the people at these events might be reachable. We socialists should be helping them develop their historical and political understanding of the world beyond the restraints of the capitalist paradigm. I recognize this is a difficult task, because as with dealing with anyone who has been indoctrinated, helping them recognize it can be a battle. Full confession: I personally struggle with trusting anyone who’s been able to witness the live-streamed genocide in Gaza that’s been going on through the Biden and Trump administrations and not take a clear, visible, vocal stance against it. But that doesn’t mean that people can’t change. We all must start somewhere. I was once a Liberal myself. It is our duty as socialists to help people break free of their mental chains imposed by capitalist indoctrination. That said, I would advise existing socialist organizations not to give newcomers of any persuasion the keys to everything in their cadres until the newcomers have proven themselves trustworthy; there are plenty of opportunities to play a role in the transition to a more just system and not all require system access – some are best left at user access level.
I’m glad I went to the event, but it was also physically and mentally exhausting. I’m still recovering (I am disabled, AuDHD, and deeply traumatized). I hope that I can attend another or something like it, and hopefully help to get people thinking beyond Duopoly, beyond the rotten system of capitalism, beyond the settler-colonialism that spawned it and that it requires to keep growing continuously. I’ve taken what I learned from my experience there and I’m adjusting my approach to some things. I’ve started creating agitprop sign ideas and posting those to my social media; I will probably switch up any future signage to include these messages, and I’ll just use foam board from the Dollar Tree and large markers to hand write my sign rather than having something professionally printed. I have also thought about whether we should have a table for MIMAC (Michigan Mutual Aid Coalition) at the next event, offering bottles of water, hand sanitizer, masks, and radical zines, and need to investigate what that would require.
These events can be an opportunity to disrupt the capitalist propaganda machine, which includes both conservative and liberal messaging. Have you ever watched the Blues Brothers? Just like Bob’s Country Bunker offers “both kinds of music, country and western”, capitalism offers two styles: conservatism and liberalism. And in the same way, both are so closely similar as to be barely indistinguishable from anyone who has gotten outside of either the outskirts of Kokomo, Indiana – or the US political Duopoly. I hope that we socialists can reach these people and get them to see outside of their limited frameworks of reference and analysis. It’s vital that more Americans do, if we are going to be able to defeat fascism.
One of the most important points I took away from the event is that it was performative. What did it do, other than offer an emotional outlet for most attendees? It didn’t educate them politically, and it certainly didn’t place any demands on the system. I leave you with the words of Frederick Douglass:
Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reforms. The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle…
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roar of its mighty waters.
The struggle may be a moral one or it may be a physical one, or it may both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will. Find out just what a people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
In the light of these ideas, Negroes will be hunted in the North, and held and flogged at in the South so long as they submit to those devilish outrages, and make no resistance, either moral or physical.
Men may not get all they pay for in this world, but they must certainly pay for all they get. If we ever get free from the oppression and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and, if needs be, by our lives and the lives of others.
