OPINION: No Kings protest was patriotic

The Republican Party of New Mexico’s statement regarding the No Kings protests asks: “… What exactly does this movement stand for. Are they uniting Marxists? Supporting communism, Antifa, or even Hamas? Are they calling for anarchy?”

Finding out what the movement stands for is a great idea and could be answered by simply going to one of these events with an open mind and hearing what is said and reading the signs people carry. The other questions are innuendo and are based upon no actual information. The statement is also titled: “Democrat ‘No King’ Protest,” but it was not affiliated with a political party.

I attended the rally in Alamogordo, where more than 300 people met to peacefully and joyfully express their love of democracy, the Constitution, the separation of powers and their concern about where our current Federal government is heading. American flags abounded, and there was a great feeling of patriotism and love of the U.S. Signs and chants were focused on issues such as accountability in government, freedom of expression, equality for all, justice, the importance of science and of course personal opinions about President Trump (just as many Republicans had opinions about Joe Biden).

We long for leadership that works through collaboration rather than coercion, and through respect for elected representatives on both sides. These are things the movement stands for. The vast majority of passing drivers expressed support.

The rally, and others like it that I have attended, couldn’t be farther from accusations made by Republican leaders and their media.

Here are a few examples of the facts that motivate demonstrators against the current administration. President Donald Trump supposedly prioritizes the people, yet he pardons white-collar criminals who enriched themselves by scamming everyday citizens (example: George Santos, who ripped off his Republican donors). He claims to want science dominance — which we already have — but is drastically cutting research funding, suppressing results that are inconvenient for him, and using false narratives to go after universities whose research budgets are based on merit. He supports states’ rights when it’s convenient, but actively undermines many state level elected leaders. The President pardoned more than 1,000 insurrectionists (Jan. 6, 2021, cannot be sugar-coated). Yet he now seems so worried about insurrections that he lies about urban war zones and burning cities and sends in troops, overriding local leaders and putting our National Guard into situations where citizens may grow to resent rather than respect them.

President Trump’s dismantling of accountability mechanisms allows unelected bureaucrats like Russel Vought to overturn congressional appropriations while compliant Republican senators and representatives stand quietly by. Rather than “America First” and staying out of other countries’ internal affairs, Trump is trying to influence an Argentinian election, meddle in Brazil’s justice system and authorize covert operations in Venezuela.

Demolition of part of the White House — formerly also known as the People’s House — and Trump’s gaudy decorations emphasize how separate he is from the common people, a fact that is reinforced by his seemingly gleeful responses to mass firings of American citizens and the government shutdown. He is quite willing to use funds that are at least 50% provided by Democrats and independents, while vilifying half of his own country.

I am not a constitutional scholar, but I cannot imagine that the Founding Fathers went through all that trouble, nor that the troops under General George Washington suffered so grievously during the Revolutionary War, only to put in place a government where the president has complete authority — in other words, is a king. This is why No Kings is an essentially patriotic American movement.