On Marches, Strikes and being a keyboard warrior.

 This is not the America I grew up in.   

It occurs to me that those days are long gone, and that I am probably looking back on those days with rose colored glasses as well.   However there was a time in America when, if two parties disagreed, they could hammer out some sort of compromise.   Where opposing viewpoints were respected.   Where, if a heated argument did break out the chance of violence was very low.

I miss that America.   

Recently I was threatened with physical violence for something that I posted online.   I ignored the comment, I didn't bother to respond to it.  Not because I feared the person - I've no idea who they were, etc. - but because I am a pacifist.  To respond to violence with more violence makes little sense to me.  Plus, it's been my experience that such people are paper tigers.  

The anger that is felt however, by both the right and the left is very real.  I can not speak for all of course but I know much of my anger is being driven by unsatisfying work, low pay and high costs.  By decisions made at both the corporate and governmental level that have done little to improve the average life.   We all face the same issues no matter what our individual politics are.  As recent events have shown, even though you may plan for something accordingly, it does not take much to upset the proverbial apple cart.  

For me, something like Medicare for All not only makes sense but is inevitable.  For me, going to Green Power is just a matter of time.  I have based my conclusions on my understanding of economics, science and history.  Where as my approach may differ from someone else based upon there solid beliefs in a Free Market based health care system, and a distrust of "Free energy" or how solar and wind farms can be a blight on the landscape.  

Psychology Today published a wonderful article that sums it up neatly, in contemporary America, we are increasingly divided by feeling of resentment, humiliation and fear.  Both sides are driven by a set of grievances that are both real and imagined.  It is in the media's best interest as a money making machine to continue to highlight and agitate these grievances.  

I also believe in the rule of law, and it's this last part that truly bothers me.  Under the Trump administration we simply do not have a government that follows the basic principles of our Constitution or some of our core adjacent Principles.   Yes, I understand that America is full of moments where someone was above the law or justice was not served for what ever reason; but that equality of the law, the understanding of the law has always been clear.   Each person, citizen or not, has always been safeguarded by certain basic rights and freedoms under the rule of law.   That the laws were (in theory) applied equally to all.  That everyone, citizen or not, would have access to legal representation and that their rights would be upheld.  This is more important than ICE agents or the Military on our streets.   This has everything to do with how we see America and our rights as Americans.  

Which brings me to the topic at hand.  In the communities near me the No Kings rally's really have not been much of an issue that's been discussed, however a local parade in a town dominated by a Conservative Christian college had roughly 400 people attend.   Another nearby community had roughly twice that number.  Youngstown, Ohio which is not far from here had approx. 1200 show up in protest.  Roughly 10,000 people showed up in Pittsburgh,   What's interesting is that the 400 people that showed up in Grove City, PA was roughly was roughly 5% of the town's population.  Roughly the same with Youngstown, Ohio.  Roughly 3% of Pittsburgh's population protested..  

This is important do to a theory called the 3.5% rule. Research has shown that if 3.5% of any given population protests peacefully, the the government in power is soon out of power.   In the US, that would be roughly 11 to 12 million people.   It's been estimated that the last No Kings rally attracted 7 to 8 million people nationwide during the last rally's.

I've not attended any of these rally's yet, but I do have hope to do so.  What's next however, I don't have much hope in it's succuss, but I would not be writing about it if I didn't believe in it.   It's a Nation Wide General Strike planned for May 1, 2026.  

Strikes are always political, designed to showcase the power of the working class.    Where as the power of a strike is normally directed at one specific company, a general strike is directed at the government.   It's goal is to remind those in power to actually listen to the working class.   The problem is that everyone in the No Kings movement has there own reasons to be there.   For me, it's returning to the rule of law and secondly, to express support for Medicare for All and the environmental movement.

A general strike means a day of no work, school or commerce.   If  you do have to support a business the idea is to either support a local business or one that is supporting the efforts of the strikers.  Its about sending a message.   However, without focus, will the message work?  Would the strike?

There is a lot of anger out there, but it's not really "focused."  That's the problem.  Trump is an issue, but we are still not talking about the other issues, and until we do, we are just going to repeat the same mistakes.   

That's the problem.