Protestors at the No Kings! event in Indianola.
I drive a lot. Most rural people do. Google Maps tells me I drove approximately 121 miles and spent about one hour and 26 minutes on the road Saturday to cover the No Kings! events in Indianola and Des Moines.
In the Trump Dark Ages, so much is being destroyed so quickly that when I’m driving, it’s hard for me to listen to as much news on the radio as I could pre-Trump. There’s more trauma in the world than most of us can handle.
Given all of the conflict, I find myself listening to more music. I find it relaxing and empowering. A couple of years ago, my daughter Johanna showed me how to use Bluetooth to connect to music apps on my phone, but I’m old-fashioned and pretty much stick to the radio.
Besides, when she was a little girl, Johanna captured all of the presets on my radio and tuned them to the radio stations she liked, and whenever we were in my truck, she, my son Asa, and I listened to her preferred stations.
Even though she is now in Iowa City, living her best life, my radio dials remain tuned to her presets, even though I have no idea who most of the artists are, and they have changed several times over since when she and Asa used to ride with me every day.
So when I listen to her music while I drive today, it feels like she and Asa are still right there with me, which is comforting because whenever I drive, I’m never alone and am with those I love.
One day, when she was four or five years old, Johanna asked, “Daddy, why are most songs love songs?”
The last few weeks of driving while listening to Johanna’s music, one song in particular resonates with me, “Anxiety, performed by Doechii. When I listen to the song, I identify with the feelings the artist is sharing.
And yes, my family and friends know I’m wound pretty tight these days.
Until I looked up the YouTube video of the song to do this post, I had only heard it on the radio. Watching it, I realized that this young woman, and indeed all young women like her, have much more to be anxious about than I do. But still, the song makes me think that in my anxiety, if I focus, I can find power. And the choreography in this video is amazing.
I heard the song on my way to both the “No Kings” protests in Indianola and then again on my way to the one in Des Moines.
In Indianola, more than 200 people were lined up ten minutes before the event was supposed to start at ten. By 10:30, there were over 300 people there.
The people were united in their conviction that Trump is a criminal who is destroying America. I felt comfortable with these people as they are my kin.
Across the street, two men stood holding a Trump banner, and I went to speak with them. One was probably 40, the other 50. They laughed at me when I asked about Trump’s criminal convictions, telling me that it was a political hit job. They told me they felt like Trump is doing a great job, keeping criminals and fentanyl off of our streets, and that America is now a safer place with Trump in office. They said Biden and the Democrats had abandoned their responsibilities on immigration. Their Fox News talking points were familiar to me as I listen to MAGA Media nearly every day. The men said that both political parties are broken, and didn’t I agree? I did.
The older man told me that he suspected that if the people protesting across the street sat down with them, they would agree on most issues. He told me that he thought Trump was not a conservative, was of weak moral character, but was better than having a Democrat in power. He told me his number one issue was safety, and that Trump was handling that well by closing down the border.
“I love Hispanic people,” he said. “And I hate being called a racist just because I don’t want illegal immigration.”
The Des Moines Register reports that approximately 7,000 people attended the protest in Des Moines.
When the rally ended at 2:00, people didn’t want to leave. Hundreds kept hanging out.
About 2:30 or 3:00, I wandered down the hill and met my friend Jerry Uhlman for a beer at the Locust Tap. We looked out of the window and saw people with signs walking back to the Capitol. Jerry went to join other friends, and I stood up to follow those with the signs to see what was happening.
As I was about to walk out the door, the bartender said, “Wait,” and handed me a bottle of water for the road.
At the top of the hill, I found these women protesting while facing Grand Avenue. I asked them how long they would continue to protest, and they told me something like they would quit protesting when ICE stood down.
As I drove home listening to Johanna’s music, I realized that every sign, every conversation, and every chant at the rally was a kind of love song. Love of country, love of people of every hue, ethnicity, immigration status, or identity. Just a love song. If not a song, a love poem.
After all, ultimately, why do we protest?
Out of love.
Above is my friend Knoll Buddy singing his love and protest song “Citizen.” His song appeals to the shared humanity of masked troops and protesters.
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Robert, you mention the men whose information is Fox News. I have to believe that the current destruction and degradation of the US may be blamed to a significant extent on Limbaugh, Fox News, and Sinclair Broadcasting. They have propagandized a huge susceptible portion of Americans. Back when I was an Iowa State undergraduate '63-'66, all students were required to complete a 300 level English Dept course called "Propaganda Analysis." My guess is that it originated as an outgrowth of the early '50s "Communist Propaganda" fears post Korean War. I insist that anyone who can watch Fox News never had such a course or failed it miserably. These right wing propaganda purveyors are so transparent and blatant that they could easily pass as satire.
So what is it about lack of a piece of paper (immigration document) that makes someone unworthy to live in the US and a danger to us? Ted Bundy was born here ... Ditto for the guy who killed dozens in Las Vegas. I assume that about 98 percent of the murders and rapes committed in the USA are by men born here.