This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now.
This week has been tumultuous, to say the least, has it not?
We saw a sitting president of the United States send the armed forces into American cities, claiming that he had a right to do so because those cities had been invaded by foreigners.
Then we saw Israel strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Of course Iran responded. They have been going back and forth, and there really does not seem to be any real signs that it is about to calm down anytime soon. Given the volatility of the region, which feels like the international powder keg of our age, this actually could start World War III.
Our supposed leaders are playing with fire. In this case, quite literally.
Now yesterday, Dear Leader finally got his dream come true: the military parade worthy of a military dictatorship.
Which is, of course, what he wants.
At least, perhaps what he thought he wanted. But given the images - which we all saw - this may be a case of being careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.
Indeed, King Con Don got his North Korea-style parade in Washington. But there was a fraction of the people in attendance that was expected.
Oh, and that meant a fraction of the enthusiasm that officials seemed to be projecting. That included many Trump officials, who could be seen stifling yawns. Even Trump himself looked absolutely miserable. Then again, frankly, what else is new?
It was so quiet that at one point, video footage clearly captured the loud squeaking an old tank dating back many decades, rolling down that Washington street.
Images of the crowd size - and we all know how fixated King Con Don is with ratings and crowd sizes - showed a lot of empty seats in the stands specifically set up for this event. And on the nearby lawns, there sure seemed to be a lot of open space. A whole lot of empty space to fill up the empty enthusiasm and forced displays of what passed for patriotism. Yet, there were very few people in attendance to actually fill up all of that empty real estate.
Much more impressive were images from the many "No Kings" protests, which were held in cities all around the country. There were estimates that millions of people attended, all told. I heard estimates ranging from between five million to even eleven million.
Among some of those who attended were members of my family, which made me proud. My work schedule prevented me from taking part, but I was there in spirit.
While I cannot claim to know the definitive number, the crowds sure seemed simultaneously a lot more numerous, as well as a lot more enthusiastic, than the frankly pitiful crowds seen at King Con Don's embarrassing military parade.
This feels symbolic. It should serve as a reminder to this nation that it was founded on the principle that we Americans fought a revolution against one tyrannical and powerful king and rejected the idea of kings ruling over these United States.
So that is how I will end this particular post on a hopeful note. There have been a lot of frankly horrifying headlines and images this week, which seemed to confirm that this nation is headed in a more authoritarian direction. That we have a government hostile to the people itself, and willing to use military force to implement their tyranny. That the world more generally seems to be going to hell, with World War III more and more of a real possibility, if not even an inevitability. That we have a president who has only shown an endless appetite for more power, for more mindless loyalty from his supporters.
Yet, we also are seeing signs of another, more positive side from Americans, who are waking up and realizing that this is not the country that they have always known. That all of this is difficult to recognize and reconcile with our real traditions, such as democracy and freedom of thought and expression. That this nation has tried to maintain a system of checks and balances against would be despots who grow too power hungry.
On that note, let me end this by echoing the most positive sentiments from recent headlines:
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