Today was unforgettable. I spent the day monitoring hundreds of live streams from over 2,000 No Kings Day protests across America, I witnessed both the best of what this country can be and the terrifying reality of what we're fighting against.
From the flagship rally in Philadelphia where 60,000-80,000 people gathered, to the aerial shots of thousands packed around LA City Hall, to smaller gatherings in towns across rural America—millions of Americans said "no" to authoritarianism. They gave up their Saturday, braved potential federal prosecution, and stood up for the founding principle that brought this nation into existence: we don't bow to kings.
That Philadelphia rally particularly moved me. Listening to organizers remind the crowd that this flag—our flag—was first raised in defiance of tyranny, carried by Union soldiers against white supremacy, planted on D-Day beaches to crush fascism, and held high by civil rights marchers demanding justice. "Out of many, one," they chanted. "E pluribus unum." This is the America the world looks up to.
The contrast couldn't have been starker. While Trump celebrated his 79th birthday with a grotesque military parade—tanks rolling through DC like some third-world dictator's fever dream, sponsored by crypto companies selling VIP access—real Americans were peacefully exercising the very rights that make this country exceptional.
The Criminal Enterprise Revealed
But today also crystallized something darker that I've been investigating: the sheer criminality of this administration. The same company sponsoring Trump's authoritarian parade—Palantir—is deeply embedded in what appears to be a massive election fraud conspiracy involving ES&S voting machines and Starlink satellites.
We're still building the case, but the circumstantial evidence is staggering. Eaton Corporation purchased ES&S voting machines, then partnered with Peter Thiel's Palantir, which then did some mysterious "experiment" with Elon Musk's Starlink. The same people potentially manipulating our elections are now celebrating the dictator they installed.
They've corrupted our entire system for cryptocurrency—a Ponzi scheme that only pays out if they can force America to legitimize their fake currency. They've committed crimes against the Constitution, against immigrants being deported to El Salvador, against elected officials like Senator Padilla who was violently assaulted for asking questions.
The Minnesota Horror
The day began with heartbreaking news from Minnesota, where two state lawmakers and their spouses were murdered in what appears to be a politically motivated attack. No Kings flyers were found in the suspect's vehicle. This is where Trump's rhetoric leads—to blood on American streets.
When you normalize violence against elected officials, when you justify federal agents tackling senators, when you glorify authoritarian power, you create an environment where unstable people feel empowered to pick up guns and target Democrats. The blood is on Trump's hands, and on the hands of everyone in his administration who keeps legitimizing political violence.
The Torch We Carry
What struck me most today was the generational responsibility we bear. We get maybe 80 years on this planet, and we're given the torch of freedom from previous generations. Our job isn't to do this for ourselves—it's to keep that flame alive for the next generation and the one after that.
Trump, Musk, Thiel—they're doing this entirely for themselves. They're the richest people in the world, yet they're so spiritually bankrupt that they'll destroy American democracy for personal enrichment. Meanwhile, millions of ordinary Americans sacrificed their Saturday to march for ideals bigger than themselves.
America's Global Mission
People love to criticize America, but they forget what the world loses if we fail. Without America leading on human rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, democratic values—the flame dims everywhere. We're not perfect, but we're the beacon that other nations look to when they're fighting their own authoritarian movements.
The crowds in LA, Philadelphia, New York—they weren't just protesting for themselves. They were protesting for democracy everywhere, for the idea that people can govern themselves, that merit matters more than birth, that freedom is possible.
The Investigation Continues
The ES&S voting machine story isn't going away. Courts have started discovery processes, and we're going to get to the bottom of what happened in 2024. The same companies potentially involved in election fraud are now sponsoring military parades for dictators. That's not a coincidence—it's a criminal conspiracy.
These people are going to face justice eventually. Elon Musk himself said before the election that if Democrats won, he'd go to jail. He bought himself time by installing Trump, but he's still going to jail. They all are.
The Road Ahead
Today proved that the real America—the America of immigrants and dreamers and people who believe in something bigger than themselves—is still here. We're tired, we're worried, we're facing an unprecedented threat to our democracy. But we showed up.
The courts have been our last line of defense, and Tuesday's appeal on the California National Guard deployment will tell us whether even that protection remains. But regardless of what happens in the courts, today proved that the people haven't given up.
We carry the torch now. And we're not letting it go out on our watch.
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