Tag : Rally

June 30, 2018 – Today was a hot one in Doylestown for the #FamiliesBelongTogether Rally at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown, PA. But that didn’t stop hundreds of people from showing up and taking refuge under the nearby shade trees lining the streets of Doylestown Borough near the Courthouse at 11 am:

This was a protest near and dear to my heart, being from a family – like most families here in the US – that derives from immigration. On my mother’s side, Brits, French, Germans, and Irish. On my dad’s side, Irish. My grandmother on my dad’s side was an Irish nurse from Arvagh, in the Republic of Ireland, who came as an immigrant to Philadelphia along with her husband – my grandfather, who came from Ulster in Northern Ireland. My father was a dual national of Ireland and the US, as am I, as is one of my uncles who lives in Manhattan.

We are lucky.

In the past few years, some conservatives have labeled me as “not a real American,” due to my two passports. As if I could only be from one place in the world as an American, how narrow is that? Migration – and the seeking of ever-better things for oneself and one’s family – is one of the best qualities of the human condition, and it has gone on for all of time. It will continue, because free will never dies.

As one who treasures my heritage and the stories it tells, I would like to see all of us tell ours in the US of A. Because, like it or not, if we’re not Native American, we came here from somewhere else – whether we came here of our own volition or were brought here against our will. I propose a national holiday called Heritage Day. Because this is our history, all of it. And those who choose to forget it are doomed to repeat it.

In the US right now, shamefully, we ARE repeating it. A vote for Trump was a vote against all those who served fighting Hitler’s army. It was also a vote against everyone who works, as Trump never has. Those who were duped by Trump’s appeals to tribalism, which is nothing more than divide and rob, were duped by the oldest ploy in the book: Playing one working class person against another for votes that enable oligarchs to continue their grandiose jobless lifestyles at the expense of us all. And our environment. And, and, and.

I was glad to see so many people out and acknowledging this under the midday sun in D-town:

Many sought refuge under trees, but nevertheless I became a source of sunscreen for those of us with sensitive skin:

Doylestown’s mayor, Ron Strouse (D), spoke early on in the rally, and talked about current levels of distrust of the government not being this high “since 1968.” I could not agree more:

Representative Helen Tai, who was just elected to the PA state house for district 178 also spoke, just after Mayor Strouse:

Lots of people asked me what my sign was going to say, and I didn’t know until the morning of the rally. The slogans came in a flash, and yet another two-sided placemat sign was born at the local UPS store:

Lots and lots of people tapped me on the shoulder and wanted a picture of this slogan! How can one look at oneself in the mirror, knowing where you and your family came from, and not want to swear like the sailors who brought so many of us over here?

It is such hypocrisy – and it is the worst form of “I Got Mine” that I’ve ever seen. And, being a cancer survivor in America, have I ever seen a lot of those.

But, I realized that people care. A lot of people, including some who fucking care (great sign!)…

…and others who simply care…

…and as always, Jesus was there to try to balance things out (and say he REALLY cares):

Some signs drove the biggest points home, ones we have to look out for, like this one, which reminds us that “legal” does not necessarily mean “just”…

This one brought to mind a quip that I’ve heard over and over: “For my friends, the world. For my enemies, the law.”

Some signs were very colorful, and featured the overall themes for the nationwide protests going on today:

Some reminded us that this has all happened before, so what’r’we doin’?

Yep…

One sign quoted Simon & Garfunkel…and this has got to be the favorite line from one of my favorite songs of all time, that rang true today so well:

And yet others kept it short and simple (and spot on):

But my favorite signs are like this one…and they can be seen on lawns and porches all over Doylestown, and in so many other places across the country, they are just great!!

And in parting, please click the little circle with the “+” sign on it at the top right of this page and GET ON IT!!!

Now more than ever,
Alison

Saturday, April 15, 2017. A day that will live in infamy. In a big “fuck you” to the American public, the US president, who was not elected, elects not to share his tax returns. I – along with my boyfriend and several thousand others – decided to publicly make our demand for accountability known.

A crowd gathered at Thomas Paine Plaza at 14th and JFK in Center City on this not-too-cold day in anticipation of the 2017 Philly Tax March, which would take marchers around Philadelphia City Hall and down Market Street to Independence Hall. An enterprising group offering to recycle signs occupied one corner of the Plaza while great sign after great sign walked by…one that nailed white male privilege right on its head, another that offered a writerly theme…and even T-Rex showed up:

  

My sign was actually one of many that shared the same theme, “If You Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine.” There were quite a few of these, but they always got a laugh.

That said, the fact that a sitting US president has refused to show his taxes to the public only says one thing – and that is everything. It tells me he has lots to hide. It also tells me that his followers – this is President Twit after all – accept him at his word, and are neither intellectually curious nor are they concerned with democratic principles that center on accountability and transparency, which the crux of the issue here.

The march ensued, taking us to Independence Hall, where we heard several speakers calling for accountability – and where I saw the best protest sign – or was it a protest salad bowl, complete with sugary-swampy gummy worms? – of the Tax March:

This was an instant classic!

As for those seeking public office who don’t want to show their financials, take a hike…and not at Camp David, aka Catoctin Mountain National Park in Maryland, where the state Senate has approved a bill to require presidential candidates to release their tax returns.

This is a silver lining of the erection of Donald J. Trump is that state legislative efforts have taken on critical importance, and have refocused our efforts on winning state and local elections. This will take time, money and effort, but we’re doing it. There simply is no other choice.

It amazes me that the United States – where presidents have held a tradition of releasing tax returns since Gerald Ford – would be willing to turn the other cheek for an obvious grifter like Trump. But I am glad to see states writing and passing strategic legislation such as this in an attempt at codifying democratic principles and common sense into law – and that also raise the bar for those running for president. After a reality TV actor with a shady financial past gets in, accountability and transparency are more essential than essential has ever been.

Resist on,

Alison