OCTOBER 14, 2019 – . . . an attorney hoisting a large sign listing the federal statutes that he believed Trump had violated. They were framed as “Suggested Reading.”
“Ultimately it gets down to rule of law, doesn’t it?” I said.
“Yes it does,” he said.
We exchanged a ‘thumbs up,’ as we moved in opposite directions.
. . . an older couple standing toward the back of the protest crowd.
“I’m worried for our grand-daughter,” said the woman.
“This country is in serious danger,” said the man. “We’ve never seen such disregard for decency, rule of law, our allies, democracy, what’s right, what’s wrong.”
“How would you compare these times with Watergate?” I asked. “We’re way beyond that,” the woman said, and the man joined in. –“Yeah, way beyond.”
. . . two 50-something couples and a young man, the latter of whom was wearing a “Trump 2016” T-shirt. They stood huddled in the middle of Sixth Street just clear of the main group of demonstrators. They looked “suburban affluent.”
“Are you Trump supporters?”
“Yes,” one of the women said for the group.
“If you don’t mind my asking, can you tell me why?”
“Well,” the woman said, “there are things we don’t like about him, but the Democrats are so corrupt. It’s a case of the lesser of two evils.”
I then tried to give the women (the men found a diversion) some things to think about. They seemed to listen. As I prepared to move on, they actually thanked me for sharing my thoughts. I didn’t think I needed to ask about their primary news source.
. . . another older couple in the thick of the crowd. They owned a manufacturing company. They were articulate, knowledgeable.
“This president is bad news for our country in so many ways,” the man said. “If something doesn’t happen soon to reverse all the harm he’s done, the damage could be permanent.”
He went on to explain how the tariffs have already harmed their business.
“The worst of it though,” he said, “is that we’re now living in thoroughly Orwellian times.”
A helicopter appeared and hovered directly overhead. Many of the demonstrators were equipped with whistles. They all sounded at once, and I saw a sea of smartphones aimed at the chopper.
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© 2019 Eric Nilsson
