No Kings Rally draws 1,600 to downtown Fayetteville

Ellie White-Stevens
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No Kings Rally draws 1,600 to downtown Fayetteville

Ellie White-Stevens
Share this Post
Views 3417 | Comments 68

More than 1,600 people gathered in downtown Fayetteville on Saturday for the second “No Kings” rally organized by Southern Crescent Indivisible of Georgia.

The event, held on the courthouse square, was a follow-up to the group’s June rally, which drew 1,122 participants. Organizers said the crowd represented a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and viewpoints, with many participants carrying homemade signs and wearing costumes.

“The purpose of the protest was evident with thousands of signs clearly expressing the many ways our democracy is in serious peril,” said organizer Irene Cheyne, co-founder of Southern Crescent Indivisible of Georgia. “It was wonderful to be among caring, concerned, and courageous people—none of whom were paid to be there—who represented and respected each other.”

Cheyne said the rally’s message centered on protecting democratic institutions and encouraging civic participation. Supportive honking, live music, and drumming filled the square during the event.

Southern Crescent Indivisible of Georgia was founded in Fayette County in February 2025 and now serves nine surrounding counties: Butts, Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Pike, Spalding, and Upson. The group has more than 300 active members and has organized 48 demonstrations this year.

Several attendees shared their reasons for joining the rally.

Elaine Beraza, a Fayette County resident, said she attended with a friend undergoing treatment for leukemia. “She is a part of a clinical trial,” Beraza said. “Future medical research has been decimated. Her ACA premiums will more than double in 2026. The Trump regime is cruel and vindictive. The Hatch Act is a joke and there are no laws or norms that this administration will not break or ignore. The Oligarchs bend the knee and are rewarded with more money while everyday Americans, especially our children, suffer.”

Stephanie Sisk, who attended with Roger and Beckie Sloan, said the rally underscored the importance of civic engagement. “This rally was important to us because we all need to speak out and defend our democracy,” Sisk said.

For Janie Noller, the gathering represented a chance to defend the country’s progress toward equality. “It was important to me because while America has never lived up to its ideals as expressed in the Constitution and The Bill of Rights, we have made great strides towards equal rights for all,” Noller said. “It is devastating to see the progress we’ve made destroyed.”

Ellie White-Stevens

Ellie White-Stevens

Ellie White-Stevens is the Editor of The Citizen and the Creative Director at Dirt1x. She strategizes and implements better branding, digital marketing, and original ideas to bring her clients bigger profits and save them time.

68 responses to “No Kings Rally draws 1,600 to downtown Fayetteville”

  1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
    Stranger Than Fiction

    For all of you who are downplaying POTUS’ heavy hand because it removes those undesirables, remember Ben Franklin’s warning: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

    The cost of a police state — even one that gives you what you think you want — is far too high.

  2. Diane Strube Avatar
    Diane Strube

    The whole notion of “No Kings” is that regular Americans, democrats and republicans, working to provide for their families and communities, should not be destined to be ruled by an upper class of wealthy billionaires. Although President Trump is a symbol of a King in so many ways, the No Kings movement is not about our current president.

    For decades now, the wealthy have been lobbying for legislation that enables them to use our country’s resources to increase their wealth, while the middle class and poor have been asked to work harder, and longer, receiving a more modest lifestyle than their parents had. There is not just one king ruling our country, but many kings, and those kings do not have the same integrity as the wealthy industrialists of the 19th and 20th centuries, nor were those Titans of the past as exponentially wealthy as the kings ruling us today. The business giants of past centuries were often benefactors and philanthropists, working for the betterment of society. Why do our current billionaire kings prefer to engage in amassing more wealth than they can possibly spend in several lifetimes rather than use their resources to help feed children or cure the sick?

    This is not a democrat or republican issue. Integrity of the wealthy is the missing ingredient We are all going to die, one day, even the wealthiest of the wealthy. What legacy will remain from the actions of today’s Kings? What will your legacy be for your children and grandchildren?

    1. the_wing_t Avatar
      the_wing_t

      Diane – the notion of “No Kings” might be non-partisan, but anyone who looks at one of the rallies can see it is blatantly an anti-Trump rally. I agree that we don’t need career bureaucrats in DC – Schumer, Pelosi, Nadler, Boxer, as well as McConnell, Ted Stevens, Grassley, and Biden all made their career and their wealth in DC. That’s not right. But the only one being protested at your rallies is Trump……..so what you say doesn’t mean quite as much as what we see with our own eyes.

  3. Don Haddix Avatar
    Don Haddix

    Good news. Trump is giving missiles to NATO who will gibe them to Ukraine.

  4. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
    Benjamin Ferencz

    Can we please bring back civics education in our schools? The comments I see so often online reveal how deeply the lure of authoritarianism has infected our political discourse. Too many Americans have forgotten what democracy actually is and what it demands of us.

    This isn’t about hating leftists or right-wingers. It’s about recognizing that one political movement, Trump and the party that follows him without question, has abandoned democratic norms entirely. They have turned away from the rule of law, from accountability, and from the very Constitution conservatives once claimed to revere. If you truly believe in conservatism — in limited government, fiscal restraint, and moral responsibility, then you should be furious that those values have been gutted and replaced with cultish obedience to a single man. Start a real conservative party again. One that doesn’t worship power for its own sake.

    It isn’t the left that’s radical. My political ideals—freedom of speech, equal rights, healthcare as a human right, responsible governance, and respect for the law — haven’t changed in my entire life. What’s changed is the right’s willingness to burn down the republic to protect one man from facing consequences for his actions. I used to debate my conservative colleagues about budgets and policy priorities. Now, I find myself forced to argue over whether my daughter should have the same rights as everyone else. Whether a president should be immune from the law as though he were a king. Whether lawfully documented residents — who have committed no crimes — deserve to be “disappeared” to secret detention sites, stripped of due process, just as the German regime once did to people they deemed “undesirable.”
    That isn’t conservatism. That is authoritarianism, clear as day!

    Democracy doesn’t survive because people agree, it survives because we agree on the rules. The rule of law. Free elections. Checks and balances. No one above the Constitution. When a political movement attacks judges, the press, educators, and even the peaceful transfer of power, that is fascism. There is absolutely no way around that word.

    So I ask those who still defend Trump and his enablers: do you have any decency left? Have you forgotten what it means to be an American; not in flag-waving or slogans, but in principle? You have traded the hard, imperfect work of democracy for blind loyalty to a rapist billionaire who mocks veterans, undermines courts, and demands immunity from justice.

    Democracy is not self-sustaining. It lives or dies based on the courage of its citizens. And right now, defending it means rejecting authoritarianism, no matter what party it comes from.

  5. drdrakeramoray Avatar
    drdrakeramoray

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16K7DM1WUo/

  6. vics1966 Avatar
    vics1966

    What if cities are safer in 3 years?
    What if your children are safer in 3 years?

    1. the_wing_t Avatar
      the_wing_t

      Doesn’t matter to the loons who are so desperately anti-Trump that they can’t even acknowledge the good he does. Securing our borders? They scream about due process (which isn’t entitled to foreigners who avoided due process by sneaking in here illegally). Eggs dropping from over $6.50 a dozen on Inauguration Day, to $1.50 a dozen now? Crickets. Crime dropping in places where he’s taken action? NO KINGS they scream. You cannot reason with loons and kooks. These are the same nut jobs who believe a man can become a woman by taking some hormones and by saying they feel like a woman. These folks are gone from reality. I truly don’t see a way to reason and come to terms with people who cannot acknowledge simple truths – that have suddenly been turned upside down by this rotten leftist mindset.

      1. TheodoreDwightWeld Avatar
        TheodoreDwightWeld

        What does the word “any person” mean to you? See the 14th Amedment below you bigot that cares about people’s genitalia the point of obsession. How does what someone does with their body affect you personally?

        “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

        1. the_wing_t Avatar
          the_wing_t

          Do you really believe the founders intended this to include foreign invaders?

          1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            Actually, the constitutional definition of invasion is quite specific you fascist, it’s not just about crossing a border. It refers to a hostile, armed incursion into a state or the nation’s territory. That means it requires both entry and enmity, an act of aggression, not merely presence.

            Historically, the framers understood an invasion to mean a forceful, unwanted intrusion by an enemy, whether that enemy was a foreign nation or, in some interpretations, organized non-state actors like pirates or armed militias.
            So, calling immigration, even illegal immigration, an “invasion” is simply incorrect. Entry alone, without hostile intent or organized aggression, does not meet the constitutional or legal definition. It’s a distortion of language meant to provoke fear, not a reflection of law or history.

          2. the_wing_t Avatar
            the_wing_t

            Sounds a lot like Tren de Aragua…..wouldn’t you agree?

          3. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            No, when I think of hostile, armed incursion, I think of the traitors of January 6th because the largest threat to our democracy is domestic terrorism.

          4. the_wing_t Avatar
            the_wing_t

            Two problems here: 1- where were the arms on Jan 6? Not in the hands of the protestors. 2 – As more and more details dribble out, you start to see that Jan 6 was egged on by the FBI/CIA/Feds who were inciting violence, smashing doors, and encouraging people to enter the Capitol…..yet those folks haven’t been apprehended……seems a little “sus” as my kids would say.

          5. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            So you don’t believe your own eyes. I’m kinda done talking to you. What you just stated was don’t believe your lying eyes. You are such a fascist man.

            It was the most photographed and video taped crime in history. We all heard what Trump said and he is still saying it. We all saw those traitors on January 6 spraying bear mace, tasing cops, and threatening to hang the Vice President.

      2. TheodoreDwightWeld Avatar
        TheodoreDwightWeld

        How many Trans people do you actually know Wing T?
        This is not a national issue, the is an issue that can be taken up in individual communities. It’s like 3 people

        1. the_wing_t Avatar
          the_wing_t

          It doesn’t matter if I know 1 or if I know 100……the biology doesn’t change. 10 million Germans under Hitler could’ve believed the “great solution” was the right course of action – it still didn’t make it right.

          1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            What even is this comparison?

  7. ps0kmm Avatar
    ps0kmm

    Thank you MyCatBill….Your post pretty much says it all. I sure miss The Citizen of days gone by…This article pretty much declares that any politically balanced journalism is not going to be something to expect in future publications. I know, I have a choice whether to read it or not; thank you first amendment. It also helps me who to locally support with my hard earned dollars by who buys ad space….
    To quote Barrack Obama, “elections have consequences”. Relax, there will be other elections in the future where the minority will have to endure, regroup and try again if the outcome wasn’t what they hoped for.
    P.S. These rallies probably would have had a different effect had the organizers left the “No Kings” angle out of it….just sayin’

    1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
      Benjamin Ferencz

      You folks are so blind. Journalist have an impossible task of trying to seem “balanced” while reporting on political parties that believe in democracy and the other authoritarianism and fascism.

      How do you balance that? How are you impartial to a political party protecting pedophiles being run by a rapist who has destroyed the rule of law and democracy.

      1. ps0kmm Avatar
        ps0kmm

        Wow, I’m thankful you’re not my neighbor. There wouldn’t be a wall tall or long enough between us. It’s hardly an “impossible task” for a skilled journalist…
        Journalist
        Person who collects, writes, and distributes news and other information
        A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This process is called journalism. (Wikipedia)

        Destroyed the rule of law? Try upholding the law…

        P.S. Just went to the eye Dr. last month and I’m far from blind….Maybe you should have your eyesight checked along with a hearing test? Or, try not believe everything you see and hear on MSNBC, PBS and the national “news” on the three network stations. My gut tells me otherwise though…It’s probably just TDS which IS curable.

        1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
          Benjamin Ferencz

          Could you imagine if Biden raped a woman in a dressing room or possibly raped children? Could you imagine if Harris sent our military to the streets of our cities, could you imagine if Biden released a video of himself wearing a kings crown dropping poop on peaceful Americans? Could you imagine if Obama ran a crypto scheme to make bank off of the office of the president?
          Could you imagine if Biden tore down the east wing of “The Peoples House” while simultaneously stripping away SNAP benefits? I wonder what would have happened if Biden started an insurrection to overturn the will of the people? I wonder what would happen if Obama had a tv host fired because he couldn’t take a joke?

          1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            You folks are so far gone.

          2. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            My point being, any one of those things should be disqualifying and the media didn’t do job.

          3. My.02 Avatar
            My.02

            Ben – You seem to have a lot of time on your hands, and a lot of questions. As your kind neighbor, let me help you with the answers.

            Could I imagine Biden assaulting a woman? No imagination needed: Tara Reade. Or a child? Yep: Joe’s daughter Ashley Biden admitted in her diary about ‘showers with dad’ as well as fears she was ‘molested’. (DailyTelegraph NZ 5/15/24)

            Whether anyone could imagine Harris as President aside, I could imagine a President sending in the military to restore order in our cities where federal officers, buildings and vehicles are under attack by far-left Antifa-types, or police are overwhelmed and crime is out of control.

            I’m not a fan of the poop dropping video. Humorous, perhaps, but not what I want our president to do. And no, I could not see Biden doing it. He could barely speak or walk, so that would be far too complicated for him, and Auto-Pen too.

            I noticed you switched to Obama as your crypto scheme example, since we all know Joe was hip deep in sketchy schemes to shakedown foreign countries with son Hunter.

            What’s the crisis over the East Wing with you all? America is getting a beautiful addition to the White House donated by Trump. Seems like a sweet deal for us.

            The folks who are denying SNAP benefits are the Democrat Senators like Georgia’s own Ossoff and Warnock who repeatedly vote to keep the federal government closed.

            Biden was part of the ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ lie with Obama, Hillary et al to tarnish, impeach and convict Trump that would have overturned the will of the majority of voters, so again, yes.

            What president had a tv host fired because he couldn’t take a joke? Are you talking about Jimmy Kimmel, who was suspended by Disney for lies about Charlie Kirk’s murder? The one who was reinstated days later and “apologized”?

            Your degree must be from MSU. Make Stuff Up.

  8. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
    Benjamin Ferencz

    Right-wing politicians tried to smear the nationwide rallies as “Hate America” events. But what happened on October 18 was the opposite: a mass affirmation of the country’s founding ideals.

    Try it, MAGA—get 8.2 million Americans to march for democracy, equality, and the rule of law. You can’t, because those principles aren’t what your movement stands for.
    The protesters’ signs and songs weren’t about division or revenge. They celebrated the core American values of free speech, accountability, and self-government. That is precisely what terrifies Trump and his allies. They depend on cynicism and fear; democracy depends on participation and courage.

    In response, President Trump posted an AI-generated video of himself piloting a fighter jet labeled “KING TRUMP,”wearing a gold crown and dropping excrement over U.S. cities, onto protesters below. The grotesque image wasn’t just crude, it was revealing. It symbolized contempt for the American people and the democratic principles they were exercising.

    Those who mock these marches as “anti-American” reveal their own fear of what true patriotism looks like. They confuse obedience with love of country and mistake submission for strength. But the Founders knew better. America was born out of protest out of the conviction that no ruler is above the law and no people should live under the thumb of a king.

    1. the_wing_t Avatar
      the_wing_t

      Congrats on the successful rally. Still No Kings in the USA. Your rallies work. Keep up the good work! Although… ours work better – we last had one on November 5, 2024, and it was so successful that there’s no need for us to rally anytime soon. We’re too busy enjoying life, liberty, and the pursuit of illegal aliens.

      PS – Congrats on the 8.2 million turnout….which coincidentally is slightly larger than the 6,249,543 that DIDN’T show up in 2024 to vote for your crazy, drunk, word-salad mouthing candidate but apparently did show up in 2020 to vote for the Autopen president. If only your rally-goers would have shown up then.

      Here’s some free advice……sit back, relax, pour yourself a drink or light up something and smoke it if that’s your style. Everything’s going to be ok. Enjoy the peace and prosperity that the next 4 years will bring you, even though you didn’t vote for it. And in 2028, we’ll vote in Trump for 4 more years and give you more peace and prosperity and i’m sure you’ll be every bit as ungrateful then as you are now.

      Roll Tide.

      1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
        Benjamin Ferencz

        You’re in a fascist cult man. I don’t know what else to tell you other than you are an Un-American piece of garbage ruining this country for my children.

        You don’t know the first thing about liberty. Republicans are as we speak, ripping away liberties from Americans, while simultaneously mocking it.

        My god as you said sit back and “light something up” news flash—we can’t light one up, because we are not at LIBERTY to do that, because that thing Republicans claim to be so against—government overreach.

        1. the_wing_t Avatar
          the_wing_t

          Thank you for your kind words. I can tell you’re stressed about 7.5 more years of Trump and then 8 years of JD Vance after that. Have no fear – we won’t hunt you down, it’s only illegal aliens that are being hunted down and “disappeared” as so many on the quacky side of the aisle like to claim. You seem like you should be ok. Or are you here illegally and your kids are anchor babies? If that’s the case – then you might want to start watching over your shoulder, the secret gestapo is rewarding us fascists for narcing on their neighbors.

          Either way – you’ll be fine. Just lighten up, relax, and try turning off the media and news for a while. It’s how us fascists got through 4 years of Obama pulling Biden’s strings and controlling the autopen.

          RTR

          1. the_wing_t Avatar
            the_wing_t

            PS – if you’re going to idolize someone and use them as your moniker, why not choose someone taller? I’m guessing some of that anger you’re repressing is short man syndrome too?

          2. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            There we have it folks, living breathing fascism in our community on full display and very proud about it, no doubt.

            Is there a Republican on here that agrees with this traitor?

          3. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            Let me rephrase that. Are there any Republicans that also want to document themselves as a fascist, so when democracy returns and we have Nuremberg style trials we know where to look for Nazis?

          4. Don Haddix Avatar
            Don Haddix

            Trumps has 3.5 years left

            Cruz 2028.

            Vance? no.

          5. Don Haddix Avatar
            Don Haddix

            Sadly, Trump is wrong on Russia. Trusting them is a fool’s game.

          6. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            Trump is an autocrat, so it only makes sense that he turned Americas back on all our democratic allies and chose to ally with countries like Russia, El Salvador, and Hungary as well.

            How Republicans are so blind to this shows the lure of fascism.

      2. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
        Benjamin Ferencz

        “Roll Tide”, cmon Twing, we all know you didn’t go to college.

        1. the_wing_t Avatar
          the_wing_t

          C’mon Don……don’t ruin my fun. Let Ben think we actually want King Donald for an unchecked reign of power, so he can keep wasting his time fighting a mythical king. Ted Cruz though??? No thanks….too much of a career politician.

          Ben – l love that you show your typical liberal disdain for anyone who appears to not be as “highly educated” as you. You might be able to buy a diploma but you can’t buy common sense or decency. Maybe I did go to college and graduate with honors, or maybe I didn’t. That’s a moot point and it’s irrelevant to the issues being discussed. I see a lot of college graduates nowadays with worthless degrees who cannot think critically and have no marketable skills. The value of a college education today isn’t worth what it was 30 years ago, unless you’re in a profession that requires it (health, law, sciences, etc)

      3. vics1966 Avatar
        vics1966

        Well said “Wing”…it gets a bit tiresome to read the esoteric liberal comments that satisfy their subculture group think…I prefer to look at results and common sense….we all see and experience the results of the Biden years with no common sense…how will liberals react if the world continues to improve as they are dragged kicking and screaming along with those of us who actually know how to save America?

    2. MyCatBill Avatar
      MyCatBill

      Ben – This article sparked my curiosity. What is Southern Crescent Indivisible of Georgia (SCIG), and what role do they play in this “spontaneous nationwide grassroots protest”? How “grassroots” is SCIG?

      SCIG’s purpose, according to their website, is “standing for our democracy”, but reads mostly as “hate Trump”: “Viva La Resistance!” it says. It lists organizing 48 protests so far in 2025 – that’s more than one protest per week! How perpetually-aggrieved do you have to be to hold 48 different protests?

      Their website lists SCIG’s next ‘street protest’ as “Stand Up For Immigrant Rights!” in Hampton. It doesn’t say if it’s the legal or illegal variety of immigrant, which tells us they aren’t the America-loving law-abiding types.

      If you’re “standing for our democracy”, how are you all advocating for breaking our immigration laws, and actively opposing enforcement of them? Your idea of a ‘real democracy’ does not include the democracy that protects our sovereignty as a nation or the laws to control and remove people who snuck (sneaked?) in and remain in our country illegally.

      Amusingly, registration for the SCIG street protest on their site features a “Gran’tifa” old lady with raised fist. You’re not countering any stereotypes with this, SCIG.

      Digging deeper, I found that SCIG is a subsidiary of a national Indivisible organization. And this is where it got really shady. The “No Kings” rallies weren’t spontaneous outpourings of “grassroot” progressive angst as we were told, but a well-coordinated political performance funded by leftist billionaires, radical groups and dark money from within and outside America.

      Indivisible’s funders include millions from billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, billionaire Christy Walton (WalMart heiress) and other billionaires through various far-left groups like the Arabella Advisors and Tides Foundation. Partner organizations include the Democratic Socialists of America and the Communist Party of America.

      The Government Accountability Institute (GAI) has followed the money to include government grant dollars being routed through nonprofits that eventually end up in activist groups like Indivisible. Antifa too?

      I encourage everyone to do some research on this: there’s a “protest industrial complex” (GAI’s term) that coordinates, funds, provides protest signs, food and pay, even legal services for violent arrested protestors – – all with a larger far-left Anti-American goal.

      You can’t make nice with the Socialists and Communists and also claim you all are flag-waving, “core American values” patriots, Ben.

      The people pictured at these “No Kings” rallies (and the other 48 protests sponsored by SCIG) are just cogs in the wheel of a much larger professional agitator effort sponsored by globalist billionaires to destabilize America. Are these the “useful idiots” Soviet Communist leader Lenin spoke about?

      PS – You all have so mis-used the “fascist” label, it is in the ash pit of once-meaningful words. Just like “racist”, it is devoid of impact from over-use.

      1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
        Benjamin Ferencz

        As a historian specializing in totalitarian regimes and the evolution of democratic systems, I have spent my career studying the ways in which societies slide into authoritarianism. One of the earliest warning signs is always the same: when citizens who engage in civic protest are smeared as “agitators,” “foreign-funded puppets,” or “enemies of the state.”
        That same playbook is being used today against grassroots organizations like Southern Crescent Indivisible of Georgia (SCIG), which recently became the target of a paranoid and dishonest attack accusing it of being part of a billionaire-funded, “anti-American” conspiracy.

        The truth is simpler, and far more patriotic. SCIG is part of the Indivisible movement, a nationwide network of ordinary citizens who believe that democracy demands participation. Indivisible was founded in 2016 by a small group of former congressional staffers who watched democratic norms eroding under Donald Trump and decided to create a guide to help citizens hold their representatives accountable. That guide spread organically, and thousands of local chapters formed around the country, from small towns to major cities. These are not paid activists or professional agitators. They are teachers, nurses, veterans, students, and retirees who volunteer their time to keep the democratic process alive. Calling them “globalist operatives” is an insult to the American tradition of civic engagement that predates the country itself.

        The accusation that SCIG’s frequent protests make them “perpetually aggrieved” betrays a misunderstanding of how democracy works. Protest is not a symptom of dysfunction; it is evidence of a functioning democracy. From the abolitionists who marched against slavery, to the suffragists who demanded women’s right to vote, to the civil rights activists who filled the streets of Birmingham and Selma, progress has always required persistence. Protest is how ordinary people insist on being heard when the powerful stop listening. The founders themselves understood this. The Boston Tea Party was not a polite memo to the Crown, it was an act of organized resistance. To deride Americans for engaging in protest is to deny the very spirit of 1776.

        1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
          Benjamin Ferencz

          Another baseless claim is that SCIG, by organizing a rally titled “Stand Up for Immigrant Rights,” must be advocating for lawlessness. This distortion relies on the dehumanizing logic that equates “immigrant” with “illegal.” SCIG and other Indivisible chapters support humane immigration policies that respect both the rule of law and the dignity of human beings. They advocate for reforms that protect Dreamers, asylum seekers, and refugee families, many of whom already contribute billions to our economy and communities. To dismiss that as anti-American is not only factually wrong, it’s morally grotesque. The same rhetoric was used in the 1920s to target Italian, Irish, and Jewish immigrants, and later weaponized by fascist regimes to divide their populations. Once you begin to classify certain people as undeserving of empathy, you’ve already taken the first step toward authoritarianism.

          Equally familiar is the claim that Indivisible, and by extension SCIG, is secretly funded by billionaire George Soros and other “dark money” sources. The “Soros” accusation is a staple of right-wing propaganda worldwide, built on anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that portray Jewish philanthropists as puppet masters controlling global politics. In reality, Indivisible’s funding comes from a mix of small-dollar donations and legally disclosed nonprofit foundations. Nothing about its financial structure is secret or illegal. By contrast, the Republican Party’s operations have been heavily subsidized by the actual dark money empire built by Leonard Leo, Harlan Crow, and the Koch brothers — billionaires who have funneled billions into reshaping the Supreme Court, redistricting elections, and dismantling voting rights protections. If one wants to discuss “billionaire influence” in American politics, that’s the place to start.

          You cite “Government Accountability Institute” (GAI) as evidence of corruption. That source alone discredits the argument. GAI was founded by Steve Bannon and funded by the Mercer family, both of whom were central architects of Trump’s disinformation machine. Its so-called “reports” have been repeatedly debunked by independent fact-checkers for making unverified and politically motivated claims.

        2. MyCatBill Avatar
          MyCatBill

          Ben – I agree with Wing T. You need to lighten up, step back from the keyboard and enjoy life a bit. He owns you as much as Trump does.

          You lose an argument immediately when your best shot is that you are “a historian specializing in totalitarian regimes and the evolution of democratic systems,” who has “spent my career studying the ways in which societies slide into authoritarianism”. Sounds like information that is an inch wide and a mile deep, and a real hoot at a party.

          You are the answer to: tell me you’re an out of touch progressive who has never left the insulated bubble of liberal academia without telling me.

          If these are patriotic American protests, how do you explain all the flags of foreign countries and pro-Hamas symbolism at the “No Kings” events? What’s up with including the Democratic Socialists of America and the Communist Party of America in your rally? Hardly traditional American values, Ben.

          100% yes, George Soros funds Indivisible and its activities. (‘No Kings’ protests being funded by foundations run by George Soros: report; katu.com; 10/20/25. See also “Soros groups are funding anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests”; MSN.com; 10/19/25)

          You should be willing to accept news from somewhere other than MSNBC, but you have to believe Hillary Clinton, right Ben? Hillary wouldn’t lie, would she?

          According to the Clinton Foundation website: “This week, the movement that started with a Google Doc… Indivisible… is back in the streets. Founded by former congressional staffers Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin and funded by George Soros’ Open Society network, Indivisible …. Now, they’re leading No Kings, …” (October 13, 2025 – Meet the organizers behind the No Kings protest:…”; clintonfoundationtimeline.com)

          Millions from Soros, who seeks to disrupt our country: the “… fight for a global open society has to be fought in the United States”. (clintonfoundationtimeline.com as above). Sounds exactly like a globalist billionaire, Ben.

          Protestors may think they are there to save the US, but they are really pawns on the chessboard of Soros and other far-left billionaires that fund progressive protests and violence.

          You failed to explain how 48 different “grassroots” protests in middle Georgia are possible, if they’re not funded and organized by professionals – – perpetually aggrieved malcontents. Abolition, women’s right to vote and civil rights for blacks were noble, single issue social movements, not one of 48 (and counting) shout at the sky sessions.

          So you’re saying the folks taking to the streets in Hampton for the ‘immigrant rights’ protest will be there to support closing our border, back ICE and the enforcement of immigration laws, and to celebrate those who came to our country legally? No, I think my take is still correct.

          We live in the best country the world has ever known. Imperfect, but not the place that flag-burning, national anthem-kneeling progressive malcontents love to hate. Be grateful.

          1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            You ever hear of the 75th Ranger regiment?

            Being a historian isn’t wasn’t my first profession. Had Tony for it somehow.

          2. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            *had to pay for college somehow

          3. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            Let me tear into this clearly for you and my god, I want a response.

            You tell me to “lighten up,” like this is some kind of internet spat. I’ve spent most of my adult life in places where “lighten up” gets people killed. I’ve watched what happens when citizens stop paying attention, when they shrug and let strongmen convince them that questioning authority is weakness. That’s how democracies die. So forgive me if I don’t feel like taking your advice to “step back from the keyboard.” I’ve stepped over too many bodies of people who fought for a Constitution you now treat like a suggestion.

            You say Trump “owns” me. No, what owns me are the faces of brothers and sisters I buried because we believed that truth, rule of law, and constitutional order were worth more than any one man’s ego. I took an oath to defend this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. That oath didn’t expire when I hung up the uniform, and it sure as hell wasn’t to a personality cult.

          4. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            As for your “patriotic” purity test, spare me. I fought beside Americans who didn’t all look or pray like you. Some were immigrants, some were Muslim, some were atheists, hell some were probably trans. They bled out the same red on the same dirt. The flag on their shoulder didn’t care about party lines. So when I see people marching peacefully under that flag, any flag, for liberty, equality, and justice, I recognize something you clearly don’t: that’s patriotism.

          5. MyCatBill Avatar
            MyCatBill

            Ben – 100% respect to you and all of our soldiers who are serving and have served our country. We wouldn’t be a nation without you.

            It makes me wonder even more why / how someone who swore an oath to protect our country is in bed with the Socialists, Communists and Antifah-types who have a very different idea of life in America.

            Does it not bother you that people you march with stomp on and burn the flag you served under? Or who wave their country’s flag in its place? Who defund and assault law enforcement? I don’t think the Communists are big on democracy, free speech or self-sufficiency either.

            Are you really OK with boys competing against girls in sports? Men in your wife’s locker room? Your political partners require you to deny biology and pretend along with them, harming women and children along the way. That must really get to a soldier like you.

            The way you described your service – – not caring one bit about the background of the ones you served with because it was irrelevant to the mission – – is spot on. That’s exactly the point conservatives also make about the whole identity / DEI / CRT / equity movement from progressives.

            I do think Trump owns you and most of the left, and I say that in the kindest way possible. There’s not a day that goes by without something he says causing you all to explode. You got your panties in a wad over the donated White House Ballroom addition just because Trump did it, for goodness sake.

            I showed clear evidence above that George Soros is a globalist troublemaker who is funding Indivisible, which is the organizer of the “No Kings!” rallies. I proved true something you were so certain was not so, yet you didn’t even acknowledge that or the many other times you weren’t correct. Some people would be open to changing their mind in such a situation.

            Conservatives treasure our country, our freedoms, our traditional values. If you could make the case that indeed, Trump has violated the Constitution, most would be right at your side. Spoiler alert: there will be no 3rd Trump term, so you can take that off your List of Worries.

            It seems that what you rail most often against Trump is a disagreement over policy choices that the majority of America voted for, or his often-boorish and bullying behavior, which I too don’t care for.

            It’s not enough to throw a bunch of wild accusations about Trump against the wall, with little fact-based explanation of why you see things that way if you hope to persuade a reader to your point of view. Add in a few ‘fascists’ toward anyone who disagrees with your tirade, and you get put in the same eye roll category as TDW, sometimes Stranger.

            Sorry to you and anyone else who finds this too long. I value someone who can debate and bring different perspectives, especially if that someone also finds humor and joy in life. It saddens me to see the depth of anger you carry.

            Thanks again for your service. I really hope you can find peace in these times. Be well.

          6. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            My cat, I will address your other points with n due time. But most importantly I would like for us both to understand the 14th Amendment. I posted earlier.

            What is confusing you folks about the clear interpretation of “any person” in the context of.

            “ nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” ??

          7. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            And I’m going to be harsh about this.

            You could answer this question in a democratic way or you could answer this in an authoritarian way.
            I’ll wait

          8. TheodoreDwightWeld Avatar
            TheodoreDwightWeld

            I can’t wait to hear their answer to that Ben. Unfortunately they don’t care to live in a democracy.

            Are y’all not anti-Fascist?

            We do all realize antifa is not an organization, it’s an ideal. The soldiers that stormed the beaches of Normandy were indeed all Antifa.

          9. MyCatBill Avatar
            MyCatBill

            Let me guess: if I answer this in a way you agree with, then that’s the democratic way. If I don’t come up with the approved Ben and Ted version, then it’s authoritarian, fascist even, right? That’s how the progressive mind works, isn’t it?

            So, you have asked what is confusing about the snippet of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that you presented. Is there is a reason you only quoted it in part?

            Here it is in full: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

            I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve been around enough contracts and legal stuff in business to know that a key principle of interpretation is to first understand the intent of the clause(s) in question.

            Here is verbatim what our federal government says is the background and purpose of the 14th Amendment: “Passed by Congress June 13, 1866, and ratified July 9, 1868, the 14th Amendment extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people.”

            “Following the Civil War, Congress submitted to the states three amendments as part of its Reconstruction program to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens. A major provision of the 14th Amendment was to grant citizenship to “All persons born or naturalized in the United States,” thereby granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people.”

            “Another equally important provision was the statement that “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The right to due process of law and equal protection of the law now applied to both the federal and state governments.” (https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/14th-amendment)

            Another principle of contract interpretation is to ‘read a section as a whole’, not just a piece of a section. What I see in looking at this is we are talking about ‘citizens of the United States’, which as the official summary above says was intended to grant former slaves citizenship and all the rights of a citizen, whether they were born in the US or not.

            There’s also the guarantee that there is no distinction between state or federal law when it comes to the equal protection of former slaves / citizens’ rights under law.

            In summary, it seems pretty clear to me: Section 1 of the 14th Amendment was enacted to make sure former slaves were recognized and treated as full American citizens.

            I’m not sure what you’re aiming at that will make me a patriot or a demon fascist. The pressure is giving me angst.

            Did I get it correct? Looking forward to your answers to my earlier questions.

            PS to Ted: the brave soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy are in no way similar to the masked, pencil-necked thugs who attack law enforcement and federal property under the banner of the domestic terrorist organization known as Antifa. Shame on you.

          10. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            Anyone who claims the Fourteenth Amendment protects only citizens is either misreading history, ignoring the text, or deliberately distorting the law. Section 1 of the Amendment is one of the most deliberately drafted passages in American constitutional history. Its language, debated exhaustively in Congress in 1866, is precise:

            “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

            Notice the distinction. Citizenship is mentioned first. But the guarantees of due process and equal protection are explicitly extended to any person. That word — “person” — is deliberate, repeated, and emphasized in the congressional debates.

            It was a moral and legal declaration: all human beings within U.S. jurisdiction are entitled to protection under the law.

            Representative John Bingham of Ohio, often called the principal framer of the Amendment, did not write this clause to privilege some and exclude others. He stated unequivocally in Congress:

            “The clause that no State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law … is designed to protect all persons, whether citizens or strangers, within the United States, in their rights of life and liberty.”
— Congressional Globe, 39th Congress, 1st Session (1866)

            Bingham understood, as anyone with a moral compass should, that once a government draws lines between the “protected” and “unprotected,” tyranny returns. His use of “person,” not “citizen,” was a conscious act of legal and moral reconstruction, meant to prevent a repeat of slavery, Indigenous dispossession, or arbitrary state violence.

          11. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            Senator Jacob M. Howard of Michigan, who introduced the Amendment in the Senate, reinforced Bingham’s vision:

            “It prohibits the States from depriving not only citizens, but any person, whoever he may be, of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”

            Howard explicitly drew on the Fifth Amendment’s language — also “person” — to extend federal protections against state overreach. The message is unambiguous: due process and equal protection are universal, not optional, not conditional, and certainly not a privilege reserved for citizens.

          12. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            Section 1 does begin with citizenship, but it does not end there. Its promise is universal: no person may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process, nor denied equal protection. That was Bingham’s vision. That was Howard’s vision. That is the law.

            Reducing the Fourteenth Amendment to a citizenship clause is a rejection of the moral revolution that Reconstruction achieved. As John Bingham said, “The protection of the laws shall extend to all persons, whether citizens or strangers.”

            When the government violates this principle, it is not merely unlawful, it’s fascistic. And history shows that ignoring universal due process is the first step toward tyranny.

          13. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            It would also be important to note, that Trump is justifying the destruction of the constitution for reasons that are different than yours. He is claiming they are enemy combatants and that we are under an invasion.

          14. TheodoreDwightWeld Avatar
            TheodoreDwightWeld

            MyCat, you going to continue to deny historic and legal fact or you want to come to the side fighting fascism and the billionaire class? We need everyone we can get over here.

          15. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            MyCat, just go ahead and say it, so we can move on to your next point. You don’t care that Trump is clearly violating the 14th Amendment of the Constitution but you don’t care, you think it’s necessary? Don’t be a coward.

          16. MyCatBill Avatar
            MyCatBill

            Geez, Ben (and your Mini-Me, Ted). Some people have work, travel and other stuff to fill the days. Few have the free time of a historian specializing in totalitarian regimes and the evolution of democratic systems, who spends his hours studying the ways in which societies slide into authoritarianism, to be on here every day.

            Why didn’t you just directly ask your question about the 14th Amendment if that’s what you needed to know? My answer was correct, apparently just not what you were mysteriously angling toward.

            I believe the Supreme Court has ruled that due process is afforded to anyone in the justice system, citizen or not, but you have the time to look it up to see if that’s right. Of course, anything regarding the securing of our border and enforcing our immigration statutes must be done in accordance with the Constitution and our laws.

            Do I know that the DOJ is violating the 14th Amendment? No, and I wouldn’t be in favor of it if it were.

            Just as I’m not in favor of Sanctuary Cities and States, our former president not faithfully executing his duty to defend the US border, using federal taxpayer dollars for illegal aliens, Antifa attacking federal buildings, illegal aliens voting, ICE officers being assaulted and doxed, or the trafficking of illegal aliens.

            Since you’re obviously someone who also believes in upholding the Constitution, laws and borders of our sovereign nation, I know you will join me in condemning all of those violations.

            Now, man up and answer the questions I asked of you. Don’t be a coward.

          17. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            I’ve earned my free time and I’ve think I’ve made that clear.

            You talk about “Sanctuary Cities” as if they violate federal law, but the reality is the opposite: they uphold the Tenth Amendment. The Supreme Court’s decision in Printz v. United States held that the federal government cannot compel state or local officials to enforce federal laws. That ruling, written by Justice Scalia, explicitly protects local jurisdictions that choose not to use local resources for federal immigration enforcement. Sanctuary policies are a textbook example of constitutional federalism, local governments exercising their right to allocate police priorities, not defy the law.

          18. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            The irony in your dismissal of historians who study authoritarian regimes is that you’re reproducing one of the key warning signs the founders document: the use of “law and order” rhetoric to justify unequal application of the law. From the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 to the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942, the erosion of civil protections under the guise of national security has always been the first step toward state overreach. Courts and historians alike have condemned those episodes as violations of both the Constitution and democratic norms.

      2. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
        Benjamin Ferencz

        Whew, And then there is the claim that the left has “overused” the word fascist. As someone who wrote an academic dissertation on totalitarian regimes, I can tell you that the term has not been misused by me, and below I will again not misuse it, I will use it because I can produce evidence.

        Fascism is not defined by the presence of swastikas or goose-stepping soldiers; it is defined by an ideology that glorifies a
        -single leader, demands conformity, scapegoats minorities rejects democratic norms, and fuses corporate and state power. Can you seriously tell me Donald Trump and the Republicans are not fascist??? Good God people, wake the hell up.

        When you hear politicians describe immigrants as “invaders,” “eating the cat, and eating the dogs”, demonize the free press as “the enemy of the people,” or declare that only certain election results are legitimate, you are hearing the language of fascism. That is not a partisan insult, it is a historical diagnosis.

        1. the_wing_t Avatar
          the_wing_t

          The hyper-partisan MSM is an enemy of truth and honesty…..which is what people used to expect from the media. Hopefully you can at least agree that the MSM – CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, NYT, WaPo, PBS, et al – are hyper partisan and are not genuine media outlets….they’re marketing wings of the Democrat party……can you at least admit to that being true?

          1. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            All the legacy and corporate media is awful and failed miserably to stop fascism from running rampant.

            When Trump boasted about sexually assaulting women, by saying on tape “grabbing them by the pussy”

            Anyways I follow many independent journalist and if I had to recommend one person, I would recommend Republican historian Heather Cox Richardson’s daily newsletter titled “Letters from an American”

          2. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            I don’t watch or read those. I would agree that MSNBC is partisan, but it’s not taking it matching orders from an autocrat. But my god man Fox News was proven to be a propaganda arm of the Republican Party by the court of law and was sued for $787 M.

          3. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            Trump literally has had 23 current or former Fox News employees in his administration.

          4. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
            Benjamin Ferencz

            The courts have confirmed this interpretation repeatedly. In Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886), Chief Justice Waite wrote:
            “The Fourteenth Amendment … is not confined to the protection of citizens … these provisions are universal in their application to all persons within the territorial jurisdiction, without regard to differences of race, color, or nationality.”

            In Wong Wing v. United States (1896), the Court prohibited forced labor without trial for noncitizens. In Plyler v. Doe (1982), it struck down laws denying education to undocumented children. Each ruling reinforces the same principle: the Fourteenth Amendment protects every person under U.S. jurisdiction, period.

            To claim the Amendment is only about citizens is to ignore its moral purpose entirely. The framers understood that law must bind power, not empower it. They saw firsthand how governments could legalize oppression and how fear could justify cruelty. They wrote “any person” to make tyranny illegal, not negotiable.

            Anyone invoking citizenship as a loophole to deny due process today — whether through mass deportations, summary expulsions, or arbitrary state action — is directly contradicting the intent of the Amendment’s framers. It is history. Ignoring it is either willful ignorance or deliberate complicity in authoritarianism.

      3. Benjamin Ferencz Avatar
        Benjamin Ferencz

        Democracy on the other hand is an aspirational ideal, predicated on the principle of political equality and the full recognition of EVERY person’s humanity. The realization of this ideal requires a critical understanding of those who have been excluded from it, and of the historical and structural forces that have sustained their exclusion.

      4. justwondering Avatar
        justwondering

        THanks for info on Southern Crescent Indivisible of Georgia (SCIG), Plan to do some research.

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