Wyoming got a lot less red on Saturday. And boy, am I inspired.
Opinion
Combined, thousands of people gathered in cities throughout Wyoming as part of the national “Hands Off!” peaceful protests against Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their attempt to ruin everything “the land of the free and the home of the brave” is supposed to stand for.
It was a moment of hope when that feeling has been in short supply for everyone watching the nightmarish Trump Train barrelling across the country as people worry about so many things. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Workers and students living here legally swept from their homes and put in jail. Abandoned allies, especially war-torn Ukraine, facing a future fraught with danger.
Plus, a plunging stock market and skyrocketing prices for groceries and other essentials. I wonder how many Trump voters who were worried about the thriving economy we had will be happy when they check out at the supermarket today.
I asked Facebook friends from around the state to fill me in on what happened at protests. They offered some great insights about a day when Democrats, frustrated Republicans and independents united to show their disgust with the “Department of Government Efficiency” headed by Trump’s top donor, the increasingly unhinged Musk.
You know the times are really changing when you see a cowboy in ultra-red Cody on horseback carrying a “Down with DOGE” sign. The lines in the city were four blocks long when the march began.
One of the participants was Ryan Chafee, a first-time protester.
“I was worried I would be one of the only people in attendance,” he wrote. “My fiance and I were relieved to see a bunch of like-minded people here in little ol’ Cody.”
The event reminded Chafee he’s not crazy for feeling the way he does about how the country is rapidly going downhill.
“I heard speeches and stories that made me feel like I’m not just screaming into the void,” he wrote. “My fellow neighbors and countrymen were all exercising their rights as citizens. It was a very positive experience despite the frustrating nature that made all of us gather.”
One of my favorite signs of the many Wyoming protest photos published is one in Cody: “Grandma worked in the B-42 factory to free her great-great-grandchildren from fascists and Nazis.”
Janine Boyle Cole of Cheyenne wrote that she went to the Capitol in honor of her father, a World War II prisoner of war.
“I went today for my dad, for democracy,” she explained. “This country is amazing with all the diversity and I don’t want to lose it to this corrupt administration.”
In Casper, someone dressed in a very creative Bigfoot costume, expressed his ire at one of Wyoming’s biggest Trump sycophants, U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, with this awesome sign: “Why are you hiding, Harriet?”
Tom Rea of Casper told me he struck up a conversation with a protester he guessed was a Trump voter. “There are so many friends I can’t even talk to anymore; this Trump stuff is terrible,” the man said. “My retirement fund has lost $60,000 in the past month and a half.”
Lindsey Hanlon of Cheyenne, where more than 300 people rallied at the Capitol, felt compelled to attend the protests “because they represent everything about Wyoming that Trump and his enablers seek to destroy: community, creativity, passion, bravery and empathy.”
“The Trump regime is turning a firehose of awfulness on us to make us fearful, compliant and lonely,” Hanlon wrote. “He is destroying the institutions we trust and actively encouraging people to turn on [one] another.
“The Wyoming I grew up in didn’t believe in bullies and in kings, and we are not going to quietly accept people deconstructing our home,” she added.
Amen. That’s exactly how I feel. As a “military brat” whose father’s last assignment was at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, I dreamed of moving back to my temporary hometowns in California, Pennsylvania and New York, or Tennessee, which most of my relatives adopted as their new home in the 1970s.
Many readers have suggested over the years that I go back to where I came from. I know that would please them, but there’s not a chance it’ll happen, folks. Wyoming has everything I want: small cities, extraordinary landscapes and friendly people.
Well, I would change a few things, like less wind and snow. And the state’s politics. When my family moved here, Democrats could actually get elected. When I began my journalism career and started covering the Legislature, I saw how different sides of the aisle could join together to pass good legislation.
It was the antithesis of today’s Freedom Caucus, which is chock full of people who want the power to tear down the separation of church and state so they can pass bills that fit their extreme religious beliefs. That’s why the Legislature’s agenda consists of banning abortion, punishing LGBTQ individuals and joining Trump in destroying the federal government.
We need legislators committed to improving life for hardworking Wyomingites, building a more diverse economy, and providing a better safety net for the poor.
Chafee thinks political compromise is still possible here. “I am reaching out with love to anyone on the other side of the picket line, talk to me,” he wrote. “Although I may be considered a ‘political adversary,’ you might find we agree on most of the things in our day-to-day life.”
This isn’t just a pipe dream. I think the protests that attracted more than 2 million people throughout the U.S. are building blocks to greater things and better times. The numbers in Wyoming — including more than 400 in Laramie, 300 in both Casper and Sheridan, 150 in Rock Springs — are signs that Wyoming will be a part of the growing anti-Trump movement.
Protests were also held in Buffalo, Gillette, Jackson, Lander, Pinedale and Sheridan.
Here’s a confession: When I’ve called myself an optimist in this column over the past dozen years, I was kidding. But now I’m pleased to tell you I’m finally hopeful, for real.
While anti-Trump demonstrations played out in about 1,200 cities, including a protest that drew more than 100,000 in Washington, D.C., and a small one near the president’s home in Florida, he was playing in a senior tournament at one of his golf courses.
The White House released a statement saying that Trump placed first in his second-round match-up, followed by Sunday’s bulletin that he won his own tournament!
What a great way to end his pretty horrible week. Trump started a global trade war that angered most of the world, and watched as Wall Street braced for a possible recession of his making.
Trump decided to play golf even after being roasted by veterans’ groups for skipping a ceremony that honored four fallen service members. Then came the protests.
Now, it’s time to keep the momentum going. Many people all over the state now realize they are not alone; people share their vision for improving our nation and stopping the administration’s destructive action.
It’s difficult for both progressives and moderates to engage with strangers without knowing if they are going to be dismissed or bullied for being in the minority.
In the wake of these protests, it’s important for those of us who want the country to move in a positive direction to unite. Talk to your friends, neighbors and anyone you can persuade to come to the next rally. If each person encourages at least one or two people to turn our for the next protest, and these recruits follow suit, this can lead to monumental changes. Nothing happens immediately, but be prepared for the long haul. It will be worth it.
Kerry Drake, I share your glimmer of hope, but with some trepidation. Everyone should look up the Neo-Reactionary Movement [NRx] a.k.a. The Dark Enlightenment, a theoretical attack on representative democracy, which will destroy the American republic and will replace it with city-states run by CEO absolute monarchs—where citizens become subjects, serfs, peons, peasants, cf. the Dark Ages. This will be accomplished (as Hannah Arendt describes in her magnum opus “The Origins of Totalitarianism” through atomization of society).
Hannah Arendt was discussing the totalitarian régimes of Adolf Hitler and Iosif Stalin, who aimed for world conquest. The current president’s threats to Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada and México seem to bear out our current president as a conquering totalitarian, it is not quite as clear with the NRx kleptocratic oligarchs typified by Elon Muskrat and his DOGEdorks.What is clear, however, is that a Neo-nazi totalitarian dictator running the Americas or a Neo-nazi [remember Muskrat’s Sieg Heil salutes] s collection of medieval NRx city-states are both existential threats to the U.S.A. we all should love.
Quick anyone. Name one essential government service that has been interrupted by these layoffs or cutbacks.
Cody no longer has a Social Security office, research for cancer treatment, opioid addiction, prosthetics and burn pit exposure has slowed or stopped as those involved lose their jobs.
Seriously! How about the medical research into childhood cancer, dementia, etc. I could go on, but why bother?
You are joking? I have 20 & counting!
The large USGS fish hatchery north of Saratoga has gone from 4 people to 1. They also breed the at risk Wyoming toad.
The Forest Service is halved in the North Platte area up into the Snowies.
The funds for cloud seeding personnel and aircraft are gone.
I haven’t read the USDA cuts yet. There are usually hoop house grants, reimbursements for ranchers during drought and if farmers were growing for China hit by tariffs. For example during Trump’s last presidency he returned 90 billion dollars….etc. etc
Oh the Casper SSec office is down to 3 empoyees.
If you want to join in, you can find info at 50501wyo.com
Musk has no right to do the job that Trump should be doing;;; we need workers in the forest to mark trees for THINING , rangers in the National parks ,, social security, medicare,medicaid needs to stay intact, shiping fuel , diesel and reg gas to ninety to a dollar a gallon , but I would settle for a dollar and a half, it is the America that made oil companys and it is not gun control now , it is people control, hangings when caught on camera
I attended the march in Casper and saw neighbors and friends from all walks of life and across the political spectrum, including those I know voted for this administration. The typical naysayers crowded social media, but couldn’t provide cogent policy proposals other than resorting to insults and “go back where you came from.” I am currently residing where I came from and don’t plan on leaving or shutting up.
Dear Mr. Drake,
I was fortunate enough to attend the rally in CHEYENNE. However, as I’m not a big social media person and don’t belong to any social network , I only found out about the rally the day before. I think Wyofile and other media groups need to put together another rally. The person that told me about the rally was in Idaho and he uses Facebook. I did not see any information on it via normal news outlets.
The rally was really good and estimates range between four and 500 people. The crowd was the biggest about halfway through the rally. I met several people who voted for Donald Trump that switched over because they could not believe what he was doing. I met a lady that was the wife of a disabled veteran. She said her husband was too sick to attend, but she was there to protest. They had both voted for the dumpster as they believed he would really help veterans. She said that’s not going to be the case and they’re really worried
I looked at my 401(k) today and it had lost 4,666. When I saw that number, all I could think of was this loss was created by the devil.
There was a small group of Trump supporters and they were really angry. They were yelling things at the at the people who value the constitution. Many things the yelled, are things that you could not publish so I won’t repeat them.
They dissipated pretty quickly as they were far outnumbered. I did see some good signs. My favorite was a dog wearing a very nicely made sign that said dogs against Doge. I signed my dog up. Another sign that I liked said Doge stood for department of garbage and excrement. I had a double sided sign, one side was our democracy has been hacked and we want it back. The other side said, dump Trump and the muskrat he rode in on. Some very very creative people put some very very creative signs together. Many of the signs attacked both Trump and musk, however there were more anti-musk signs than anti-Trump signs.
I wonder if anyone had verified that Musk is legally here in this country. I mean he was born in South Africa. Wasn’t that where Obama was born.🤣🤣🤣🤣
I was interviewed by a TV news station. Which did play a small part of what I said, but the part I would really like them to play was that I was born in Wyoming 68 years ago and our state legislature was way different. They argued during the day about various issuesand then that night they went out and partied together at the hitching Post. Some good Wyoming people that could argue valid points, and still be friends
This so-called freedom Caucus we have is against everything that Wyoming stands for. The people that voted for them were fooled, the people that voted for Trump were fooled. I feel however, that many of them are now waking up and it’s a bad dream.
So let’s put another rally together
John, I don’t do social media either. I think it has proven itself a detriment to mankind. Algorithms of polarization, by design.
Right on! Rallies across this country—the more the merrier!
“”It’s difficult for both progressives and moderates to engage with strangers without knowing if they are going to be dismissed or bullied for being in the minority.””
The shoe is on the other foot….
Kind of like replacing progressives and moderates, with “vaccine hesitant and Big Pharma skeptics”.
Covid Fascism, no different than the Fascism the people protesting today, GOVERNMENT AUTHORITARIANISM. Peoples lives, including mine were greatly impacted negatively for not taking a injection that didnt prevent infection or transmission.
A question everyone should HONESTLY ask themselves….
“Have I ever supported Fascism”
It’s easier than people think when they devour propaganda on a daily basis.
your continued use of the covid false equivalency isn’t working. millions died during the pandemic. you’re using mask mandates to excuse chrumps fascism.
your comparison is not honest chad/jack
Take injections or lose your Job was a pillar of Bidens early term. Mass censorship of dissenting voices at the Govts. behest across social media is a documented fact.
Demonization, defamation, encouragement to ostracize family and friends, ALL were promoted by the Govt. and propagandist lapdog media.
It may have been easy for you to ignore Chuck. I had to move my family in the middle of it all and change my job after 10 years of loyal service to an employer that became “Mandate compliant”. I know people that lost their jobs for speaking out against the madness.
You can deny all you want, but the best, most recent example of Fascism in the USA took place during covid, and the Democrat left was at the helm. If Trump had been the one instead of Biden, these protests today would pale in comparison. I didnt know a single Democrat that was going to take “Trump’s shot” if he MANDATED it Biden and Harris openly stated it.
edited to remove one word
What? No wrasslin’ metaphor?
Is chad or jack your ring name?
TDS was in full display nation wide!
With a felon and rapist who bankrupts casinos sitting in the White House, yes, I have TDS.
Yay, us! I agree that the momentum is growing here, visible with the disappearance of Trump flags and Hageman signs. Let’s keep building community and reaching out; there’s still hope!
Marci, please run for office? 😁
I for one am glad you’re here, and I don’t say that very often.