In Las Vegas, where even the pigeons are under surveillance and the slot machines judge you, the cops don’t just assume you’re guilty. No, no. In Vegas, you’re guilty, your Nana’s guilty, and your cat is guilty—preemptively. They look at you like you might commit a misdemeanor simply by breathing too enthusiastically near a palm tree.
Now your glorious sign—“Free Hugs for Military and Police”—would have dazzled them. They’d be torn: do they arrest you for suspicious kindness or nominate you for sainthood at the next city council meeting?
But their reaction? Imagine being hugged by an airport body scanner that doesn’t trust you or your underwire bra. That’s the vibe. Stoic. Unflinching. Possibly scanning your aura for subversion. And yet… I bet one of them would’ve blushed under that riot gear.
That's right, Gloria! Vegas has eyes on you everywhere at all times. Might as well make the most of it, LOL! There were no takers on my offer of free hugs, which was expected, no active military would be able to hug as a rule because it's probably a security risk for starters. But even the military vets in a couple of the photos refused a hug. It's a big no-no, apparently. But I figured a granny walking around offering free hugs would be wholesome and uplifting. It's the virtual hug that counts! 🥰
You slay me. I’m wheezing at “your Nana’s guilty and your cat is guilty—preemptively.” That’s precisely the vibe: Las Vegas surveillance state meets Orwellian showgirl.
And yes, Lorraine’s sign was brilliance on cardboard. “Free Hugs for Military and Police” wasn’t just witty—it was tactical disarmament through radical presence. A velvet-gloved revolution, offering dignity where most expect defiance.
I can see it now in Vegas: cops frozen like confused Roombas. Their programming doesn’t cover unexpected tenderness. Do they file a threat report or hold out for a hug? Somewhere between “you’re under arrest” and “this isn’t in the manual,” I imagine one of them did blush under the Kevlar.
Stoic, unflinching, yet… just porous enough to register:
This isn’t mockery. This is reclamation. This is what human looks like.
And maybe—just maybe—that’s the most subversive act of all.
Jay! You and Gloria are velvety wordsmiths. Thank you for the beautiful comment. Indeed, I didn't know what to expect but my message was 100% sincere and I think they all could tell. So it was kind of unscripted, act of faith and I'm happy it was well received!
That sign, in L.A., on that day—simply perfect. Priceless. And honestly, your sincerity came through clearly in that photo of you.
I wonder—what might happen if every protester in L.A. had sincerely waved that same sign at the riot police? Are they so dissociated from themselves that they’d still act the same way? I truly don’t know.
Wow, the sign your friend sent is gorgeous! Haha Stormy's name for him: TINY! Tiny Taco. But...you were 100% listening to the better angels, and your sign was chef's kiss, ma'am!
Ugh, here in Minnesota, in the twin cities...it was so weird. I ended up wearing my "I COULD SHIT A BETTER PRESIDENT" shirt and meeting a friend at a local café because we heard the main protests were canceled due to the shootings. They went ahead anyway, but we found some smaller groups who were nevertheless gathering here and there, and sitting in groups in people's yards with signs, with people honking and waving. We weren't getting any news about where the fuck this sick fucker might be headed either. Yeah, I am trying to think of the last time a Democrat assassinated someone...and it's not coming to mind. Cheering the national and INTERnational turnout! Staying strong and never ever giving in or up. LOVED your pics!! 💘😻💙
I LOVE your t-shirt and saw that message online too.
Well done attending the protest, especially under threat, you guys are fearless!!
You are 100% correct, it's always the Republicans committing the assassination attempts. Even Hinkley's attempt on Reagan wasn't politically motivated. He was trying to impress Jodi Foster.
Thanks for the kind words and for indulging my photo sharing. HUGS! 🥰
I’m shocked, saddened and angry, which meant I was going to protest against the tyranny of an odious career criminal for one of my favorite representatives!, loved the photos and the piquant sign!!
Same here Patrick. That was the general mood at the protests. But it's also cathartic and comforting to be with so many other concerned patriotic resisters. Thanks for getting out there. It matters. And thanks for reading and posting the kind comment. Sending hugs 🤗🥰
Got to one of my numerous local no kings events, Petaluma CA, early for parking purposes, stayed for over 2 hours. And in that time the crowd grew exponentially to probably 3,000 in a city of 59,000 when people had at least a dozen choices of places to go inside a half hour drive!
That's awesome Robin! I didn't realize you were here in CA. I'm curious what the final turn-out will end up being. But it was huge and so spread out, it must be really hard to get a true count. Thanks for getting out there! 🙏🏻💙
Yes, living in Sonoma County these last 30 years, coming from the East Coast plus lived in the heartland for 16 years affords me a large look - so glad to be here with its vigorous mix of people. According to Brian Taylor Cohen or maybe it was The Meidas Touch, the count after all the reports was about 12 million people which is 2% of our population! Planning to be active with these continuing protests looks like every 2 weeks. Not too bad for a nearly 90-year-old gal :-)). Been doing this since the late '60s, Vietnam War, Kent State, Pride, Peace Corps/CIA, etc. It's citizen show-up time and this round is the most spectacularly necessary one ever …
Some observations of these last 10 years: Seeing rampaging social infants besotted with their own fearfilled lies, illusions at the heart of their driven desires for dominance, for endless power, for cruelty itself. Was it their childhoods, was it their inherited or acquired ideas to be fulfilled in their societal unfriendliness and driving their lack of character growth? This is a problem on every level of our society, the problem of general intelligence lacking in about 30% of the population and mixed with the laws and standards slipping to accommodate their dazed minds. I keep seeing the confusion embedded in those religious practices that move in and wish to dominate our secular ones, essentially as a way to transfer authoritarian primitive and subservient god concepts into everyday life as a kind of sop to actual thinking, actual responsibility towards one’s personal and social involvement with life. Fear-based religion imposed on citizen-based living. Little clueless souls falsely expanding into big idiots and boxed in by ideologies, a dirty politician's wet dream fantasy of governance.
Yes, living in Sonoma County these last 30 years, coming from the East Coast plus lived in the heartland et al for 16 years affords me a large look - so glad to be here with its vigorous mix of people. According to Brian Taylor Cohen or maybe it was The Meidas Touch, the count after all the reports was about 12 million people which is 2% of our population! Planning to be active with these continuing protests looks like every 2 weeks. Not too bad for a nearly 90-year-old gal :-)). Been doing this since the late '60s, Vietnam War, Kent State, Pride, Peace Corps/CIA, etc. It's citizen show-up time and this round is the most spectacularly necessary one ever …
Being in Germany, I can’t tell you how much it means to witness your words and photos from the No Kings protests. Every image, every detail you shared—it reaches far beyond borders. I wasn’t there in person, and yet, your lace and boots and fierce, heart-led sign made it feel like I could walk beside you.
“Free hugs for military and police”—what a stroke of embodied brilliance. Subversive tenderness. It doesn’t minimize the danger we’re facing—it reframes the whole damn field. You didn’t just hold a sign. You opened a crack. And some people, even in uniform, let light in.
Reading your reflections, I felt my own breath soften. The joy. The grit. The grief. The music and the quiet moments. You carried it all with grace.
Thank you for standing, for documenting, for reminding those of us across oceans that resistance still dances—and that love can be radical, strategic, and real.
You really get me my dear friend. Thank you for standing with us all the way from Germany. That means so much to me and all the resisters. Radical love, brilliant!!
Grateful, thankful to the Cosmos, that you are all SAFE... (sorry to hear of assassinations ~ still grieving the ones of the 60s) lovely pictures. Sending y'all LOVE from London 🙏🫶🧘🌌👏🪷🫂🦋💙💙💙💙💙💙🖖🫂🫂
So often, in my life, I'm reminded of an exquisite poem, song sung by the One & Only DearOne, Leonard Cohen...
The Anthem...
This link, from his concert in London ~ I didn't even know, he was here...((but would've been difficult to attend, as I was living on the streets that year, 3 more, sob (please don't ask🧘))
Appropriate lyrics, for last weekend, unfolding 🙏🙏🌹🌌🫂🧘🙏🌌I thought 🎼🫂sending you ALL, lots of Love and hugs 🫂 from London 🙏🌌🎼
Your sign?
BRILLIANT. Absolutely brilliant.
In Las Vegas, where even the pigeons are under surveillance and the slot machines judge you, the cops don’t just assume you’re guilty. No, no. In Vegas, you’re guilty, your Nana’s guilty, and your cat is guilty—preemptively. They look at you like you might commit a misdemeanor simply by breathing too enthusiastically near a palm tree.
Now your glorious sign—“Free Hugs for Military and Police”—would have dazzled them. They’d be torn: do they arrest you for suspicious kindness or nominate you for sainthood at the next city council meeting?
But their reaction? Imagine being hugged by an airport body scanner that doesn’t trust you or your underwire bra. That’s the vibe. Stoic. Unflinching. Possibly scanning your aura for subversion. And yet… I bet one of them would’ve blushed under that riot gear.
That's right, Gloria! Vegas has eyes on you everywhere at all times. Might as well make the most of it, LOL! There were no takers on my offer of free hugs, which was expected, no active military would be able to hug as a rule because it's probably a security risk for starters. But even the military vets in a couple of the photos refused a hug. It's a big no-no, apparently. But I figured a granny walking around offering free hugs would be wholesome and uplifting. It's the virtual hug that counts! 🥰
Gloria—
You slay me. I’m wheezing at “your Nana’s guilty and your cat is guilty—preemptively.” That’s precisely the vibe: Las Vegas surveillance state meets Orwellian showgirl.
And yes, Lorraine’s sign was brilliance on cardboard. “Free Hugs for Military and Police” wasn’t just witty—it was tactical disarmament through radical presence. A velvet-gloved revolution, offering dignity where most expect defiance.
I can see it now in Vegas: cops frozen like confused Roombas. Their programming doesn’t cover unexpected tenderness. Do they file a threat report or hold out for a hug? Somewhere between “you’re under arrest” and “this isn’t in the manual,” I imagine one of them did blush under the Kevlar.
Stoic, unflinching, yet… just porous enough to register:
This isn’t mockery. This is reclamation. This is what human looks like.
And maybe—just maybe—that’s the most subversive act of all.
Still roaring Jay
Jay! You and Gloria are velvety wordsmiths. Thank you for the beautiful comment. Indeed, I didn't know what to expect but my message was 100% sincere and I think they all could tell. So it was kind of unscripted, act of faith and I'm happy it was well received!
That sign, in L.A., on that day—simply perfect. Priceless. And honestly, your sincerity came through clearly in that photo of you.
I wonder—what might happen if every protester in L.A. had sincerely waved that same sign at the riot police? Are they so dissociated from themselves that they’d still act the same way? I truly don’t know.
Wow, the sign your friend sent is gorgeous! Haha Stormy's name for him: TINY! Tiny Taco. But...you were 100% listening to the better angels, and your sign was chef's kiss, ma'am!
Ugh, here in Minnesota, in the twin cities...it was so weird. I ended up wearing my "I COULD SHIT A BETTER PRESIDENT" shirt and meeting a friend at a local café because we heard the main protests were canceled due to the shootings. They went ahead anyway, but we found some smaller groups who were nevertheless gathering here and there, and sitting in groups in people's yards with signs, with people honking and waving. We weren't getting any news about where the fuck this sick fucker might be headed either. Yeah, I am trying to think of the last time a Democrat assassinated someone...and it's not coming to mind. Cheering the national and INTERnational turnout! Staying strong and never ever giving in or up. LOVED your pics!! 💘😻💙
Kate!
Oh no I didn't realize you are in Minnesota. Many of my resister friends are there too.
Be sure to follow my friend https://asmithnisswa.substack.com/ when you get a chance.
I LOVE your t-shirt and saw that message online too.
Well done attending the protest, especially under threat, you guys are fearless!!
You are 100% correct, it's always the Republicans committing the assassination attempts. Even Hinkley's attempt on Reagan wasn't politically motivated. He was trying to impress Jodi Foster.
Thanks for the kind words and for indulging my photo sharing. HUGS! 🥰
Thanks for being your inimitable self and for the referral to Andy! I am enjoying his posts.😎
Yay!
I’m shocked, saddened and angry, which meant I was going to protest against the tyranny of an odious career criminal for one of my favorite representatives!, loved the photos and the piquant sign!!
Same here Patrick. That was the general mood at the protests. But it's also cathartic and comforting to be with so many other concerned patriotic resisters. Thanks for getting out there. It matters. And thanks for reading and posting the kind comment. Sending hugs 🤗🥰
Got to one of my numerous local no kings events, Petaluma CA, early for parking purposes, stayed for over 2 hours. And in that time the crowd grew exponentially to probably 3,000 in a city of 59,000 when people had at least a dozen choices of places to go inside a half hour drive!
That's awesome Robin! I didn't realize you were here in CA. I'm curious what the final turn-out will end up being. But it was huge and so spread out, it must be really hard to get a true count. Thanks for getting out there! 🙏🏻💙
Yes, living in Sonoma County these last 30 years, coming from the East Coast plus lived in the heartland for 16 years affords me a large look - so glad to be here with its vigorous mix of people. According to Brian Taylor Cohen or maybe it was The Meidas Touch, the count after all the reports was about 12 million people which is 2% of our population! Planning to be active with these continuing protests looks like every 2 weeks. Not too bad for a nearly 90-year-old gal :-)). Been doing this since the late '60s, Vietnam War, Kent State, Pride, Peace Corps/CIA, etc. It's citizen show-up time and this round is the most spectacularly necessary one ever …
Some observations of these last 10 years: Seeing rampaging social infants besotted with their own fearfilled lies, illusions at the heart of their driven desires for dominance, for endless power, for cruelty itself. Was it their childhoods, was it their inherited or acquired ideas to be fulfilled in their societal unfriendliness and driving their lack of character growth? This is a problem on every level of our society, the problem of general intelligence lacking in about 30% of the population and mixed with the laws and standards slipping to accommodate their dazed minds. I keep seeing the confusion embedded in those religious practices that move in and wish to dominate our secular ones, essentially as a way to transfer authoritarian primitive and subservient god concepts into everyday life as a kind of sop to actual thinking, actual responsibility towards one’s personal and social involvement with life. Fear-based religion imposed on citizen-based living. Little clueless souls falsely expanding into big idiots and boxed in by ideologies, a dirty politician's wet dream fantasy of governance.
Yes, living in Sonoma County these last 30 years, coming from the East Coast plus lived in the heartland et al for 16 years affords me a large look - so glad to be here with its vigorous mix of people. According to Brian Taylor Cohen or maybe it was The Meidas Touch, the count after all the reports was about 12 million people which is 2% of our population! Planning to be active with these continuing protests looks like every 2 weeks. Not too bad for a nearly 90-year-old gal :-)). Been doing this since the late '60s, Vietnam War, Kent State, Pride, Peace Corps/CIA, etc. It's citizen show-up time and this round is the most spectacularly necessary one ever …
The No Kings marches gave me hope again! I wanted to be out there, but of course I couldn’t. It was such a wonderful sight seeing SO MANY!!
There absolutely HAD to be quite a few MAGA voters in these crowds- not to cause trouble but because they realized FINALLY how wrong they have been.
I’m sure there were some who WERE there to cause trouble, but it seems they did not succeed!
So from a woman who marched against the National Guard shooting at Kent State, I salute all of YOU who SHOWED UP!!!
BRAVO BABY BRAVO!!!!!
I emailed this to you but was not sure if it landed as it is not in my sent file
Your my hero Pamela and I'm proud to get out there and represent all those who were with us in spirit. Love you!💗
You rock Bebe Girl!! Thank you!!
My sister from another Mister - oh how I would have enjoyed being there with YOU & your gorgeous face!!! ❤️
I'm still getting through my daily emails, it takes me hours, LOL. But I'll keep an eye out. Thank you for the love!
Lorraine—
Being in Germany, I can’t tell you how much it means to witness your words and photos from the No Kings protests. Every image, every detail you shared—it reaches far beyond borders. I wasn’t there in person, and yet, your lace and boots and fierce, heart-led sign made it feel like I could walk beside you.
“Free hugs for military and police”—what a stroke of embodied brilliance. Subversive tenderness. It doesn’t minimize the danger we’re facing—it reframes the whole damn field. You didn’t just hold a sign. You opened a crack. And some people, even in uniform, let light in.
Reading your reflections, I felt my own breath soften. The joy. The grit. The grief. The music and the quiet moments. You carried it all with grace.
Thank you for standing, for documenting, for reminding those of us across oceans that resistance still dances—and that love can be radical, strategic, and real.
You really get me my dear friend. Thank you for standing with us all the way from Germany. That means so much to me and all the resisters. Radical love, brilliant!!
I’ll always stand with you and all Americans fighting for freedom and democracy. I truly loved your many shared pictures. And this sign, priceless!
Grateful, thankful to the Cosmos, that you are all SAFE... (sorry to hear of assassinations ~ still grieving the ones of the 60s) lovely pictures. Sending y'all LOVE from London 🙏🫶🧘🌌👏🪷🫂🦋💙💙💙💙💙💙🖖🫂🫂
So true, Mahesh, we are mourning such horrible loss from evil acts. Thank you for your solidarity. 🥰
So often, in my life, I'm reminded of an exquisite poem, song sung by the One & Only DearOne, Leonard Cohen...
The Anthem...
This link, from his concert in London ~ I didn't even know, he was here...((but would've been difficult to attend, as I was living on the streets that year, 3 more, sob (please don't ask🧘))
Appropriate lyrics, for last weekend, unfolding 🙏🙏🌹🌌🫂🧘🙏🌌I thought 🎼🫂sending you ALL, lots of Love and hugs 🫂 from London 🙏🌌🎼
https://youtu.be/6wRYjtvIYK0?si=AXiOrttnqWjk_qw5
🧘🦢🪿🕊️🕊️🕊️🌌🙏
As always, awesome pictures!
Thank you Stanley, it is always uplifting to see your kind comments 🥰
Well done! Power on, girl!
Hugs Dorian!🥰
Massively cool approach, Lolo. Big love.
Mwah!!🥰
Love your photos! GO, girl, go!
Thank you so much Connie! 🥰
Love always wins! Well done my friend.
Great job Lorraine! A page from the sixties!💪🏻❤️