I’m sitting on my roof right now, trimming some trees and getting ready for fall. From up here, near Peterson Space Force Base, I can hear the rumble of F-22s overhead. You always know when the fighters are in town – they shake the air on this side of Colorado Springs.
The sound took me back to 2003 – I was on my first deployment to Kyrgyzstan. I remember sitting outside our tent, watching F-16s roar into the night sky, flown by our Dutch and Danish allies. You’d see that blue flame trail out behind them, and you just knew you were part of something bigger. You were part of ensuring freedom and democracy for an oppressed people.
It was shortly after 9/11, and back then, we believed deeply in what we were doing. We carried a sense of purpose – of righteousness – that felt unshakable. Those jets symbolized hope, strength, and unity.
Now, more than 20 years later, I sit on my roof and hear the same kind of sound — but it stirs something entirely different in me. When I hear those engines now, I think of oppression. I think of power used not to defend, but to divide.
I hear our Speaker of the House refusing to seat a duly elected representative – silencing the voices of hundreds of thousands of Americans – all to protect the powerful and the corrupt. I hear leaders using words like “treason” and “patriotism” to describe peaceful protest, twisting language to turn citizens against each other.
So let me be clear: Our gathering on Oct. 18 is not treasonous. It is patriotic in the purest sense. It is peaceful. It is an act of unity in a time of suffering – a moment for us to come together, to hold hands, and to remember that our strength has always come from one another.
We don’t need to raise our fists. We need to raise our voices.
So I’ll see you out there on the 18th – standing together, peacefully, as Americans, saying “No Kings.”
The No Kings rally is this Saturday, Oct. 18, at America the Beautiful Park starting at noon running until 3 p.m. with marches planned towards the end. It is being organized by Indivisible, 50501COS, and the EPCO Progressive Veterans. It is a nationwide day of protest similar to the one in June. Sign up for updates on future actions with one of the organizing entities.
