There are so many people who simply hate President Donald Trump and their sentiments was on display at the recent “No Kings/Dictator” rallies across the state and the nation.
I know there may be some that take exception to that statement, but let’s be honest. The speech and messaging during the rallies targeted the president professionally, personally and politically.
I believe in the right of free speech which was visibly and audibly on display at the rallies. People of all ages and all lifestyles were in attendance expressing their messages. Agree or disagree with the messages; we should uphold and defend the right to freedom of speech.
However, the First Amendment right to free speech does not define that speech be anything other than free. That is where our legislative and judicial branches of government weigh in. There are provisions within our laws that have legal consequences for certain speech.
That’s slander in the spoken word and libel in the written word.
Slander is the act of making a false, spoken statement that damages someone's reputation. It is a form of defamation, which also includes libel (written defamation). To be considered slander, a statement must be untrue, communicated to a third party, and cause harm to the individual's reputation, though the extent of proof required can vary depending on the circumstances.
Despite this definition and available legal instrument, we’re confronted publicly and privately with statements that are untrue and with clear intent to harm. This dynamic was found in the “No Kings/Dictator” rallies, and it can be argued that this occurs on all sides.
Nearly 7 million nationally with approximately 22,000 statewide literally took to the streets in protest. While there were expressions of grave concern for our nation, many others were celebratory being vulgar and obscene for the sake of vulgarity and obscenity.
Naiveté would assume there would be nothing less given the tone and tenor of our society today.
Good decorum and proper etiquette prevent me from sharing the sordid details, but the obscene F word followed by Trump seems to be a favorite. What was surprising was that these provocative images and others were on full display in front of children and families here at home and across the country. Apparently, the ends justify the means which is to generationally imprint youth with a hatred and disdain for President Trump and Republicans.
Finally, I do commend the organizers for turning out impressive numbers. But we must consider this was far from a “grassroots” effort.
Indivisible Hawai‘i is a part of a national organization founded in 2016 to oppose Trump and, by extension, his voters. The group itself says it aims "to defeat the Trump agenda of racism, misogyny, and authoritarianism," and claims to have 11 chapters across the state.
The national umbrella group, Indivisible Project, boats a nearly $12 million budget from a variety of leftist organizations and individuals, according to Influencewatch.org. It has received since its inception a total of $7.6 million in funding from the George Soros “Open Society Foundations” including a $2.3 million, 2-year grant in 2023, according to Fox News.
If you’re not familiar with George Soros he is renowned for his ultra-support of the Democrat party, candidates and non-profits who oppose Republicans and specifically President Donald Trump. With substantial backing such as this combined with messages of fear and blame, it’s no wonder folks with a pre-disposed opposition to President Trump took to the streets.
And just in time for the mid-term campaigns to begin.
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