{"id":2590,"date":"2026-03-30T20:58:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T01:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/?p=2590"},"modified":"2026-03-30T23:56:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:56:44","slug":"signs-spring-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/signs-spring-2026","title":{"rendered":"Signs of Resistance &#8211; Spring 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I spent the past six weeks out and about a lot. Exploring the region. Watching the snowy freezing winter thaw and blossom into spring.<\/p>\n<p>Also, the world is still going to hell.<\/p>\n<p>So for a couple of excursions (the getting out and going somewhere kind, not the bombing a girls&#8217; school and closing the Strait of Hormuz kind), I checked out events where people were demanding change to all this.<\/p>\n<p><b>Stand Up for Science<\/b><\/p>\n<p>First was on March 7, when down on the National Mall was the <a href=\"https:\/\/linktr.ee\/standupforscience\" title=\"Stand Up for Science\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"post\">Stand Up for Science rally<\/a>. It was an overcast but mild day. I hopped on the Metro and made my way there.<\/p>\n<p>To see this.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist01.jpg\" title=\"Giant rubber duckies invading the city might somehow help...\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Rep. Jamie Raskin was on stage speaking when I arrived, followed by other speakers decrying the massive cuts the Orange Thing&#8217;s administration have made toward scientific research over this past year.<\/p>\n<p>I checked out the few tents around, grabbed some stickers and flyers that will sit in that tote bag untouched for like three years. One tent had a stack of plain poster board and an assortment of markers. Nice. So those who didn&#8217;t have time to make a sign could just make one right here. I took the opportunity to touch up my own.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nWith my own sign, I wandered among the crowd, which was a decent size but would have been nice if it were larger. I think the estimates I saw afterwards was it was two thousand people. Checked out the other signs.<\/p>\n<p>Get rid of not just RFK Jr but Russell Vought, too.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist02.jpg\" title=\"Plus a bunch of others\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Needs more jousting.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist03.jpg\" title=\"With syringes.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Too soon?<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist04.jpg\" title=\"Too late?\"\/><\/p>\n<p>YES! To both!<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist05.jpg\" title=\"Both!\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Too little cardboard in the whole damn world, in fact&#8230;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist06.jpg\" title=\"There's just... so... much...\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Meh. That movie is overrated.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist07.jpg\" title=\"No, really, it does kind of promote eugenics.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Well, with all the suppression efforts, just might be&#8230;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist08.jpg\" title=\"Save us from the SAVE Act!\"\/><\/p>\n<p>What a horrid yet well-matched pair.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist09.jpg\" title=\"And codependent.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Glad we got that cleared up.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist10.jpg\" title=\"There will be a quiz.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Shit. Fund science instead of wars and even political campaigns. The result will make Lionel Hutz shudder.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist11.jpg\" title=\"Can you imagine?\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Snap.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist12.jpg\" title=\"Explains the anti-vax dipshittery.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I mean&#8230; Yeah! Does it need to be said?!<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist13.jpg\" title=\"Goddamn it, it needs to be said.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Amphifa.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist14.jpg\" title=\"Guessing this doesn't extend to 7th grade science class.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>iknorite?!<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist15.jpg\" title=\"What chickens are these?!\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The remaining speakers included more members of the House and Senate, including my own senator, Chris Van Hollen, whom you might know as the dude who went to El Salvador last year to retrieve Kilmar Abrego Garcia after being wrongly deported there. Plus the SUFS founder and someone telling the story of having her symptoms dismissed as a child (go figure) that were early signs of a chronic rare condition, research about which was gutted in all the DOGE purging.<\/p>\n<p>After this, I wandered around the District a bit on some other errands while I was there, but I came across them before long. The cockroaches. By which I mean the National Guard. Milling around, in their fatigues. It&#8217;s sad that I have to credit them at least for that their faces were visible and their names on their uniforms. Just more grossness in my city from this administration that needs to go away.<\/p>\n<p><b>No Kings 3<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A couple days ago on March 28 was No Kings. There was of course a huge demonstration in DC, but there were also a ton of closer ones, so I went to the one right here in Germantown, MD.<\/p>\n<p>My recently touched up sign made another appearance. Fifth overall, in fact.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist16.jpg\" title=\"Simple yet important word.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>And there were <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/sciville.bsky.social\/post\/3mi5lein5fs26\" title=\"My Bluesky thread full of sign pics\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"post\">some great ones around<\/a>, as well.<\/p>\n<p>Oof. That strikes a nerve.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist17.jpg\" title=\"Big if.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I think I read that as &#8220;eggs&#8221; at first. Still works.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist18.jpg\" title=\"Especially if from the aforementioned measles chickens.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Priorities.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist19.jpg\" title=\"Guess which one he got bored of quicker?\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Eat some fiber and get on it then. The 2028 primary will sneak up on us&#8230;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist20.jpg\" title=\"Better than Gavin Newsom, too.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Same.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist21.jpg\" title=\"They should issue paper bags for the head along with passports.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>ICE had to go and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/ice-and-them\" title=\"ICE and Them\" class=\"fort\">kill people<\/a> whose names make good protest signs.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist22.jpg\" title=\"And another reason for each poor soul killed in the detention centers.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>o snap<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist23.jpg\" title=\"I mean, we are in this mess because too many people did give it.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Goes hand in hand with the forest fire prevention when you think about it.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist24.jpg\" title=\"Nothing some Finnish leaf raking won't solve, right?\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Darkness doesn&#8217;t help either.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist25.jpg\" title=\"Nor does being owned by Jeff Bezos.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Or any color for that matter.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist26.jpg\" title=\"Because no one suspects that butterfly...\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Good kitty!<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist27.jpg\" title=\"Cat kings are fine.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ah, the symbol of the party that needs more of it.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist28.jpg\" title=\"Forget what the Baileys are telling you, Chuck.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Minnesota Nice, specifically.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist29.jpg\" title=\"Paired with the weather warming up in general.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Could do that at any time&#8230;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist30.jpg\" title=\"That whole checks and balances thing ring any bells?\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ugh. We need to trot out slogans from 20 years ago that are relevant again.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist31.jpg\" title=\"Even if it has the opposite affect...\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Seems offensive to potatoes.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist32.jpg\" title=\"And dicks.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Oh, please, for the good of everything, let it come true&#8230;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist33.jpg\" title=\"And let it matter this time.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>iknorite?<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist34.jpg\" title=\"I feel old.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Probably drives the point home more that this is a white board.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist35.jpg\" title=\"Limited by marker ink perhaps.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t know. His call for less conversation might result in that deadly-for-democracy silence.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist36.jpg\" title=\"Jailhouse Rock might be more for the other one.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If I&#8217;m being honest, some of these signs about defending democracy can&#8217;t help but give me pause. Fact is, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/2025\/07\/04\/who-are-we\" title=\"Who Are We?\" class=\"fort\">this all happened in the first place<\/a> because of a free and fair election. I guess we just need to make sure we&#8217;ll have more of them.<\/p>\n<p>About halfway through, there was a series of speakers, beginning with Congresswoman Delaney and followed by local state reps and county councilmembers. A couple of them highlighted that this town has been ranked the most diverse town in the entire country multiple times. Sweet.<\/p>\n<p>After that, back to sign waving, getting passing cars to honk in approval of our signs, and running up to each other saying &#8220;oh, I love your sign, can I take a picture?&#8221; And some chants. No Kings! Show me what democracy looks like&#8230; This is what democracy looks like!<\/p>\n<p>And then, naturally, a yellow Baby Shark, a bald eagle, and a skeletal frog danced under the No Kings in America banner to Macklemore&#8217;s &#8220;Thrift Shop&#8221;.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/2026\/resist37.jpg\" title=\"Your argument is invalid.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>For America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I spent the past six weeks out and about a lot. Exploring the region. Watching the snowy freezing winter thaw and blossom into spring. Also, the world is still going to hell. So for a couple of excursions (the getting out and going somewhere kind, not the bombing a girls&#8217; school and closing the Strait &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/signs-spring-2026\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Signs of Resistance &#8211; Spring 2026&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,7,32],"tags":[50,51],"class_list":["post-2590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-going-places","category-science","tag-holy-week-2026","tag-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2590"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2591,"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590\/revisions\/2591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eightminefortress.com\/surewhynot\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}