Well, I hope everyone had a nice President’s Day. I remember growing up when we celebrated Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays on separate days. These were two of our greatest presidents, but then it was determined is would be better for some reason to combine the two days of remembrance into one federal holiday.
To most Americans, President’s Day is just another day off to hang out or take advantage of all the sales that have become attached to the holiday. So here’s a fun fact … President’s Days happens to be the best time of the year to buy mattresses! That’s right. A couple of years ago I retired my worn out Tempur-Pedic and got my new hot rodded Sleep Number. FYI, my sleep number is 95. Yes, I like it firm!
So most of the time President’s Day ends up being just another day.
Not this year.
By most accounts, the current occupant of the White House was considered one of the worst presidents ever … right up there with James Buchanan who pretty much did nothing to prevent the South’s secession and the Civil War. That was the for his first term in office. But he has outdone himself in so many ways this time around. I mean where do you even begin? Hmm, for starters, how about unbelievable corruption, authoritarianism actions whenever possible, grotesque narcissism and self-mythologizing, responsibility for bringing us Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, RFK Jr. Stephen Miller, Russell Vought, Gregory Bovino, Pete Hegseth and so many more all-stars, destruction of the liberal world order that has maintained the peace helped our economy grow, and insanely bad hair!
So you can imagine that I jumped at the chance to grab my camera when I found out that day that there would be a “No ICE, No Kings” rally here in Doylestown!
I arrived a few minutes after things started and things were well underway. Probably a couple hundred people carrying signs and American flags. Plenty of singing and yelling slogans, and as cars drove by they added their honking in solidarity to people on hand.
I was only scolded several times to get out of the street while I was making pictures, which is pretty good for me (Note: I don’t recommend this to others!), but I think I made some good pictures. But that was the least of it, because I felt I was a part of something that is growing stronger by the day. People are standing up and letting their voices be heard, both young and old, black, brown and white. Everyone! And while there was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground from the recent storm, I felt some of that ice melting away!
The next day I heard an interview on NPR of Loubna Mrie, a Syrian women who became a protestor and photojournalist during the Arab Spring. She just published a memoir of her life and how she survived called Defiance: A Memoir Of Awakening, Rebellion, And Survival In Syria. Towards the end of the interview she said “I think our oppressors wait for us to give up. And one of the ways to give up and let our oppressors win is by just stop speaking up and not push against the narrative that they are trying, that they’re adopting.” During this dark time we all need to speak up and push back like Loubna Mrie!
I developed my negatives a few days ago and they look pretty good. They always do, don’t they? I’ll make a proof sheet pretty soon and we’ll see how I did. With any luck there will be a keeper or two I can share.
But if not I felt I was part of something much bigger. And you know what? It turned out to be a pretty meaningful President’s Day after all!
Stay well,
Michael