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I’m sure you saw the pictures and videos of the supposed “millions” who gathered at “No Kings” rallies all over the country on Saturday, purportedly protesting the policies of President Donald Trump. Some said they were there to speak out against his policies on immigration, and ICE raids on illegal immigrants. Others expressed displeasure with his attitudes or actions toward transgender persons, such as his executive order to keep men out of women’s sports. Some were upset with his efforts to “end radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling.” Still others couldn’t quite articulate why they were there at all. But regardless, I support everyone’s right to participate in the No Kings protests, even if I don’t agree with the opinions of everyone present. The First Amendment guarantees them that right, and the fact that they were able to gather for these rallies proves that we don’t have a king in America. Their President didn’t take any action to shut down any of these events, after all. And from everything I saw, they were peaceful events. That too, is a good thing. Protesting should be done with words and signage, not rocks and Molotov cocktails. But not everyone was kind, of course. Some, like Connecticut Democratic Senator Saud Anwar, even participated in calls for President Trump’s death. Anwar - a medical doctor, by the way - proudly stood for a snapshot holding a sign that said “Cholesterol, do your job!”, complete with drawings of fast food like hamburgers, fries, and fried chicken.
Yes, the First Amendment even protects this kind of speech from Anwar. Is it distasteful at best, and unethical or even threatening at worst? Maybe, but this kind of unpopular, vile speech is exactly the kind the First Amendment was designed to protect. We don’t need a First Amendment to protect kind words with which the majority of people agree. But that doesn’t mean Anwar shouldn’t face consequences. As attorneys, we are held to high ethical standards, and yes, we can even be disciplined for our conduct outside of a law office or courtroom. Shouldn’t there be repercussions for a medical doctor - who took an oath, “First, do no harm” - who advocates for the death of another human being (President or otherwise)? This is someone who presumably would give advice to his patients (or prescribe them medication) for lowering what he would deem dangerous cholesterol levels, and yet he’s out in public advocating for a person’s demise via high cholesterol? Of course, the whole No Kings business is laughable, actually, given that most (if not all) of the people participating in the protests were not protesting the worst overreach of government authority in our lifetimes, if not U.S. history. These people weren’t out protesting lockdowns, vaccine and mask mandates, or the closures of schools, churches, and small businesses. In fact, they were celebrating that brand of authoritarianism. When it’s “in the name of public health”, they’ll accept all forms of totalitarian rule. Actually, they’ll more than merely “accept” it. They’ll lick the boot. Human rights abuses are perfectly fine, it seems, so long as they are for what they deem to be “good reasons”. They are happy to be ruled by kings, so long as they are kings with the right letter next to their names in the voting booth. Let’s call this what it was - a protest of American values and ideals, not a protest in defense of the Constitution. I’m sorry, but if you didn’t protest your Governor’s lockdown orders and covid shot mandates, you’re not even remotely “anti-fascist.” You’ve lost all credibility, in my book. That’s not to say that I agree with everything President Trump has said or done. If you read my recent Substack, “A Deal with the Devil?”, you know that couldn’t be further from the truth. But that’s not the point. The point is that we should have enough integrity to look beyond a political figure or party to the actions themselves, and ask ourselves whether we dislike the actions or the person performing them. I was quick to denounce Trump’s Operation Warp Speed during his first term, just as I denounced Joe Biden’s mask and shot mandates for federal employees and healthcare workers. Because the orders were wrong, regardless of who was signing them. Evil committed by a Democrat doesn’t morph into good when committed by a Republican. Believe me, if President Trump signs an executive order for a nationwide vaccine mandate, I’ll be first in line at the protest. You're currently a free subscriber to Free The Law. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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Monday, October 20, 2025
No Kings...except when they're your kings.
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