Two major things to write about this week, the first being the No King’s Day demonstration and rally on Saturday, June 14. The second thing is the Tuesday, June 17, vote on a huge increase in electrical rates for Jefferson County Public Utilities District (PUD) customers, which takes place after the newspaper goes to press.

I will write more later in the column about that meeting, which I expect a lot of people will attend. I attended the earlier, June 3, PUD Board of Commissioners meeting to express opposition to an electricity rate hike of 9% in the first year and 6.75% additional per year for the three subsequent years. That’s a 30% increase over four years! 

On to King Trump. I expect everyone reading this has seen the video of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrants who served as California Secretary of State before becoming California’s first Latino senator, herded out of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference, forced to the floor, and handcuffed.

He’s not the first US official to be roughed up and intimidated by Trump’s forces, and he likely will be far from last.

We’ve also learned of what, at the time of this writing, seems to be a politically motivated assassination that targeted multiple Democratic state legislators in Minnesota. This on the same day that he who would be king conflated Flag Day and his birthday into one hugely expensive celebration.

This, after he simultaneously mobilized the National Guard and Marines to invade downtown Los Angeles, threatened to jail the Governor of California, and set up a war between ICE forces and undocumented immigrants. One of his lackeys, foxy Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has been busy removing the names of LGBTQ and people of color from anything military-prelated. Anyone who doesn’t see the parallels to what Hitler did to my Jewish relatives, gay men, trans people, and Romani people (aka gypsies) in Europe either has their head in the sand or consumes far too much Fox-flavored Kool-Aid.

Like many Port Townsenders, I attended the No King’s demonstration and rally, organized by Indivisible Port Townsend. Not since our Black Lives Matter march through downtown have I partaken in such a glorious showing of collective strength and outrage. I wave my “Diversity Makes America Great!” sign in thanks to all who came.

From my vantage point, however, aspects of the rally speeches were extremely disturbing. All three speakers were military veterans chosen by Mike Cornforth. Cornforth is a retired Navy captain who served three tours of duty in Vietnam and worked in defense for years.

The first speaker, former Army captain James Kennedy, is the Prosecuting Attorney for Jefferson County. Speaking calmly, in a soft voice, Kennedy eloquently underscored the vital importance of law in a democracy and the myriad ways in which Donald Trump is violating our Constitutional rights. He was great. I feel blessed to have him as one of our many fine civil servants.

I was okay with the speech of Norma Bishop, a Navy retiree with a huge resume of post-military service, until she asked everyone to join her in a “repeat after me” oath. Without explaining what the oath would be — if she did, I missed it — she began to recite the same oath of allegiance that military personnel and US Presidents recite. Given my history as an anti-war activist during the Vietnam War era, that was a hard pill to swallow.

Then came Cornforth. Shortly into his speech, he cited his history in Vietnam, and contrasted his service to that of Donald Trump, who he called a coward for avoiding military service.

At that point, I picked up my sign and left. Like Donald Trump, I too avoided service in Vietnam, but for entirely different reasons. As is the case with many Port Townsenders who lived through the Vietnam era, there was no way I was going to give my life for an immoral war in which countless Vietnamese civilians were napalmed, murdered, and destroyed for US corporate interests. Instead of heading to Vietnam, I supported our troops by actively organizing against a war that was sending thousands upon thousands of men back to America in flag-draped coffins. And for what?

As grateful as I am to the dedicated hard-working organizers of Indivisible, there were many other ways they could have organized the rally. The right-wing has built a vast network of alternate media that provides people with a 24-hour stream of alternate facts. Trying to convince “the American people” that you’re as patriotic as they are by waving the American flag isn’t going to cut it. Trump’s message of patriotism is stronger, and it’s far more consistent.

I urge PT Indivisible’s leadership to do the same thing that longtime national Democratic Party leaders need to do: Take a good hard look at what the American electorate is saying. Your support amongst people of color and working people is eroding. And not without reason.

It is time for new leadership. Young leadership. Fresh leadership. Leadership that, at the rally, would have put up front not only immigrant rights but also the trampled rights of LGBTQ people. With each progressive voice the Dems silence, right up to David Hoag, they unwittingly tie a tighter noose around the neck of Mother Liberty and for which all she stands.

Demonstrating every few weeks, writing letters, and sending postcards builds morale, but it is not going to change things. Fascism is on the move. It is mobilizing 24/7, and it is far better organized. It is time to let young people and progressives lead us forward. It is their voices we need to hear.

Now back to the 4 p.m., June 17, hearing on the PUD’s rate increase, which will particularly hit older people on fixed incomes, although everyone is affected. The Board of Commissioners meeting takes place at the PUD’s offices at 310 Four Corners Road in PT.

The previous meeting on June 3 was the first time I’d seen our PUD Commissioners in action. I listened attentively to an extremely convincing, laudably cogent facts and figures presentation that detailed steadily accelerating costs and a decaying infrastructure that must be attended to.

During public comment, I lamented that such a huge rate hike would force many people to choose between electricity and money for food, medicine, clothing, and shelter. Even for some who can pay 30% more for electricity, the increased burden it will present, on top of every other rising cost, will create pain. (I did not ask if the rate hike could be spread over a longer time period.)

As Commissioners Jeff Randall, Dan Toepper, and Kenneth Collins addressed attendees’ collective concerns, it became clear that they share these concerns. I left convinced that they are good, honest men who take their responsibilities seriously, do their research, and hold the people of Jefferson County in their hearts.

That does not make the rate hike any easier to bear. I left saddened by the knowledge that, in an era of tightening budgets and drastically diminished support from the Trump kingdom, there seemed to be no alternative.

Jason Victor Serinus is a critic of culture, music, and audio. A longtime advocate for rights, equality, and freedom, he is also a professional whistler. Column tips can be sent to jvsaisi24@gmail.com.