Copyright Arkansas Online
On Oct. 18, approximately 7 million patriots gathered across the globe and here in Arkansas to protest an out-of-control president who seeks unilateral powers that would effectively make him king, or, more precisely, dictator. I was among the throngs because, in a free country, dissent is part of patriotism. Protesters of all ages, races, genders, ethnicities and politics, some in silly costumes or holding fanciful, creative signs, peacefully and strongly called out the abuses in all three branches of our federal government. We protested that individuals and organizations are abdicating their duties of checks and balances and of oversight. There was no violence. Not one arrest was reported except of counter-protesters who threatened some crowds. And there was no hate. Still, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his team, in lockstep, called these "Hate America rallies" and made other ugly, unfounded accusations that brought to mind the commandment not to bear false witness. Oddly, he and others want the Ten Commandments posted on all school walls! Awkward, right? Thankfully, a number of judges, many of them nominated by this unpopular president, mind you, have done their jobs--reining in the guy who wants to be king, like his heroes Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orbán, and Kim Jong Un. One hundred percent of our Arkansas congressional delegation toes his self-interested line, either in slavish alliance or in fear of being primaried. They seem unwilling to call out significant or unconstitutional overreaches, including the following: Presidential impoundment of congressionally approved funds; Destabilizing on-again-off-again tariffs (the duty of Congress, not the president); Extrajudicial killings of alleged narcoterrorists without any proof; Brutally attacking random brown-skinned residents, assuming they are all illegal invaders and violent criminals; and Slamming First Amendment rights of those concerned by the starvation and genocide in Gaza. Our delegation either approves of or ignores all of these abuses, revealing a major lack of character and abandoning their sworn oath to protect the Constitution. How does any of their obeisance make lives better for Arkansans? The triggered toddler in the White House posted a meme showing himself in a jet plane wearing a crown and dropping massive loads of feces on the protesters. How very adult of him! How very presidential! And what a metaphor for how little he respects constituents! Speaker Johnson predictably dismissed it as satire and unremarkable. To my knowledge, not one of our delegation condemned it. Arkansans face many difficult issues including inflation, disappearing international markets for our struggling farmers, and soaring health-insurance costs in the face of rising health risks, because our congressional delegation refuses to act in the best interests of constituents. Instead, each turns a blind eye to the excesses of their master. Without authorization, he is giving billions of dollars to his personally favored South American nation. He is building an imperial ballroom that dwarfs the rest of the now-desecrated existing structure. He dreams, too, of a triumphal arch that would no doubt seek to immortalize him, not our constitutional democratic republic. So, yes, millions of us protested on Oct. 18. We yearn for a true public servant in the White House. We yearn for someone who promotes the values of the Statue of Liberty and the rule of law, even for himself. We yearn for a real peacemaker, not someone whose claims are laughably false, if repetitive. And, equally importantly, we yearn for a Congress that actually provides for all of us in partnership--not servitude--to the executive. We yearn for politicians who show moral clarity. We want them to stand up to the lifelong con man and felon. We know that we do not yet have a king, as many politicians on social media snarkily repeat ad nauseam. And, yes, we want to keep our 250-year-old constitutional democratic republic intact. May our show of patriotism motivate non-voting Arkansans to seek better options. Arkansas deserves better representation! So does America! May we continue to eschew abuses of would-be kings and elect those who protect us from them. We have some excellent options. So, stay loud, Arkansas, and help elect true public servants who won't kiss the ring of this or any subsequent despot! Mary Remmel Wohlleb of Little Rock has a master's degree in French literature from Middlebury College and a master's degree in international management from the American Graduate School of International Management focusing on cross-cultural communications.
