No Kings In Words And Pictures

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On Saturday, March 28, 2026, Americans invoked their right to “peaceably assemble to petition the government for a redress of grievances” as provided for by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Political scientists have argued for 250 years that putting that language in the very first amendment suggests the Framers considered it pretty damn important.

According to the alleged president, only 17 people attended No Kings rallies, but news reports put the number at around 8 million, making it the largest such event in the nation’s history. One of the largest groups was in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where people continue to be horrified that armed thugs in the employ of the United States government murdered two of their neighbors in cold blood.

As a public service, CleanTechnica sent its ace reporters into the field to report on the No Kings demonstration. What they found was a collection of pissed off people standing peaceably in front of a federal courthouse and a city hall who were determined to make their feelings known.

Bernie Sanders was in Minneapolis to address the assembled multitude. “We are living in an unprecedented and dangerous moment in American history. In many ways the future of our country and the entire world is hanging in the balance — and the actions that we take now will determine what that future looks like,” he told them.

“The choices that we face are clear. In the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and at a time of massive breakthroughs in technology, we now have the opportunity to create a nation in which ALL people can enjoy a dignified standard of living, where we wipe out bigotry and hatred, and where all of us can live in peace and participate in a vibrant democracy.

“Where the foundation of our nation is built on love, compassion, human solidarity and an understanding, as former Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone said, that we all do better when we all do better. That is one vision for the future — a vision that the vast majority of Americans share.”

That is the vision that was prominent among all those celebrating No Kings Day this week.

Sanders then issued his assessment of the current administration, led by the Trampler In Chief:

“But there is another vision out there as well — a darker vision. It is a vision which says that we must give up on democracy, that we are too stupid and inept to govern ourselves, and that we must put more and more power into the hands of one man.

“It is a vision that says we should accept an economy in which a handful of Oligarchs have unbelievable wealth, while the vast majority struggle to put food on the table. It is a vision that says that the only thing that matters in life is the accumulation of money and power — and that it is okay if we lie, cheat, and steal to achieve those goals.

“It is a vision which says that we must hate each other because of where we were born, the language we speak, the color of our skin, our religion, or our sexual orientation. It is a vision that foments hatred and hatred. Division, division and division.

“We will never accept authoritarianism. We will never accept oligarchy. And we will never accept a president who is a pathological liar, a kleptocrat, and a narcissist who is undermining the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law every day.

“It is an Orwellian vision which says that we must live in a constant state of fear, that we must always have an enemy, and that we must always be at war. It is a vision which says that we have unlimited amounts of money for bombs and guns and for killing, but never enough money to feed our children, provide affordable housing or enable our parents to retire with dignity.”

“Today, here in Minnesota, in Vermont and in every state in the country we say loudly and proudly that as Americans we will never forsake our heritage. We will never accept authoritarianism, we will never accept oligarchy, and we will never accept a president who is a pathological liar, a kleptocrat, and a narcissist who is undermining the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law every day.

“We will never accept government policy that gives massive tax breaks to the billionaires, throws 15 million Americans off the healthcare they have, breaks unions, denies women the right to control their own bodies, and is pushing the planet closer and closer to a climate crisis.”

“In the last year, I must confess, I have been thinking a lot about American history: about the men and women in 1776 who, with unbelievable courage, announced to the world that they would no longer be ruled by the king of England, who had absolute power over their lives. These patriots demanded freedom, and they fought a bloody revolutionary war against the most powerful military in the world to achieve that freedom. And they won.

“And after their military victory, they established the first democratic form of government in modern history. In 1789, they said loudly and boldly to the entire world: here in America we don’t want kings.

“This moment is not just about one man’s greed, one man’s corruption or one man’s contempt for our Constitution. This is about a handful of the wealthiest people on Earth, who, in their insatiable greed, have taken over…

“And let’s never forget the extraordinary words they left us: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

“And today, in 2026, our message is exactly the same: No more kings. We will not allow this country to descend into authoritarianism or oligarchy. In America, We the People will rule.

“This moment is not just about one man’s greed, one man’s corruption, or one man’s contempt for our Constitution. This is about a handful of the wealthiest people on Earth, who, in their insatiable greed, have taken over our economy, have taken over our political system, have taken over our media in order to enrich themselves at the expense of the working families of our country.

“Never before in American history have so few had so much wealth and power. Never before in American history has there been such extreme levels of income and wealth inequality, with the top 1% now owning more wealth than the bottom 93%.

“Never before in American history have we seen the super-rich expand their wealth so rapidly. Last year alone, after receiving the largest tax break in history, 938 billionaires in America became $1.5 trillion richer. Trump, himself, became over a billion dollars richer. [Emphasis added.]

“Never before in American history have we seen a ruling class, within a corrupt campaign finance system, spend so much money to buy politicians. In the coming mid-term elections, the billionaires will spend many, many hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure that government continues to work for them, and not working families.

“Today, we not only say NO to Trump’s authoritarianism, we say NO to Mr. Musk, Mr. Bezos, Mr. Zuckerberg, Mr. Ellison and all the other multi-billionaires.

“Meanwhile, while the richest people become much richer, 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to put food on the table, struggling to pay their rent and mortgage, struggling to pay for child care and education, and struggling to put a few bucks aside for a decent retirement.

“Tens of thousands of Americans die unnecessarily every year because they can’t afford to go to a doctor. And unless we change how our economy works, our younger generation, for the first time in modern history, will have a lower standard of living than their parents.

“We have got to stop the out-of-control militarism of the Trump administration — here at home, in cities like Minneapolis-St. Paul — and abroad. The American people were lied to about the war in Vietnam. We were lied to about the war in Iraq. And we are being lied to today about the war in Iran. This war must end immediately.

“In the last election Donald Trump pointed out, correctly, the huge amounts of money that had been wasted in wars that should have been spent rebuilding America. He campaigned as a “peace candidate,” and he promised no more “forever wars.” Well, he lied.

“One month ago Trump and his partner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, started a war with Iran. This war is unconstitutional. Trump did not seek or receive authorization from Congress. This war is in violation of international law. One sovereign nation cannot simply go about attacking another sovereign nation for any reason it chooses.

“We understand that when we stand together, and don’t let demagogues divide us up, we can continue to inspire the world to believe in a brighter future.

• • • Yes, we can create a vibrant democracy by ending Citizens United and not allowing billionaires to buy elections.
    • Yes, we can create an economy that works for every man, woman and child in our country and not just a handful of billionaires.
    • Yes, we can make certain that the revolutionary technologies of artificial intelligence and robotics are used to improve life for all of us, not just the wealthy owners of that technology.

“The establishment, including the corporate media and many of my colleagues in Congress, want you to believe that you are powerless. They want you to believe that you cannot change the status quo. But that’s a lie.

• • • Yes, we join the rest of the industrialized world and guarantee health care to all people as a human right.
    • Yes, instead of spending a trillion dollars a year on the military, we can wipe out homelessness and build millions of units of low-income and affordable housing.
    • Yes, in the richest country on Earth, we can have the best public educational system in the world, with tuition-free schooling, from child care through higher education.
    • Yes, we can expand Social Security and radically improve our pension system so that every senior in this country can retire with dignity.
    • Yes, we can raise the minimum wage to a living wage and guarantee every worker the right to join a union.
    • Yes, we can guarantee that every woman in this country has the right to control her own body.
    • Yes, at a time when billionaires are paying an effective tax rate lower than a truck driver or nurse, we can make certain that the top 1% and large profitable corporations start paying their fair share in taxes.

“Time and time again, in difficult moments in American history, our people stood up, fought back and won. They did it then. We can do it now.

“My fellow Americans: The establishment, including the corporate media and many of my colleagues in Congress, want you to believe that you are powerless. They want you to believe that you cannot change the status quo. But that’s a lie. Throughout the history of our country, when Americans have stood up and fought for justice, they have prevailed.

“The founders did it when they stood up to King George. The abolitionists did it when they ended slavery. The working class did it when they stood up to their bosses and formed unions. The suffragettes did it when they demanded that women have the right to vote. The LGBT community did it when they demanded basic human rights They did it then. We can do it now.

Sanders closed his remarks with this broadside against the tyranny of Trump and his coterie 0f MAGAlomaniacs:

“Today, March 28, 2026, millions of Americans are out on the streets demanding freedom, democracy and justice. But we must make certain: Today is not the end of our struggle. It is just the beginning. Together, when we stand united, we will create the kind of nation that you and I know we can become.”

Americans Can Still Choose

I confess that when I read the words of Bernie Sanders, I find myself agreeing with everything he says and thinking “What might have been?…” What if Clinton’s stranglehold on the DNC hadn’t kept him from being the presidential candidate in 2016? What if the DNC had not hid its head in the sand and acquiesced to Joe Biden’s insistence that he could beat Trump one more time?

What if John Roberts had not stolen the 2000 election and thrown the victory to Bush Lite? What if a robust Congress filled with progressives had taken Roberts’ odious Citizens United decision and thrown it back in his face? I’m sure readers can think of more “what if” moments of their own.

The essential lesson is that the march toward fascism began long ago in America, with some dating it to the infamous Lewis Powell memo in 1971, but it really started when the rich and powerful vowed to undo FDR’s New Deal and Teddy Roosevelt’s anti-trust activism, which culminated in the ridiculous John Birch Society, co-founded by the father of Charles Koch.

The historical record shows Americans can defeat the forces of evil, given enough incentive to raise their voices as one. Is this one of those moments? The people I met at No Kings Day yesterday clearly think the answer is yes. Yet it concerned me that so few of those in attendance were under 50. Any movement that does not engage younger Americans will face long odds.

The MAGA crowd attacks people like Bernie Sanders for being socialists, which they associate with the dreaded term “woke.” His words are the essence of socialism — a commitment to a society that works for everyone, not just an elite few.

America has a choice — whether to pursue the policies advanced by Sanders or the antisocial policies advanced by MAGA. To achieve the former will require an outpouring of voter activism in November. It is no exaggeration to say this may be the most important election in American history. The MAGA thugs are determined to keep people from voting. If they succeed, America as we know it will be lost.