June 2026

 27 Jun 2026

Today citizens across our nation participated in “All of U.S. 250”, a nationwide mobilization for truth, equality & freedom. One of those citizens was Richard. He is recovering from a broken hip but still walked a half mile with his "Rollator" to join us today … in 90+ degrees, no shade. He sat in his “Rollator”, held up his sign, chatted, shared his candy, - and, most importantly, showed up. Richard rocks!

This, the 250th Anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, sees our country at an unprecedented crossroads. Our nation should be coming together to celebrate all that we are, how far we have come, and commit to finishing the work to make our United States a “more perfect union.” We should be celebrating freedom and equality for ALL, instead the current administration – Executive, Legislative, & Judicial branches- are intent on dividing us. They are attacking our foundational ideals. Enough is enough.

Our Founding Fathers wrote: “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.”

They then concluded with these words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” 

250 years later, the current administration is not pledging their lives, fortunes, or honor to ALL of U.S. They strive through words and actions to divide us based upon skin color, religion, political opinion, gender, sexual orientation, or country of origin. Their mindset is division not union.

In contrast, We the People look upon our fellow Americans as an extension of ourselves. While this can be a hefty challenge, we still believe it is an American value to consider every person in this country to be as worthy of our support and protection, whether they are “like us” or not. We are standing up for a future of freedom for ALL of U.S. 

Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence. 

20 Jun 2026

Despite current events, I had an uplifting week - Rise Up, Sing Out, the Opening Ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center, Saturday Sign Waving, people honking, thumbs up, and waving! Yes, it is hot and sweaty but somehow the man who likes to talk about the Federalist Papers stood next to me again while the percussionists kept up the beat behind us…

“GET A JOB!” Believe me, I have heard A LOT of profanity, obscenity, and, due to the Doppler Effect, lots of unintelligible yelling accompanied by facial expressions that almost defy description. When agitators drive by and yell, - “Get a job!” - I always smile.  Do they know the employment status of every single person? Perhaps they think that phrase is a “zinger” - that their words will invalidate and intimidate us? Nope, not today!

We have been protesting peacefully every Saturday for over a year. We have heard and seen many agitators. Yet, we aren’t rioting, damaging property, or physically attacking people. Nope, not on ANY day!

“What you have experienced, no power on earth can take from you.” – Viktor Frankl

I find agitators’ attempts at intimidation an interesting experience. It doesn’t necessarily make me “tougher”, instead it softens me. Looking at their contorted facial expressions, I am open to the reality that their words and actions indicate that they are not well - they are suffering. They have chosen to respond to peaceful, non-violent protests with anger, hatred, and aggression.

Protesting has been a life-changing choice of action for me. Even when agitators attempt to intimidate me, I KNOW I have a choice. I have “the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” 🙏🙏

Yep, EVERY day!

Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence. 

13 Jun 2026

Hot today – 95 degrees, no shade BUT we had great music!!

“The American flag, far from being a mere symbol or a piece of cloth, is an embodiment of our hopes, freedom, and unity.” - General Norman Schwarzkopf

Tomorrow is Flag Day! I am starting my celebration a day early with my Bennington Flag. I received this flag from my grandmother who displayed it outside her home 50 years ago during our Bicentennial. Oral tradition claims that the flag was carried by Nathaniel Fillmore (grandfather of President Millard Fillmore) at the 1777 Battle of Bennington - hence its name. It was revived during the War of 1812 to evoke revolutionary fervor and was displayed during the 1876 Centennial Exposition and again during our Bicentennial in 1976. (For more detailed information about the flag, click BENNINGTON MUSEUM)

While the designs may differ, both the Bennington Flag and the standard American Flag are entirely free of British icons, symbolizing a complete, definitive break from the crown ("No Kings!!"). Both celebrate American independence and, most importantly, they both embody “our hopes, freedom, and unity.” 

Unfortunately, “our hopes, freedom, and unity” are at risk due to political corruption - a president, responsible for the country’s good - the good of the people, instead is acting to obtain financial and illegal benefits for himself, his family, and his friends – in violation of  Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 ("Emoluments Clause”) and Article II, Section 1, Clause 8 (Oath of Office). In this situation, citizens are obligated to use THEIR Constitutional First Amendment rights of speech, assembly, and petition to demand this administration uphold our Constitution. 

Finally, “Stormin’ Norman” also said, “Any soldier worth his salt should be antiwar; and still there are things worth fighting for." Decades ago, I swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States – there is no expiration date. Little did I know I would defend it on American soil. Our Constitution is still one of those “things worth fighting for.

Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence.

6 Jun 2026

"They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate." 

-- President Franklin D. Roosevelt's official address announcing the D-Day invasion, 6 Jun 1944

Eighty-two years ago, my Granduncle Edward Niemiec, a rifleman, landed on Utah Beach. He was a member of the 359th Infantry, which then went on to fight fascism across Europe. Uncle Ed was eventually wounded but he survived, and his meritorious service was recognized with a Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medal. Uncle Ed, like all service members, risked his life in the fight against Nazi fascism. Today we honor their sacrifices and suffering. We especially remember the fallen who paid the ultimate price of freedom for the people of Europe.

Others were fighting fascism, too, even before D-Day. American citizens living in Europe supported the Allied cause, risked their lives, and many died. They were resisters. They were ANTIFA. Here are just two examples:

Mildred Harnack, an assistant lecturer in English and American literature at the University of Berlin, was the only American in the leadership of a German resistance group. She had an opportunity to escape to the United States, but she didn’t leave. In 1932, Mildred and her husband Arvid began to resist Nazi fascism. They created a “book club” which intersected with three other anti-fascist (ANTIFA) resistance groups passing information to the Allies. Mildred and Arvid were arrested. Initially she was sentenced to six years in prison, but Hitler refused to endorse the sentence and ordered a new “trial”, which resulted in a death sentence. Mildred was beheaded by guillotine on 16 Feb 1943. Arvid was hanged. Mildred was the only American in Germany executed for resistance activities. 

Sumner Jackson, an American physician and WWI veteran, his Swiss-born-naturalized-American wife, Toquette, and their son, Phillip, lived in Paris, where Dr. Jackson was head surgeon at the American Hospital. The Jacksons had the opportunity to leave Paris before the Nazis invaded but chose to stay. As a family, they decided to assist the French Resistance by hiding members of the resistance in the hospital. Sumner, Toquette, and Phillip were arrested. They were separated from one another and suffered horribly in concentration camps. As the British army approached Sumner’s camp, the SS began shooting prisoners. Sumner was shot and killed. Toquette and Phillip survived. 

Eighty-two years ago, a massive military coalition landed in Europe to fight fascism. Already on the continent were heroic individuals and small groups engaged in active resistance. Both fought fascism with extreme courage. 

May we never forget. Honor the fallen. Fight for the living.

Vigilance. RESISTANCE! Persistence.

May 2026

30 May 2026

This is the second week we, Neptune Beach Coalition, have acted to eliminate “period poverty” in our Beaches communities. In Florida, feminine hygiene products cannot be purchased using SNAP. One in five women experiencing low-income report a lack of access to period supplies (an estimated 100,000+ women and girls in Northeast Florida). This health and safety issue is linked to using unsanitary substitute products, stretching product usage, and missing work or school.

We want to ensure that everyone who menstruates is empowered to manage their menstruation safely, hygienically, with confidence and without shame, where no one is limited by something as natural and normal as her period.

The items collected will be distributed via Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry (BEAM food pantry). The need for food and personal hygiene assistance is growing. In January 2025 the wait time for an appointment in the food pantry was 2 weeks. Now, due to the increased number of community members needing economic assistance, many clients must wait 4 weeks for an appointment. They are skipping meals, foregoing medical and dental care, and trying to stretch their budgets to pay for increasingly expense gas so that they can drive to/from work. Contrary to what the president keeps saying, America is NOT in “great” shape.

It has been roughly a year and five months of nonstop corruption, cruelty, and chaos and we continue to speak out against this autocratic administration. The president is pilfering money directly from the US treasury – that is, picking our pockets to enrich himself, his children, and his loyalists. And he is doing it in plain sight. Not to mention the suffering and death he is directly responsible for in our country and across the globe.

It’s enough to make an American move “off grid” and read novels until it all blows over - or up. This is precisely what Trump wants – our silence. 

Fortunately, Russian émigré journalist M Gessen proposed some “rules” for surviving autocracy. Among them: “Be outraged ... in the face of the impulse to normalize, it is essential to maintain one’s capacity for shock.”

We don’t shrug and say, “that’s just Trump being Trump.” 

We refuse to gloss over the scale of economic fraud and moral bankruptcy our nation is experiencing. 

Finally, we know it is possible to be in a state of despair WITHOUT being in the state of surrender.

We the People will not be silent. We are going to survive this. We are more determined than ever to build a humane nation with Constitutional guiderails. 

We encourage all citizens to vote and support candidates who share our vision of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”  

Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence. 

23 May 2026

I created my signs in honor of Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is specifically for remembering and honoring those who died while serving in the United States military, whether they died during combat, from wounds sustained in service, or later because of their service.

I hope you will read the brief facts about these men and contemplate their sacrifice. They are representative of all the service members who gave their lives “to support and defend the U.S. Constitution.” 

Civil War: My 4th. Great-Grandfather - Sgt. Jay Martin (immigrant from England) - New Boston, Illinois farmer - married with 4 children, 124th. Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry - served in Vicksburg Campaign and Battle of Champion Hill (wounded) - Jay was admitted to the National Home for Disabled Soldiers, Dayton, Ohio for treatment of his battle injuries and “sunstroke” (now known as PTSD) - "for six years he patiently endured the sufferings that came as the result of his wounds," - died 4 Jan 1871 at age 46 from “war wounds” – buried in New Boston Cemetery, New Boston, Illinois.

World War II; My Granduncle - SEA1, United States Navy Reserve Arthur Erling - Chicago, Illinois - was a machine shop operator at Electro-Motive Company – engaged to be married - graduated from Great Lakes Naval Training Center 6 Oct 1942  - served as an armed guard on the SS Collingsworth (merchant ship convoy) – 9 Jan 1943 German U-boat, U-124, attacked convoy off the coast of Suriname – Collingsworth sank – Arthur was missing in action at age 22 and his body was never recovered – 10 Jan 1944 posthumously received a Purple Heart Medal – Arthur’s service is memorialized on the Tablet of the Missing at the East Coast Memorial in Battery Park, New York City, New York.  

Vietnam War: My Cousin - Cpl. United States Marine Corps Billy Erling – Chicago, Illinois – engaged to be married - Rifleman with Company B of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division – served in Operation Swift in the Quế Sơn Valley to rescue two Marine units - killed in action near the village of Vinh Huy by small arms fire at age 23 - Billy’s body was recovered and he is buried in Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois.

“We are the Dead.  Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie …

To you from falling hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high ...” 

- Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae  WWI, (1872-1918), “Flanders Field”

Will you catch “the torch” and “hold it high”?

Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence.  

16 May 2026

One year later… I have learned to appreciate the difference between like-minded and like-hearted. 

Like-minded is when you have the same political party, same religion, same lifestyle, same education, etc.. Like-minded is about what is in your head.

 Rather like-hearted people are emotionally aligned, often sharing a common purpose, passion for serving others, or a similar, caring disposition. It’s about what is in your heart.

Over the past year I have discovered like-hearted people each Saturday morning. We are loyal to the Constitution. We share a common desire - to support the human and civil rights of all people regardless of their ancestry, country of origin, immigration status, religion, lifestyle, or sexual orientation. 

We have a passion for serving the least fortunate in our community. Together we support our local Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry (BEAM) and the Mission House with food and personal hygiene collections. 

We value civic activities – partnering with other like-hearted organizations to provide voter registration, petition signing, visibility events – working together to support the human and civil rights of ALL people. 

We share a dedication to peaceful, nonviolent activism. We literally stand with our messages, waving at passing cars, reminding our neighbors that they are not alone in these unprecedented times. And somehow, - it can be challenging - we even maintain a peaceful disposition when those who are not like-hearted pass by us emitting large clouds of “rolling coal,” giving us “the finger,” or shouting streams of obscenities. 

Finally, like-hearted people are generous, kind, and thoughtful people – habitual listeners - who acknowledge your freedom of speech. They will not “ghost,” unfollow, unfriend, or “bad-mouth” you. Instead, like-hearted people simply stand alongside you with their unique signs on a Saturday morning, sharing a common purpose, a desire to help others - resolved to prioritize humanity over any political party or leader. 

One year later … I can choose to spend my life sitting around talking about stuff with like-minded people, or I can go and DO something with people who are like-hearted. I am glad I sought out like-hearted people.  

Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence. 

9 May 2026

Another Saturday with the "volunteers for America!" This week my home state was gerrymandered to increase Republication districts in direct violation of our Florida Constitution. This was followed by the Tennessee legislature gerrymandering the state's lone Democratic-held district out of existence. Then the Republicans gathered to gleefully celebrate while one of their colleagues wore a Trump flag as a cape.

I agree with Roseanne Cash - “These Republicans aren’t even pretending they believe in democracy, fair elections, the rule of law, or equal representation. Just cold, hard RACISM and CORRUPTION and they’re caught laughing at the anguish of the people they are supposed to represent.” - which led me to James Madison and my signs …

“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” – James Madison, The Federalist No. 10 – November 22, 1787

While the Declaration of Independence focused on the transcendent principles of liberty, the Constitution focused on the “nuts and bolts.” In The Federalist No. 10,  Madison gives a rundown of all the ways the Constitution is designed to divide power and balance parties against one another to create consensus. The Constitution exists to slow down action unless it is backed by a broad, enduring consensus forged through a whole string of “boring” political compromises. That’s not a failure of our Constitution. It’s a feature.

Madison understood that the Constitution could not enforce itself. What was needed was a culture of tension between the three branches – the separation of powers – checks and balances. 

• Our founders anticipated that legislators, judges, and administrators would respect their offices and defend their turf, even against people in their own political parties. 
• They also anticipated that elected representatives would rise above individual interests to serve the broader public good. 
• Finally, they had a word for the absence of commitment to the public good - CORRUPTION! 

Whatever our founders anticipated, they may never have imagined how far off the Constitutional rails one political party would go. We are now at a point where we have very few “enlightened statesmen” in the Republication majority. Instead we have an overabundance of partisan teams operating ACROSS our government - who support corruption, cruelty, and chaos. 

"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks". – Samuel Adams

How we fulfill our duty is up to each one of us. It’s all up to us now, so rise and shine. 

Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence.

2 May 2026

Abbreviated sign waving today due to lightning, but the rain did not dampen our spirits! 

My signs this week were inspired by an online interaction about Free Speech. This wasn’t the first time someone tried to tell us what our signs “should say.” How free is our speech when someone wants you to express THEIR beliefs?

My response: 

Our First Amendment rights are connected by the core principle of free speech. Without it, we cannot openly express OUR beliefs; the media cannot deliver accurate information; we cannot assemble to protest; and we are unable to challenge what we see as wrong.

Are there free speech limits? Certainly:

    You cannot make threats against others.

    You cannot incite violence.

    You cannot commit fraud or encourage a crime.

    You cannot promote, publish, or possess child pornography.

    You cannot lie about someone

Will people try to intimidate you, to keep you from exercising your right to free speech? Certainly! What can you do?

Refuse to be intimidated. Keep using your voice!

Remember: The government can’t stop you from expressing your opinions, even if you disagree with officials or policies. Show up with YOUR sign! 

Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence. 

1 May 2026

Today is International Workers’ Day. In my “neck of the woods”, we gathered at St. John’s Town Center; to remember workers and stand together in solidarity for all working people. 

Commemorated on May 1, International Workers’ Day stems from the Haymarket Affair in Chicago. On May 3, 1886, unarmed workers advocating for an eight-hour workday, clashed with police at Chicago’s McCormick Reaper Works factory. The deaths of six workers led to a public rally the following day to be held in Haymarket Square. Again, the police and the workers clashed, but this time a bomb was thrown, resulting in the death of seven policemen and many in the crowd were injured. The police, uncertain about the source of the bomb, fired into the crowd, killing four of the demonstrators. 

Today we consider an eight-hour workday “normal,” and don’t even realize workers died for it. If you get weekends off or overtime pay, thank those workers in Chicago and all the other union members who fought for labor rights. But injustice still runs amok. Trump's administration stripped union rights from over one million federal employees. In August 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs terminated union contracts for roughly 400,000 employees.

Today, people are commemorating International Workers' Day by recognizing worker contributions and advocating for labor rights. Many are refusing business as usual through No School. No Work. No Shopping, all are standing up to corporate billionaires and the politicians they control. 

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home…the factory, farm or office where he works…unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.” - Eleanor Roosevelt, United Nations Remarks, 1953