All of a sudden, hope

I did not expect it all to go so well. 

I knew that the nationwide "Hands Off" protests planned for April 5 -- which turned out to be worldwide, at least to a limited degree, which was something else I didn't expect -- would attract a sizeable number of people, but the actual results were mind-blowing: Over 1,100 separate events, with a total of about 3.3 MILLION people participating, not including protests in Canada, London, Berlin, Paris, and Portugal, and perhaps a few other places that I didn't hear about.

And those are the 'best estimate' numbers; I've heard that the "Hands Off" day may have actually been joined by as many as 5 million people in 1,400+ different towns and cities.

Watching it all unfolded gave me a feeling that I haven't had for a long time: Hope. This damnable regime of fascist parasites in the US will eventually destroy themselves, because they are incapable of keeping any sort of check on their appetites. But I was starting to feel resigned to the possibility that it might not happen within my lifetime. Once rooted, despots are difficult to dislodge. 

But, we have seen this show before. Czechoslovakia. Romania. East Germany. Russia itself. The North African countries swept by the Arab Spring. More recently, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Protest after protest after protest that seemingly accomplishes nothing, with the regime vowing to stay in power, until all of a sudden there's a mob storming the palace, and the leadership helicoptering off the roof in terror to escape. 

As I said in a post in Bluesky earlier today, as heartwarming as the Hands Off protest was, it will mean nothing if it's the only one and not simply the first one. But despite my natural pessimism and cynicism, I simply cannot convince myself that it isn't the start of something bigger. And that is a good feeling. 

There weren't any protests here in Manila, and I wouldn't expect there to be, for a number of reasons. But after today, I don't need there to be; I have always intended to do what I can do -- and I daresay that is a lot, within my unique context -- but I know longer feel like it will be a lonely crusade. And that is a good feeling too. 

Your time is almost up, Trump, and Elon, and your slimy cabal of soulless and incompetent henchmen, and your tech-bro corporate enablers, and the utterly irredeemable among your MAGA cult. The rhyme of history will be your ultimate FAFO. 

(Photo: From a post on Bluesky; Hands Off protestors in my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. God bless Lancaster.)