Letter from Ron Bishop

No Kings Day Until He’s Gone

I attended the No King’s Day rally in Oneonta on October 18 because I felt the urgency to stand up and be counted there. I carried a sign that I drew on poster board and attached to a light stick from my workshop. Lots of people carried signs, nearly all patriotic and expressing love for our country with uplifting slogans. Personal favorites included, “LOVE America, LOVE Democracy, USN Veteran, NO KINGS” and “Fight Truth Decay.” No one paid me to be there or offered any incentive, and there was no evidence of such activity.

It seems strange to me now: The one time I ran for and served in a public office was as a Republican. And though I long ago moved beyond my lament for the party where I once fit in, I bear no ill will to friends and family members who can still conjure optimism about the GOP. But I will tell you that what we’ve read and heard about No King’s Day protesters from our president, speaker of the house, Cabinet members and other prominent Republicans: They’re all lies.

So, while God gives me strength, I will vote my conscience and join forces with my neighbors at the next No King’s Day, and the next… until our faux king is deposed, and his minions are flushed away by voters with freshly opened minds and hearts. It’s the least I can do for my beloved country.

Ron Bishop
Cooperstown