What’s a Kentuckian to do in the middle of a constitutional crisis? Get out and march | Opinion
It’s one thing to think the U.S. government and the U.S. deficit are too big, and we should do more to trim them both.
It’s quite another to turn those rather gargantuan tasks over to a blowhard tech bro whose only political expertise or recommendation for the job was giving President Donald Trump $250 million.
Elon Musk and his band of juvenile keyboard warriors are for many people, the last straw in the fire hose of nuttiness blowing over all of us these days, whether it’s firing a bunch of people at the National Nuclear Security Administration before hiring them back, or getting hold of all our financial information from the IRS, as the New York Times reported Monday.
So, what are ordinary citizens to do? Get out and protest.
Which is why on a frigid federal holiday on Monday, Rosemary Kogelschatz and Krisia Rosa were standing on Main Street near the Fayette courthouses as shouts of, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go,” rang out around them.
“Nobody voted for him,” Kogelschatz said. “We don’t know what he’s doing. The potential for harm is unbelievable for all of us.”
They were among between about 50-75 people, most holding signs making reference either to Musk or to the constitutional crisis that, depending on who you talk to, we’re already in or fast approaching.
The group was much smaller than the hundreds of people who gathered in Presidents Day protests in Washington, D.C. or in other big cities as part of the 50501 Movement.
But it shows people the ability to act when it all feels hopeless and overwhelming. Monday’s event was organized by a grandmother of 14, Sophia Hurt, who just started calling people she knew and posting on Facebook.
“I’m passionate about this,” she said, wearing a poster that stated “Stop the Coup.”
“The Constitution is being totally ignored. I think we have to transfer this passion to others.”
Protester Mary Arthur is part of a group called Gathering for Democracy, which has been growing every day. “I think people are really upset,” she said.
Another new group was started by veterinarian Craig Blair. Peaceful Bluegrass Resistance includes the people who’ve been protesting at Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Harrodsburg Road office every Monday morning between 8-10 a.m. The group started with eight people, and now it’s closer to 50.
Part of the brilliance of the Trump coalition is the force and speed of their overwhelming actions.
As we start to absorb the absurdity of invading Greenland, then we move to the nightmare of stopping, say, special education programs at the U.S. Department of Education. Then how do we even get our hands around the idea that in order to extend tax cuts to the richest people, they’re going to cut health care and food stamps to the poorest?
Sometimes, you just have to start small. Both Blair and Arthur hopes that all these grassroots movements will start to coalesce across Kentucky. If that’s happening all over the country, even the smallest outnumbered groups might start to get heard.
“We’re in a constitutional crisis, and if our representatives won’t uphold their oaths, we have to hold their feet to the fire,” Blair said.
“Plus, this makes us feel good to know we’re not alone.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2025 at 2:23 PM.
