I’ve had the incredible fortune of visiting our nations’s capital on several occasions over the last 15-ish years. The majority of those times, it was on account of Mr. NOA being a federal employee who, from time to time, has to attend work meetings in D.C., and I’ve tagged along. Most of those visits have produced blog posts.

As an American who loves this country in spite of its flaws, I am sickened that the rotten-to-the-core tRump administration has chosen to use military force to take over the city of Washington, D.C. under the guise of combating crime. It wasn’t necessary nor requested, and it’s not cool. The DOJ actually reported not long ago that crime in this city is at its lowest in the last 30 years. The real motivation for this action is , of course, to instill fear in the people of our nation’s capital and to assert control over American society. To live out their fascist fantasies.

The times I have been in D.C., I’ve got out on my own, whilst Mr. NOA was busy with work, to explore the city using the Metro. I always feel safe there; both in the Metro and navigating the city. Now, I understand that my white privilege likely contributes to that sense of safety. Yet, I am a woman. One not trained in karate and who doesn’t carry a weapon or even pepper spray in her bag while there (or anywhere else for that matter). And while traipsing around D.C. on my own, I’ve never felt the need for any of those sorts of “reinforcements”, if you will.

It appears that soon, the monster in the White House is going to send a pack of his acolytes to review the exhibits in the Smithsonian’s museums, to determine which pieces are “woke” and therefore not to his liking, so they can be removed. This seriously pisses me off. They are literally attempting to whitewash history, depriving visitors from learning the realities of American history. This evil regime has attacked DEI and dismantled the US Department of Education, so it tracks that the Smithsonian would also be in their crosshairs.

Have you visited Washington, D.C.? If so, what did you see or do there that enlightened or amazed you?

As a fan of “good trouble”, I’m hoping to see my fellow Americans who are working, living, or just visiting D.C., in this perilous moment of American history, bring their subversive, creative selves to the table in opposition to this madness. I’m thinking something like a peaceful, dancing flash mob (perhaps to the tune of Twisted Sisters “We’re Not Gonna Take It”) on the National Mall. Or a pop-up improv group performing anti-fascism sketches outside the Smithsonian. Perhaps an outside interactive art installation highlighting our uniquely American experiences. I know, I know, these types of resistance activities will not solve the problem of our beloved Smithsonian being ransacked by these evil goons, but I’d sure love to see footage of these kinds of things. To boost morale, you know what I mean?

I firmly believe that We The People will prevail in the end, but just in case tRump gets his way with messing with our beloved Smithsonian, here’s a little photo collage of pics I’ve taken during visits there of “woke” exhibits that educated and inspired me. I’ve included a few other pics of other places I’ve had the pleasure to check out in D.C. over the years as well.

I hope you enjoy this collaborative cover of one of my favorite protest songs because “we’re right, we’re free, we’ll fight, you’ll see”!