Harry Truman, JFK would not recognize the protest party 

By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press

The protest party never ceases to amuse.

The protest party leaders of the "no kings" nonsense ilk just this week stood and cheered in the U.S. Congress for, of all things, a king. No kings, indeed, Chuck U. Schumer. Why were you celebrating a king? Never mind. It's a rhetorical question.

The protest party jokes and laughs about multiple attempts on the life of a sitting U.S. president. They lament all of those failed attempts. A late-night TV moron calls the first lady an "expectant widow," just prior to the third attempt on her husband's life. Afterward, in typical CYA fashion, he claims his comment was a joke about the age of the current president, and he was not encouraging any violence.

Question: Did the so-called late-night funny man ever call Jill Biden an "expectant widow?" Former POTUS Biden is older than the current president and had to be led around by the Easter bunny when he was in office. Guess that wasn't enough material for the protest party. 

The protest party offers nothing. Zero. Zilch. They offer no real solutions to anything. All they do is march, carry misspelled signs and bitch – about everything.

As the late, great P.J. O'Rourke once said of the protest party, "They are constantly worried that someone, somewhere might be enjoying life."

Like many of the non-protest party, I have lived through Democrat presidents from JFK, LBJ, Jimmy Peanut Carter, Slick Willie Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. (I've also lived through the presidencies of Tricky Dick Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan – my favorite, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and DJT.)

Through all those years and administrations, I have never wasted a second attending a "no kings" nonsense event. And, no, my newspaper will never cover one of these time-wasters. You are not news. And your leaders obviously do like kings – as long as it is not the current POTUS.

Throughout my voting lifetime, I have respected this simple fact: Sometimes my candidate wins, sometimes my candidate loses. I do not waste a moment of my life lamenting this one way or another.

The party of paid protesters apparently lives for such rancor and vitriol. I do not.

But all of that rancor and vitriol being directed at the current president can be dangerous. When the protest party leaders are calling for violence against anyone in the administration, the threats can – and have – had consequences. 

In fact, as reported just today, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued a statement on the guilty plea filed today in federal court by Ronald Lidderdale, a New Albany man who sent 92 threatening communications targeting more than 30 public officials: “I’m grateful for the work of federal law enforcement and prosecutors to bring justice in this case, LaRose said. "At a time of growing concern about the safety of public officials, we need to send a clear message that threats and acts of violence will not be tolerated. This person targeted my family, stoked fear in our community and drained the valuable resources of our first responders who had to process his tainted letters and investigate his taunting death threats."

For background, on Dec. 15, 2024, law enforcement and hazmat units were called to the LaRose home after Secretary LaRose opened a letter containing a powdery substance and making direct threats to his life, stating, “I have no other decision but to kill you to make certain evil does not spread."

Enough already. Just stop it. Maybe get a job. That will keep you busy.

The protest party opposes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act – even though almost 80 percent of voters – across party lines – supports it.

The SAVE Act is a proposed federal bill that would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person when registering to vote in federal elections. It has passed the House, but is stalled in the Senate due to the protest party leadership.

There are roughly 75-80 million Americans on Social Security today. Trust me, they all had to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.

My wife and I voted earlier this month. We routinely provided proof of identity without issue.

Why does the protest party object? Simple. It's just a tad bit tougher to vote illegally without the SAVE Act on the books.

Hell, I'd have more respect for the protest party if they'd just admit that they need to cheat to win. In a nutshell, this explains their flooding the red state of Texas with illegals for years. Flip Texas, and Katy bar the door. The protest party permanently reigns. (No kings, indeed.)

Instead of radical left nut-jobs seeking to assassinate a sitting president or an Ohio secretary of state, we would all be much better off by simply taking a break for four years between elections. The protest party wins some and loses some.

In the interim, just relax. Count your blessings.

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.