Why We March

So the March for Science was my second march this year. The first of course was the Women’s March. Both were unprecedented. The Women’s because it came right after the inauguration and was so massive in size. The Science March was well scientists marching. Who would have thought that would happen.

The reason of course is the threat that people see in Trump and the people who surround him and the GOP in general. The GOP has been anti-women (that might be a little extreme but I think in many cases it is true) for a long time. Trump was just the logical conclusion of the way women are viewed in the GOP. Also the past few years the GOP has adopted the notion that stupid is fine. That being smart is some sort of liberal conspiracy. Climate change is the perfect example of it. The deniers of that are very troubling because they deny the facts and research done on it. But that denial has spread to essentially the challenge of any facts that are not liked. Thus the fake news label that Trump loves to throw around.

I think the marches have been very successful. The number of people that have turned out has been huge and the number of marches have been incredible. Not just in this country but all over the world. And both marches were started from an idea put forth on the internet. Something mentioned in an off handed way and then it exploded from there.

People march to have their voices heard. Trump tapped into that with a segment of voters. It got him into the presidency. But there was a reaction to his victory. And those people are marching to raise concerns on issues that they think Trump and the Republicans will ignore if not cause outright damage to.

After the Women's March I sat down near Gallery Place to rest my tired feet. I sat down on the steps to the Portrait Gallery. A guy came by and said hey you lost get over it. He said it many times to many people. One of the marchers finally responded by saying did you get over it when Obama won.

That silenced the Trump guy pretty quickly. The marcher added that everyone has a right to express their opinion. An election doesn't end that.

So we don't plan to get over it. We have the right to march and that's what we are going to do. And there will be plenty more marches to come in part because we have that right.

That is the fundamental reason why we march. The reason anyone marches. It's the reason it is in the first amendment to the Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

 And everyone has the right to exercise it everyone.