Speaking Up

A simple idea for boaters who want to express themselves...

It has been a bit strange to watch from afar as Trump 2.0 executes a blitzkrieg on the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and the federal workforce. Some detachment is part of the allure of living on a boat, but I am not so detached I can observe the Banana Republic theater in Washington from afar and blithely carry on as if nothing existential to America’s future is unfolding. But from a floating distance it is hard to hit the streets, call Congress, or rally with others. It is hard to know what to do, how to respond.

I have (mostly) kept this newsletter away from politics, and will again (mostly) after this post. But now is not a time to stay silent, rusticate in a splendidly isolated floating world, and carry on as if nothing unusual is happening and nothing unusual is at stake. So I’ve been pondering what concrete action boaters who oppose Trump 2.0 can take.

The other day, while trail-running, I finally came up with something (it is amazing how many insights and ideas emerge when the mind is let loose to wander). It is simple, and just a first step. A way of saying: I am paying attention. I think what is happening is dangerous and un-American. And I am in solidarity with every other American who stands against this assault on America and its ideals. This morning, I went to the stern of Laughing Gull, removed the American flag that has accompanied me for thousands of miles, and re-secured it so that it now flies upside down.

An inverted flag is a sign of distress, which seems entirely appropriate at the moment. Still, it is not something I do lightly. In fact, I thought about it for two days before conclusively deciding it is the right thing to do. So it isn’t a thoughtless, knee-jerk YAWP. I have plenty of criticisms of the Democratic Party, its elitism and its failures, which somehow made the re-election of Donald Trump seem like a reasonable step for a near-majority of American voters. And I am not Trump-deranged. I am simply responding in my own way, calmly and with deliberation, to the half-baked, anti-democratic, and illegal and unconstitutional initiatives Trump and Musk are unleashing (already courts are responding, but it will be an agonizingly slow process and a lot of damage will be done in the meantime).

Protest at Wounded Knee.

Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do (though the Muskovites are adding a new, and dangerous, twist), and I give him credit for having the courage—well, balls, really—to be forthright about his self-serving plans and authoritarian predilections. That won him lots of votes in an era where authenticity is vanishingly rare, and large numbers of Americans rightly feel they have lost opportunity and consideration. But I vehemently oppose Trump, what he stands for, and what he is trying to achieve, and can’t sit idly by without doing…something.

I mean no disrespect to the flag. In fact, I believe giving it voice in a non-violent, 1st Amendment, protest honors the ideals it represents. There is a long liberal tradition of flying it inverted as a form of protest, from the Civil Rights era, to the Vietnam War, to, more recently, Standing Rock, and Occupy Wall Street. The American Right has also flown the flag inverted as a form of protest, from the Bundy Ranch Standoff, through COVID (hello, Mrs. Alito!), and um, at the Trump-inspired Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol, and also when Trump was convicted in New York.

I don’t mean to thoughtlessly provoke. I do mean to inspire awareness, thought, and conversations about what is happening in the United States, and how it will impact Americans and the rest of the planet. I hope I will be asked about my inverted flag, and have the opportunity to explain calmly and logically my reasons for distress. Some will not agree with my point of view. But hopefully they will hear it.

I am confident (unfortunately) that Trump’s recklessness will do real damage that even the voters who love him will feel, and that will lead to a reckoning at the ballot box. But that will take time and for now it is important to speak up and simply say: I oppose what is happening, and I stand with everyone else who does as well.

I hope other boaters (and non-boaters) who want to express their support for America’s Constitution, the Rule Of Law, and the importance of good government, will consider inverting their American flags as well. It will be the anti-Trump boat parade. Symbols matter. Saying something matters.

Note: I’ll get back to my usual topics in subsequent posts. And I will leave Comments open for this post as long as they are reasoned and respectful.

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