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Hello. Just got back from the No Kings protest on the Mall in Washington D.C., a huge display of justified public outrage over an ongoing criminal and amoral assault against the people of the United States by a president intoxicated by power and poisoned by hatred and bigotry.

First thing I did was fire up my computer, summon the home page of the newspaper I used to love, gasp, and then switch screens to write in this alternative newspaper I regretfully now must edit:

Reprinted in bold below is the lede paragraph of the main story on the home page of today’s Washington Post. As I write this, it has been up there for some time. Can you spot the nauseating thing about it?

Large crowds are gathering across the country on Saturday for a new round of “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump, amid tensions over a government shutdown, immigration crackdowns and military deployments to fight crime in Democratic-led cities.

You found it! Good for you. And you, probably, are not even a professional journalist!

This is what Democracy Naps Like. The Post has simply decided, for you, against all evidence and common sense, that Donald Trump is engaged in an effort to “fight crime” in cities.

No, he is plainly and unapologetically waging war in American cities against his perceived political enemies. That’s the whole point of what he is doing, and a main reason why the demonstrators hate him.

And boy, do they hate him.

The best costume I saw out there was one worn by a tall man in a spangly Uncle Sam hat and the body of a chicken with an enormous, globular feathered waddly behind. He wore a T-shirt with a particularly unflattering image of Donald Trump, and this slogan:

“Does this ass make my country look small?”

Also,

At one point today I was on a bench, momentarily resting my rebuilt knees, when two young women walked by. They were in their early 20s, blonde, trim, sun-browned. Both had long hair — one curly, one straight.

There’d been plenty of young adults in the crowd, but I would say that middle-aged and older people dominated the demographics. It was noticeable. It was a little concerning.

A woman of my age, sitting on the next bench, joyfully called out to them:

“Thank you for being here.”

One of the two — the one with the curls — stopped and grinned, dismissing everything around her with a casual wave. “Oh, I’m not here for this,” she said. “I like Trump!” This was the first such sentiment I heard, all day.

She and her friend walked on toward David’s Tent, a solemn 24-hour prayer site that’s a fixture on the Mall.

I believe this anti-authoritarian movement of ours needs the broadest support possible, the most openminded and welcoming attitudes wherever comity and mutual respect may be attainable. There’s something I’d like to say to this young woman:

Go fuck yourself.

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Today’s Gene Pool Gene Pool:

More tomorrow.