No Kings and Other Tales...

Dearest Reader,

How are you? I hope my hiatus has felt short. I have been very creative and pensive offline in the past month, but I think it’s time to get back on the horse. Today will be a series of reflections, I suppose as I get back into the swing…

Writing to a largely Western audience is becoming increasingly fractious; I’m trying to navigate this growing chasm for my own well-being and that of the reader who I hope becomes an increasingly global composite over time.

The Western world is rapidly isolating itself from global norms on diplomacy, human rights, civil rights, democracy, international law, and basic decency. A fading facade of leadership is what the world sees and this past weekend was a parade (literally and figuratively) of hypocrisies that betray America and the West’s weakening grip on reality or any shred of moral authority:

Last weekend, a $45 million dollar, poorly attended, military parade was arranged mostly for the current incumbent of the White House in the midst of austerity measures targeting the poor and an apparent national debt crisis.

The parade was meant to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. army that happened to coincide with President Trumps 79th birthday. Who knew?!

The same weekend saw a record-breaking anti-authoritarian (sorta) nationwide march called No Kings concurrent with two politically motivated assasination attempts in Minnesota by a religiously conservative killer. Minnesota Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark were tragically killed. Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times at their home but gratefully survived.

No Kings nationwide prostets seemingly overtook Women’s March as the largest single day protest in U.S. history. The Philadelphia speakers included Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, author Tim Snyder, Poor People’s Campaign Benjamin Barber, Martin Luther King III, politicians like Rep. Jamie Raskin and teacher’s union leaders.

The shooter Vance Boelter, a lone evangelical Christian and MAGA supporter was wearing a latex mask and posing as a cop when he committed these acts of violence. So far it seems Boelter acted alone, but his actions appear premeditated

In Utah an innocent bystander named Arthur Folasa Ah Loo who was killed by an armed “peacekeeper” (whatever that means) on the scene pursuing an armed suspect during a No Kings protest in Salt Lake City. The armed “peacekeeper” was “detained” on Saturday after the shooting (whatever that means) and the armed suspect Arturo Gamboa, 24, was arrested and charged with murder.

Arthur Folasa Ah Loo is pictured here with his lovely family. Ah Loo, killed on Saturday June 14th in Utah, was a beloved Samoan-American fashion designer who competed on Bravo TV’s Project Runway in 2019.

Israel also attacked Iran in a “pre-emptive strike” last week on the basis of Iran’s unsanctioned civilian nuclear energy programs that have yet to be weaponized according to most Western intelligence agencies…meanwhile Israel has hundreds of unsanctioned nuclear weapons as a non-signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). According to a 2024 report from Common Dreams, “Israel does not admit it possesses nuclear weapons, has not signed the NPT, and does not allow inspections of its nuclear arsenal.” Anti-war president Trump seems to be totally on board with this latest unsanctioned bombing campaign. Also this so-called preemptive violence is illegal, but whatever, I guess. I’m sure it will be fine.

A firefighter calls out his colleagues at the scene of an explosion in a residence compound in northern Tehran, Iran on June 13, 2025. As of June 16th some 224 Iranians have died in Israel’s bombing and 24 Israeli’s have died in retaliatory attacks.

The Israel and U.S. backed Gaza Humanitarian Aid Foundation shot and killed over 100 starving Palestinsians and aid workers in the past week for no legitimate reason. Israel shot and killed 50 people this Monday at another food distribution site. Tragically, a consensus of leading human rights bodies and scholars are calling the violence in Gaza a “genocide” including UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders and Israeli scholars of genocide studies Raz Segal and Omer Bartov. Without question these horrors must end, justice be served in totality and Palestine deserves sovereignty.

The Israeli government is intentionally starving Gazans to death, bombing or shooting the rest and moving those who survive towards ethnic cleansing. War crimes upon war crimes.

New York City has started early voting for its mayoral race and the two Democratic primary ticket frontrunners are former NY governor Andrew Cuomo and newcomer Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani is a thirty-three year old Democratic Socialist who serves as a member of the New York State Assembly. His star is definitely rising, but I have my concerns about entrenched power structures that may obscure his path to mayoral victory given former mayor Michael Bloomberg’s endorsement of the former governor and The New York Times' editorial board’s weird attack on Mamdani’s candidacy. The Times didn’t endorse anyone, but went out of their way to say Mamdani is too inexperienced so shouldn’t be ranked at all for mayor--which is an interesting choice. For political star, thirty-five year old Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who endorsed Mamdani, the choice is between a ‘gerontocracy’ embodied by the 67-year-old Cuomo and the change represented by Mamdani.

Zohran Mamdani (left) and disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo face off for Mayor of NYC in 2025. Primary early voting starts now.

Meanwhile, last week the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voided the election of two young leaders trying to shake up the political landscape, namely gun violence survivor David Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta. Their removal as DNC Vice Chairs was prompted by a “procedural complaint” unrelated to Hogg’s plans to oust “ineffective” democratic incumbents from office armed with $20 million from his own political action committee--a move that excited the public and terrified the DNC. While Kenyatta chose to run again and was re-elected, Hogg opted to stay out of leadership. I don’t blame him. But through his $20 million political action committee, Leaders We Deserve, twenty-five year old Hogg plans to continue his mission to primary ineffective Democratic candidates in safe seats that need a jolt of new energy.

David Hogg (left) who gained national prominence after surviving gun violence in Florida to co-leading March for Our Lives and the DNC has opted to step away from insider party politics after his election as DNC Vice Chair was voided this year due to a “procedural complaint.” Malcolm Kenyatta who’s victory was also voided with Hogg as DNC Vice Chair decided to run again and won.

Overall, what I see is a precipitous decline in Western hegemony as Moody’s cuts America's pristine credit rating, due to rising debt. Since 1919, the United States has benefited from a Aaa rating from the global integrated risk assessment firm which provides credit ratings across companies and governments. Now the U.S. has dropped one notch to "Aa1" which is not nothing. My point is, YES let’s not have kings, but aristocracy is just the tip of the iceberg. Eventually, even the Democratic Party will have to be honest about its role in maintaining the status quo instead of masquerading as the solution. But what do I know, I’m just a humanist.

With Love During End Times,

Agunda