It was the day after I had a cast put on my hand due to a surgical repair, and I was a bit grouchy.  However, I had already committed, by RSVP and in my mind and heart, to participate in the Denver Tax March on April 15, 2017.  Because I couldn’t drive, my wife took us over to the train stop.  We carried with us a few bottles of water, my homemade sign on a discarded tattered piece of cardboard, and a bag of clothing and shoes for donation.

When we got to the train platform, I was a bit surprised to see that even in my very far right district, there were numerous people waiting with their own signs.  I was a bit relieved that now it wasn’t likely that we would be mauled on the trip downtown.  There were plenty of friendly faces and conversations.  I took special notice of the age groups of the participants, on which I will comment later. As ours was the first stop, more and more people with signs boarded the train, until it was completely full.

After the 25 minute train ride, we all departed at a downtown stop and began the walk to the Civic Center under gorgeous Denver blue skies.  Chimes struck the appointed hour of ten just as we were arriving.  Those who arrived early filled all the seats of the Greek Theater, so after placing our donation at the drop-off point, we eventually ended up immediately in front of the speakers’ stage.  I regarded all the signs being held – they were all homemade – these were certainly not paid professional protestors.  Most of the signs were fairly straightforward like mine, which read, “Show Us Your Taxes.”  Just a few of the signs were profane, and some were quite notable and original.  I especially liked the sign that read, “The Idea That Anyone Can Grow Up To Be President Has Gone A Little Too Far.”  A couple more signs will be noted below.

As more people filtered in (eventually numbering several thousand), we heard from a number of speakers, including the local march organizer, a Congressman and local political figures.  Two state representatives provided information on the pending legislation to require all presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns in order to appear on the Colorado ballot.  Of particular note was the special young man who is serving his third term as student body president of his public school – he pointed out that he has served two terms more than President Trump will.  He was rousing and inspirational.  Let’s hope the future of this country will rest in the hands of those inspirational young people like him.

At the conclusion of the speakers, the march began behind a sign that read, “Follow the Money.”  Because we had been up front, we were towards the end of the marching column, and it took quite a while for us to exit Civic Center Park.  We would periodically call out our chants as we marched, such as, “This is what democracy looks like.”  We had a permit, so we proceeded down the middle of downtown streets for about a mile and a half.  I saw that the police were very calm and at quite a distance from us.  I also observed that there were no visible counter protests.  There were no confrontations, whatsoever.  I found out later that a lady had fallen from the top of the theater wall but only sustained minor injuries.

We returned to the park just as the chimes signaled one o’clock.  There was a palpable hesitancy among many to leave, but we had achieved what we had set out to do.  As we walked back to the train, most everyone along the route was still carrying a sign.  The return train journey was even more crowded than the original trip.

And now some thoughts. I mentioned earlier that I was quite interested in the ages of the participants.  It seemed to me, both on the bus and at the rally and march, that there was an overabundance of baby boomers – people like me with grey beards or a little hitch in their gait or a bit of exhaustion peeking through.  A noticeable exception was the wonderful elderly lady whose sign read, “You made me an activist at age 90.  Thanks, Donald.”  She was the hit of the crowd.  But what about those of us of slightly less advanced years.  We lived through Viet Nam, civil rights struggles, Watergate.  Were we reconstructed activists?  I suspect that some of us were.  But I also believe that many were just like me – I had never before marched for or against anything in my life.  What was different?  I certainly possessed strong opinions during those turbulent days, so why didn’t I march then?  I believe the reason I and others held back was because of a certain amount of innate timidity – a don’t rock the boat mentality.

Now, I can no longer afford to be timid.  I have many more years behind than ahead of me, but I also have children and grandchildren who will inherit the United States of America.  I could not in all good conscience live out my days without making whatever meager attempts I can to help correct the mess in which this country now flounders.  I want my legacy to my descendants to be a philosophy of helping others as much as we help ourselves, to make certain that everyone has clothing, a meal, shelter and health care.  I want them to be accepting of all races, genders, religions and any other issues which could divide us.  I hope they have leaders who are wise, experienced, caring, honest and accountable to their followers. I yearn to Make America’s Heart Great Again.

The President has ridiculed us, saying we were paid protestors.  Mr. President, we were paid in patriotic pride.  We marched to see who you are being paid by!

The last sign I saw as we left the march symbolizes it all.  In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”