Can he have his cake, and eat it, too ...

That’s the million dollar – or even perhaps trillion dollar question as President Donald Trump recently celebrated his 79th birthday, coinciding with Flag Day and an even more divisive military parade, to the estimated tune of $45M, including $16M to cover potential street damage, in a show of historic troops and tanks down Constitution Avenue, to commemorate the Army’s 250th anniversary in Washington, D.C.

All the while, his administration, spearheaded by Elon Musk and his newly created DOGE, Department of Government Efficiency, drafted to reduce federal spending, has slashed budgets for and even eliminated the very programs, benefitting the very people they were honoring, our nation’s veterans.

Not to mention the elderly, the poor, children, medical research, education, environmental protection, targeting the Veterans Administration, FEMA, Medicaid, Medicare, the National Weather Service and numerous other nonprofit and human service organizations, as “we the people” are decrying.

The hit list – stoking fears of heavy casualties to civil liberties and even loss of life and limb – keeps growing, as the soldiers, gallantly defending our nation, keep marching, under the commander-in-chief’s heavy-handed demands, which many claim have crossed the Rubicon into authoritarianism through his most recent executive orders.

Actions, which many deem unconstitutional, by taking their fight not on the battlefield, but to court. As evidenced by the American Bar Association, which just recently filed a lawsuit to stop members of the Trump administration from using their power to intimidate law firms, it stated, along with numerous other organizations, affected by his “regime”.

But as the parade – lauding and showcasing the self-sacrifice of the U.S. Army, so richly deserved – people from sea to shining sea, gathered en masse in response to what they perceived as government overreach, while Trump threatened to use “heavy force” against protesters during the June 14th celebration.

Dubbed “No Kings Day,” cheekily referred to as “No Faux-King Day,” drummed up by the 50501 Movement, is a national call to action, made up of everyday Americans, who stand for democracy and against what they perceive as authoritarian actions of the Trump administration, according to event organizers, gathered everywhere.

“The name stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement,” they said.

A national day of defiance, the protest was considered one of the largest, single-day mobilizations since Trump returned to office, with more than 2,100 rallies and upward of 5 million people across all 50 states, according to national news reports.

The monumental event, in sheer numbers alone, comprised of more than 200 organizations – from the American Civil Liberties Union to the American Federation of Teachers – compared Trump’s actions to British King George III’s monarchial rule, against which the patriots of 1776 rebelled.

‘Trump’s attack on immigrants has metastasized into the start of a monarchial police state,” one news outlet declared. It followed several days of nationwide protests, still ongoing, against federal immigration raids, including Los Angeles, where Trump deployed the National Guard, as well as the Marines. It was intended to “temporarily protect” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), other federal personnel, along with federal property, overriding California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s own authority, further agitating his opponents, news reports said.

Chief among their decries, flouting the Supreme Court, the law of the land, weaponizing the judicial system, use of military against its own people, violation of constitutional rights, the ICE raids, imposed tariffs – all before the pending passage of his “Big Beautiful Bill,” which some economists have stated would add trillions to an already bloated, federal deficit, hamstringing Medicare, the VA and other organizations, while giving unfair tax breaks to the billionaires, they said.

Americans were joined in solidarity overseas, with protests in cities across the globe, including the Bastille, once a symbol of despotism in Paris, where Marie Antoinette allegedly uttered those infamous words, “Let Them Eat Cake,” while the poor got poorer and the rich got richer during the throes of the French Revolution, spurring one social media post to exclaim, its irony “quite poetic.”

It was France, after all, which helped finance our newly formed nation’s fight for freedom from British rule and gifted our country, The Statue of Liberty in 1886, commemorating the alliance, standing as a symbol of welcome, within our shores, her torch a beacon of hope for the “tired … poor … and huddled” masses, words memorialized from the oft-recited poem, written to raise money for the pedestal.

Amid a sea of American flags, some turned upside down, signifying distress, were also Mexican, Native American, Gay Pride and other poignant banners, while many signs proclaimed, “There Are No Immigrants On Stolen Land,” “Jesus Was An Immigrant In Foreign Land,” “ICE Melts Under Pressure,“ “We Haven’t Had A Monarchy Since 1776,” and “You Can’t Hate The People But Love The Culture,” in reference to the United States appetite for Hispanic cuisine – margaritas anyone – and hugely popular Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

Overall, the protests were peaceful, despite raising anger, threats and escalated violence leveled, since the Jan. 6 insurrection, the assault on the Capitol – where the perpetrators, since been pardoned – attempted to halt certification of the 2020 presidential election; toward judges and most recently, politically motivated killing of the Minnesota elected official, spouse, and other heinous plots.

And, all others, opposing the administration’s Project 2025 ideology, attempting to whitewash history and any hint of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in federally funded offices, programs, parks, the military and even web sites – where U.S. citizens have faced termination and/or retribution, organizers have said.

For many Americans, on both sides of the aisle, it’s been a bridge too far, one, in which area residents, proclaiming their constitutional rights, so aptly decried.

On the local front, 1,500 people gathered along the banks of the Missouri River, beginning in Council Bluffs, crossing the Bob Kerrey Bridge into downtown Omaha, carrying their message of unity, along with demonstrations held in 13 other Nebraska cities, according to various media sources.

However, organizers at the event estimate anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 people attended the rally site at Hanafan Park, which included various speakers, information booths, music, food vendors and group drone photo shoot, amid the calls to action, preceding the historic march across the bridge.

Main organizations in the metro area event included 50501 Omaha, Indivisible Nebraska, Women's March Nebraska, Local Crow Indivisible, 50501 Council Bluffs, Like-Minded Friends of Omaha and Blue Dot Nebraska. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, ACLU Nebraska and Strongly Worded Letters Omaha/Urban Abbey also contributed, they said.

Present at the rally (by tabling or providing a speaker or both) included Bernie Sanders’ Fighting Oligarchy Tour, Democratic Socialists of America, Omaha Mutual Aid, Omaha Tenants United, Jewish Voice for Peace, Eastern Nebraska, Omaha Autonomous Action, B*tches Get Stuff Done (Iowa), Douglas County Democratic Party, Pottawattamie County Democratic Party and the Omaha Metro Area Humanist Association, organizers added.

Representation, with the message, that rang out well beyond the river.

“People across Nebraska peacefully came together to voice concerns about so much of what is happening in our country right now,” said Sam Petto, ACLU of Nebraska Communications Director, who attended the Lincoln event, which reportedly drew up to an estimated 2,500 people.

But this wasn’t their first rodeo, pardon the Midwestern brand of colloquialism.

“ACLU of Nebraska has been working in Nebraska for nearly 60 years to protect and expand all Nebraskans’ rights and freedoms. We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit legal and advocacy organization,” he said.

How, when asked, was this protest any different?

“We are seeing the federal government deny people due process, deploy troops in response to protests, punish speech they don’t agree with and so much more,” he said.

“We came together to demand better. This was bigger than political disagreement. It was responding to abuses of power. I saw a couple signs from attendees saying they’re Republican or voted for President Trump, but they didn’t vote for this.”

A 50501 Omaha organizer, who attended the metro event, voiced her concern for the immigrants, many whom gathered at the rally, a prime target and campaign promise for the Trump administration.

“America is not a monarchy, and its people are not a monolith. No individual ruler nor their ultra-wealthy benefactors get to decide who is American and who isn’t,” she proclaimed.

“We the people determine what America is and the collective values for which our flag stands. This day of action was a chance for Iowans and Nebraskans to come together and show our current administration what democracy really looks like,” she said.

But are their collective voices being heard? Are people really being moved …

“As for the impact, we are getting so much positive feedback,” she insisted. “People are asking us ‘what's next?’ and looking for more ways to get involved,” she added.

Serving a two-fold purpose, the rally was also a fundraiser for local shelters and nonprofits in need of financial assistance and basic supplies.

“Right now, we are recommending people donate to or volunteer with CIRA (Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement) and visit the Heartland Workers Center to support families affected by the recent ICE raids in South Omaha,” she said.

As to the fate of our democracy, history is still unfolding.

While organizers were pleased by the tremendous turnout, citing the growing momentum, once again, harkening back to our Founding Fathers, it’s up to “we the people,” and the people, who live to tell, and let’s hope, are allowed to tell it.

That would take the cake …