Some thoughts on on sea lions, bumper stickers, and the situational application of Constitutional rights.
Note: Shorter one this week. I’ve been chasing the sun and purposefully doing a whole lot of nothing. I typed this out poolside after seeing the one too manyieth faux patriots walk by. I’m writing this on my phone. There’s gonna be typos.
Last fall, my sons and I took the long way back to Portland by going up the Oregon coast. If you’re familiar with the route, you know the views are incredible. You also might know that there is a place called Sea Lion Caves along the way where you can, well, watch sea lions do whatever it is that they do.
And if you’re, “ahem,” old enough to remember, you may recall that they used to give out large quasi-bumper stickers. These were on heavy card stock and instead of adhesive had wire on the ends that you used to attach them to your bumper- and by “you,” I mean parking lot employees who did this while you were inside (You will also have to be old enough to remember life before unibody styles for this to work).
You could take these on/off as you saw fit.
This was also the era when the phrase “I may not agree with what you’re saying, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it” was common. Those bumper stickers only came with adhesive. And why wouldn’t they? It’s easy to commit to. The Bill of Rights applies to everyone and isn’t selective. In fact, it’s most important when dealing with something you disagree with or find contemptible. Everyone knows the “rights” part. It’s the responsibilities part that people often conveniently forget. That’s all of them, by the way; 1A, 2A, 4A, and so on…
Alex Pretti was lawfully exercising all 3 when he was murdered by an agent of the state.
Being on social the last few days, it’s clear that people have either willfully ignored those rights or are so brainwashed that they’ll rationalize the actions of ICE for the lulz. The same people who were so tightly clinging to their right to carry a long gun into the nearest CVS are now willing to cast it aside for their ‘side.” A class of Connecticut 2nd graders only made them dig in their heels. But a guy in a blue state? Sure, why not?
The trolls use quotes like those paper bumper stickers—rights for me, but not for thee. Something to be adhered to or removed on a whim, depending on the narrative. It’s all performative. These cowards and enablers are on the wrong side of history and must be regarded with the utmost contempt.
When they type “FAFO” with a laughing emoji, do they really mean it, or are they under the spell of all the ICE sizzle reels our timelines have been flooded with? Would they say that if his friends and family were in the room? I’d like to think not, but in 2026 I’m also not sure.
I wish I could say Alex Pretti’s murder at the hands of the state was the final act. It won’t be. There’ll be more, and there’ll be video for us all to see too many times. But I also know that when ordinary people come together, extraordinary things happen. And it won’t be from online trolls who selectively decide when rights apply and when they don’t. It’ll be from ordinary people—people who would literally rather be doing anything else.
I’ve said it before, but real change won’t come from social media or cable news. It will start in wood-paneled community centers in small towns most of us have never heard of. In church basements and union halls…On the main drags of Midwest suburbs, places like the Twin Cities, and tucked away corners of San Diego. From people armed with cardboard signs and the sheer audacity to still care.
The soundtrack to revolution isn’t just protest tracks from Bruce Springsteen and Billy Bragg; it’s the hand of someone hitting the horn in solidarity with their fellow Americans, and a whistle to protect those willing to risk it all just to join us.
The people who believe in democracy, humanity, and the grand experiment that is America don’t shape-shift. Those values are adhered to our souls. There will be accountability at some point. Until then, do what you can, where you can. Know your rights. Know your neighbors. Ask for help. Be of help.
As always, thanks for being here.
KA—
Kevin Sent 