Re-Opening the Golden Door

Reprise to “The Closed Colossus”

By Samuel Oliver Sartell

The GASLight — Illuminating the Obvious Since 2025

By George Abraham Stone

Glowing in today's GASLight...The Storm We’re In

Climate change is real, in weather and in politics. The climate is hot and volatile. Similarly, we find ourselves in the middle of a political hurricane. Last week we mourned a statue whose lamp had nearly sputtered out in the storm.

Today, a fresh gale whips at Lady Liberty:

• A new precedent for boots on Main Street.

The Ninth Circuit has just sided with the federal government, allowing the administration to maintain a prolonged military presence in Los Angeles—overruling a district judge who warned of dangerous federal overreach. Legal scholars are already sounding alarms: this ruling opens the door to future occupations of other dissenting cities, particularly in so-called “blue” states. And do not kid yourself. It means the door is open to military force anywhere for anyone who does not agree with the leader's doctrine.

In short, the authoritarian storm is growing... Into a military police state.

The Response: A Silver Lining Does Exist

Even before the latest downpour, the people answered with thunder. On June 14, over 13 million Americans took to the streets in the No Kings Demonstrations, a coast-to-coast uprising against authoritarian creep. Red states, blue states, and purple towns alike were united—not by partisanship, but by principle.

How so?

1. Thirteen million is not fringe.

That’s not a protest. That’s a movement. That’s a reminder to every official—elected or appointed—that power is only on loan from the people.

2. The ruling isn’t the final word.

The Ninth Circuit’s decision is subject to appeal, and broader legislative checks are possible. Courts do not operate in a vacuum. They read the temperature. The louder we speak, the clearer that climate becomes.

3. The resistance is becoming infrastructure.

Already, cities like Minneapolis, Seattle, and Kansas City are announcing civil rights task forces and legal defense funds to blunt the effects of federal encroachment. Action breeds action.

But we can't rest now. We're not eating cats and dogs. But it's still raining them.

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What's next?

We ask each individual resistance group; Indivisible, 50501, Stand Up America and others to work together as one to continue to build this movement. Let's envision 100 million taking to the streets with one voice to save our democracy from this corrupt authoritarian threat. Keep those demonstrations coming! But it’s not enough to protest. We must organize solutions.

Here’s what we propose—and how you can help bring these ideas to life:

• The National Guard Oversight Act

Let’s draft legislation that limits long-term domestic troop deployments unless a state governor consents. No more unilateral occupations of cities. Building a coalition of civil liberties advocates and state lawmakers to bring this forward. If you’re a lawyer, organizer, or policy writer—raise your hand.

• The Due Process First Campaign

Every person detained during a raid, protest, or occupation must have access to legal counsel within 24 hours. Launch a national campaign to coordinate attorneys, raise funds, and pressure localities to guarantee this basic right. Help connect legal clinics, public defenders, and volunteers across jurisdictions.

• The Golden Door Corps

A new national network of community sponsors, welcoming volunteers, and housing partners ready to support refugees, immigrants, and displaced persons. It’s time we rebuild the Statue’s message—not in bronze, but in neighborhoods. You don’t need to be wealthy. You just need to care.

• The No Kings Alliance

This movement isn’t a one-day march—it’s a year-round operation. Let's transform the “No Kings” protests into a standing coalition for civic action, ready to respond wherever and whenever democracy is under threat. Join a local hub. Start one if it doesn’t exist.

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A closing note to the Colossus

We see your copper tears.

We hear the courthouse gavel echoing down hollow streets.

But we also hear 13 million footsteps.

And feel 13 million heartbeats.

And watch 13 million candles lit beneath your darkened torch.

A door, once shut, is still a door.

Hinges creak. Locks closed can reopen.

And sometimes, the people don't knock.

They open the door and march through.

The time has come, America—

Stand up to the storm.

Recast the key.

Turn it and unlock the golden door!