One of the great gifts of travel is perspective. I’ve stood in countries where the rule of law is a facade, where power rests not in constitutions but in the whims of powerful men. In those places, loyalty to a leader often replaces loyalty to principle. The result is almost always the same: corruption, fear, stagnation, and the suffering of the vulnerable.
That is not the path the United States was founded to follow.
We rejected monarchy not just for its form, but for what it represented—unchecked authority, inherited power, and arbitrary rule. Instead, we established a system built on law, where no one is above accountability, not even the highest officeholder. The presidency was never meant to be a throne. The Constitution was written to ensure that ambition would be restrained by obligation and that power would be held in trust, not claimed as a divine right.
When a leader is asked whether they are bound by the Constitution, there is only one answer: yes. Anything less should unsettle every American, regardless of party or belief. It is deeply troubling when someone in high office shrugs when asked whether they are obligated to uphold the Constitution. “I don’t know,” is not a casual reply. It is a red flag. It is a warning (of course, there were always warning signs present…). We do not elect rulers to sit above the law. We elect public servants who swear an oath to preserve, protect, and defend it. We reject Machiavellian consequentialism.
But our duty does not end with defending institutions. A nation of laws must also be a nation of conscience. Legal systems, at their best, are meant to maintain order and protect liberty, but also reflect our moral responsibility to one another. That includes how we treat those with the least power.
Across cultures and faiths, there is a shared ethic: to care for the stranger, to feed the hungry, to act justly. The Hebrew scriptures teach that the foreigner among us is to be treated as one of our own (Leviticus 19:33-34). Jesus echoed this ethic when He said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). But this is not just religious language. It is a human obligation.
In my travels, I have seen what happens when laws are bent to serve the strong and silence the weak. I have seen nations turn inward, exalting a single leader while turning their backs on the vulnerable. It never ends well.
It is not enough to have laws. We must remember why they exist: to protect, not to dominate. To serve, not to exploit. When power becomes an end in itself, we lose more than elections. We lose the soul of our nation.
Let us not be seduced by the allure of kings. We chose something better. Let’s remember why.
Nice essay . Congratulations .
Hopefully , you are not implying that anyone in Washington regards himself as a “king” , because that would be ridiculous .
Of course not…
The dem’s “No Kings Protest” now under way , also blames Trump for that weird sickening smell in San Francisco , which actually emanates from the “No Kings Protest” itself .
Nice try, @Alert: first you deny, then, when proven wrong, you change subject. Keep deflecting, it’s working wonders for you…
Great, you’re starting to sound like Maxine Waters
Elaborate?
I think he meant sane.
Smart, well informed, and in favor of the Constitution?
No king but Jesus
Kings are not elected by the American people – and do not allow protests against them. Save your “No King” nonsense for July Fourth.
Also, violent illegal alien criminals are not “vulnerable” – and we are under no moral or biblical mandate to let them live among us and terrorize actual vulnerable people.
@Ryan … +1 . Also , Brandon and Camel-a did a number on us by allowing in the violent illegal alien criminals .
Alert The worst gang violence is from the white supremacists trump pardoned ( many also were guests at Mar-a-lago) . Now democrats are being murdered. Stop repeating the lies.
Presidents also don’t allow protests.
Protesting is a natural right; a right that is further protected by the US Constitution as a tool of liberty that is beyond the reach of government.
If the ICE dragnets were limited to “violent illegal alien criminals” there would be no protests…
You said it yourself in the title of the article “we are a country of laws,” then you have the gall to whine about the ICE raids?
Not a good take, Matthew.
The Trump regime is hostile to due process and the rule of law for all. Dictators and anti-constitutional kings don’t care for due process and the rule of law for all. But this shouldn’t be a surprise given Trump sponsored & protected his insurrectionists on January 6th (2021) and since.
Exactly right @GUWonder.
Who’s preventing peaceful protests which is a right American citizens have? Trump? The only “protests” which city, county, state, and federal officials are attempting to stop are the violent physical attacks against law enforcement, destruction of public and private property. and widespread looting.
If the ICE dragnets were limited to “violent illegal alien criminals” there would be no protests…
MAGA doesn’t want to admit their racism; since the election they don’t seem to even bother with the loaded code words and euphemisms, now it’s just false lies about “riots” (protests) and criminals (Home Depot parking lot workers)
Amen!
So it’s okay for a president to respond to learning that people plan to protest his use of taxpayer funds to throw a birthday parade by threatening his own citizens with violence.
Virtually no one is in support of allowing criminals who are in the country illegally to remain in the US. Every single one of the past 4 administrations has tackled that by deporting illegal aliens – and while the current wannabe fascist dictator occupant of the White House was spending his time making baseless birth certificate accusations, the Obama administration was busy deporting more immigrants than#45 would in his first term, a fact that even DeSantis highlighted.
The current occupant is not above the rule of law, and the people have the right to demand he be held accountable. He does not have a mandate to try to rectify his failing immigration policy by allowing ICE to unlawfully detain US citizens and permanent residents in an attempt to meet a quota, or to ship them off to El Salvador.
“When you can’t possibly defend your position…call the other guy a Fascist.”
-Playbook of the Left
From your post:
“Every single one of the past 4 administrations has tackled that by deporting illegal aliens”
Go back and read that again…slowly…and tell me what’s blatantly FALSE about that statement. I’ll give you a hint: who was “President” between 2021-2025?
When you can’t possibly make a rational argument to defend the current occupant’s methods or conduct, break out the conspiracy theories. Better label the critic a radical leftist for good measure.
Matthew, you are on your political ‘bent’ again without naming specific names. You have decided to keep the decision to make this also a political blog – I guess that ship has sailed. I love your travel articles so I’ll still be reading, but I hope it doesn’t hurt your readership numbers. I’ve mentioned this before, but there are (obviously) two sides (sometimes even more!) to every story – there’s a reason why the Republicans swept and why Trump got back in – we have a democracy that fairly voted and many many people especially in rural communities felt under-represented and ignored. Democrats were doing some crazy things (in Republicans eyes), regarding policies and spending, scandals, etc – and Republicans never claimed as far that the world was coming to an end because of it.
I am a Republican, live in a rural area, highly educated,
upper middle-class, and worked in senior management before retiring several years ago. I wasn’t born in this country but have been a U.S. citizen for 40 years. I’ve lived and worked in several countries and travelled to over 40 countries. I think unfortunately that many (but not all) Democrats have people that live in rural areas pegged as ‘radical’ MAGA sort of rednecks – when I have found that (mostly) not to be the case. We voted for Trump for a reason – and like all Presidents we are not 100% happy with everything, but much better than the Biden alternative was or the Harris alternative would have been. Our country is split down the middle 50/50 – we need to get used to it. And it will swing back to the Democrats eventually, then back to the Republicans again. It’s a democracy and the 50/50 split in many ways is not a bad thing.
Appreciate your comment, but this particular leader is unique…would you not agree? And we are closely divided, which is why these posts serve as a necessary reminder of our core values as a nation and as human beings.
p.s. I’m not a Democrat either. But here’s nothing Republican or conservative about Trump in any historic sense of he word…he does not conitnue the tradition of Lincoln, TR, and Reagan…
Yes, Trump IS very unique – yet he checks many of the republican ideological boxes. Am I happy with him 100% No, I disagree on several things and also with his
methodology on achieving other things I do agree with. But for me it’s been mostly positive and going in the right direction. The Republicans couldn’t mount a better candidate and the (very) left Democrats and direction they were taking the country were a nonstarter to vote for. Trump is a person who
has unique negotiating strategies and unique ‘takes’ on things – and as we know sometimes ‘fires for effect’ to try and achieve a different longer-term outcome. Tariffs are a good example – the sky was falling at first, and now things are settling back down and (I believe) will continue to settle down – I think that was Trump’s plan to begin with as a strategy. In term of republican policy and ideology I think at least 80% of republicans are happy with him. I would mostly compare him to Reagan, who is the republican ‘gold standard’, but maybe he’s 80% of what Reagan was. Definitely not as refined or that type of a statesman or squeaky-clean image – but then they were different times (with Reagan) then and republicans and democrats played nicer and worked better together. Look – we voted for Trump because we weren’t happy with the status quo – and are sick and tired of the government waste, incompetence and lack of accountability (here’s looking at you – U.S. postal service – and I hope you’re next)., as well as many over-the-top progressive policies that were in place. Trump definitely brings an unconventional approach but (mostly) is getting things done – or is going in the right direction- compared to the previous Administration.
Trumps strategy for tariffs is idiotic, just like anyone who thinks he actually has a strategy.
Things are settling down… to right where they were in the first place… have any of the reasons he put them in place (fentanyl crisis, unfair deals, IP theft, whatever else he threw against the wall) been solved? HELL NO.
Except now we had to make a deal to keep getting rare earth metals from china… which is only temporary. Such a great negotiator.
He is nothing like Reagan, except they both suffer from dementia. You don’t care what his idealogy is, you just like him because he wins and has an R next to his name. He could bang your wife and you would thank him for the honor
“We voted for Trump for a reason – and like all Presidents we are not 100% happy with everything, but much better than the Biden alternative was or the Harris alternative would have been”
What is the reason exactly?
The reason?
To clean up the mess left from the previous administration.
And that’s EXACTLY what this administration is doing.
Thank you Steve – you beat me to it – that’s EXACTLY what I was going to say!
@Steve, as Gerry pointed the methods are concerning.
Gerry may be okay with the Machiavellian consequentialism, but I am not.
Safeguarding rights through due process is more important than achieving the sort of perfect safety you might find in an authoritarian regime.
What is the mess that is being cleaned up, exactly?
They need to check with Sean Hannity to see what the mess is because they have no idea. They are just parroting what they heard.
White supremacy. Let no one fool anyone, this is all about a project to reinstate male white supremacy as the law of the land.
Some people take their oaths to the US Constitution seriously. Others treat such oaths to the US Constitution like the Soviet leaders treated the rights of Soviet citizens in the constitution of the Soviet Union: disrespected and basically ignored.
Trump and his fellow Trumpublicans in US office are traitors to the Constitution.
Tell me you haven’t read the Constitution without telling me…
Telling us you support the January 6th Insurrectionists and their Trumpublican-enablers, whether or not you say it.
I could recite verbatim nearly the whole US Constitution from memory when I was 13 years old. I am not the kind of idiot savant that can do that without reading it a few times and then some. 😉
The Constitutional path is not guaranteed to be good. That is why the legal system is in such a mess. It’s not who is right or wrong but who is paying for the legal fees.
The best path is for the leaders to be honorableand ethical, whether he is a king or a constitutionally bound head of government.
Perhaps, the best leaders of the world are President Surangel Whipps of the Republic of Palau or Prime Minister Lawrence Wong of the Republic of Singapore or Prince Hans-Adam II of the Principality of Liechtenstein? Canada does not need to be the 51st state. Rather the United States should consider being a territory of Palau or that Trump should be the 6th mayor in Singapore, representing a new 6th district called the United States District. (A disclaimer, Prime Minister Wong is better than Lee Hsien Loong, the previous Prime Minister, who was a bit autocratic)
So did Matthew go to DC after all, as he was considering?
I wish I could have gone, but it was too much this week.
Sanctimonious dreck. Tell us in detail that you’re a pampered liberal snot who feasts on only one viewpoint.
Missed you!
One viewpoint? No, the US has too few viewpoints. There is only the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Both parties ignore some important issues. Both parties do too much for show and oppose each other for show.
Liberal? Since when is Prime Minister Lawrence Wong of Singapore considered liberal? President Surangel Whipps of Palau is not liberal. He is the leader of a small country which stands up to China. Liberal? I did not call for the impeachment of Trump but rather he be the 6th mayor in Singapore. Singapore currently has 5 mayors, I believe. The 6th could represent the United States as a 6th district of Singapore.
Evidently I rattled your little chain. I guess this is what you meant to say:
“U.S. — Thousands of free Americans gathered in cities across the country today to lament their lack of freedom by holding rallies while shouting “Trump is a king!” and exercising their right to freely protest in a free country.
The downtrodden, oppressed, upper-middle-class populace in urban centers throughout the United States boldly made their voices heard to decry President Donald Trump as acting like an all-powerful monarch as they openly protested and displayed their liberties in the freest society on Earth.
“Trump is a tyrant! He has taken away our freedoms!” cried Mable Mcclean, a 68-year-old bisexual Episcopalian priest and part-time slam poet. “We will not tolerate any president who sees himself as a king! No kings! Unless it’s Barack Obama. Then, it might be ok to have a king.”
Anti-Trump protesters raged at his near-omnipotence. “He’s just doing whatever he wants,” another rallygoer said. “Nobody is standing in his way. Except for Congress. And the media. And Hollywood. And multiple rogue federal judges. And every member of the Democratic Party. We don’t even live in a free country where we can protest, which is why we’re protesting. It’s time for us to draw a line in the sand and stand up to demand the right to do exactly what we’re all doing today.”
At publishing time, the large crowds had dissipated, as it was time for their afternoon Metamucil.”
I enjoy the Babylon Bee as well.
The shooter in Minneapolis had a “no kings” poster in their car.
I’m out. If you want to have a political bent on your blog, all the power to you. I just won’t be reading it anymore.
Sure, because that makes so much more sense than someone holding those flyers because they were going to target that protest.
Look, I understand if you disagree. My article was respectful. I truly wonder why your reaction to reading something you disagree from someone you know is reasonable is to threaten not to read anything I write.
Matthew, we are here to escape politics… don’t be like the NFL and bring politics into the entertainment we use to escape it!
Get a grip.
F your feelings
You know, I read the headline and if I’m not interested in the story I skip past it.
It’s a useful ability. You should consider developing it.
And yet, he went after and ahot Democrats, and his list of further targets were also Democrats, progressives, and people of color…
Great post, Matthew. I’ve been at the protest here in Denver all day today. It’s been peaceful, and actually quite fun. In a sense it has renewed my faith in our country, which I i admit had been weathering for a while. The people aren’t happy with what’s happening.
The Babylon Bee would kill you. I note how long it took you to look it up.
Explora would love to hear how you represent them I’m sure.
I knew it was the BB the moment I read it. Too clever for you.
Until we acknowledge we are all responsible for this divide allowing an autocrat power, we will never move ahead. There is no Deus ex Machina about to fix it other than the hard reality of admitting our mistakes.
Trump isn’t an autocrat you catamite.
Chi Hsuan, I am so insulted! Pfft.!.
As well you should be!
; ) I still support you. But you know all that
. I understand your having a bad day
Im sitting in a Q suite on my way home having fun with my phone. Simple but pleasurable day indeed.
“Until we acknowledge we are all responsible for this divide allowing an autocrat power”
– I love this comment. This is what progressive democrats do – try and control the narrative by acting like the republicans were complicit in ‘allowing’ something to happen. We actually see this ‘autocratic power’ (refreshingly) as campaign promises that were made that are now coming to fruition, and many very quickly. Isn’t this the same thing the previous (Biden) administration did – used its ‘autocratic power’ to push thru its progressive agenda and policies without republican support or really caring or listening to what republicans wanted at all?
What progressive agenda did they push without republican support?
We all have made mistakes. Both sides of the aisle. Understand that and your thinking might advance. Dig in your heels and we get no where.
Gerry, I forgot to say I am far from a progressive democrat
You’re so clever you’ve alienated half your audience. Wow that’s so smart.
Lol if only that were true, y’all gonna keep coming back here and commenting as usual.
STFU Aaron
Make me, you walking equivalent of a human sh*t stain.
Eat my man mustard, butt-slut
Only in your dreams you ass wart.
Aaron, we must give Chi Hsuan and others the space to come to terms with their reversal of fortune. Americans are waking up.
Lol seems like we’re the ones who are winning but you keep telling yourself that.
The both of you can eat the corn out of my poop.
Hey Chi… when are going to realize you aren’t winning. Stop living vicariously through trump. Make your own success… someday they will let you get that cashier job and you can stop bagging groceries if you just put your mind to it
The stupid is strong in Chi, thats for sure.
Aaron, some of them can try to use a dictionary if they didn’t finnish fourth grade
“Finish”
Thank you for the correction.
I can’t help but notice Matthew that you’re writing this on the day of the so called “No Kings” riots, yet I do not recall you writing anything like this when the government was using its power to wrongfully prosecute and harass Trump.
Speaking of Trump – he’s the one enforcing the rule of law by arresting and deporting illegals in our country, as well as sending in the military to stop the riots (And no, they’re not peaceful, not by any stretch of a retard’s imagination).
Either you are very selective about your definition of the rule of law or you’re a just a conceited smug hypocrite.
….breaking news! The autocrat has reversed the decision to deport ag workers & hospitality employees for now! Discovered they are needed to compliment our workforce. Who could have missed that conclusion earlier? Always question authority!
Trump doesn’t give a flying f about the rule of law. He pardons people that commit crimes in support of him… aka January 6…
NO KINGS
it hasn’t even been 6 months.
Some people will need to be committed in another 3 1/2 years.
It’s such a delight to sit here in Australia watching you all bicker about the catastrophic chaos that you once-great nation has descended into. You’re screwed. Good luck, you’re go’n need it.
I’ve been to Australia many times and yeah, you’ve got nothing to be proud of. The worst day in America is still better than being in Australia. Think about that the next time the government forbids you from leaving your house.
You’re way off. Have you actually lived anywhere other than the United States? I actually lived there for 17 years, and it was never anything like as bad as it is now. I’m married to an American, a home-grown, Republican-voting Texan, and he’s dismayed by what he sees happening in is homeland, Sadly, like so many Americans, partisan politics has left you utterly blinded to the deteriorating sociopolitical situation in your country. Have a think about it. Rationally, not emotionally. And if you have nothing to say in reply other than the dismally, pathetically childish, grade-school quality ad hominem that you usually respond with, then don’t bother replying at all.
Ah the mythical anti-Trump republican from Texas makes another appearance. I guess that means you know more about the situation in the U.S. than me, who actually lives there yes?
The only thing sociopathic in this country is the one side who uses mob violence to get what they want, the same side that devastated American cities during the BLM riots. They’re trying the same thing again, and this time Trump is not messing around.
P.S. cumdumpster
Ohhhh, and you were doing so well! I guess it’s hard to keep your borderline retarded adolescent alter-ego in check. That’s a shame. You might want to check in with your psychiatrist, perhaps your meds need a tweak. What am I saying, “perhaps”?
You also seem to have forgotten January 6th, but hey, you’re hardly the first MAGA to have selective amnesia.
“The only thing sociopathic in this country is the one side who uses mob violence to get what they want”
You mean like the mob in DC on Jan 6 2020?
That’s so nice! Your mom took you to outback steakhouse and told you it was Australia. What a trooper she is, making the best of your condition
Welcome to the rebellion.
“The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear”
If you had come to DC today for the parade you probably would have doubled the crowd size
How come no one from “his” side has addressed his answer to the Constitution question and his comments about a 3rd term?
The irony of it all being that this “Big Beautiful Parade” looked more like a Main Street July 4th parade in Peoria. It’s almost laughable. What a sad display of those who I am grateful for as to their service.
Trump needs to realize that our service people are not in this for promenades. We can leave that to the French who are good at parades and then retreating after.
Make America America Again. Please. MAAA? Hmm.
The legacy of Reagan. Lololololol. The scum sold arms to Iran.
The CIA under Reagan supported the Contras cocaine smuggling into the USA.
For someone who hates drugs you do have a blind spot to your dear leaders un patriotic acts
Reagan always gets a pass because he didn’t say the racist parts out loud.
When has the USA really stood for due process and the rule of law? Even if one ignores its involvement in coups and other sorts of meddling in the affairs of sovereign states, the USA is the country that’s been operating a detention facility that has been specifically designed to deny basic human rights to people who are merely suspected of having committed criminal acts.
That’s the red flag and the beginning of the slippery slope you’re looking for. The current administration is merely following the direction of travel established by its predecessors.
Yeah, but the government always did that stuff in secret. The real disappointment of America is that the American people, if given a choice, are happy to put their stamp of approval on all of that.
Trump’s America is a correction of lawlessness that ruled during 8 years of Obama and Biden. Unlawful persecution of political rivals and total destruction of the societal norms, bringing race again to the forefront….
Thank you President Trump – the best thing that happened to US and the world in the last 50 years.
Good for you for standing up for your beliefs. I think the way you reach them is particularly American in a way that I don’t understand. However, we agree on the principles.
In any case, I’m impressed at your forthrightness.
Tiresome.
Do you need turn down service?
So usually I agree with you, but not here or with the analogy. “King,” is a jab at absolute monarchy. Eswatini, and a handful of similars in the ME/Ociana, are all that are left in that tradition. For centuries now, “kings” (in the European tradition) void of any power and are mere symbolic figureheads.
I want to flip the ‘King’ analogy around. The previous president was largely oblivious to events, much less had agency over them. The team wielding the autopen (who ever they were) was ‘the president’. Biden was their figurehead.
The name “No Kings” would have had actual relevance 2021 to 2025.
President by autopen is a much bigger constitutional problem IMO than the current president using long existing statue in ways you may not agree with.
Except he isn’t “using long existing statue in ways you may not agree with”.
Nice job. You turned your travel site into a name calling shit show. Stay in your lane. Politics do not belong on this site. Keep your opinions to yourself. I have been a long time subscriber. You can check me off for unsubscribed.
For what? What did I say that you disagreed with?
“Stay in your lane.” The operative sentence of every fascist. Unless it fits your narrative.
Snowflake melting while also being hostile to freedom of speech/expression and the exercise of private property rights? Yet another indicator that Trumpublicans and their enablers are the most radical element in America nowadays.
Matthew has been drifting left for quite a while now, and it appears the woke transformation is complete.
Only a simpleton would not connect the dots on this. Matthew just endorsed the radical “No Kings” protest movement which is rioting, looting, attacking law enforcement, setting fires to buildings and cars, throwing commercial grade fireworks at police (and their horses!) and more. These are well-organized left wing agitators funded by that cat lady Walmart heiress and George Soros and his son.
This is not some innocent post — you are leveraging the “No Kings” language and offering what certainly appears to be an implicit endorsement of their tactics and actions (violence). The fig leaf ain’t working this time to hide behind.
For someone who claims to have worked in D.C. at high levels, this is the equivalent of toddler checkers, not political acumen.
Don’t ASSume.
Oh yes, the No Kings protests created havoc across America. Actually, the only havoc was a right wing MAGA lunatic in Minnesota assassinating Democrats.
The most radical group in America nowadays are Trumpublicans. Trumpublicans have radical disrespect for the Constitution and constitutional rights, radical disrespect for honesty and facts, radical hatred of science, and radical hatred of equal rights and justice for all US persons.
I think the American people use the word ‘King’ because they don’t want to say ‘Dictator’ or authoritarian, which the latter might be more accurate, although some people do, especially the students in universities. Great Britain has a king who is, for some people, a proud monarch figure…
A well written article that falls largely on deaf ears in your comments section .
Far, far too many of your commentators believe the ends justify a cruel lawless means. Far too many of your commentators believe that protesting is radical.. it’s not, it’s been the heart and soul of this country since its founding.
We are a nation of laws!!
NO KINGS
Protesting is not radical at all – as long as it’s ‘civil’. When it crosses the line of throwing rocks, doing property damage, or people (anyone) being assaulted then the authorities need to step and take action. I think 95% of these protest rallies over the weekend were civil and that’s fine to protest – it’s our ‘right’ as many have commented. And the media bends it both ways, which doesn’t help. CNN will make it sound like there was NO violence at all – what’s the problem?, and Fox News will say that the sky was falling and built up the violence way more than it was. An example, and I’m a conservative republican – was in the Portland (The Oregonian) newspaper – clearly showing the large crowd and touting the hugely peaceful protest, and then had a little sidebar article saying (4) ICE authorities were assaulted and there was property damage. NO ONE should be assaulted and there should be NO property damage. What people don’t understand is when THOSE rights are violated then police and authorities HAVE to step in. Most people have no issues with the fundamental right to protest.
If nothing else, it is rather revealing Matthew the kind of audience you have, is it not? The response to this article has really illuminated the kind of people who (used to) read your site.
Boo who, if Biden wasnt such a disaster as president, Trump may not hqve regained officr. Stick to travel you hack
Biden’s incompetence does not justify Trump’s malfeasance.
Shame that we have KINGS in politics. Especially ones that get appointed versus elected. And some KINGS jail all their political opponents, cancel elections, and stay in office after their 5 year term.