Jackson Jambalaya

War has been a timely tradition for thousands of years. In II Samuel chapter 11 we read: “Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.” That was around 1000 B.C., three thousand years ago when King David son of Jesse ruled Israel.

In those days kings scheduled wars with other nations for the usual reasons. King David had fought wars for most of his life, and it was the time of year to do it again. But this time David sent his top military leader to fight while he remained in Jerusalem. That didn’t turn out well.

Americans have seen a similar pattern with what the media have labeled as “peaceful protests.” As the summer of 2016 wound down, CNN’s Madison Park wrote, “As we mark the unofficial end of summer on Labor Day, here’s a look back at the eventful – and, at times, tumultuous – past three months. The world was stunned as the summer began with a terror attack at a nightclub in Orlando. In a few short weeks, this dark moment would become just the first in a series of mass casualty attacks around the globe….”

Skip forward one year to 2017. Spring came early when “peaceful protesters” arrived at President Trump’s first inauguration ceremony January 20. CNN’s Gregory Krieg wrote, “Six police officers were injured and 217 protesters arrested Friday after a morning of peaceful protests and coordinated disruptions of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony gave way to ugly street clashes in downtown Washington.”

Not to be glossed over, the Women’s March on Washington commenced the next day with an estimated 500,000 people attending. Business Insider wrote, “According to the DC organizers, the march's goal was to stand up for equality for all groups, especially women, LGBT folks, people of color, immigrants, and those with disabilities.”

2018 was the year “peaceful protesters” marched for Gun Control. March 24, NPR reports, “Massive crowds descended upon Washington, D.C., and across the nation Saturday to march for gun control in the U.S., galvanized by the deadly shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida last month.”

2019 was a year of protests around the world followed in 2020 by George Floyd protests and COVID-19 panic. The prevalent pattern of “peaceful protests” in America tends to favor hot summers of national election years. So far in 2025 “peaceful protests” appear to be aimed primarily at President Trump, not so much for his policies as for his being Donald Trump.

This year peaceful protesters are kicking off “the time when kings go out to battle” right on time. Not when “kings” go out to battle because we don’t have any kings. But we have a lot of peaceful protesters and media outlets are predicting Americans will witness more than our fair share of protests this summer.

As usual, paid protesters will flock to our largest cities where they will be furnished with the tools of their trade: masks, hammers, helmets, molotov cocktails, and professionally produced signs with clever sayings.

Marchers will light up parade routes shooting fireworks in carefully choreographed dances with local, state, and national law enforcement officers.

Daniel L. Gardner is a columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com.