More than a dozen Kentucky cities will participate in nationwide protests Saturday against President Trump's extravagant military parade.
The nationwide "No Kings" protests coincide with the military parade in Washington D.C. to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary, which falls on President Trump's birthday.
The parade will feature vintage warplanes and thousands of soldiers marching in period uniforms, which some compare to displays of military might in authoritarian regimes.
The estimated $40 million being spent includes the cost of repairing streets in the nation's capital from tanks and armored vehicles.
Cathy Severns is with the local grassroots organization SOKY Indivisible, which is helping organize a protest in Bowling Green.
"We know that's not normal, and it creates fear," stated Severns. "It creates a sense of power on his part, and that's not how this country operates."
Some of the other cities holding "No Kings" protests include Louisville, Lexington, Paducah, and Owensboro, as well as smaller communities like Hazard, Franklin, and Elkton. Rallies are also planned in Evansville, IN and Gallatin, TN.
Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul calls the celebration wasteful spending and out of character for the country.
"The image of parades and military parades is really an image that's foreign to our heritage," Paul told Louisville Public Media.
The GOP senator from Bowling Green previously said such a military parade is something seen in North Korea or the Soviet Union.
The Trump administration insists the Army's anniversary and president's birthday are a coincidence and that the parade is justified to honor soldiers' sacrifice.
"The attempt to say that he didn't pick this one because it's his birthday is just silly. We've got a lot of branches of the military and the one that was picked just happened to be on the president's birthday," commented Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. "At a time when this administration hasn't approved hundreds of millions of dollars in disaster relief for states like mine, spending $100 plus million on a birthday parade just ain't right."
Beshear announced in his Thursday Team Kentucky briefing that he's activating the state's emergency operations center. Law enforcement and other state officials will be monitoring the protests, and Beshear reminded Kentuckians that violence and destruction of property is illegal. He encouraged peaceful protests to counter what he called a spectacle.
A complete list of cities participating in the nationwide "No Kings" protests is at nokings.org.
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