Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
COMMENTARY by Susan Katz Keating
I’m told that Vladimir Lenin has been spotted racing through American streets with fire in his eyes, trying to make it to the revolution – but they started without him.
Poor Vlad. He dragged himself out of the mausoleum, dodged Teslas and taco trucks, only to find the slogans have been updated, the manifestos rewritten on AI, and the street soldiers too busy livestreaming their uprising to notice him. They borrowed his ideas, forgot to cite their sources, and certainly didn’t cut him in on the royalties. Sucks to be a ghost.
Vladimir Lenin rose to power as leader of the Bolshevik Party during the Russian Revolution of 1917, promising liberation from monarchy and capitalism. He built the world’s first communist state by crushing dissent, banning opposition, and enforcing strict control over speech and press.
Lenin’s methods didn’t work in the long run. But they are inspo for modern would-be authoritarians. Such as, those who use anti-Tsarism – whups, I mean anti-monarchy – as a rallying cry for grievance.
This year, No Kings Day joined the swelling tide of protest-chic holidays, equal parts performance art and power play. Marketed as a stand against tyranny, it looks more like an audition to be the new tyrants. The movement denounces an elected president for being a monarch, while wanting to control the country, the narrative, the discourse, and the culture. You voted in Republican candidates? Too bad. That’s not allowed.
The so-called No Kings movement is not a protest — it’s a political weapon dressed in street clothes. The goal is to etch into the American mind the belief that Donald Trump has somehow seized monarchical power. It’s a laughable claim, considering every branch of our government — including the courts — has operated exactly as designed, and often in direct opposition to the Trump administration. That’s not tyranny. That’s the Constitution at work.
The most recent protest trigger supposedly was a military parade. Not exactly the stuff of juntas. The parade marked 250 years of the United States Army, the most battle-tested force on the planet. Celebrations like this are common in Western democracies. France rolls tanks down the Champs-Élysées. Britain flies jets over the Queen’s Guard. But when America honors its own, suddenly it’s “authoritarian cosplay.”
It was a trigger of convenience. The slogans say “No Kings,” but the fine print reads: Unless we’re the ones in charge.
Don’t be fooled by the theatrical outrage. The organizers aren’t revolutionaries. They’re careerists, positioning themselves to take charge via slogan. They shout “no kings,” but their dream government looks less like 1776 and more like 1917, with better lighting and worse music. They don’t want liberty. They want control – of language, of history, of who gets a microphone and who gets cancelled. Let’s not kid ourselves. This isn’t about freedom. It’s about power. Just not yours.
Their official platform includes the demand that Donald Trump, the elected president, be removed from office. They advocate for causes such as “immigrant rights.” They aim to “resist the oligarchy,” while neglecting to mention who, or what, pays the bills, and whether deep pocket donors are involved. A number of investigators are on the case, though, with private and official researchers digging into the records.
They state in their messaging: “It is essential that we continue standing up to these lawless authoritarians who shred our Constitution, attack our communities, and ignore the rule of law.”
Are they talking about violent protests and ignoring laws against vandalism, destruction of property, and the workings of immigration law? Apparently not.
The media pitched in on messaging. Despite overwhelming photo and video evidence showing Los Angeles engulfed in violent unrest – cars torched, rioters attacking law enforcement with concrete and improvised weapons – a number of major media outlets have twisted the narrative. They downplay the chaos, calling the riots “largely peaceful.”
In the waning hours of No Kings Day, rioters stormed a federal ICE building in Portland, hurling smoke bombs and firecrackers, injuring four officers. Protesters in Los Angeles left a trail of destruction before police declared an unlawful assembly and imposed a curfew. The protests go hand in hand with with a 413% increase in assaults against uniformed officers, according to Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
Lenin, for all his faults (and there were many), was at least honest about his aims. He wanted revolution, but he was clear about where it led: one-party rule, state terror, gulags. Today’s revolutionaries want power, minus the accountability. They wrap authoritarian ambition in inclusive buzzwords, and call it progress.
The No Kings organizers announced a June 16 after-action chat. They signaled that only some will be allowed in. Apparently you have to be properly qualified before you can attend. Let that sink in for a moment. More events are in the works. They include “No King – No Dictator” rallies; “Indivisible” protests; “Defend Democracy” events, “One Million Rising,” and other gatherings where people are encouraged to bring their own signs about any topic related to the resistance against the so-called “MAGA attack on our democracy.”
So when you see the signs that say “No Kings,” read the fine print. This isn’t about abolishing power. It’s about claiming it. And if Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov knew what was going down in his name, he’d demand a cut. Or at least a hashtag.
Susan Katz Keating is publisher and editor in chief of Soldier of Fortune.
