All posts by Roger Straw

Editor, owner, publisher of The Benicia Independent

Benicia’s Larnie Fox: Thoughts on Prop 50

Gerrymander California?

By Larnie Fox, October 17, 2025

Larnie Fox, Benicia resident & artist

My opinion is that having Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans in charge is a very, very bad thing for our country and our world.

If you agree with me on that, then I hope you will also agree with me on this: Vote FOR prop 50. Support it with your work, dollars, yard signs, etc. It is now California’s best hope to have a voice and to help rein in this reckless and cruel regime.

Most of us agree that gerrymandering is a bad idea in general. But when we have a possibility of taking back our House of Representatives for pro-democracy and pro-rule-of-law forces, and when the MAGA Republicans are pushing gerrymandering to its limits in the red states to maintain their control ~ effectively rigging elections against the majority ~ then unfortunately we need to gerrymander California as well. If we lose this election, we will have virtually no chance of winning back the House.

It’s a temporary measure, it will expire in 2030.

Please ignore all the slick marketing materials coming from the MAGA crowd, and make sure you vote yes on prop 50.

Larnie Fox
Benicia

VIDEO: BENICIA NO KINGS DAY #2

EXHILERATING!  OVER 2000 GATHER TO OPPOSE AUTHORITARIAN RULE!

It was festive and encouraging, but we’re not done yet. The danger is real, and we’re in it for the long haul. We will lift every voice in the struggle to save our Democracy – we will continue the momentum!

For those who were there – here are some delicious memories. And if you missed this one – see you next time!

Here’s a slideshow with a few of my own photos and many by Benicia’s Mary DeShaw of ProBonoPhoto. Thanks, Mary! – R.S.
2025NKDB2-TITLEPAGE_1200px
previous arrow
next arrow

And here’s a recording by Benicia’s own videographer, Dr. Constance Beutel:

NO KINGS DAY SATURDAY, October 18 – All over the Bay Area

SEE YOU TOMORROW!
Sat Oct 18 in Benicia, Vallejo and more…
(Scroll down for locations & times…)

In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings.

Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, carried by millions in chants and on posters, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.

The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty. Grow our movement and join us.

A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.

>> IN BENICIA: October 18th NO KINGS DAY! 1-2pm at the Gazebo (map: First and Military Streets). Bring your signs, your neighbors, friends, and family, and your goodwill. We’ll “parade” this block for the hour on the sidewalk.

>> IN VALLEJO: Vallejo-Benicia INDIVISIBLE is holding a second NO KINGS Day of Action on Saturday, October 18, 10AM – 12PM, at Unity Plaza / JFK Library, 505 Santa Clara St. The event will include inspiring local speakers and live music as well as songs from our Resistance DJ. We will then march briefly through downtown Vallejo, ending around noon. The Vallejo event is listed with more detailed info on the Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible Facebook page (including a map).

>> ALL OVER THE BAY AREA: Here’s a LIST of NO KINGS Oct 18 events in the Bay Area, starting with Benicia – scroll down and click on an event for more details. Or… go to the big nokings.org or mobilize.us map and zoom in. Then click on a city for detailed info.


MORE… (nokings.org)

About No Kings

In June, we did what many claimed was impossible: peacefully mobilized millions of people to take to the streets and declare with one voice: America has No Kings. And it mattered. The world saw the power of the people. President Trump’s birthday parade was drowned out by protests in every state and across the globe. His attempt to turn June 14 into a coronation collapsed, and the story became the strength of a movement rising against his authoritarian power grabs.

Now, President Trump has doubled down. His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants. Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most. Rigging maps to silence voters. Ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities. Driving up the cost of living while handing out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle.

The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.

Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and bigger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, shouted by millions, carried on posters and chants, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.

Because this country does not belong to kings, dictators, or tyrants. It belongs to We the People – the people who care, who show up, and the ones who fight for dignity, a life we can afford, and real opportunity. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.


MEMORIES: BENICIA’S JUNE 2025 NO KINGS RALLY:

 

Benicia’s Mary Susan Gast to speak on dangers of ‘Christian Nationalism’

Rev. Dr. Mary Susan Gast

The Rev. Dr. Mary Susan Gast will speak at Community Congregational Church on Sunday, October 26, at 4:00 pm on the topic of Christian Nationalism, its roots and impact.

She states, “In the late 1970’s a movement began to emerge in the U.S. that we now recognize as Christian Nationalism. ‘Christian Nationalism’ is not simply being Christian and being American. It is the fusion of one particular take on Christianity with a vision of the United States as the birthright of the descendants of white Christian European settlers.

Bishop William Barber has observed that the adherents of Christian Nationalism believe that Christianity ‘calls on us to be anti-gay, against people who may have had an abortion, against immigrants, and against the poor. But what the Scriptures actually say is that God loves all people.’”

Her presentation on October 26th will examine the Biblical and historical bases for these diverse understandings of the application of Christian teaching, along with the effects of Christian Nationalism on our democracy and civil society.

Dr. Gast notes that the affirmation of Christian Nationalism among many current national leaders raises questions for many regarding the effects of that ideology on government policy.

“In August this year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a video on social media. It featured two pastors of Hegseth’s fellowship of faith asserting that women should not have the right to vote.

Doug Wilson, one of the pastors on the video, later affirmed to the Associated Press that he believes the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote ‘was a bad idea.’

In early September many members of the current administration attended the National Conservatism Conference. Speakers at the event included:

    • Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts endorsing ‘the righteous anger young men feel when our elites say they can be replaced by immigrants or machines’
    • Charlie Haywood, who has called for the ‘total denigration of ‘career’ as the main goal of women’
    • and U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt who declared America belongs to ‘us’. . . ‘the sons and daughters of the Christian pilgrims that poured out from Europe’s shores to baptize a new world.’

Gast is a Liberation theologian with advanced academic degrees from Michigan State University and the Chicago Theological Seminary.  Over the past 50 years she has made presentations in the U.S., South Africa, and China addressing the ways in which patriarchal and colonialist interpretations have distorted Christian teachings to the detriment of women and others regarded as not-quite-human.

Community Congregational Church is located at 1305 W. Second Street in Benicia. The event is free, and the public is invited.