Hey folks, Wade Roush here, back in your email inboxes and podcast feeds after a busy spring.
I will confess I’m old enough to remember America’s 200th birthday celebrations in 1976. For a nine-year-old kid, the bicentennial was kind of a big deal, featuring not just the usual fireworks but—in my rural Michigan county alone—special art projects and exhibitions, cannons and twenty-one-gun salutes, and the dedication of a new courthouse building. And from television I remember the tall ships in New York, the opening of the Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C., and the addition of the big curvy red-white-and-blue bicentennial star to NASA’s huge Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral. I wasn’t really old enough at that time to understand the pain that Vietnam, Watergate, and the oil shocks had inflicted on the America of the mid-1970s, but I could still feel the country coming together for a brief, collective sigh of relief.
You’ll forgive me, then, if I’m less enthused about the 2026 sequel. We could have paused this year to reflect once again on our big, complicated nation’s past and future. But our country’s current leader personalizes and tarnishes everything he touches, and the official semiquincentennial celebration has devolved into little more than canceled musical performances, MMA on the White House lawn, and an empty and dystopian “Great American State Fair” flanked by an algae-filled reflecting pool.
I seem to remember that Declaration of Independence had something to say about what happens when a government inflicts to too many injuries on its people. Oh yes, here it is: “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Well, some folks are working on that. The elections of 2026 and 2028 will be opportunities for U.S. voters to peacefully throw off their current despots. And to rally hope and keep up the pressure for that kind of change, millions of people have turned out for the three No Kings protest events held around the country, including here in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The best way I can think of to celebrate the real meaning of Independence Day is to bring you some audio tape I collected at in Santa Fe at the March 28, 2026, No Kings event—which, put together with its counterparts in over 2,000 other locations, turned out to be the largest single-day protest in American history. I originally made today’s piece for Hub & Spoke’s Sounds Like America project, but I also wanted to share it with you here.
For Sound Like America we’re inviting independent audio producers all 50 states to send us short pieces that capture the unique sounds of the places where they live. The project is designed to bridge our divides, explore our vast differences and commonalities, and draw out the kind of audio we might not hear on the radio. We’re putting these wonderful and inspiring pieces out there via our podcast, Hub & Spoke Presents, and you can browse all of the submissions (or submit one yourself!) at our website.
Meanwhile there’s a new, full episode of Turning Corners coming very soon, so stay tuned! And may you enjoy Independence Day in your own way.
Transcript
Hub & Spoke Sonic ID: Hub & Spoke Audio Collective.
<Cue theme music>
Wade Roush: Okay, so you’ve got an upside down American flag. What does that mean to you?
Protester:: Uh, to me, this means America in distress. Um, I, I don’t love what this country is doing. I don’t feel represented by it. And I feel like we’re heading in the wrong direction. So that’s kind of my, my message here.
Wade Roush: Today on Turning corners, a sonic postcard in honor of Independence Day. It’s a short piece I recorded here in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as part of a year-long Hub & Spoke project called Sounds Like America. I like to think of the project as our way to celebrate the original meaning of the 4th of July, in a nation where the voice of the people should matter more than the voice of the man who’d like to be king.
Wade Roush: Hi. This is a great sign on both sides.
Protester: Thank you.
Wade Roush: So I’m with a project called Sounds Like America. It’s a podcast collective, and we’re making sonic postcards. And I’m here today documenting this. I love to ask people to just read their signs to me.
Protester: Oh, fabulous.
Wade Roush: Would you mind? Are you are you game for that?
Protester: Yeah. Michelle should read this side and I’ll read the other side.
Wade Roush: Okay, okay. Okay. So what are we looking at?
Protester: We’re looking at a six foot by three foot banner that we had especially made for today. And on the front of or on one side of the banner, it says, stop spending money on violent attacks and harming the earth. Stop taking over sovereign nations and U.S. voting rights. Stop oppressing our immigrant neighbors and anyone who is other. Stop pretending that this is for the good of all. Use the 25th amendment. Impeach now.
Wade Roush: Thank you. Nice rendition.
Protester: Thank you.
Wade Roush: It’s a great sign. So much good content. Let’s do the other side.
Protester: When the people are strong in their inner direction and firm in their attitudes, evil in government and in society can find no place in which to grow. Number 18 working on what’s been spoiled.
Wade Roush: And this is from the I Ching?
Protester: The Carol Anthony version. Yeah. And again, use the 25th amendment impeach. Now.
Wade Roush: Can I ask, are you from New Mexico?
Protester: Absolutely.
Wade Roush: What does it mean to be here today?
Protester: It feels very good and it feels really important. Totally essential.
Wade Roush: You found a perfect spot to stand and hold your sign so visible right here.
Protester: Thank you so much.
Wade Roush: Yeah. Thanks for doing this.
Protester: Yeah. Thank you for doing this.
Wade Roush: Okay.
Speaker: This is not who we are.
Speaker: Esto no es lo que somos.
Speaker: It is not who we dream of being.
Speaker: No es lo vamos de ser.
Speaker: These are not the actions of the America that we love.
Speaker: Estas no son las acciones de la America qué amamos
Speaker: They invaded Los Angeles, they raided Chicago. They surged in Minneapolis. But in every case, the American people showed up to meet them, and they were not armed with guns and knives. But in the words of the Boston of the band here with whistles and cell phones.
Protester: So we hold our signs up and our flags every Saturday morning. And I’m telling you, the number of people cheering, flashing, their lights, beeping their horns has grown tremendously in the last 12 months. And the people giving us their finger has decreased in the same proportion. It’s like people are waking up.
Wade Roush: That’s great. What is it? Can you read the sign for me?
Protester: Turn that one around. That one says our lands, not your loot. Loot LOOT.
Wade Roush: So what does this sign mean to you?
Protester: It means that we have to stop these assholes from stealing our public lands. Succinctly put. Is that succinct enough?
Wade Roush: That’s succinct enough. Thank you.
Wade Roush: Would you mind just reading your sign for me on on mic?
Protester:: No Turd Reich. T-U-R-D. In Santa Fe, New Mexico or America.
Wade Roush: Are you from Santa Fe?
Protester: Yes, I live here. Yes.
Wade Roush: So what does it mean to you to be here today?
Protester: Doing my civic duty, trying to get rid of this bullshit that’s going on in our country right now. It’s going to take us years to recover from this and the damage that this man’s doing and his administration, not just him. Uh, it’s it’s beyond ridiculous already.
Wade Roush: Ma’am, I love your sign. Which one? This one. The resistance sign. Thank you. So I’m with a radio project called Sounds Like America. We’re making sonic postcards today. Would you mind just reading your sign to me?
Protester: Absolutely. Join the resistance.
Wade Roush: And what’s that symbol in the middle?
Protester: It’s the Rebel Alliance symbol from Star Wars.
Wade Roush: It absolutely is. That’s why I love it. I had a sign at one of the previous ones where I quoted Mon Mothma’s speech from the Senate at length. So great.
Protester: I have a magnet on the back of my car that says I have friends everywhere with the symbol. Yeah. I’m like, if you if you know, you know, that’s that’s how I look at it.
Wade Roush: Exactly. We can spot each other in the crowd. What does it mean to you to be here today?
Protester: It’s so special to me to live. First off, to live in New Mexico and to know the the value that native New Mexicans place on the diversity of cultures and, and, and peoples that make up this state. I’m just really proud to be here and to, and to join in that. Um, that, that defense because I feel like everyone, all of us need defense now. We need to be defended against our own our own government.
Wade Roush: Thank you so much. Thank you. All right. May the force be with you.
Protester: And with you.
Wade Roush: Thank you. Thanks.
Protester: Thank you.
Wade Roush: Would you mind reading your sign for me?
Protester: My sign says Ante Naranja Social Club. It’s a spoof on a a brand called Antisocial Social Club. It’s just simple. It’s fun to look at. And I, you know, added the words that I wanted to add.
Wade Roush: And can you translate it?
Speaker 12: It means Anti-orange Assholes Social Club.
Wade Roush: That’s what I thought. Yeah. I love it. Are you from here? Are you from New Mexico?
Speaker 13: Yes, I live here in Santa Fe.
Wade Roush: Awesome. What does it mean to you to be here today?
Protester: Being part of a community and raising our voice and joining energy, you know, and making our voices heard that way.
Wade Roush: Absolutely. Yeah. I’ve been to every rally so far, and this is this one feels a little more like, like people are here and are determined at this point. It’s like not the novelty has worn off and people are just here to show the ongoing resistance in a way. Right?
Protester:: Yeah. No, absolutely. You know, it’s it’s interesting that this is third, fourth and we’re all still here. Yeah. We’re not going to be quiet and sit down and say, okay, this can, you know, be what it is. We’re more outraged and we’re going to keep showing up.
Wade Roush: Hell yeah. Thank you so much. Enjoy the day. Okay. Bye.
Wade Roush: Can you just read both sides of your sign for me?
Speaker 14: Yeah. The first sign or first side is wars. Expensive. Peace is priceless. The second side. The power of the people is stronger than the people in power.
Wade Roush: Amen.
Protester: Amen.
Wade Roush: Are you from here?
Speaker 14: Yeah, I live in Pojoaque.
Wade Roush: Awesome. So what does it mean to you to be able to be here today?
Speaker 14: Um, we’ve come to all of the No Kings protests and it just feels really good to gather with like minded people and people who are also concerned. And it’s really encouraging just to see everyone out here.
Wade Roush: I see you’ve got an upside down American flag. What does that mean to you?
Protester:: Uh, to me, this means America in distress. Um, I, I don’t love what this country is doing. I don’t feel represented by it. And I feel like we’re heading in the wrong direction. So that’s kind of my my message here.
Wade Roush: Good way to show it.
Protester:: Yeah. Getting an arm workout.
Wade Roush: Okay. Maybe take a break.
Protester:: Exactly.
Wade Roush: Thank you so much. Thank you. Enjoy the protest. Okay. Thank you. Bye. Yeah. Thanks. Yeah.
Speaker 15: An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes. Sun Tzu, who wrote the Art of war.
Wade Roush: That’s from the Art of War?
Wade Roush: Yeah.
What does that sign mean to you?
Speaker 15: It means I think Trump is a selfish enough human being that he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, in spite of what it costs everybody else.
Wade Roush: Thank you. So what does it mean to you to be here today?
Protester: Just to show that people care and they don’t like what’s going on. Hopefully it’ll lead to maybe a huge turnout for the for the midterms. That’s the one chance we have to really put the brakes on all this. If the turnout is so massive, so unprecedented, people go to the polls that politicians in office have to look at who’s out here and they have to do their bidding. They work for us.
Wade Roush: I love your sign. Okay, so what is it showing?
Speaker 16: So this sign shows the illustration from Charlotte’s Web and the Charlotte’s Web reads: Resist.
Wade Roush: And Wilbur is looking up at Charlotte there.
Speaker 16: Wilbur is looking up at the Resist.
Wade Roush: That is really cool. Thank you. Are you from New Mexico?
Speaker 16: I’m from New Mexico.
Wade Roush: So what does it mean to you to be able to be here today?
Protester: Um, it’s very important. New Mexico, um, has a long tradition of resistance going back to the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. And we’re just carrying that on today.
Wade Roush: I was going to ask if you’re from around here, but probably not, huh?
Protester: No, we just come in peace to help earth. We hear you, earth. We hear you.
Wade Roush: We need all your help. Can you read your sign for me?
Speaker 17: Fine. Aliens will trade a cow for your wannabe king.
Wade Roush: That’s awesome. Thank you. And you’re looking very green today. All right.
Song: No Kings in the USA: Because no one, no one will take our dreams away. And no man owns the USA. Stand up. Fight back! There ain’t no king. Ain’t no king in the USA. We’re rising up. He ain’t God. He ain’t no fool. No matter what he says the truth. He says, hell no, he won’t say. Not today, not today. Cause there ain’t no kid. Ain’t no kings in the USA. Usa. Usa.
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Wade Roush: Turning Corners is written, produced and hosted by me, Wade Roush. I want to say thank you to all of the concerned citizens who showed up at the most recent No Kings Rally in Santa Fe, New Mexico and agreed to talk with me for the piece you just heard. As I said at the top, this little dispatch was part of a much bigger project from the Hub & Spoke audio collective called Sounds Like America, where we’re celebrating America’s semiquincentennial by inviting producers from all 50 states to send in audio that captures the spirit of the places where they live. We’ve already got dozens of submissions, and you can hear them all on our website at audio.org, America, or in our podcast hub and spoke presents. I’m working on a full new episode of Turning Corners, and I’ll be back with that very soon to make sure you never miss an episode. Hit follow or subscribe in your favorite podcast app, or just sign up for our newsletter at turning corners.org. I’m always in search of new stories about people making a difference in their communities, bridging old divides, and finding innovative ways to bring people together anywhere in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, or Arizona. If you know somebody like that and you think their story needs to be told, please write to me at wade@turningcorners.org. Okay, that’s just about it for today. Our wonderful theme music is by Joel Roston of Title Card Music and Sound in Boston with Amelia Hollander Ames on violin and viola and Eden Reyes on cello. Thanks for listening, everybody, and happy
