1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I am writing to express my outrage over the proposed $100 million military parade planned for June 14, 2025—Donald Trump’s birthday and Flag Day. This spectacle, complete with tanks, helicopters, and massed troops, mirrors the authoritarian pageantry of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, and Viktor Orbán—not the values of a free republic. It is not patriotism. It is a glorified vanity display meant to evoke dominance, not service. I ask you plainly:
Do you support this parade? Do you believe staging a multimillion-dollar display of military power is a better use of public funds than providing medical care for veterans, sheltering homeless service members, or feeding hungry American children? With that kind of money, we could: • House tens of thousands of homeless veterans for a year • Provide expanded VA mental health services and suicide prevention programs • Fund school meal programs nationwide • Support job training and re-entry services for those who served Instead, we’re being asked to normalize military theater as a political prop. That is not American. It is insulting to those who risked their lives for democracy, not dictatorship. I want to know:
Do you want one of these military parades for yourself? If so, say it out loud. Announce it to the press. Tell your constituents that you want tanks in the streets to celebrate your own power over Iowa. Tell me what you are going to do to oppose this sickening display. Tell me directly: Do you support this, or do you stand with veterans and working families instead of authoritarian theatrics? I want your response in writing—and I will share it. History is watching. So are we.