I never tire of reminding readers that virtually everything the Left does is astroturf. It helps that so many of their efforts are unintentionally hilarious — especially the latest from the so-called U.S. Institute of Peace.
We'll get to them in just a moment, but first, let's take a quick look at the Left's latest grassroots efforts, running the gamut, as Dorothy Parker once quipped, from A to B.
The most recent (and laughably glaring) example was last weekend's "Free D.C." protest against President Donald Trump ordering the National Guard to do what the D.C. police are legally forbidden under D.C. home rule from doing: enforcing the law.
Take a look, if you haven't seen this clip already, and tell me if this crowd looks like a representative sample of D.C. residents:
Ant-Trump protest marching towards the White House chanting, “Free D.C.” and calling for the National Guard to go home.@theblaze pic.twitter.com/vTHMFsnNdR
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 16, 2025
I will bet you nine dollars — that's a lot for the father of two teenagers to have left in his wallet — that those grassroots protesters were bused in from deep blue northern Virginia suburbs.
Or as Megan Barth put it, "There is a demographic entirely missing in this crowd, which happens to be the exact demographic most impacted and victimized by violent crime. Is Georgetown a ghost town today?"
According to Fox News, last week — just one day before the Miracle-Whip-on-Wonder-Bread "Free D.C." protest — Crowds on Demand CEO Adam Swart says his company has "received 400% more paid protester requests this year than during the same period last year."
And they still couldn't find any black people in D.C. to work for them? Maybe Attorney General Pam Bondi should order the Department of Justice to look into Crowds on Demand's hiring practices for racial bias.
I kid. Sort of. Not really. Seriously — Pam, pick up the phone.
You do have to give the "Free D.C." people at least some credit, because that protest was a real barn-burner compared to June's "No Kings" snoozefest.
Sources inform me that the "No Kings" protesters were planning to commit acts of violence. Luckily, fear of breaking a hip and news of an afternoon "Murder She Wrote" marathon on MeTV swept the crowd, and they quickly dispersed. pic.twitter.com/EtDEqICmwh
— John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte (@NolteNC) June 16, 2025
The average age of the typical "No Kings" protester is "deceased."
It's behind the scenes, however, where things get seriously weird.
Are you familiar with the U.S. Institute of Peace? Check out some of their training materials, just unearthed by Mike Benz.
The US Institute of Peace instructed its sponsored riot mobs to block roads, occupy government buildings, and deliberately seek to get arrested. pic.twitter.com/fMtCbWemii
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) August 18, 2025
Did you catch the Arabic subtitles? "They were training riot groups for the Arab Spring," Benz added. But they help all kinds of groups, in what the Institute calls "the widest possible range of education and training."
And: "The US Institute of Peace campaigned for global hate speech laws to criminalize online speech, all while knowing it was illegal under the First Amendment."
You pay for the Institute's official lawlessness, by the way. Established in 1984, the U.S. Institute of Peace is entirely taxpayer-funded.
There are many groups like it, detailed earlier this year in loving detail by Data Republican (small-r).
We live in an age of astroturf rental mobs, trained in destabilization and lawlessness with our tax dollars.
This isn’t peace — and it isn’t funny anymore. It’s publicly funded sabotage.
Recommended: Newsom’s Trump Impression Is Spot-On — Except for All the Winning
Want the Even More of the Good Stuff? Go VIP.
Join PJ Media VIP and get access to exclusive columns, sharp podcasts, live video chats, and the kind of unfiltered analysis the corporate press would rather you didn’t see. We’re cutting through the noise — and with our FIGHT promo, you’ll get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member