Until late last Saturday night, even the libs had to give Donald Trump credit for not throwing the U.S. into the kind of long conflicts his predecessors on both sides of the aisle did (even Obama launched strikes in the Middle East).

That changed over the weekend when U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Coalition at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base helped carry out the president’s orders to drop bunker buster bombs on nuclear sites in Iran, all in the wake of the Israeli government’s offensive against Iran and its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Downtown Tampa is not unfamiliar with protesters demonstrating against the U.S.’ continued aid for Israel and the policies of Trump, and activists were out yet again last Sunday afternoon. Outside the The Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse and at Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, protesters held up peace signs as they rallied against war and heard comments about the billions of taxpayer dollars allocated for weapons.

Protestors outside Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse in Tampa, Florida on June 22, 2025. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...

Dave Decker is a songwriter and photographer living in Tampa Bay.