Hi all, below is an open letter I have written to our elected representatives, with the goal of encouraging a more meaningful defense of our individual rights. I have been mailing a physical copy to representatives around the nation as most elected representatives filter out non-constituents from emailing them. If this letter happens to inspire you, please feel free to share it.
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Dear Elected Representative,
In this awful moment for our nation, I do not envy the responsibility you hold, however this moment deserves honest and open debate regarding our next course of action, for as Delegate Patrick Henry said, “the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate.” It is in that spirit I write to you now, refusing to shy away from uncomfortable truths as Delegate Henry demonstrated for us.
Since last November, the debate regarding actions liberty-loving Americans can take to secure our democracy largely hinges upon the Democratic Party having neither Executive nor majority Congressional power. However, framing a question around what you are unable to do is both destructively pessimistic and demonstrably ineffective. Besides, the answer to what next to do lies at the local level, not the national, as Governor Newsom is demonstrating. Though I admire the Governor for finding more effective means to push back against Trump, I must point out that the core problem remains: the infringement of inalienable rights. The Democratic Party embracing counter-gerrymandering as a strategy, while not addressing this core problem, only serves to protect your own power and no person’s rights.
In practice, the civil liberties of residents and citizens of this country are not protected or guaranteed in a single state, county, or city. ICE, and other federal agencies, are free to abduct Americans off the streets, without due process. The only challenge to these practices has come in the courts, where victories are arduous and promptly ignored by Trump. Those who we trust to protect and serve our communities are instead setting blockades and raising weapons to shield kidnappings. When the cries of communities are met with local police, to whom shall we turn? When our capitol is under occupation, to whom shall we plead? When the courts are ignored, to whom shall we petition? What purpose do these actions serve other than to demand our subjugation? The crime and rebellion that Trump cites for these actions do not exist, and yet he chooses violence against the people regardless. What reason are we to believe future escalation by Trump is contingent upon our present actions?
The path forward is clear—we must demonstrate our shared, American, preference for death over subjugation. The words “give me liberty or give me death” have defined what it means to be American since they were uttered. It is impermissible for that spirit to become labeled as radical in any shape or form, as it is quite literally foundational. Further, to label it as radical is to misunderstand it, for it is not a call to violence, it is pledging yourself to the cause of liberty with the tacit understanding that it is your opponents who may resort to violence.
America’s greatest leaders have found ways to express this spirit in their own times, in their own ways. Our founding fathers argued in the Declaration of Independence that the Crown had become unfit to rule a free people, the Crown had betrayed them when it denied them their rights, and it was their duty to establish a form of government that would protect those rights; this very spirit is why this nation exists. Nearly 200 years later, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters found a much more peaceful expression of the American spirit as they continued to march regardless of the personal consequences. In neither case did either party simply hope things would improve, or not degrade further, for passively watching tyranny is un-American. Rather, they provided a conduit for others to express their love of liberty.
I ask that you stand for the liberty of the citizens and residents you represent, regardless of the consequences, regardless of what Trump might do. That some territory of this great nation may yet preserve the ideals and freedoms that it was founded upon, not just in words but in action, so that they will not be lost in our collective conscious and relegated to the pages of history.
Sincerely,
An American Citizen
Originally Posted By u/fanofpatrickh At 2025-08-22 06:53:08 PM | Source