Tag: Liberty and Justice for ALL

The Words of Dissent

As we stand at the beginning of Women’s History Month and at the end of Black History Month, we find ourselves facing yet another subject that cannot be put off until tomorrow. Another example of just how high the stakes are, in this situation we find ourselves in.

Another embodiment of one of the fundamental principles, of what it is to be an American… cast aside and dismissed. Determined to be de minimis when weighed against the needs of someone else, with a blatant disregard for the rights and opinions of the MAJORITY.


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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/08/trump-let-saudi-arabia-get-away-with-murder-could-biden-hold-mbs-accountable/ 

Everyday, LIVES are risked to bring us the TRUTH… even if that truth is being delivered with a Partisan Edge. Right now someone is asking questions, about something someone else doesn’t want you to know anything about, and everyday the TRUTH is closer to being revealed.

Without that truth, we don’t have accurate facts upon which to base our decisions, leaving us vulnerable in times of crisis; or leading us to make rash decisions, when all that’s necessary is patient thoughtful contemplation.

There is no thoughtful contemplation necessary when it comes to defending the Free Press. 

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There is no diplomatic strategy we can employ to rationalize or justify the SILENCING of dissent. There is no storied PAST celebrated in our history, of ignoring the murder of a United States journalist. That’s a story filled with outrage and disgust, UNITED in demands for Justice… not diplomacy. 

Show me a country who supports the SILENCING of dissent, and I’ll show you a People who are confused, oppressed, and ISOLATED… cut off and hidden from the TRUTH. 

How many corners can we BEND? How many coffee stains will we allow…

The WORDS may still exist, but everyday that document is filled with MORE HOLES. An add-on, a new policy, a justification for someone else’s inactions. Becoming more of a tedious To-do list, than it is anything one would reasonably associate with something defined as a “constitution”.

The only stories I know, of nations who rise to power by SILENCING dissent, end in terror. They end in horrors seen only in times of WAR. Appeasement is never acceptable. We’ve seen this show before… just go watch the historical NEWS REELS from WWII.

“Pity the thought! … that any American Citizen should have to pay ONE CENT MORE for a gallon of GAS, simply because we held someone accountable for their actions!”

Or is it that the United States might somehow lose credibility because we stood firm in our support for the Rule of Law…? I don’t understand. I must be missing something here. We lead by example. What precedent will this create?

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What are we trying to create? What are the ends to the daily means we live as a society? Does this decision bring us any closer to our goals? Racial Inequality. Gender Inequality. Economic Inequality… what example does this set.

These are the faces of dissent…

… to silence one is to silence them ALL. How many more voices will be silenced because of our inaction? The United States defends the rights of others to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT because it’s in our best interest to do so. It’s in the best interest of everyone to be fully informed. No matter the risk involved.

LONG LIVE THE FREE PRESS. 

-JC 

Into the Great Wide Open

We STAND at an extraordinary time! With SO many things fueling the passions of debate, and solutions needed so desperately but seeming so distant…

Consider the sacrifice our Founding Fathers had to make. In order to achieve Independence, to establish the Constitution, sacrifice and compromise was the only way.  And in THAT spirit they made their choice, their sacrifice, because they knew in their hearts… at their CORE, Mankind is ‘good’ and will find the way.

They sacrificed themselves. To achieve unanimity they sacrificed their “idealistic purity” to have the CHANCE for it to occur. Their opinion was in the minority then. The MAJORITY opinion in the late 18th Century, on this continent, was only CERTAIN MEN are created equal.

… but in their hearts the KNEW that WORDS MATTER. That IF it could stand the test of time, and survive the slowly waning majority opinion, someday the WORDS would be read and their TRUE MEANING would be recognized as LAW. So they were SILENT, sacrificing themselves, and allowed slavery in a system where ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL.

That price, paid in BLOOD, over FOUR CENTURIES, has inspired great movement. When measured as a whole, it looks like the end is within reach! We can ALMOST blow up the BALLOONS and light the CANDLES… and that has led to complacentcy. It has led to “perceived weakness”. It is seen as an opportunity, and now HERE we stand.

So… They were SILENT, sacrificing themselves, listening to WISE COUNSEL at home, saying ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL while OPPRESSING the voice of their domestic PARTNERS?

200 years ago, when the people who held the opinion that slavery was wrong were in the minority, the people who then believed WOMEN deserved EQUAL RIGHTS was EVEN SMALLER… and BOTH opinions were strongly SILENCED. I have learned, the POWER over others, alone, can be an intoxicant, and that “addiction” is a disturbing topic. Many of these “ills” are a matter of Learned Behavior. “THIS is the way it has been, so THIS is the way it is done– No questions!”

ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS. KNOWLEDGE will keep us ALL FREE.

Today, as we fight about accusations of Criminal Behavior, ask yourself “What does the LAW say?” EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW.

I am EXCITED! Because right NOW, we have within our reach, the TOOLS to make this HAPPEN. It has been subverted and disguised. Made to look foolish and idealistic… that it could never happen. “There’s just NO support, so you should stay SILENT. No one would believe you anyway.” IF ONLY we had LAW that could guide us to an answer… What would the Founding Fathers say?

ALL MANKIND IS CREATED EQUAL

The Bill of Rights ensured that ONE DAY, if the country could survive long enough, the MEANING of the WORDS would, once again, be recognized. That mistakes made in THEIR TIME, could be AMENDED, and in time, they knew, their ideological vision had ALREADY WON.

We must memorialize their efforts by demanding LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.