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Our Constitution begins: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union …”
We have never been perfect, but have strived for it throughout our history. Those efforts have regressed to the tyrannical times of the Edmund Pettis Bridge — against all in our country, citizens or not.
What will it take to restore decency and democracy? If we learn anything from history, it does not come from those elected to lead, but from everyday people. From our founding to women’s suffrage, to labor rights, to child labor laws, to environmental laws, to civil rights, to voting rights, and beyond, it is the common women and men who decide that enough is enough and step up to lead. People like Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Beecher Stowe, Bayard Rustin, Susan B. Anthony, Rachel Carson, Mother Jones, Rosa Parks, and countless others. They are the ones that have led to “form a more perfect union” and uphold and defend our Constitutional rights.
I do not count on elected officials, as they seem fretful for their positions and serve the rich and powerful. Some agree with President Donald Trump and his administration’s violent assaults, shooting people, and even abducting little children. They are rejecting the constitutional rights that everyone has in our country.
I believe Trump and all elected to office underestimate the will and power of the people to stand up and be counted. We are the ones who will lead and strive for decency and our constitutional rights, we the people.
Mike Grove
Belgrade Lakes
