How To…

This is the first time I’ve ever done this, but I plan to do it more. This entry is the direct result of a reader responding to the “Top 10” entry asking “how?”

How do we, as citizens, protect our individual rights when they are attacked? That’s the million dollar question. I’m not saying I have all the answers, but here is my take.

  1. Be Informed - This is easier said than done. We have an obligation to NOT just watch our favorite news channel or read our favorite news source. We all need to read, understand, and be aware of what is being said and written from opposing or differing viewpoints.

  2. Be Educated - Go back and read the documents that matter. The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, laws, bills, Congressional voting records. Adults don’t have to stop learning. Look at the FACTS and not just opinion. If you need to start at with the basics…I recommend Schoolhouse Rock.

  3. Be Active - All politics are local…or at least that is where is starts. Schoolboards, local governments, county, state, and THEN federal. Sheriffs. Judges. Pick and choose, because we can’t do everything, but be involved where YOU think it matters. Find the issues that matter to YOU. Vote. Campaign. Make your voice heard at meetings.

  4. Be Involved - This is the toughest one…if you have the time and the ability, run for office or serve somewhere in the government. Politics isn’t for everyone, but it isn’t always about politics. Again, schoolboards, local governments, etc. are all opportunities for YOU to influence the process.

  5. Exercise Your Rights - We all have these rights for as long as we have them. Use them. Exercise them. Use your voice. Use your vote. Peacefully assemble. PEACEFULLY. I don’t advocate for violence. I’ve seen plenty of violence in my life, more than most people, and it should be the last resort not the default decision.

As American citizens, this is how the system is designed. It was never intended for career politicians to go to Washington DC and stay there forever. Our government was built for citizens to represent their home communities for a period of time, then return and continue to contribute to their community while allowing a different person with a different voice to take their turn.

Unfortunately, the system is being usurped by those career politicians who are no longer part of their communities. The community they join resides in the nation’s capital, only occasionally visiting somewhere they claim to represent. They are influenced by big businesses with deep pockets. That’s not how it is supposed to be, but that’s the way it is. There is no other explanation for people who become millionaires on a government salary.

You, me, all of us, need to be part of the process and NOT a victim of it. We have a responsibility to ensure that process, designed by our forefathers, continues to stand and function as designed.

Someone asked. I answered. That is “How To”.

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