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What will it take to wake us up to protect and fight for our democratic form of government with all its imperfections and the way of life it provides? It has not survived thus far without courageous voices defending it.
It will neither survive today nor move forward without our courageous voices.
Let us keep in mind that America is an infant compared to many countries.
Next year we will be celebrating 250 years of this country’s unique existence. What will we be celebrating?
America’s strength, when challenged, has been in her people’s ability to put aside their selfish needs and interests and come together, fight and even die for the values and way of life that have set this country apart.
Historically, this has been the case whether the threat was from external or internal adversaries.
Whether it was entering World War I to make the world safe for democracy, or World War II in the fight against fascism, or even back to our own Civil War, courageous people came together for a greater cause.
There have been many other threats to our democracy since this nation’s founding. But the people stood and fought for the fundamental principles and what they believed was good about democracy and the way of life it provides.
Fast forward to today. We are confronted by a different kind of assault against our democratic form of government.
It is both an internal and external threat playing out at the same time for all to see.
Within our borders, in a barrage of rapid fire, we are at once confronted with major challenges of how we should continue to function as a democratic republic. Simultaneously, we see long-standing agreements undone and radical shifts in how we relate to other countries.
On the world stage, there are signs that America’s allies and foes alike are wondering what America stands for as they encounter and endure a whiplash of positions caused by policies and actions changing almost on a daily or weekly basis.
Here at home, efforts are afoot at the local, state and federal level to eliminate, nullify and render impotent the bedrock of our democratic form of government: the constitution where the will and power of the people as expressed in elections and adherence to the rule of law are inherent.
Many of those efforts did not begin recently.
Look at the fundamental right of voting. In recent years, many states have pursued and implemented measures to make it difficult for long-standing citizens to cast a vote.
Today, at the federal level, the executive branch is seeking to change by edict how we cast our vote, eliminating some ways altogether rather than making exercising the vote more accessible.
Such efforts can only result in disenfranchising and silencing many legitimate and deserving citizens voices.
It does not stop there.
Look at what is happening in states calling special legislative sessions to change Congressional districts simply to influence the distribution of partisan political power, with utter disregard for whose voting power they minimize or totally silence.
It is happening in Missouri and other states.
There is more.
In Missouri, while the legislature has returned for a special session to redraw districts mid-census to control the balance of power in Washington, they are also going to try to pass legislation to make direct participation in the democratic process more difficulty by setting higher hurdles for a petition initiative to pass.
So, what are we to do?
Nothing?
There is an adage worth remembering: If you don’t use it, you lose it.
While often issued as a warning to maintain optimum body functions and usefulness through regular and rigorous exercises, it also applies to other areas.
As in physical health and relationships, it seems particularly apropos to exercising our individual rights to maintain, protect and preserve our democracy.
We can complain about what our elected representatives are doing or not doing to uphold our state and U.S constitutions, to uphold the rule of law, to represent, protect and advance our interests.
We can complain about their cowardice, their repeated propensity to put their selfish interests ahead of their constituents, but why are they comfortable doing it time after time, during election term after election term?
Because we are not using the powers invested in us. More importantly, we are at risk of losing them.
We cannot afford to continue to embrace a sedentary political life, characterized by silence, inaction where we allow others — our own elected officials or outsiders to dictate what goes on in our state, how the public process and decisions are determined without input or oversight.
We must use and exercise our political power to ensure a political process that makes decisions that are in our best interests.
Vigilance. Resistance. Resilience.
This is what is required of us now to make sure that our democratic form of government prevails.
Lest we lose it.