Liberals, Conservatives, And Independents Form Initiative To Fight For Democracy And Freedom

Pete Buttigieg, Stacey Abrams, J. Michael Luttig, Sophia Bush and so many more launched a new initiative to fight for our democracy and freedom together - conservatives, liberals and independents.

Note: This post has been resent to our subscribers because the original version of Sarah’s story contained a title error that was my fault. I apologize to Sarah and our subscribers for the error.-Jason Easley

This July Fourth was a raw wound and also a reminder of the fight it took to get us to our Independence Day in the first place.

Powerful people with agendas are always going to try to seize power, unravel progress and spit on the principles of democracy. They’ve done it throughout history and it seems it’s our turn again, right now.

This time, maybe more of us will stand together with one another, locked in arms, against the evil of fascism cloaked in racism and white nationalism.

To that end, conservative, liberal and independent leaders joined together to launch “We Hold These Truths,” an initiative to promote freedom, equality, and democracy.

The initiative brings together names like Sophia Bush, Pete Buttigieg, Stacey Abrams, Lynda Carter, Jodi Picoult, Celeste Ng, Wesley Clark, Jamie Raskin, Bradley Whitford, Julianne Moore and more to partner with “We Hold These Truths”.

Launched on Independence Day, the campaign is intended “to promote freedom, equality, and democracy by providing Americans with clear, reliable, and accessible facts about the protections provided under the U.S. Constitution for all people and the work required to safeguard our freedoms and nation’s ideals.”

Sophia Bush spoke for so many of us in an Instagram post on July 5th, detailing the love and pain of the Fourth this year (I’ve added paragraphs to make it easier to read):

“I spent a lot of time yesterday reflecting on a feeling I’ve been feeling deep in my bones this year … a mixture of the profound and the profane. The awe and love I hold for this country and what she is supposed to be. And the deep pain as I witness the way she’s being bastardized, gutted, and remade in the image of a terror state.”

“I have challenged myself, through decades of study and hard practice, to embrace dialectics. But this present opposition is stretching me to a point so difficult it feels nearly impossible some days .how are our simple human arms — and hearts — supposed to stretch this far? Supposed to encompass so much? I suspect that’s the point. They want us to be spread so thin that we break, give out, give UP.”

“But I’m not giving up on us. On you and me. Your families. Our children. Our ancestors. Our legacy. I’m not giving up on this place, however imperfect and brutal, because I’ve seen generations of known heroes and unnamed neighbors alike do the work of building. Creating the kinds of progress that inch us ever closer to our incredible founding ideals, making them what they were intended to be: for ALL. Even when such a notion was more grand than people in the past could imagine. It was still the entire point of the American experiment. Liberty and justice for all.

“And while it’s hideous and painful to watch a small group of even smaller-hearted men and women rip apart everything good? I refuse to let them do it without a fight. I refuse to drop my arms even though my muscles are burning and my eyes are watering. I refuse. And I know so many of you do too. I know you’re angry and enraged and heartbroken and afraid. I know you cannot fathom that the cruelty is the point, because who would want to live — or rule!? — that way.”

“Me too, friends. Me too. So here’s what I say… let’s take our scared rage, and our ferocious love — of our neighbors, families, and even our Constitution — and let’s pick ourselves and dust ourselves off and throw our fists up and stay in this fight.”

sophiabush

A post shared by @sophiabush

“We Hold These Truths” is an initiative committed to our future, together. It includes principles such as:

They ran full-page ads on July 4 in The New York Times, Arizona Republic, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dallas Morning News, and San Francisco Chronicle.

Fighting Back Together

We each will find our way of fighting back, but the point of sharing initiatives like this is to let you know that we do not fight alone.

There are people in this country from every single political affiliation who do not agree with the abuses of this administration, who value freedom and equality so much that they are willing to put their name on the line to fight for it, like the protesters peacefully taking to the streets to object.

It takes bravery and courage to speak up when a fascist regime is trying to control the country and her people. Each person who speaks up spreads a ripple of hope. Each person standing up matters.

We all know what can happen to anyone speaking up, including protesters, bloggers, journalists, celebrities and judges — some are being used as an example, in an effort to silence The People. But when we band together, when we come together peacefully to say NO, WE DO NOT CONSENT, it is much harder for illiberal forces of autocracy to win.

The conclusion of this fight is not forgone. We have not lost the battle. We have only just begun.

Note: The original version of Sarah’s story contained a title error that was my fault. I apologize to Sarah and our subscribers for the error.-Jason Easley