Letter: Fighting for freedom

“We do not defend freedom, we are always fighting for freedom” — Edward Morgan, 1910-93, journalist, writer, commentator.

We cannot take any of our freedoms for granted. We must fight for freedom of the press (the very foundation of our democracy) and its privilege to expose government overreach and false “news.” We must fight for freedom to peacefully assemble, to demonstrate for causes we believe in.

We must fight for freedom from oppression by any group over another. Remember the blot on our history when Japanese Americans had to register, were rounded up, their property confiscated, and were herded into barbwire-enclosed camps while their sons were fighting for our country in the military?

We must fight for justice by participating in local governance by showing up at city council meetings — not to disrupt, but to understand other points of view and contribute when needed. We can also write our congressmen.

A population that remains silent, while bit by bit any group’s freedoms are curtailed, will find themselves in a country no longer with liberty and justice for all, or for any of us.

This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 1:41 AM with the headline "Letter: Fighting for freedom."