An Emblem of Good Will
The threats to our democracy come from within and now more than ever before we must defend the First Amendment
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In 1926, the American people received an extraordinary gift from Poland on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A gift that stood to exemplify America's grandiosity and overall commitment to Liberty, Equality, and above all Justice. The gift was a document called the Emblem of Good Will, signed by five and a half million Poles, including the President, national and regional officials, religious authorities, members of social organizations, and faculty and students at major universities, and a million school children.
The document speaks to the citizens of the “great American union” with the “deepest admiration and esteem for the institutions which have been created by you. In them Liberty, Equality, and Justice have found their highest expression and have become the guiding stars for all modern democracies.”
It is a document worth revisiting, especially in moments of frustration and doubt when we begin to question the viability and maybe even the survival potential of our cherished democracy. Because it reminds us of the hardships faced and the blood mutually shed so as to arrive at this doorstep of freedom.
Of course, many of us have never known the America that millions of Poles addressed almost a century ago. What we know are the experiences from our lives, and the related experiences we've studied from the lives of those who have come before us. For many, stories that simply don't coincide with our lived and perceived realities. But this is not a reason to be discouraged. If anything, it's an opportunity to confront many of the difficult truths that accompany some of our greatest victories. And in doing so, the opportunity to plot a course to a more inclusive tomorrow that lives up to the laurels bestowed upon this nation.
Mob of protestors at Capitol Source: ABS-CBN.com
First and foremost, it's important to understand that democracy is an experiment. It's not a guarantee, a promise, or for that matter, even a concept or theory supported by complicated equations or evidence.
Democracy is an idea.
And for a democracy to even call itself a democracy, in all candor, requires more than just a ballot box in the corner of the room. It requires dialogue, expression, debate, and the basic freedoms to contribute to the evolution of our collective opinions. Infringements in any of these areas nullifies Liberty, annihilates Equality, and desecrates Justice.
Ballot Box Source: The print In
As you read this you may think: the First Amendment already guarantees us these abilities and rights that you speak of and therefore your point is moot!
Fair enough, I concede that the First Amendment does in fact protect speech, access to the press, peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The problem, however, is that we've come to a point in our history where the law is only as strong as our ability to enforce it.
Ideally speaking, a democratic government serves the interests of all people by being both vigilant and relentless in its enforcement of laws meant to protect the people for whom it has been charged with governing. It is not an entity unto itself, rather it's an extension of a nation’s will, ideals, and moral integrity.
In other words, this is more than just a nation of laws — it's a nation of people from all different races, ethnicities, national origins, sexual orientation and belief structures. There should be no exclusivity to White Power, Black Lives Matter, Latinos or any other subset within society because we all have voices that deserve to contribute to shaping the national dialogue that leads to the policies that shape our realities.
Michelle Lujan Grisham NM Governor Source: NM Political Report
Which is why we should be very concerned about the actions of an elected governor who, through her cabinet secretary, has decided to circumvent the First Amendment by denying more than six thousand individuals access to the press. Not only is this subset of society being denied access to the press, it's being denied the right to due process in presenting its grievances to the government on the issue of being denied access to the press.
This subset of society that I speak of is the entire population within the New Mexico Department of Corrections. And before you dismiss this as nothing more than the petulant rantings of criminals who, in the collective opinion of many, don't deserve your consideration, consider this: how would you feel about your son or daughter returning home from the university for the holidays with a copy of a memo that explicitly states that with the commencement of the Spring semester they will no longer be permitted to read publications due to a new campus-wide ban? (Online and in print.)
Attached Informal Complaint & Grievances filed by me on the First Amendment violation this too is a violation of the First Amendment not only is the DOC not responding they deny any right to appeal the decision
Yes, I know that this sounds absurd, Orwellian, and counterintuitive to what a university (or a correctional department) should be trying to accomplish with the young minds that it is charged with educating. But perhaps an even better question is, just how prepared could we expect these young individuals — future innovators, leaders, and community members — to be in upholding their civic responsibilities if they were to emerge from these institutions like castaways in container shipments lost at sea for years?
As I previously wrote, any and every DOC should make every sensible effort to protect the lives it is charged with rehabilitating from such things as street drugs, sexual or physical violence, or other forms of contraband counterintuitive to rehabilitation. But it must do so within the confines of the Constitution.
This is not Gitmo or some other military blacksite where federal courts have determined that a constitutional limbo can exist in harmony with the rule of law. We are talking about 10 correctional facilities within the borders of the United States, where all inmates are blatantly being denied access to all forms of publications in direct contravention of the First Amendment.
Why should taxpayers, families, and voters care? It's simple. Correctional departments are funded and staffed with public monies not just to keep dangerous criminals from harming others, local businesses, or our communities in general. Their mandates include the education and rehabilitation of these convicted offenders. In other words, when offenders have successfully completed their sentences (i.e., graduated) they should be reentering society as functioning individuals infused with a civic responsibility to participate and contribute to our democracy. Isn't this what taxpayers in New Mexico pay over $46K to accomplish per year, per offender?
Instead, what we see is an administration focused on the political convenience of appearances rather than the needed leadership that comes from definitive action based on evidence over ideology. What we see is the government once again selectively choosing who is worthy of the First Amendment. And do any of us believe that this kind of reckless disregard for the Constitution will stop here? Has history taught us nothing about the origins and tendencies of tyranny?
To many of you the comparison I make between universities and prisons may seem abstract or farfetched given that the majority of the individuals who reside in prisons are guilty of crimes against society. But I make the comparison, not because of what these institutions represent in practice, but based on what our stated intentions are for these institutions that we have funded and created.
Institutions that draw on 6 percent of our national GDP need to accomplish more than keeping people in cages — silenced, ignorant, and dysfunctional. They need to produce moral integrity, civic responsibility, and the ability to function and contribute to society. This means an education, trade certifications, and skills with technology. But it also means the ability to be informed about current affairs so that they can contribute to our national voice through dialogue, debate, and an informed vote.
For those of you who have never been incarcerated or live beneath an oppressive regime this reporting can seem abstract. Kind of like learning about rectal refeeding and other forms of torture that have taken place at Gitmo and other blacksites throughout the world. But abstract or not, the consequences of our collective silence on this matter will be catastrophic to the future lives that will be impacted by our passivity today. Because people will emerge from prisons less prepared, less willing, and more justified in their general defiance and unwillingness to contribute to our society in a positive way that lives up to our potential as a nation. Is this what we want?
The sad truth is that not only are taxpayers currently paying for a service not being rendered, they are paying for the future recidivism and crime being caused by the misguided and faulty mechanism that is corrections. In other words, we are financing the social dysfunction that will inevitably lead to more crime and with that more victims.
I hesitated in sharing this reporting because of the repercussions that came from my last article on this topic. My outgoing mail is regularly discarded, without explanation, presumably to keep my posts from being typed, edited, and posted on this platform. My incoming mail is likewise discarded if the contents is a legal case or newspaper clippings related in any way to the First Amendment or the illegality of my wrongful conviction. News related to things like Will Smith's slap at the Oscar’s, or the intelligent paint being used by BMW in its new concept vehicle, is permitted, but nothing related to corrections, the law, or the legal case of my conviction that I am currently fighting in the courts.
DOC Gorilla Source: Dribble.com
I hesitated because I know what the DOC is capable of when it feels threatened. The potential for the loss of blood, limb, and life is very real. But then I spoke to a fellow activist who has lived through this Orwellian reality in California, and he said something to me the trumped my fears and awakens my spirit. He said: “Our rights are only as real as our willingness to speak on their behalf and defend them.”
I immediately thought of César Chávez, Martin Luther King, Jr., and even considered the dilemma of Edward Snowden, and the brave journalists like Anabel Hernandez and so many others who have placed their lives, liberties, and livelihoods on the alter of democracy so that the truth is known. In that moment it became clear to me that I must speak on this issue, not only out of defiance but also out of love for the idea of what a democracy can and should be.
Together we determine the fate of this or any other nation. Which is why we must let the truth be known. Because if we don't, then we are complicit in the death of our democracy.
Source: August Forecast.com
Studies show that democracy is currently in a sharp decline throughout both the former Soviet Union and Latin America. A trend that not only deserves our attention, it demands our action.
When state governors like Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico create and enforce policies that blatantly obstruct and desecrate the First Amendment, our collective response needs to be swift and fierce. Anything less is consent to creating a precedent that could one day be used against all prisoners in all states, or maybe even against all migrants, Muslims, Native Americans, or any group considered problematic to a particular administration.
Japanese American Internment Camps Source: Haikadeck.com
As we struggle against legislative efforts meant to discourage or prevent voting in certain areas it's more important than ever for every subset of this society to be informed. It may be more convenient for correctional administrations to keep their charges silent, in the dark, and ignorant to current affairs but society at large will not benefit from these measures. Corrections is about reform and education that leads to a willingness to take up the reins of civic duty and personal responsibility. Something that will not happen without the First Amendment.
Please don't let the government take us down the road of tyranny. This nation has served as the bedrock of democracy since its birth and if we backslide here then, how can we be the “guiding stars” for the democracies of the world? The death of democracy is not something we can permit on our watch, and the Emblem of Good Will reminds us that we are forever united by “the bonds of common feelings for the same ideal of the free man and the free nation.”
Long live the United States of America!
Long live Liberty, Equality, and Justice!
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Sorry for the delay: The ability for a populace to freely choose its laws and the standards under which it will live. This requires an electoral system that can't be manipulated by tyrants or fringe subsets of the population. Rather than enslating a population to the ideals or ideas of bygone generations we need to be able to define ourselves by having the opportunity to self-determine.
Of course, this can seem idealistic but we need to dream big and put in the work. Thanks for the question
What is true democracy and freedom?