The Week in Review January 17, 2020
"When we're dancing with the angels, the question will be asked ... what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?" asked the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).
The 230 members of the House that voted for President Trump's impeachment heeded that call. It was not the politically popular thing to do since many hold seats in districts Trump won in 2016. But it was their moral obligation.
Throughout our nation's history men and women have stood up against great challenges to protect our democracy.
It is important to ask ourselves what role each of us play in ensuring the continuation of our republic. Congress can not do it alone.
Are you registered to vote? Are your friends, family and neighbors registered as well? Will you help JAC make phone calls and knock on doors to encourage people to get out and vote? There will be a record amount of money spent to defeat JAC candidates in November. Can you choose one or two - or more - candidates and make a donation (click here)? Every dollar is critical.
The Constitution was written for all of us more than 230 years ago. Our founding leaders had unbelievable foresight to craft a document that would still protect our rights in a world that they never could have imagined.
However, they did understand the dangers of a government that grants unchecked powers to a leader and the ensuing threats that would have on individual freedom.
As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday on Monday, let us remember that the civil rights struggle and King's effort to change our country was rooted in the belief that the rights and protections of the Constitution are universal.
"When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir," King said.
We can not take the inheritance of our Constitution for granted. We need to do something. We must stay involved and ensure that we elect candidates that will appreciate, cherish and protect our Constitution.
