Elections Have Consequences XV
To The Editor:
Freedom of speech, the press and the right to peacefully assemble are all protected rights under the First Amendment. Trump and his MAGA friends now believe that this is only true if you are supporting them and Project 2025, that saying anything negative about them should be against the law. Turns out that Trump and company are just a bunch of snowflakes.
In the last few days, Trump has called for at least one reporter to be jailed, customers in a restaurant who booed him to be prosecuted, and TV stations to lose their FCC license if they say anything negative about him. Journalists at the Pentagon must now have their work pre-approved before releasing their reports.
Last July I received a phone call from a Newtown resident who reads the Bee and she thanked me for the letters that I had written so far. One thing she said in particular, was concerning. She wanted me to know that she and many of her friends feel the same way that I do but they are afraid to express their thoughts publicly given how Trump supporters might react. This is wrong on so many levels, this is what Trump and all the elected Republicans who refuse to stand up to him have done to us.
Giving into a bully is never a winning strategy. I’m not on any social media platform but I feel very strongly that I must do something so I will continue writing and I urge every like-minded person to do what they can. Write letters, post on social media, attend the next rally scheduled for October 18 and most importantly, vote on November 4. As you fill in your ballot ask yourself, “Am I voting for someone who shares my values or am I voting for someone who supports Trump?” When we all act together, we can make a difference, all while being peaceful and respectful of others.
There are many other freedoms, rights, laws, norms and policies that Trump is walking all over but his attack on the First Amendment is his most egregious. Let us hope that we will continue to have the freedom to keep writing and the Bee will have the freedom to keep publishing. Lucky for me, Trump is a bottomless pit of vengeance, stupidity and greed so I’m not likely to run out of material anytime soon.
Kathy Quinn
Newtown
Kathy Quinn’s letter rightly calls out the danger of giving in to bullies. But her argument also raises an interesting question. Here in Newtown, we’ve all seen how a large, vocal NIMBY mobcan overrun our local zoning board. Time and again, the board caves to the loudest voices, even when those voices don’t represent the broader community.
If that kind of pressure works for a neighborhood issue, why wouldn’t Donald Trump try the same tactic on a national scale? Whether it’s calling for reporters to be jailed or threatening TV stations with license revocations, he’s simply using the same “mob rules” playbook.
The lesson is the same in both cases: rights don’t protect themselves. If people stay silent, the loudest and most aggressive voices will dominate. The only real antidote is participation—speaking up, voting, and refusing to let intimidation win.