As I prepare my lecture on federal government, I have paused—in this exceptional teaching moment—to summarize to my students how our constitutional liberties have been eroding before our eyes and how we must open our eyes and act to stop their complete destruction.
To describe what is happening to us in our country is to repeat a worn-out cliché: We are the frogs—not the ones tossed into the boiling water who jump out, but the ones who are placed in the pot when the water is lukewarm and who slowly and insidiously become frog soup. If we continue to accept the gradual elimination of our liberties, we accept an authoritarian government planned for us by others.
To change our representative democracy to an oppressive version of something else, those in charge are denying us our freedom of speech, assembly, religion, and—the latest and most egregious—our ability to legitimately vote. It is that simple. If you do not see it, you need to wake up. Now.
Any outspoken social media type who has been shut down due to Facebook or Twitter content can plainly see this; any group of individuals who are prevented from earning a living or gathering for the holidays in their own home can see this; and any person denied worshipping at a church, synagogue or mosque can see this. Now, through a widespread orchestration of election fraud, our ability to elect our representatives of choice has been sabotaged. All of us, irrespective of our politics, should willingly see clearly by now.
Perhaps only half our population understands the grave consequences resulting from the decimation of our liberties. Still, I encourage every thinking American of every party who believes in the constitutional basis on which our country is founded to refuse to offer up even one of those liberties.
I urge every patriot who believes in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” to act like shepherds, not sheep, and challenge the self-appointed in charge.
I implore all of those who know our nation is truly the last “shining city on the hill” to call your senators, president, governor, and secretary of state. Tell them we demand laws to ensure fair elections and expect severe punishment for those violating those laws. Tell them we will not give up our freedoms under the leadership of tyrants, or to bullies in the streets, or to the embellishment of a deadly pandemic. And if they choose to do nothing to preserve our liberties, we will elect someone else who will.
Now is the time. This is the tipping point. We must come together to combat the takeover of our constitutional republic. If we do not—because we are too busy or scared, or do not understand it all, or think someone else will act—frog soup will be served.
This is a commentary republished with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@texasscorecard.com.
