he First Amendment guarantees our right to speak. But our own government attacked our freedom to speak.  We have good reasons to be afraid right now. The continuous attacks on our freedoms reminded me of Margaret;s powerful comments at our Bryan Steil town hall in April - an homage to Pastor Martin Niemöller.

First they came for federal workers — and I did not speak out because I was not a federal worker.
Then they came for air traffic controllers, nuclear physicists, journalists — and I did not speak out because I was none of those.
Then they came for our national parks, museums, and libraries — and I did not speak out because I am not a ranger, curator, or librarian.
They came for our law firms and judges — and I did not speak out.
They came for our universities, our protestors — and I did not speak out.
They came for our disabled, our veterans, our senior citizens — and I did not speak out. I am not there yet.
They came for our researchers at all of our government agencies and institutes, — and I did not speak out.
They came for our allies, our trading partners around the world — and I did not speak out.
They came for our books, our factual historical information, even our actual word usage — and I did not speak out.
They came for our food safety air quality and water safety,— and I did not speak out. 
They came for our department of education pulling funding and grants from schools at all levels, defunding special education programs, reshaping accreditation for lawyers, doctors, and grad students reaching into our K12 schools to decide discipline outcomes for our kids— and I did not speak out.
They came for our money, our prices on products due to tariffs, our 401Ks, our pensions, our taxes— and I did not speak out.
They came for our personal information with DOGE hacking into all of our government databases and hijacking our information — and I did not speak out.
But then I came to the realization that all of these things affect me and they affect you and you Mr. Steil."

They came for immigrants including children and we are speaking out!
They came for our healthcare and we are speaking out!
They came for Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel and we are speaking out!!!

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving forward anyway!  Check out all the ways you can be courageous and take action now! Don't let your fear stop you! Join us now!