This Saturday, June 14th, is Flag Day.
But it’s not the piece of cloth we celebrate on Flag Day — it’s the core American values that we hold dear.
Arguably, the most core American value is the First Amendment of the Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
There cannot be laws or legal restrictions against the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.
That right is not something we’re just allowed — it’s something we’re guaranteed.
Which brings me to my colleague and friend, Senator Alex Padilla. Today, Alex had some very legitimate questions about why — in a historically unprecedented way — the National Guard and United States Marine Corps have been deployed into his city over the objections of the LA Mayor and the California Governor.
Alex loves LA, the town where he was born and raised. He’s an MIT-educated, baseball-playing engineer who returned to his hometown to serve on the LA City Council and now in the United States Senate.
He decided to go to a peaceful public assembly, in the form of a public press conference (the whole purpose of these events is to share information with the public!) — to ask a question about why his hometown is being besieged by the Marines and the National Guard.
His question was a grievance — he does not agree with the policies of this Administration. And he is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
As Americans, this is what we are supposed to do.
And yet, instead of getting answers, Alex was manhandled and pushed out of the room by federal agents. He was shoved to the ground, his arms behind his back, and handcuffed — all in an attempt to shut him up.
Make no mistake: this is an attempt to shut *everybody* up who has a dissenting view from this Administration.
The framers put the First Amendment in the Constitution to protect the rights of Alex Padilla and all of us. But they also put it in for another reason: because they believed it would help democracy work better.
Democracy works better when people can speak freely, and gather peacefully, and share their dissenting points of view.
That’s why this Administration has deployed the military! They want to intimidate you. They want to make you decide that even though you were granted this right, you’re afraid to exercise it.
We can’t stand by.
As we approach this holiday of core American values and rights, I encourage all Americans to find a peaceful assembly on Flag Day and attend it. Show that you are a brave and patriotic American who embraces the First Amendment and will not allow anyone to intimidate you.
If you’re committed to speaking out and to joining peaceful protests and sharing your dissenting views — please sign on in solidarity today.
We owe it to Alex Padilla. We owe it to the framers who gave us the First Amendment. And we owe it to our country.
Thanks for reading.
Tim Kaine
