John -- The right to protest and the right to due process are among our most sacred rights, protected by our Constitution. That’s why what’s happening to peaceful protesters in Portland is terrifying.

The use of drones and unmarked vehicles -- not to mention ground forces with no ID displayed, snatching protestors off the streets without due process… this should not be happening in the United States of America.

If we learned unmarked cars in another country were disappearing people who were protesting government-sponsored abuse and murder, we’d demand our own government help protect the protesters -- we’d demand the use of sanctions to ensure these human rights abuses don’t continue. 

So what are we going to do when this nightmare is happening in our own country? Because it is happening -- make no mistake. We MUST elect representatives who will stand up to authoritarian abuse. Can you stand with me today with a contribution to our campaign?   

Ready to put their bodies on the line to defend the U.S. Constitution, a line of about 100 women -- the “wall of moms” -- some of them pregnant, were tear-gassed by federal troops as they protested peacefully in Portland over the weekend outside the federal courthouse. Some had never been to a protest before. Some were pregnant.

Also in Portland, 53-year-old Navy veteran Chris Davis was beaten by a federal agent with a baton and sprayed with pepper spray at close range. "I was going to ask why they weren't living up to their oath of office, the Constitution," said Chris Davis. "All I wanted to do was ask them why."

This should strike fear and outrage into the heart of EVERY American. DHS head, Ken Cucinelli, stated that not only will they not stop these actions, they are taking them nationwide. 

If American citizens can be arrested without due process and taken to undisclosed locations or abused, there are no constitutional rights in this scenario.

Members of congress took an oath to defend the Constitution. So why hasn’t my opponent Senator Shelley Moore Capito spoken up?

My guess: because she’s too busy representing private prisons -- like Geo Group, infamous for keeping “kids in cages” in deplorable conditions along the border -- is one of her largest donors. She’s working for them. And look, they don’t care about our Constitution.

This election year could not be more important. Our democracy and our rights depend on it. My opponent thinks she can buy the election with money from big banks and the private prison industry. Will you let her?

No Moore Capito! Can you chip in today and help me unseat her? The future of this nation depends on what we do in this election.  

I hope I can count on you. 

Paula Jean