Tag: Democracy

Militarization Against Freedom Loving Americans

The Constitution of the United States of America was written and approved by a body of men representing people whose life experience had been lived in the shadow of monarchies and despots of Europe who had ruled for millennia.

These men created a form of government, a republic, that is democratic and representational. It’s organizing principle is the “separation of powers.”

The separation of powers distributes legal authority among three core function of governance: 1) legislative; 3) executive; 4) judicial. This is the backbone of our form of democracy that specifically addresses the experience and fear of our Founders that the executive could become vested with too much power.

In June of 2025 the American government has rested power from the legislature and challenges the Supreme Court for ever greater executive power under Donald J. Trump. He openly defies the laws set forth in the Constitution.

The MAGA movement, MAGA Republicans (a right-wing Christian Nationalism movement) masquerading as the Grand Old Republican Party, bows to Trump and follows his every wish. These then are enemies of democracy in power in Washington and across Republican states.

Since taking office in January of 2025, and through hundreds of Executive Orders, Trump and his administration are openly defying the Constitution. The American public, including many people who voted for this president, are waking up to the daily assaults on our freedoms and exercise of justice under the law. Our rights as citizens are being eroded by this steady chipping away at the principles of justice and fairness that have been the bulwark of our constitutional form of governance.

On top of this is a president who does not know history, law, or the long held democratic norms of behavior established through 250 years of democratic governance and public life. Democratic values are under assault under his autocratic behavior and intent.

So tomorrow on Flag Day, a celebration of the establishment of the U.S. Army and the hallowed flag of America, a massive military parade with tanks and guns will fill the streets of our capitol with the self- appointed king in tow.

Join millions of freedom loving Americans turning out across our nation to celebrate No Kings Day – a peaceful demonstration by Americans who love democracy and will stand strong to prevent its demise at the hands of a would-be emperor. Maybe then you’ll notice, his intent is naked before us.

Hans Christian Anderson Parable: https://medium.com/@mattimore/parable-the-emperor-has-no-clothes-ace63fef6eb8

Learn more about “The Emperor’s New Clothes” original parable published in “The Little Mermaid” in 1837. It was a tale about a vain emperor exposed by his subjects.

Certain About Democracy

“In the final analysis, a democratic government represents the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It cannot be better than they are.” – Eleanor Roosevelt 

I love this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt for its wisdom and emphasis that our government, our democracy, is no better and no worse than each of us.

My parents, born during the Depression, taught their daughters that being in a democracy requires us to do our part in exercising the rights of citizens. They were always engaged in voting, reading history and political analysis. Wherever we lived (we moved frequently as a military family), my parents joined a church community, showed up at PTA and school functions, and loved engaging with neighbors. Of course there was a web of relationships because TV was just three major channels, and Americans on the whole shared similar beliefs about democracy no matter their declared political party.

True Story: My great grandfather on my Dad’s side of the family tree was Andrew Jackson Feathers. He was a small farmer in East Tennessee and, according to Dad, a real raconteur of his village (Watauga). My Dad as a young boy accompanied Andy Jackson on his horse drawn wagon filled with fresh produce from his farm. They would stop at small markets in the hollers and hills in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. At each stop, there would be an ongoing discussion among locals about politics, economics and news of the day. Dad was an active listener and adopted the habit of engagement in his time and government.

Gatherings were common in my family. We entertained ourselves with lively discussions.

We need to think clearly about the elements of our current social structure on the family to federal levels. What was working in a time when we shared the basic beliefs about democratic governance sans party considerations?

It’s easy to grow sentimental about the “good old days” which of course were not good for many Americans. But, I think there was something very wholesome about America when we actually all agreed that democracy was a precious thing worthy of protection and the exercise of its basic principles.

National Constitution Center is a great source of civic education!

Dismantling: America’s fate?

“A sound nation is built of individuals sound in body and mind and spirit. Government dares not ignore the individual citizen.” ~ Dwight Eisenhower, Address at a Rally in the Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio, 10/1/56 [AUDIO] Eisenhower Library

Senator Chris Murphy addresses the assault on three pillars of our democracy: 1) a free press; 2) university freedom of speech; 3) intimidation of lawyers.

19 minutes: The Best 19 you’ll spend today. Sen. Murphy defines The Moment.

Share this address far and wide. Everything we hold dear is on the block.

Dreaming a New World

Below is the dedication of my first novel, Threshold, in which I give credit to my grandparents for sparking the idea to write a novel of hope and possibilities.

Dedication of the Novel Building Air CastlesDownload

Cracks in the Pillars of Democracy

Three of the seven pillars of democracy laid out in the Democracy Playbook 2025—protect elections, defend rule of law, and fight corruption—have been put under acute stress by the actions of the new Trump administration. ~ Jonathan Katz and Eric Urby, February 13, 2025 https://www.brookings.edu/articles/dangerous-cracks-in-us-democracy-pillars/

Let’s be frank. These are dangerous times for our American Democracy. Every day we witness more direct attacks on the guardrails put in place by the Founders in the Constitution. The project of democratic governance has been the labor of citizens, elected representatives, institutions and the government for all years since that founding and ratification in 1787.

Until now.

Will we stand up? Will democracy prevail through its greatest threat?

Check out the Brookings analysis with excellent references to check out.

The Great Seal of the United State of America

The Will to Save Democracy

First, we must recognize the danger of this moment in history of the United States of America. I can think of no one better than Timothy Snyder, a Yale Professor recognized as one of our most effective voices on how democracies can die and how citizens can act to prevent it, to guide us in this moment. Dr. Snyder wrote On Tyranny and On Freedom – two small, powerful books with razor sharp vision of how democracy should act and how to spot its demise. Please check out his audio address from Ukraine on his “Thinking About” Substack account, linked below.

Crossing a Line.

Read my recent Letter to U.S. Representative Jen A Kiggans. Hope you will write your representatives as well and call out all that we citizens see and know and remind them that the People run the government.

Ltr to Congresswoman Jen A. Kiggans_2-19-25Download
Photo by Susan Feathers

AMID DESTRUCTION, TRUTH EMERGES UNDAUNTED

We can thank the destructive forces let into the heart of Democracy for showing us the truth of our founding principles among which are consent of the governed and the rule of law.

We witness an attempt to overthrow our government by a despot and the foolish people who follow in his path. Mostly, it is a party of grievances against the restraints imposed by principles established at our founding. These establish how we treat each other and live together.

Individuals who throw off the restraining standards of behavior toward one another and detest those principles of decency, respect and caring for each other are tyrants.

Further, neglect of the Earth from devouring forces that eat at her heartwood, not only rob our children of a future but imperil all life on the planet.

Our collective culpability is grave.

Unbridled capitalism is on display in the highest offices of the land, elected by unknowing citizens concerned with the costs of living while forgetting our responsibility to elect leaders who are grounded in the virtues that our founders asserted as a restraint on the forces of tyranny.

Let us join the choir of truth tellers emerging everywhere as our nation awakens to what we have done: we let a fox into the henhouse. This is not political but our individual responsibility to conduct ourselves with respect for each other.

The preservation of our republic is of vital importance today for another reason: the mounting threat to life on Earth. We are a nation that has forgotten that we live here only by the grace of Earth’s living, breathing body and spirit. For too long we have plundered the Earth for coin.

And now we have put a despot at the helm when the Earth is teetering on massive changes which may not include life as we know it. The entire planet is in flux. Even when we watch our fellow Americans fleeing raging fires, epic floods and death, and temperatures that render  farmlands barren, this despot denies even his own body and thus imperils all of us.

The first step out of this dilemma is to admit the truth of our present reality. From there, we must resist every attempt of the now unrestrained actions of a man filled with anger and hair-brained ideas detached from the truth.

We may at a time not too far from now have to make bold decisions and risk all to stop him and the hoard who follow hoping for power, money, or at least to duck his vicious nature. If we don’t, we’ll not appear in any history book as standing up for a nation of free people but for the fact that no one will be around to write that history.

Emerging Resources for Citizens Searching for Truth and Community:

The Contrarian

Civil Discourse

Letters from an American

Public Citizen

Emergence Magazine

Capitol Building Rotunda, Photo by Susan Feathers

Democracy Will Not Die in America.

Undaunted: courageously resolute especially in the face of danger or difficulty: not discouraged. Merriam Webster.com

History and Justice. Photo by Susan Feathers

A Golden Resource for Americans Who Cherish “Little d” Democracy –

The National Constitution Center Town Halls and Podcast

On the website above scroll down to the Founders Library. The Center has all the key writings by the Founders to understand how this country is founded in wisdom and scholarship about how to govern so that we can pursue our dreams.

A great book, is Our Ancient Faith, Lincoln, Democracy, and The American Experiment by Allen C. Guelzo, Historian.

According to our ancient faith, Lincoln said in 1854, “the just powers of the governments are derived from the consent of the governed…. Lincoln translated…to mean “that no man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent. I say that is the leading principle—the sheet anchor of American republicanism.” From Our Ancient Faith by Allen C. Guelzo, Chapter 1: The Cause of Human Liberty, p. 26.

Freedom, Nation’s Capitol. Photo by Susan L Feathers, 2013

Citizens, those who love and cherish the ideals of our democracy, make it a weekly practice to write to your Senators and Representatives and to members of Key Committees. Here is mine today to Senator Elissa Slotkin who is a member of the U. S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.

Ltr to Senator Elissa Slotkin_AG CommDownload

We can never know whether what actions we take are heard but I have faith that if millions of freedom loving American write, call, email or visit their Congresspersons, the flame of democracy will never die in America. She may flicker now and then when despots blown in on hot air and untruths, or when we are temporarily fooled, but freedom has its way, always. We must remain undaunted!