Seizing our rights as citizens

One of the great privileges we enjoy as American citizens is the right to gather and express our views. In fact, that right is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, which in the First Amendment protects citizens’ rights to assemble along with free speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion protections.

The First Amendment states: “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.”

Note the word “peaceably.” While such a word is open to interpretation, it surely was not demonstrated by those who broke into and vandalized the U.S. Capitol in the insurrection of January 6, 2021, nor any other protests that have damaged property or harmed people whether they be officers of the law or others or whether the protesters would be labeled as “left” or “right.”

And thus, it was great to see the largely peaceful “Hands Off!” rallies across our nation on Saturday, including a rally in Cody, to protest the actions of the Trump administration.

Of course, there were counter-protestors expressing their views adjacent to the “Hands Off!” protestors, and in Cody some of the actions of both groups could be construed as being less than civil, though peaceful, including some shouting and rather pointed hand gestures.

Citizens from coast to coast are waking up to the realization that they have power, and while shouting down members of Congress at town hall meetings is probably not the best way to handle things, such actions should remind our elected representatives that they work for us, not the other way around, and that there is the kind of energy to “petition the government for a redress of grievances” as written in the Constitution not seen since the civil rights and anti-war demonstrations of the 1960s.

And frankly, claims that people were paid millions of dollars to attend the Hands Off! rallies is just plain silly.

Even at the micro-level, people are showing up. We may chuckle at the “great chicken debate” facing members of the Lovell Town Council, but some 35 citizens did pack the small council chambers at Town Hall Tuesday night ready to engage the council and express themselves – for and against the ability to raise the birds in town. The council scheduled a public forum on April 29 at the community center, a much larger venue to host such a discussion.

 One of the things we’ve always appreciated about living in Wyoming is that, when it comes right down to it, there are more things that bring us together in the Cowboy State than tear us apart, and yet people are also fiercely independent and don’t like government officials at any level telling them what to do or how to live.

It’s odd that the very people – oftentimes legislators -- who don’t like Washington telling them what to do are often, in turn, telling local officials in education and other areas what to do. But that’s another editorial for another time.

We don’t like many of the things coming out of Washington, D.C., over the past three months, but one thing is clear: It is interesting to see the United States people becoming engaged in their own future and how government conducts business. And that’s a good thing.