LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Determined to prevail
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must… undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
So said Thomas Paine, the great champion of liberty, in 1777.
Almost 250 years later, Americans face the wholesale theft of our freedoms, the rending of our constitution, and the perpetual aggressions of a would-be king.
Paine’s words remind us that it is the task of every one of us to work for freedom in our community and our country.
On March 28, America will see the largest protest in our history, the third “No Kings” event, comprised of thousands of gatherings.
The October “No Kings” rally in Sequim drew an astonishing 3,200 participants.
Our upcoming event must surpass that number; we must make it clear that our movement is ever-growing, here to stay, and determined to prevail.
Trump and his cohorts want us to feel alone, powerless, hopeless, and fearful.
Resistance to their every move is our loud “hell, no.”
If you have sat out the protests against Trump’s dictatorial takeover; if you have thought your voice would have no impact; if you have wished only to stand back from the fray, your country needs you to shift your thinking.
Please join your neighbors on Saturday, March 28, noon to 2 p.m., at Washington Street and Priest Road.
Paine said, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”
Impossible though it feels at this moment, we must internalize and act upon this truth.
Janine Blaeloch
Sequim
A fragile republic
Long before he bulldozed the east wing of the White House, President Trump took a wrecking ball to our constitutional government.
Cherished rights and freedoms that most Americans take for granted are in jeopardy.
Anyone who dares speak truth to Trumpian power can be accused of treason, sedition or domestic terrorism.
The press/media is being suppressed.
The right to vote is under assault.
Government officials no longer need a warrant to search your home.
US citizens can now be arrested and detained without cause.
The balance of power is shifting.
The Executive Branch is usurping the power of the purse and the power to declare war — powers that, by our Constitution, belong solely to the Legislative Branch.
The only way any of this is happening is due to the compliance and complicity of the other two branches of government.
The majority of the Republican leadership in the Legislative Branch opted to replace their oath of office with allegiance to a single individual.
A hyper-partisan Supreme Court, through an arcane line of reasoning, decided to grant broad immunity to the Executive Branch thus elevating the President above the law.
In so doing, they created an imperial presidency out of whole cloth.
In 1787, at the close of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked what form of government the United States was to have — republic or monarchy?
Mr. Franklin reportedly said, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Robert Fletcher
Sequim
