Guest Writer Assemblyman Tim Donnelly: Defending Sgt. Sommers, Defending Freedom
If you are like me, you are probably having a lot of trouble believing the headlines these past couple of weeks. In particular, there is one story that absolutely stood out among all of the insanity coming out of Washington D.C. recently.
It was the story of Master Sergeant Nathan Sommers standing trial for court martial for nothing more than being a Conservative. He exercised his First Amendment rights to read books authored by both Conservatives and Christians, and is being punished simply because his fellow soldiers were offended by his choices. Further, he is facing nothing short of political indictment for his choice to serve Chick-fil-A at his promotion party and placing anti-Obama bumper stickers on his personal vehicle. I guess it has become a crime in the United States of America to express your personal beliefs.
Even after giving 25 years of his life in defense of the freedoms we are about celebrate, he is threatened with having his own rights ripped out from under his feet.
The significance of this case, though, does not rest on his political beliefs, or the content of the book he chooses to read. It rests upon his Constitutional civil rights, which are being denied because of a strict and dangerous adherence to political correctness over adherence to the Constitution.
Retired Navy commander, John Bennet Wells, serving as Master Sergeant Nathan Sommers’ attorney, recently joined me on my radio show, Radio Free California. He said, “What [the government] is trying to do is chill the environment so that people won’t speak out on Conservative beliefs.”
As if it wasn’t enough that the government has been spying on us, now they are openly censoring us too.
Master Sgt. Sommers is being denied the very rights he is fighting to protect. He has charged in the face of danger in order to defend freedom, to defend and uphold the Constitution, which enshrines our First Amendment rights. Instead of praise, he is receiving a criminal’s treatment.
If this man who has served for 25 years cannot express his beliefs without fear of discriminatory government-sanctioned retaliation, who can?
Our Founder James Madison warned us that freedom is taken more often, “by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.” We cannot allow those in power to treat us like criminals for having unpopular opinions – not on our watch – or we will cease to be free.
As we prepare to celebrate our independence, let’s take a moment to stand up for Master Sgt. Sommers and demand that his Constitutional right to freedom of speech be protected.
You can call the White House and leave a comment supporting Master Sgt. Sommers at (202) 465-1414.
He has been vigilant protecting our freedom abroad. It is our duty to protect him from tyranny on our shores
