Patriotism on Trial

At my fiftieth high school reunion last weekend, I reunited with the son of Senator Frank Church. In 1971, I had the honor of interviewing Senator Church—the statesman who dared to expose the CIA’s abuses of power. A decade later, I testified before Congress myself.  

Over the years, I have spoken at every level of government because I believe in the process of lawmaking—and in the sacred duty of citizens to speak truth to power.  

Today, that duty is under siege. Peaceful protesters are being met with indictments, intimidation, and even the deployment of the National Guard in our cities. The irony is bitter: James Comey’s actions helped Donald Trump ascend to the presidency, yet Trump now cries “insurrection” in Democratic strongholds—while failing to defend the Capitol itself, where police officers were killed and injured.  

We are drifting into a Brave New World of doublespeak, where dissent is branded as danger and patriotism is twisted into blind obedience. But true patriotism is not submission. It is the courage to question authority when it seeks to silence the people.  

The Virginia State Police accused my friend of obstruction of justice without force and trespassing—both misdemeanors carrying penalties of up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.  

I witnessed this erosion of liberty firsthand on October 14 at the Shenandoah County General District Court, where she faced arraignment for charges stemming from a September 1 demonstration on the Quicksburg overpass. That morning, I was twice denied entry to a magistrate’s hearing for her—her only “crime” being the exercise of her First Amendment rights.  

More than two hours later, one of her three charges was dismissed for being improperly written. The judge even claimed there had been no arrests, which was false. Yet the prosecutor’s use of nolle prosequi leaves the threat hanging indefinitely over her record. Now she must raise thousands of dollars and find a lawyer to defend her against a charge she should never have faced.  

On Labor Day, at the Quicksburg bridge, twelve Virginia State Troopers with K9 units arrested and jailed two protesters—even after a magistrate initially ruled there were no grounds. My friend, who had never before been arrested, was violently handcuffed and incarcerated for four hours. To justify the arrests, trumped-up charges of “resisting” were added.  

One of those arrested was a retired probation officer. Weeks later, on local radio station WMRA, a former state trooper and Page County sheriff publicly condemned the arrests as outrageous—asking why law-abiding citizens should be jailed for peacefully protesting.  

The absurdity deepens: a local police officer had advised protesters to remain on the sidewalk, yet VDOT claimed it was a safety hazard—even though no signs prohibited such activity, and the high school track team routinely runs that same stretch without incident.  

This is not justice. It is intimidation. And it demands resistance.  

So I say this plainly: do not tread on me. I will not back down. I love this country too deeply to surrender it to autocracy.  

The time has come for all who cherish liberty to stand up, speak out, and defend the First Amendment. Silence is not an option.  

If we cannot voice our opinions without fear, then we are no longer the United States of America—we are the Benighted States of Hysteria.