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Patriots for Liberty

To the editor:

First, I would like to encourage everyone to attend the next event hosted by the Patriots for Liberty of Marion County, which will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at Marion County Lake Hall. Michael Austin will be speaking mainly about ways to reduce our tax load and why he is running for state treasurer.

The second reason is to respond to an editorial in the Oct. 20 Record entitled “When liberty and patriotism collide.”

I apologize for the delayed response. I needed to really think about the editor’s selection of those words.

Most Americans hold those two words, “liberty” and “patriotism,” sacred, and are very thankful to live in a country that values them.

Maybe a definition of terms would help the editor understand why most Americans, including Marion County citizens, want to protect what those words mean for future generations. 

“Patriotism: love of one’s country; the passion which moves a person to serve his country, either in defending it from invasion or in protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions.”

Educating people about subjects that endanger our liberty is our duty as Americans. Educating people about our Constitution is also very important, as it helps us see the wisdom of our Founding Fathers and their vision of how these United States should operate.

Just like those patriots who stood for liberty in the American revolution, Americans are now taking a stand for their rights from an over-reaching government.

So with liberty and patriotism being so closely linked, shall we say going in the same direction, how do they collide?

If you consider this a collision, then travelling on your highway is not for me.

Based on the context of the editorial, I’m assuming it’s the Patriots for Liberty group that you’re labeling as “ultra-conservative.” I’m also assuming this is based on the questions that were asked at the school board forum hosted by Patriots for Liberty, which you did not feel was newsworthy enough to report in your paper.

If you define an ultraconservative as a person who cares about what we teach our children or who cares about policies that are so extremely liberal as to allow a male to use the female bathroom or compete in girls sports, then sign me up.

Look what happened in the state of Virginia, where a teenage girl was raped by a fluid trans male in a school bathroom that was not gender specific. Such policies are not welcome in Marion County.

I have more to say at another time. Thank you for letting me clear the air.

From the ultraconservative patriot who believes in liberty for all.

Rose Davidson, rural Marion

Editor’s note: We did attend the candidate forum but chose not to publish a story about it, in part for lack of space that week and in part because so few candidates attended and questions seemed focused on areas generally outside the purview of school board members. We published separate interviews with the candidates the following week.