“We the people” means something we are doing together. Of, for and by ourselves. “In order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”

Lifted from the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace. This idea is really Native American.

We owe them a debt of gratitude. We have enjoyed the Blessings of Liberty until recently. This letter is proof that we are still enjoying them but how long before my voice is silenced?

Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air except for 60 stations that are not going to carry him.

The Trump administration is not interested in our general welfare or they would not have cut Medicaid and SNAP. They are not interested in governing or Trump would not have canceled the meeting with U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. The government is set to shut down on Wednesday — just days from now.

Government is the background. It’s the canvas everything else depends on. We expect it to keep records like car registrations and birth and death certificates. It regulates business to control pollution and set safety standards. It makes sure that the ingredients listed on a box of cereal are really what’s in there. We trust our government to do all these things and a thousand more that we didn’t really notice because they were working. It’s only now when they have stopped working that we notice them.

Trump claims to not be a Fascist and doesn’t like being called one, but that is the political philosophy he is carrying out.

In Fascism some people are better than others and meant to rule over others. Trump has talked about his superior genes. He and Steven Miller openly talk about the superiority of the white race. Another key element is the despised “Other.” Trans people and immigrants are the current target but it won’t stay there.

Trump’s executive order designating Antifa and a domestic terrorist organization is worded so that anyone protesting ICE agents, filming or asking them for ID or a warrant or informing people of their rights can be charged as a domestic terrorist.

Antifa is an idea. There are no leaders, no bank accounts, no newsletter, no structure. Nothing to grasp, but a flexible definition that can be applied to anyone.

Our Founders put on paper that people have inalienable rights. Rights that can not be taken away. The freedom to think what we want. The freedom to say what we like.

Saying those rights don’t apply to some people puts everyone’s rights in danger. Right now the Supreme Court has said that ICE can go ahead and target people with brown skin, an accent or that work a low wage job.

Fascism is also founded on lies. One Trump tells is that there are thousands of illegal aliens committing crimes, murdering and raping white people. Somehow there are not enough of these people to fill the concentration camps they are building so ICE is raiding workplaces.

ICE is literally driving around and if they see a crew working on a roof that looks Hispanic. ICE Stops and tries to arrest them. In one neighborhood in Rochester masked ICE agents tried to do that but all the neighbors came out with their cell phones and raised a fuss until ICE went away. Imagine whether or not your roof is done depends on the people around you insisting on the rule of law.

There was a case in California where ICE agents raided a fire line. They took two people away. The crew asked to say goodbye to their coworkers and the ICE agents told them to “F*** off” Imagine having a coworker taken away like that. Would you have the phone number of someone in their family to let them know this person is in custody? Outside support is key to keep them from disappearing. There is no better metaphor for this government than ICE taking workers off the fire line while the forest burns. Surely you did not vote for this.

ICE has lost hundreds of people that were in “Alligator Alcatraz” their families and lawyers do not know where they are.

Inmates also report how badly the concentration camps are run. There is a lack of food, water, blankets and medical care. They also report being beaten by guards.

I have always been proud to live in a country I believed had liberty and justice for all. If you want to live in a country like that again, get involved. Call U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy at (716) 488-8111. Tell him ICE must stop these abuses. Our Constitution says “all persons are entitled to due process.”

Marie Tomlinson is a Fredonia resident.