25 years after 9/11, Liberty is non-Negotiable

25 years ago today, 19 Islamist hijackers murdered 2,977 people. Why? Due to a burning hatred for America and what we represent. The same hatred is what led to the assassination of Charlie Kirk a year and a day ago.

I have a very deep love for America and our founding values of Truth, Justice, and Liberty. Those are infused in the U.S. Constitution, which is what got me involved in politics to begin with. It’s why I share the Constitution with the public every September with my Constitution 101, and it informs everything I do as an elected official and policy advocate.

All over the world, America stands for one thing above all: Liberty. It’s our nation’s bedrock and is what has drawn people here from across the globe since before America was even founded. It’s why people who curse America are yet here, and remain here, enjoying the fruits of the very nation they revile, but are unwilling to leave (I’m looking at you, “Democratic” Socialists of America).

This week at the Veterans Connection Luncheon at Prestonwood Church, we listened to a trio of men singing, and the variation of the Battle Hymn of the Republic stood out to me: “As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free.”

We must never forget that is our purpose as a nation.

Freedom is messy. It means we get things we don’t like. Ideas we don’t like. Words we don’t like. People we don’t like. Deal with it. Embrace it, because it’s the price of precious Liberty for which so many have given their lives. We should all revere that simple value.

By all means, engage in the free exchange of ideas. Argue. Debate—passionately. Celebrate and be grateful that you’re allowed to even be exposed to ideas with which you disagree. But Liberty is not up for discussion. It’s non-negotiable. Neither are the lives of those who enjoy the Blessings of Liberty here. If you would do violence for a hatred of Liberty, you will be met back a hundredfold by those of us who love it and will not allow it to be sacrificed.

Let Freedom Ring, and #NeverForget

—Shelby