Looking Back 250 Years
To the Editor:
A recent writer (Different Set of Circumstances) argued that my 1/16/2026 letter “reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of both history and the rule of law.” My purpose, given this 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is to interpret that celebration through today’s lens. Efforts will be made to sanitize and glorify our history. We need not defend protesters in Minneapolis (and elsewhere). The First Amendment does that. But if government kills citizens to implement policy (in this case border/immigration security), then tactics used offend the strategies and frustrate desirable outcomes. Projects, however noble, can be undone by treating protest as a capital offense. In 1770, people were killed for taunting Red Coats.
Recently Border Czar Tom Homan stated that deportation enforcement needs a different approach. Senator Tom Tillis called Christy Noam and Stephen Miller sycophants for parroting undocumented criticism of two citizens who were killed during clashes with ICE. Homan said, “I am not here because the federal government has carried out its mission perfectly.” “I’ve begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March if the rhetoric doesn’t stop, there’s going to be bloodshed. And there has been.” Unlike the previous head of the mission, Gregory Bovino, Homan said, he did not come for photo ops, but “to seek solutions.” Homan explained that some ICE agents need rest and quiet because they have been on duty for months in high stress circumstances. He suggested that bad behavior on the part of agents would affect their performance and the likelihood they could accomplish their mission. Protestors believe a much more moderate and focused approach would be acceptable. National polls confirm the concern Homan has about the deterioration of the public sentiment regarding enforcement procedures and policies. That lesson could have been learned by the British Government in the aftermath of the Boston Massacre. But it did not learn.
And, as the letter writer said, we need to uphold law until it is changed. Given numerous court rulings correcting the procedures advocated by ICE leadership and employed by the on-the-ground force, we hope that Homan can help revitalize and redirect its mission and operational procedures. The author reasoned that his ancestors “did not fight so Americans could pick and choose which laws to obey or which officers to recognize as legitimate.” We hope that Homan achieves adherence to law in the name of theAmerican people. Indeed, I agree that our ancestors “fought to establish a system of self-government grounded in law, accountability, and ordered liberty.” Senator Cassidy called the surge an “unmitigated disaster.” Michael McCaul cautioned that careful investigations are needed to maintainAmerican’s confidence in our justice system. Governor Abbott voiced similar caution.
I, as is true of my wife, have a substantial number of Revolution era ancestors. They served, died, and even gained honors and acquired land as bounty for their service. The War of 1812, in which my third great grandfather fought, achieved the Treaty of Ghent, February 1815, which finally settled with Britain our freedom and liberty, our pursuit of happiness. In my list of ancestors, one family committed to peaceful reconciliation of differences earned1,000bountyacres; this large family with seven sons hauled goods and material to patriots. Reportedly, they never fired a shot but were rewarded as patriots. Another case, one of my German lines came to Pennsylvania in 1730 to flee tyranny and gain religious freedom. These poor farmers prospered through hard work. In 1761, they helped build St. Luke’s Union Church, originally a log building, in Ferndale, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, not far from Valley Forge. During the terrible winter of 1777-1778, the Continentals lost 2000 men primarily to starvation, smallpox and typhoid. Those humble, peaceful farmers hauled food, firewood, blankets, and clothing to the soldiers encamped there. Those patriots did not fire a shot but adored God’s children.
In this 250th Anniversary, will we honor our Founding ancestors by defending the rule of law, and not excusing its violation especially by government, by championing inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?