We the People Spoke

The preamble of the U.S. Constitution begins with the following words:

“We the People of the United States, 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.”

The first amendment to the constitution protects a number of basic rights, including “freedom of speech” and “the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

On Saturday October 18, 7 million Americans participated in over 2600 peaceful protests in all 50 states. Under the banner of the “No Kings rallies,” protesters showed up to oppose the relentless efforts of Donald Trump and his congressional Republican allies to establish a dictatorship in our country.  They condemned a wide range of illegal and unconstitutional actions being taken by the Trump administration, including arbitrary and violent anti-immigration tactics and military intervention in Democratic-led states. The diversity of concerns coalesced into the broader messaging of democracy, constitutional rights and the freedom the U.S. was founded on. 

In Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker shared a defiant speech, in which he said: 

“History will judge us by where we choose to stand right now, today. Future generations will ask: ‘What did we do when fellow human beings faced persecution? When our rights were being abridged? When our Constitution was under attack?’ They’ll want to know whether we stood up or we stayed silent.” 

On October 18, 2025, “We the people spoke to defend the rights and privileges afforded us by our Constitution and its precious Bill of Rights.” 

Ed Shaffer  

Galien