Letter to the Editor

~Deborah Steward, Jefferson City

Dear Editor,

I am proud to be a charter member of a recently formed group, We Stand United (WSU). WSU is a platform for people to connect, organize and act as one voice to call attention to the system of checks and balances put into the Constitution which is now under threat by unchecked executive power. On March 25, we held our first rally in front of the Supreme Court building.

Our purpose was, specifically, to support an independent judiciary and to exhort our elected representatives to uphold the rule of law. The recent executive orders, some already flagged as illegal by several judges, affect every one of us: parents, children with special needs, students who rely on school breakfast and lunch programs, teachers, librarians, our LGBTQ friends and family members, and all those whose jobs have been terminated or put in jeopardy by the actions of the executive branch and an unelected billionaire.

At the mid-point of the rally, we were joined by Rep. David Tyson Smith, 46th District of the Missouri House. Smith drew cheers when he said, “You’ve got Elon Must firing people, and that is wrong. We need a strong, independent judiciary to do its job.” WSU members as well as passers-by called out our full agreement, and Smith continued: “We’re not going to stand for it. They’re trying to take us back to before 1950. These are some of the worst times I’ve seen in my lifetime and I’m sure yours. We have to be vigilant. Our courts need to do their job and not be intimidated.” We were all energized by his words and his support of our mission.

We concluded our rally with the following message from one of our members: “No one is above the law. No person, no politician, no billionaire. Elon Must has attempted to disprove this by his mass firings of federal employees, firings which the judicial system maintains were illegal and done without cause. Now Musk has set his sights on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, crucial programs that millions of Americans rely on. We need to ensure that our elected officials and the judiciary understands that we will not accept the dismantling of any of these essential programs.”

WSU is one of a number of bulwarks that now stands in opposition to the threats to our rights and the rule of law.