WNC does not need martial law
To the Editor:
Here in Western North Carolina, we know the value of independence, personal responsibility and limited government. That’s why I’m deeply concerned about a quiet move coming out of Washington that doesn’t seem to be getting the attention it deserves and that could affect every one of us.
After his inauguration in January, the president signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border. But the part no one’s talking about is what came next: the order gives the Department of Defense and Homeland Security until April 20 to recommend whether to invoke the Insurrection Act — a law that would allow the president to deploy U.S. troops against civilians here at home.
No matter who we voted for or our political affiliation, military force should never be used against the American people. Using the Insurrection Act to send troops into American towns and cities is not border policy. It’s federal overreach, plain and simple. It bypasses governors, threatens our right to rally, and risks setting a precedent that could be abused by any future president.
I urge Congressman Chuck Edwards and Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd to speak out before the April 20 report is delivered. The people of North Carolina deserve to know where their leaders stand — not after the fact, but now.
Our Constitution was built to limit the power of government, not to concentrate it. Let’s not let fear — or politics — erase the freedoms generations of Americans have fought to protect.
Constance L. Neely
Scaly Mountain
