A free press is maybe the single most important part of a free society and is almost always the first target of an authoritarian government or an insurrection bent on a government’s overthrow. 

Attacks come in many forms. The most obvious is a direct physical attack, but there are other ways to get to the same result, insults, lawsuits, demonization, defunding, to name a few.

All of us, residents or visitors, live in a free society and enjoy the benefits of that society granted to us by our founding fathers and like it or not, maintained and secured by our military. 

Today what we have, which includes the aforementioned free press, faces some very visible threats: militarization of our cities and streets disguised as protection; arrests without probable cause followed by a lack of due process; dismantling of our social safety nets; and attacks on free speech and the press. 

You can still speak out. You can still speak to our elected representatives. And you can still vote. Please do so. What we have is precious. Please, don’t sit by and watch it slip away.

Gregory Goodman