To the Editor:

I am writing to honor the patriots on the streets of Minneapolis [“Editorial: The future of our democracy depends on citizens willing to seek the truth,” The Altamont Enterprise, Jan. 12, 2026]. I hear them speaking to our government, speech that is at the heart of this nation; namely, the right of the people “peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Our federal government is failing in its Constitutional obligation to “insure domestic tranquility.” I notice the absence on the streets of people countering the patriots’ voices. They know that local law enforcement is well equipped to handle “dangerous criminals“ and to keep the peace.

It’s common sense to see that our federal government is picking a fight so that it can claim to justify its misuse of federal law while shielded by troops of armored government officials. Jack Smith in his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22, 2026 reminded us, “The rule of law is not self-executing.”

When the federal government’s execution of the law endangers the everyday life of its people, there will be patriots on the streets, spiritual descendants of those on the hayfields of Lexington and Concord.

Sybillyn Jennings

Knox