We The People will keep this Republic
Veterans to lead fight for Freedom Over Fascism in Philly and DC
Photo by Benjamin Gonzales
By Max Stubbs
Max Stubbs is a member of 50501 Veterans. He served in the 1-509th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
“A Republic ma’am, if you can keep it.”
These were the apocryphal words allegedly uttered by that great enlightenment mind, Benjamin Franklin, that every American has heard at least once in their lifetime.
And for 250 years, this republic has been kept. Through revolution, civil war, pogroms, global depressions, global war, the endless struggle for equality amongst all Americans, through the mores of the industrial, the gilded, and the atomic ages, this republic has been kept.
But at some point in our history, we became complacent. Americans have seemingly forgotten that keeping the republic isn’t automatic, nor is it a given.
No, it has been a bloody and infuriating slog, an inexorable struggle to fulfill the promise of our forefathers for a nation ruled by the people, for the benefit of all people, against the tyrannical rule of kings and despots. The tree of liberty has been watered numerous times, in every generation, just to arrive where we are today.
So let us speak today of that which our progenitors fought for. What has it come to?
In the year 2026, the America of today is an America that threatens rolling back civil rights and liberties. It promises to press its thumb at the polls, punishes free speech, and threatens those who dissent with costly court cases, destroying their character and classifying patriots as terrorists.
The America of today indiscriminately imprisons those of a different culture and creed, as it has always done. It brings itself to climax at the thought of harming those it deems different, and throws lives away in foreign nations to seek treasure and influence at the whims of one man and his gang of cronies and degenerates.
The America of 2026 does this, and then somehow demands that we celebrate this 250th anniversary as if America is still the bastion of liberty and freedom it once was.
But what liberty can we celebrate that punishes those who speak out against evil and puts the interests of faraway foreign nations over the lives of its citizens?
Photo by Matt Wagner, a true patriot
My friends, this Independence Day do not put your head in the sand and pretend that everything is normal while eating greasy hot dogs and firing off cheap firecrackers. Take pride in that old revolutionary spirit and let us instead celebrate our shared struggle for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness that this nation was founded on.
To look backwards and regress is un-American; to refuse to fight for our happiness and tranquility unpatriotic. A true American patriot is not passively complicit in accepting the status quo as it harms our countrymen. They do not accept slow-moving defeats and pyrrhic political victories that grind down our people and destroy our nation.
No! A patriot is rebellious. A patriot does not accept edicts from tyrants and crooked politicians, and certainly not without a fight! It is every American’s duty to fight for what is right, for the American people, and for all people!
This Independence Day, we mark a quarter of a millennium as the oldest-living revolutionary democracy in the world. I ask that you, my fellow patriots, join our military veterans in the spirit of the revolution in Philadelphia as we march against this regime of rot and decadence!
Wherever you may find yourself this Independence Day, join us as we affirm that We The People will keep this Republic, as we always have, and celebrate the 250th anniversary of this great nation!
50501 Veterans is a proud supporter of the Veterans Against Fascism coalition that will hold a Freedom Over Fascism march in Philadelphia this July 4th.
Other communities across the nation are also holding protests in the true American revolutionary spirit, including the 7 Days in DC protest that begins this week.
If you can’t make it to Philly or DC, you can find more events that may be close to you with compatriots fighting to keep our Republic at Mobilize and PolRev.
I am nearly 70. I am the 10th or 11th generation of my family in this country. My Mother’s family are Mayflower descendants and I am a Daughter of The American Revolution. One of my ancestors signed the Magna Carta. I was fortunate enough to learn history from my family and it never hurt that I was mostly raised in Massachusetts.
I am furious to think that we *might* lose the grand experiment of our Democracy over the cruel ineptitude of The Heritage Foundation and the seemingly corrupt men of SCOTUS. Don’t even get me started on Felonius.
I know that we can do better but had we just properly vetted Trump (in the traditional sense like all past Presidents) he wouldn’t get a job anywhere near the White House.
The theft from WE, The People goes beyond the obvious robbery of our resources. It is, that our reputation is in tatters.
Democracy is a living breathing thing. I fight everyday for her. I’m grateful for everyone who is in the fight. I demand better for ALL of us!
I hope to see The Nuremberg Trials: American Style.
See y'all there ✊🇺🇸