A Precious Right by Angela Rieck

Before I begin my day each morning, I spend a few minutes thinking about what I am grateful for (which is a very long list, I have been blessed).

One of the things that I was grateful for this weekend was the gift of living in a country that allows us to express our opinions publicly without fear.

I attended the “No Kings” rally in Easton. It was a chance to be with people, most of whom I did not know, who shared my values.

All of the thousand people who protested at this peaceful rally were well-behaved. And so were the people in the cars going by. People who agreed waved and honked. People who disagreed either gave a negative gesture or ignored us. 

The respect from both sides was heartening. Protest is what started this country (although the original protests resulted in the Revolutionary War). Over the years, protests have influenced politics. The Vietnam war, equal rights, women’s rights, anti-abortion, and other protests have resulted in changes to our way of life. All, for the most part, began as peaceful demonstrations of disagreement, when violence erupted it was usually from people with opposing viewpoints who were not so well-behaved.

The ability to disagree and express our opinions is foundational, the first amendment in our Constitution. And while I have taken these rights for granted in the past, I am moving them up to the top of my very long gratitude list.

The protest was affirming, and it also reminds me what a precious gift it is.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.