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Elected officials, candidates for state and federal public office, Connecticut residents who have lived under socialist and communist regimes, and a female athlete who lost opportunities to men allowed to compete against her – all gathered with many patriotic supporters at the Glastonbury Fountain Green Wednesday evening to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Organized by Sarah Rodeo Dzialo of CT Republicans, the event featured Mike the Patriot Drummer who accompanied the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Speakers reflected on the significance of the Declaration, how it has set the United States of America apart from other nations, and why many of its ideals are being threatened in Connecticut today.
In 1776, “ordinary citizens took an extraordinary step,” said State Rep. Steve Weir (R-55thDistrict). “They declared that our rights do not come from another man, they do not come from government, but they come from our Creator; and our government – our government – receives its authority from us! That idea changed the world!”
“Every person – the fact that every person is created equal – that was about as radical a statement that could have been made at that point in history,” Weir observed, noting that “that same idea brought the end of slavery 100 years ago,” when President Calvin Coolidge, “in celebrating our 150th anniversary, said, ‘If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their power through the consent of the governed, then that is final as well. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions.’”
Weir remarked on the “tremendous risk” taken by the men who signed the Declaration.
“Today, we often take our freedoms for granted: the freedom to speak as we wish, the freedom to peacefully assemble as we wish, freedom of religion, practice what religion we wish, and the freedom to peacefully disagree with one another,” he said. “And these freedoms are not enjoyed everywhere around the world. Millions of people today live in tyranny, places where they restrict speech, where dissent is silenced, and where they cannot practice religion as they wish.”
John Bolton is the Republican candidate for Connecticut Attorney General.
“I'm going to tell you right now, I love my country, and I know all of you do too, because we are so unique!” Bolton exclaimed.
“We were a decision made by 56 men who decided to risk everything they had – fame, fortune, whatever – because they felt that freedom was of much more worth than what they had for possessions,” he said, noting that the Declaration underscores that “government comes from us – the people!”
“What are they going to say about this generation of Americans 250 years from now?” Bolton asked the crowd. “Are they going to say that we got exhausted? Are they going to say that we let the flame go out? Are they going to say that we gave up? I say not even close, not a chance. For the next 250 years, we are now the ones who are going to carry the burdens of what it is to be a perfect union, or strive to be a perfect union, and be the great experiment.”
Athlete Selina Soule said she has been fighting for fairness in women’s sports since she was 15 years old and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has allowed men who claim to be women to compete in the female category.
Soule said her ability to join other female athletes in this fight in the judiciary has been enabled by “our founding fathers and the formation of our country, our independence, and our Constitution that gave me that First Amendment right to the freedom of speech.”
Sal Simsek is a Republican candidate for state representative in District 26 in New Britain. A native of Turkey, Simsek said he suffered under Islamic socialism in his country, while his wife struggled under communism in her native Poland.
“We made this country our home because this is the only country where the Constitution tells the government what to do, not vice-versa,” he told the crowd. “All other countries – they tell the people what to do … but ours, we tell the government – freedom, liberty, everything. Please appreciate it.”
Simsek traced the course of Islamic socialism, noting that it came “from the Middle East to Turkey; from Turkey to Europe; Europe to Britain; and Canada. Now it is in United States.”
“Please appreciate what you have, and fight for it,” he urged. “We have to all fight … this is the Constitution state! If these socialists win the elections, they will want to change the Constitution! They want to change the Connecticut constitution and federal constitution; they want to get rid of the House and Senate and put in new orders.”
Simsek called for more Connecticut residents to run for public office.
“I believe that there are three cornerstones in life, you know, like I see it: faith, hope, and charity,” he said. “Faith is in God; hope – that everything will be good, and we will win, because we need to win and we have to win; but charity, charity is not only the money or the goods … the biggest charity is your time. Time is the biggest charity. Please give your time as candidates.”
A Republican running for the state senate’s 19th District, Jason Guidone said the event on the Glastonbury green was “a call to action.”
“It's time to take back this state,” Guidone asserted. “My call to action is to get involved! My call to action is to seek your political town committees – that’s Democrat or Republican … We need level-headed people to legislate in Connecticut!”
Guidone reminded those in the crowd to vote in the primary on August 11 and the general election on November 3.
“We have that opportunity right now,” he said. “The other opportunity is, like I said, to jump in and be part of the process. We all have our skills, we all have our motivations … we need good people, Christian people, godly people. This nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and we need to bring that back.”
Nicole Roscoe is one of those individuals who decided to get involved. A homeschooling mom of three who protested at the capitol against the Connecticut Democrats’ anti-homeschooling law, Roscoe is running for the state representative seat in District 6.
“This past legislative session, I watched thousands of Connecticut residents take time away from their families and jobs to testify on issues they deeply care about,” she said. “Many walked away feeling that their voices didn't matter. I realized if I wanted to help preserve the freedoms I hope to pass on to my children, I couldn't just ask others to lead; I had to be willing to step forward myself.”
For Roscoe, “stepping forward” means “defending medical freedoms, so families and individuals can make informed healthcare decisions; it means helping small businesses succeed, especially in our state, where they're constantly taxed, constantly mandated. It also means standing up for Second Amendment rights.” she said.
But the anti-homeschooling law was a significant part of Roscoe’s decision to run.
“We know what has happened in this last legislative season, and we cannot let it continue,” she asserted. “We know once the government steps in, they're only going to come for more and more of our freedoms.”
“I'm not running because I have all the answers,” Roscoe continued. “I'm running because I believe everyday citizens deserve representatives who never stop listening. The Declaration of Independence reminds us that freedom isn't something we inherit automatically. Every generation is responsible to protect it. I believe this is our generation's turn.”
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