Read here the full transcript of Tulsi Gabbard’s speech at the March For Kids Event on September 4, 2024.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
The Significance of Liberty
It’s very significant that we can be here in this building and be here in the heart of our nation’s capital at such a critical time. I appreciate so much the leadership of Moms for Liberty and the work that everyone here is doing all across the country because we have some tough battles ahead of us. So I hope your batteries are getting recharged as you meet with friends and people who share in this common cause as there is nothing short of our freedom and liberty that’s on the line in this election.
What does liberty mean? The definition of the word liberty. I went back and looked it up in the dictionary this morning. It’s a good reminder: “Being free from oppressive restriction or control by a government or other power.”
This is the direction we are headed in and much of the world that we are living in right now in this country. We don’t have to theorize or guess about where things may be or where we may end up because we are already seeing it play out. The number of egregious abuses of power we’ve seen over the last three and a half years, the number of examples that we can cite of the direct and indirect violations and undermining of our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, they’re not even trying to hide it anymore. It is brazen and right in our faces, which speaks to the arrogance that they embody, that they believe they are more powerful and more important than the Constitution of the United States.
The Hypocrisy of Freedom Rhetoric
I thought it was ironic at best, but quite hypocritical to hear Kamala Harris and others throughout the Democratic Convention talk about the theme of freedom.
That she will be the champion of freedom, the president that promises a future of freedom and prosperity for all Americans. When in reality, because of the last three and a half years, we are less free and less prosperous and embroiled in multiple wars around the world. They are responsible for this.
So we have to be aware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing, especially as we see the rhetoric and the propaganda that’s being put out across much of the mainstream media. We see big tech and big social media complicit in and directly involved in this propaganda campaign, where they believe that we, the people, are so stupid as to believe what they say and ignore what we experience and ignore the truth.
They claim to be defenders of freedom while they are actively taking our freedom away. They claim to be defenders of democracy as in real time, as we sit here today, they are actively trying to undermine our democracy. They claim to be defenders of the rule of law. Kamala Harris spoke about this in her speech, as they are actively undermining the rule of law. They claim to stand for peace and diplomacy while they are putting us in greater risk and greater danger, closer to the brink of nuclear war now than ever before.
This is the reality that we live in, and it’s important for us to know what they are doing as you go out back to your homes and your communities and your states. Because there’s a lot of folks who the only news they may be exposed to, they may watch the news for 20 minutes in the evening, see what a major network has to say or scroll through social media and see what pops up in their algorithm and what’s been feeding them.
And so these conversations that we need to have over these next, I was going to say 65, 66 days, but early voting is starting next week in a lot of states. So we have no time to waste to speak the truth, understand and acknowledge where people are, what their concerns are, what their fears are, with where we are as a country so that we can come together around what is most important. That is liberty.
The Warning from Abraham Lincoln
That is our freedom, fundamental to who we are as Americans. Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in 1838 to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield in Illinois, where he warned the people then about exactly what we are facing today. He said, quote:
“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide.”
Those in power today who reject the Constitution, who are abusing their power so that they can stay in power or get more power are leading us towards this suicide.
The Urgency of Action
And we can remain asleep. We can put our blinders on. We can say, hey, as we hear from Ivan, some of my friends say, “I don’t do politics. I don’t like politics. I’m just going to live my life.” We will wake up one day. If they’re allowed to remain in power, that day will come very soon, living in a country that we no longer recognize, without that liberty that every one of us as Americans must cherish and be committed to defending. And we will not be able to say at that time that we were not warned that this would be the outcome.
The Path Forward: Love and Truth
And that leads us to where we are. Okay. We see what’s going on. We understand the seriousness of this moment. What do we do? How do we save our country? We are surrounded by forces of darkness, forces of evil. The best and only way to combat that and win is to defeat them with love and the truth and the strength and courage that comes from that love.
And that is a love of God, love of our country, our love and care for each other as fellow Americans. And as we are all gathered here today, our love and commitment to defend the most vulnerable among us and our children.
So as we head into these next several weeks, it’s important that we find that strength and courage and love and have the conversations that might be uncomfortable to have. To go outside of rooms like this, where we know in this place, we are all aligned, we share the same purpose and the same goal, but to step out and listen.
Those who haven’t made up their minds yet in this election, those who have not seen the truth, who have not experienced the dangers that we face, those who may be scrolling through social media and only see what they want them to see and hiding the truth and reality. Because deep down inside, there are far many more of us in this country who really do love America and who want to see us put back toward that path of freedom and peace and prosperity for all.
So just as you would extend a hand to a friend in need, we need to welcome people, even if we may disagree on some things, maybe a lot of things, we need to welcome everyone to join us in this cause for freedom. Because if we do not, if we fail in this no-fail mission, we won’t have the freedom to disagree. We won’t have the freedom to share a stage and debate different ideas on how we can be that more free, prosperous, and peaceful nation.
Overcoming Darkness with Light
So even as my former party has become exclusive and demanding total compliance and total conformity, we cannot respond to hate with hate. We cannot respond to darkness with darkness. Of course, Reverend Martin Luther King had the most wise words in saying that. That the only way to defeat that darkness, the only way to defeat that hatred, is with light and with love.
Now I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but these reminders are important because I know that in your way, as I have experienced, as many of us have experienced, simply by speaking the truth invites attacks. It invites smears, whether it’s coming from people who you know personally, which cut a little deeper than if it’s coming from a total stranger. Maybe it’s coming from people who are attacking Moms for Liberty as a whole.
The reason why they are doing this is because they see how effective you are, the change that you are making, and how you threaten their power. Draw strength from that. That means you’re doing the right thing. But I also know we’re people. We’re humans. We have our own feelings. It hurts when you might lose a friend or even a family member because they disagree with you.
Finding Strength in the Face of Adversity
So I just want to be here to encourage you and remind you of where we must draw our strength and courage from in the face of all of this. Because it can seem hopeless at times when you have the big propaganda media shielding the people from the truth. When you have Google trying to manipulate what we see when we type something into a search engine. You have big Washington and the swamp creatures here who care more about their power than the people. It can seem hopeless at times.
But we are far more powerful. We the people are far more powerful than them. This is the vision that our founders had for our country. That our government only exists with the consent of the governed. That’s us. Their call to action to us is in those three words, we the people. We the people. It is up to us to take action, to lift our voices, to speak the truth, and to be those defenders of freedom, recognizing the great sacrifices that so many generations upon generations have made so that we could be here today free.
Drawing Inspiration from God and History
Draw hope and inspiration from God’s eternal love. He is the ultimate source of hope. Draw strength and inspiration from those who have come before us, who have sacrificed far more than any of us will in our lives. I often think I get the chance to go and travel to a lot of different military bases here and around the world.
And I know we got some veterans here in the crowd, maybe some servicemen and women. Maybe you grew up in a military family. But at a certain time every morning and at a certain time at the end of every day, the sound of Reveille is heard. And at that moment everything stops. Cars driving down the street pull to a stop. Mothers pushing their stroller down the sidewalk come to a stop. People walking down the street, everything stops. And we see those either saluting and putting their hands over their hearts to recognize what it means when we lift that beautiful flag in the morning.
What it represents. The men and women who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom, for our security. Taking that moment to reflect is an important thing as we face this battle for our freedom before us. To strengthen our resolve, to understand what’s at stake, not just during our lifetimes, but for our children and for those who will come after us.
Conclusion
Find strength in that example of those who have come before and know that your example, your voice, and your courage is inspiring so many others to find their own. It is by God’s grace that we are free and we will fight to remain free. Thank you all for what you do. We got a lot of work ahead of us. I’m proud and grateful to stand with you. Thank you so much. God bless you. Aloha.
