terrorism

Citizen “We” is the part of democracy you do not see on cable news, the union meeting after work, the volunteer crew fixing a playground, the booster club running the snack stand, the faith group organizing meal trains, the local team where strangers learn how to trust each other. It is where Americans practice self-government long before they argue about it at the ballot box. And it is often the first target of tyranny, not because it wins elections, but because it builds coordination, loyalty, and courage outside the state. When leaders weaken unions, stigmatize nonprofits, or treat civic organizing as suspicious, they are not just changing policy. They are cutting the country’s social wiring.