When Fear Silences Freedom: Why Montanans Must Find Their Voice Again

Over the past six months, I’ve heard the same words echo across our towns, coffee shops, and local businesses:

“If I publicly support politics, I’ll lose my business.”

“I fear for my family’s safety, so I can’t speak out.”

“One vote doesn’t matter.”

“I’m not political.”

“I’m not even registered to vote.”

“If it’s political, I can’t be part of it.”

Trust me, I get it.

When my husband threw his hat into the political ring, it wasn’t out of ambition or ego. It was out of concern, a conviction that if good people stay silent, the loudest and most extreme voices will define our future. What we didn’t expect was how many Montanans would quietly share that same fear.

But here’s the truth: freedom requires participation. Silence isn’t safety, it’s surrender.

How did we get to a place where ordinary, hard-working Montanans, people who love their families, pay their taxes, and serve their communities, feel they must hide their beliefs to protect their livelihoods? How did the land of the free become a place where free speech feels like a liability?

Maybe it started when politics became a dirty word. When we stopped talking to our neighbors and started assuming the worst of them. When fear of division replaced the courage of conviction.

I believe we can change that!

The way back isn’t through shouting louder, it’s through standing taller. It’s through honest conversations, through listening before labeling, and by showing that civic involvement isn’t about parties, it’s about principles.

One voice does matter.

One vote can change everything.

And one act of courage, whether it’s registering to vote, attending a meeting, or simply refusing to stay silent, can inspire dozens more.

Montana has never been a place for the faint of heart. Our ancestors faced harsher winters and tougher odds than most could imagine, but they built communities rooted in grit, faith, and freedom. We owe it to them, and to our children, our grandchildren, to make sure fear never dictates our future.

So let’s start talking again. Let’s start standing again. Let’s start believing again that what we do, say, and vote for matters. Because it does.

I absolutely believe in the constitution this country was founded on 250 years ago!