Note: This piece has been updated since it was first published to better reflect my intent. If you're curious about the original version, feel free to DM me.
Every day in school, children are encouraged to raise their hands and ask for help. Because the environment is safe for them to do so, they can ask freely. However, asking questions isn’t pertinent only in an educational setting. Questions remain important; even to this day, they seek the truth. It has always been my hope that the right to speech will remain undeniable. Today, the opposite has been made clear.
Senators who want to ask questions will be removed.
According to NBS News, on June 12th, 2025, California senator -- Alex Padilla -- was, in his own words, "forced to the ground" and "handcuffed" at a press conference about immigrant raids, held by Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem.
"I was there peacefully," he said. "At one point, I had a question, and so I began to ask a question. I was almost immediately forcibly removed from the room, I was forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed."
And what does that mean for the average person? I am not a senator. If you are reading this, you likely aren't a senator either. I am not embarrassed to admit that I don't have political or governmental ties. My voice has undoubtedly fewer protections.
But that does not mean it is time to quit. In this growing age of media, it is more important than ever for speech protections to persist. We can talk a mile about supporting social justice, but today, an individual's right to pose a question was not protected. Not a right to be answered, a right to simply ask.
As reported by The Hill, Lisa Murkowski, a Republican Alaska senator, expressed shock, stating, "It's not the America I know."
But it is. It is now. All the videos of the interaction posted on NBC and The New York Times are real red flags of an overreach of power. Over the last several months, we have operated under a mirage. It is time let go of it and become aware.
We must acknowledge the changes happening. Our right to ask questions hasn’t disappeared yet, so we must continue to do so. Events like this can feel like they don’t apply to us; they can make us feel helpless, but there is something that we can do: Be cognizant. If we help others see past their unawareness, we are inspiring more interested people. Real action can also be taken, depending on where you live, through local protests. In my opinion, I think the best way to “take action” is to just talk to others and have a conversation. It has a bigger effect than you think.
Change is always happening, so continue to preach awareness, or start today. Keep asking questions; keep questioning if governmental actions are right or wrong. Don’t let your right to ask a question disappear.
Definitely keep asking questions!
Brilliant. Always question. Never just accept.