Time for Alabama to Tighten Up and Take Back Our Freedom

Guest Opinion by Ken McFeeters

We are losing more and more of our freedoms every single day — and the only way to stop it is for the people of Alabama to tighten up. That means everyone.

Thomas Jefferson said it best: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be." Ignorant people become slaves — and that's exactly what we're becoming when we stop thinking for ourselves.

Our schools have fallen into the trap of teaching memorization and compliance instead of independent thought and critical reasoning. If Alabama wants to stay free, we must teach our children how to think, not just what to think.

The Massachusetts Constitution lays out the blueprint for preserving liberty:

"A frequent recurrence to the fundamental principles of the constitution, and a constant adherence to those of piety, justice, moderation, temperance, industry, and frugality, are absolutely necessary to preserve the advantages of liberty, and to maintain a free government."

Those words still ring true. Constitutions are written to limit government, yet what we have today is anything but limited. We're not being taught that we, the people, are in charge — not the bureaucrats, not the elites, and not the surveillance state.

Freedom is something you earn through discipline, education, and virtue — not something handed to you by government decree.

That's why, on day one, I'll fight to make sure every student in Alabama spends at least one hour a day studying Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues Program — the very system Franklin credited for his success and moral strength. Franklin understood that virtue equals freedom.

His 13 virtues are: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility.

There is nothing more important you can teach a child than virtue. Virtues build character. Character builds strong families. And strong families preserve freedom. That's the foundation of a healthy, prosperous Alabama.

Under my plan, virtues will be taught in every school, to every student, for one hour every day.
Break the law? Mandatory virtues classes.
In prison? Mandatory virtues classes.
Speeding ticket? Forget driving school — you're taking virtues.

This is how we rebuild freedom — from the inside out.

Meanwhile, my opponent wants to invite the federal government to police Montgomery and roll out a massive military and AI surveillance program to watch the people of Alabama. And he doesn't even live here.

I'll take my plan — the freedom plan — any day.

Alabama, it's time to step up and tighten up. The choice in this election is simple: freedom or oppression.

Go to Ken4Gov.com and help support the cause of freedom.

Ken McFeeters is a Republican candidate for Governor of Alabama. He is a former congressional candidate for Alabama's 6th District and past President of the Mid-Alabama Republican Club.

For more information about Ken McFeeters and his campaign, visit his campaign website or follow him on social media:

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