LETTER: Freedom vs. Liberty

I appreciate our editor of the Columbia Basin Herald, Rob Miller, for his stand to preserve our Constitutional rights and to use them responsibly (see Jan. 19, 2026, Letter (from the Editor column) and 1st Amendment on page A2 of each newspaper).  

I wonder how many folks realize what a safeguard those rights are. Charlie Kirk was murdered with the now famous T-shirt with the word “Freedom” on the front. But as our Founders understood, a person relinquishes a certain amount of their natural freedom when they join a civil society. At that point, natural freedom becomes civil liberty. Liberty is freedom within the constraints of the laws of civil society.  

Like Rob, I too was disturbed to see adult women waving f**k ICE signs for all travelers to unwillingly read ... including children. Part of the laws of our civil society give the requirements for entry into America and the process of naturalization (becoming a citizen). Besides trying to alleviate the criminal element of uncontrolled immigration, there is another important factor that is equally or more important. When an immigrant goes through the legal process of becoming an American citizen, they are taught the Constitution and the laws of the land.  

In fact, they take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.  

In other words, they assimilate and become one more individual working alongside the rest of us citizens in a common way that is beneficial to the whole.  

Do many of the protesters, especially the kids who recently skipped school to protest law enforcement, fully understand that they are in essence resisting that principle?  

Compassion, when exercised outside the law and without a full understanding can result in some of the chaos we have witnessed lately. Let’s work together to do things the right way. 

Mick Feldbush
Moses Lake

Editor’s Note: I appreciate Mr. Feldbush’s response to my column from a couple weeks ago. While he and I don’t agree 100% on the particulars of things, we do agree that we need civil discourse and that being part of a civil society has responsibilities as well. I completely respect his opinion, and it gave me solid food for thought. 

Also, it is important to note that entering the country without proper documentation is a civil infraction, not a criminal infraction – similar to how speeding is a minor infraction while running someone down with a car is a criminal issue. One is a ticket and a chance to make it right; the other is a jail term. I mention this only to make sure readers are clear on the issue when discussing it. I am assuming that Mr. Feldbush is also referring to heightened efforts to remove undocumented people from the country who have a history of breaking other laws, especially those who have violent offenses.  

I would also encourage readers to not be dismissive of students’ opinions. While you don’t have to agree with them, the assumption that they are uninformed on the issues they’re protesting is false. Having spoken with several of them, they are well aware of the issue at hand. Further, civil disobedience such as protesting during school hours is an intentional tactic used to increase visibility, not a random attempt to get out of school as many in our community have implied. That's not an endorsement of any action, but something I think we should remember.

As someone pointed out to me just this morning, many in the community had no problem with students skipping school to go to the Seahawks parade in Seattle, but they got very upset when the students skipped a couple classes to voice locally-unpopular opinions.  

I would encourage the community to speak with young people and listen to what they have to say outside of controversial moments like a protest. These young people in the Basin aren’t just popping off. They have reasons for how they feel that they’ve put a lot of thought into – just like you have reasons for how you feel that you’ve put a lot of thought into.  

America, and the Basin in particular, are amazing because of the variety of ideas we put on the table and sort through in a mature manner – not because we drum out anyone who thinks just a bit different than the majority.  

Keep talking, and keep it respectful and thoughtful.  

R. Hans “Rob” Miller
Managing Editor
Columbia Basin Herald
Basin Business Journal