Stand for Freedom Everywhere

We Live in a Global Neighborhood

I believe the world is more like a neighborhood than we admit.

Different cultures.

Different histories.

Different ways of life.

But still connected.

And like any neighborhood, how we treat each other matters.

I’m running for Congress because the United States should be a good neighbor in the world.

That doesn’t mean doing the same thing in every situation.

It means knowing what the moment requires.

Because being a good neighbor isn’t passive.

Sometimes it means showing up.

Sometimes it means speaking out.

Sometimes it means stepping back.

But it always means respecting one simple truth:

No one should get to decide other people’s future.

Right now, we are failing that test in different ways across the world.

In Gaza, we are watching a genocide that is devastating violence against civilians. Entire communities destroyed. Families displaced, injured, and killed.

A good neighbor does not ignore that.

A good neighbor does not stay silent while innocent people suffer.

Silence, in moments like that, is not neutral.

In Ukraine, we see a country fighting to defend itself against invasion.

A good neighbor stands with people defending their home.

Not because it’s politically convenient, but because it’s right.

In Iran and across the region, the threat of wider war puts millions of people at risk.

A good neighbor works to prevent escalation, not fuel it.

Because once violence spreads, it’s ordinary people who pay the price.

And in places like Greenland and Cuba, we see something else entirely.

Powerful countries treating smaller places like they exist to be controlled or used.

A good neighbor doesn’t do that.

A good neighbor respects that people get to decide their own future.

These situations are not the same.

But the principle is.

Self-determination isn’t selective.

It applies to Palestinians.

It applies to Ukrainians.

It applies to people everywhere.

And if we believe in freedom, we have to be consistent about it.

There’s also a problem at home.

Too often, decisions about war and military action are made without real accountability.

Congress is supposed to decide when this country goes to war. That’s not optional. It’s in the Constitution.

But over time, presidents of both parties have taken more and more control.

That’s not how a democracy is supposed to work.

Because when one person can make those decisions, the consequences fall on everyone else.

Here’s what needs to change:

• We must speak clearly about human rights and oppose violence against civilians wherever it occurs

• We must support people defending themselves while rejecting actions that harm innocent lives

• And we must restore Congress’s authority over war and military action

This isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about being consistent.

Because in a neighborhood, people notice.

They notice who shows up.

They notice who stays silent.

They notice who respects others—and who tries to control them.

The same is true in the world.

If we want to stand for freedom, it has to mean something everywhere.

Not just when it’s easy.

Not just when it benefits us.

Everywhere.