Patriots' Day: Rejecting Tyranny from Lexington and Concord to Budapest

Patriots' Day   Today is Patriots' Day in New England. 251 years ago, on a cold April morning, Captain John Parker told his minutemen standing in rows on the Lexington Green to, "Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." 

The Shot Heard 'round the World   Patriots' Day remembers the start of the American Revolution at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. We didn't want war, but had to defend ourselves when war was thrust upon us. It was the beginning of a struggle against empire and tyranny that no one thought we could win, until we did and with the help of allies.

This past week we saw the end of a tyrant's rule in Hungary. It was a fight no one thought they could win, until they did. This time, they won because democracy had been entrenched in the human imagination and made practical by the American Revolution. Their victory was achieved through votes not bullets. 

Massachusetts 1775   Sick of tyranny, unjust tariffs, use of the military against civilian populations, and a variety of other reasons (justified and not) we defended our freedoms and fought back. The men of Keene, NH marched to Massachusetts and New Hampshire men held the left flank at Breed's (Bunker) Hill. They were willing to sacrifice for a higher cause.

The Declaration of Independence of the following summer of 1776 articulated the grievances against the King of England. If you re-read the indictments they eerily echo the grievances we have against President Trump today. 

We fought then because our colonial system of representation hadn't freed itself from empire. Our imperfect but brilliant constitutional system created a way to solve issues through debate and the ballot box. Injustices could be corrected through political and not military means. Our system and its ideals indicts the actions and betrayal by the corrupt, greedy, arrogant, warmongering, anti-democratic sycophants who have caused real damage and have profited at the expense of the American people and others. They'll be held accountable in our courts of law and given due process. As they've rejected our Constitutional system and democratic norms it's up to us to reassert them. 

Hungary 2026    Hungarians did just that. We're being reminded by them what our fight is all about. Last week they too did the near impossible by voting out their seeming untouchable corrupt oligarch. Viktor Orban seemed to control all the levers of power: his oligarchs had bought up the news media; the courts were undermined; "enemies from within" from LGBTQ+ to protestors had legislation passed against their freedoms; elections were gerrymandered; and opponents were threatened and harassed. And yet, come to find out, the voters had more power. The people, not the leader, was sovereign.

Below: Hungarians vote in record numbers to oust Orban and reject Putin and Trump.

What it means   Despite all that was rigged against them, the people of Hungary delivered an overwhelming and devastating blow to tyranny and they did it peacefully. It was a rejection of the corrupt authoritarian and megalomaniac alliance between Orban, Putin, and Trump. It shows us that our ongoing resistance will bear fruit. 

Above:  Hungarians gathering to celebrate across the Danube River from the Parliament building, Budapest, April 12, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer. 

For those not paying attention, the far right has seen Orban as their guide, their hero. They model themselves on him, initiate the same policies to create a one party state. They've tried to unravel democracy after being elected to power. The Hitlers, Putins, and Orbans of the world seek to destroy democracy from within and not through a coup. That "legitimizes" their illegitimate process. Poland was the first to recognize this and respond and Hungary has followed. I think we're beginning to get it too. 

Far Right   The far right is globally interconnected. Individual actors or paramilitary groups share ideology and objectives and target the same groups. Political leaders and intelligence agents fund each other and use their assets to interfere with elections. That's why President Trump, Marco Rubio, and JD Vance's unprecedented public and in-country support of Orban is troubling and revealing. 

We've never seen our leadership actively and openly engage and interfere in other country's elections. Our leaders were supporting a tyrant and by proxy, Putin. But these are the folks who not only looked the other way when the Russians interfered in our elections (yes, it was documented and proven) we've also given them direct access to US intelligence and supported their war on democratic Ukraine. Knowing they all use the same playbook, and have the same objectives, it all makes perfect sense. 

My Turn   There is hope and it's rooted in dignity and democracy. Like 1775, tyrants are being put on notice. We don't have to give in or give up and think this is irreparable. Democracy has proven to be stronger than autocracy. Keep the faith. As autocracy promotes and escalates corruption and violence, democracy works to improve lives through justice.

Portland and Minneapolis showed us the power of nonviolent and active resistance, at a cost. It worked. The enormous "No Kings" marches are making our government leaders' hold on power untenable. We've kept our sense of humor, our hope, and dignity. They're scrambling. 

But freedom isn't free. We have to organize, give hope, not give in, and demonstrate our commitment to our Constitutional Republic. The militiamen and women stood with courage in the face of overwhelming military force. They suffered so that we could be free and work to continually improve our democracy. We don't need the same courage but we do need their commitment.

We stand on a new Lexington Green and before another Concord Bridge but this time all we need to do is show up. We face an opponent that seemingly has great power from corrupt billionaires and their own propaganda channels. They seemingly control all the levers of power and the narrative. But they don't. Hungary has reminded us that freedom is more powerful than tyranny. They can lose and lose big.

This time we don't need to engage in battle. Those that came before did that for us. We're given the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder, not risking our lives, but fearful of losing our honor and ideals. This time we defeat tyranny at the voting booth.