Freedom, Integrity, and the Courage to Speak: My Response to Laura Ingraham
- Paula Sadler
- 17 hours ago
- 9 min read
5-30-2026
By Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler
Recently, Laura Ingraham posted a message suggesting that America's 250th birthday should be about the troops, workers, families, and generations who built this country, and criticized performers who have chosen not to participate in celebrations associated with the current political climate.
Like many Americans, I read her comments and reflected deeply on what they mean.
What struck me was not the decision of any particular celebrity. Rather, it was the larger question underneath the discussion:
What does it mean to truly love your country?
For some, patriotism means celebrating the nation and standing behind its leaders. For others, patriotism means holding leaders accountable when they believe those leaders are causing harm.
I believe both can come from a place of love.
Freedom Includes the Freedom to Disagree
The beauty of the United States is freedom.
That freedom includes the right to celebrate, but it also includes the right to decline participation. It includes the right to support a cause, boycott a cause, protest, speak out, remain silent, vote, pray, advocate, and dissent.
When celebrities choose not to participate in an event, they are exercising the very freedoms that generations of Americans fought to protect.
Their decision is not necessarily a rejection of America.
It may be an expression of what they believe America should be.
Loving a Country Is Not the Same as Loving a Political Movement
One of the themes running throughout our history is that people who love this country often disagree profoundly about its direction.
The abolitionists loved America.
The suffragists loved America.
The civil rights movement loved America.
Many of the people who challenged injustice throughout history did so because they believed the nation could be better than it was.
Criticism is not always hatred.
Sometimes criticism is an act of hope.
Character Matters More Than Slogans
At 50 years old, I have lived through many political seasons.
What I have learned is that character matters more than slogans.
We can judge ourselves, our leaders, and our institutions not merely by what they say but by what they do.
In 12-step recovery, where I have been sober for 23 years, there is a saying:
"Watch people's feet."
In other words, watch their actions.
People can claim faith, morality, patriotism, or virtue. But ultimately, our actions reveal who we are.
That principle applies to individuals, institutions, political parties, religious organizations, and governments alike.
The Danger of Believing We Are Always Right
One of the recurring lessons of human history is that great harm is often committed by people who sincerely believe they are doing good.
History is filled with examples of individuals and movements convinced of their own righteousness while causing suffering to others.
That is why humility matters.
That is why compassion matters.
That is why empathy matters.
No person, party, religion, or ideology should ever be beyond questioning.
Why This Moment Feels Different
Many people ask why emotions feel so intense today.
For me, it is because I see increasing divisions fueled by fear, prejudice, anger, and the dehumanization of others.
As a transgender woman, a person in recovery, a business owner, and a spiritual leader, I have witnessed firsthand how harmful it can be when entire groups of people are blamed for society's problems.
I believe that racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, religious supremacy, and political extremism continue to damage our society.
I also believe that many people who support these movements do so because they genuinely think they are helping.
That is what makes this moment so difficult.
The Heart of My Message
When I step back from politics, the heart of my message is actually quite simple:
Love matters.
Compassion matters.
Empathy matters.
Character matters.
Truth matters.
Service matters.
Leadership matters.
And freedom matters.
The question is not whether we love our country.
The question is what kind of country we are helping create through our words, actions, votes, beliefs, and treatment of one another.
A Prayer for Our Nation
Despite my strong criticisms of political leaders and movements, I ended my original reflection with a prayer.
I think that is important.
Because I do not want a future built on revenge, humiliation, hatred, or domination.
I want a future built on healing.
I pray for those I agree with.
I pray for those I disagree with.
I pray for Trump.
I pray for the GOP.
I pray for Democrats.
I pray for activists.
I pray for religious leaders.
I pray for all of us.
Because if there is hope for America, it will not come from one political party defeating another.
It will come when more of us choose compassion over cruelty, understanding over fear, humility over arrogance, and service over self-interest.
That is the America I believe in.
And that is the America I continue to pray for.
My Social Media Post:
The beauty of the United States is freedom!
And it is fitting for celebrities to make a statement by choosing not to participate when there are so many who overwhelmingly do not want to be associated with Trump, the GOP, and Project 2025. I'm sure they love the principle of freedom that the United States represents, but unfortunately, we are living in a time when that freedom is under threat and has been compromised.
It's more important to be able to go to sleep at night knowing that choices were made from integrity and that we did not compromise ourselves in order to please others or just for money. It is important that we support causes and people who are truly making the world and our country a better place.
And it's not just about the United States. We are not in competition with the world. We do not have to be the hottest, the best, or the biggest. Rather than boast with arrogance and unwarranted pride, it is best to have humility. A level of pride can be healthy as long as it is tempered with grace and compassion.
It gives me hope to see so many people standing up to oppressive regimes, laws, groups, individuals, political systems, and religious institutions that are causing great harm and suffering to the world and to our country. It gives me hope to know that democracy still lives and freedom of choice still lives today in our country.
To those who are standing up for freedom all over the world—not with hatred, war, and killing, but with love, compassion, and empathy, which are the only real and true values that will move this world forward—thank you.
Unfortunately, millions of people have succumbed to the influence of one of the most dangerous regimes of the 21st century.
This is the worst I have seen in my lifetime at 50 years old. There was a time when I was young when I vowed never to vote because I saw corruption throughout government, throughout our country, and throughout the world. I turned to prayer and meditation. I turned to God to give me direction and guidance on what I could do.
The first time I saw a real possibility of change in our country and the possibility of a first woman president, I voted. And when we were to have the first Black or interracial president, I voted. It wasn't simply a matter of being a woman or being Black—it was about the content of their character.
Each of our lives is measured not only by the words we speak, but also by our actions. We must ask ourselves: Are we speaking with love, compassion, and empathy? Are we inviting everyone to the table? Or are we being exclusionary, supremacist, and repressive, speaking with hatred, loving only a few while hating many?
We are also measured by the actions we take in our daily lives and our daily interactions with ordinary people, with our families, our communities, and those we work with or employ. All of that is part of who we are. We can try to run from our past, but we cannot run from our present.
No matter how loudly someone speaks, and no matter how many times they tell a lie, it will not change the truth of who they are and who they have been.
In 12-step recovery, being sober for 23 years, we have a saying: "Watch people's feet."
There are many who come into the program, read the steps on the wall, read the book, and claim they are sober. They say they have done it their own way, that they have no higher power, or that they are only going to do a few of the steps and throw the rest away.
These people usually drink again or continue to suffer tremendously. Even if they remain dry, many are not truly sober because they have not had the spiritual awakening that the 12 Steps bring. They can offer thoughts, feelings, opinions, and theories, but they have no real experience with the process itself.
It becomes only lip service. Going to a few meetings, reading a book, or working on one's own does not necessarily mean a person has the ability to lead others and help them get sober.
And that is what we are seeing now in our government and in many places throughout the world. We have people giving advice, making suggestions, and creating laws when they have no real experience. What they have are thoughts, feelings, opinions, and theories.
To be a wise leader and pass wisdom on to others, one must have actual experience—not just opinions and not just something learned from reading a book.
The words we speak matter. And our actions speak even louder.
During Trump's first term, it began. During this second term, it has become the most destructive presidency I have seen in my lifetime.
We are living in perilous times, although there is still hope. My prayer is that the truth is revealed to the millions of followers who cannot yet see it. I pray that God truly opens their eyes and lifts them out of prejudice, racism, bigotry, oppression, and their own blindness to justice.
I pray that we see an end to oppressive regimes not only here, but everywhere in the world. I pray for the dismantling of systems built on prejudice, racism, bigotry, hatred, and supremacy.
I pray that those who blindly support these systems and truly believe they are doing good, moral, or righteous work are shown the truth, and that they are able to forgive themselves, forgive others, and move forward in love.
I pray that we find and promote leadership that believes in a world without borders, leadership that loves all people and works to uplift not just a few, not just our country, but the entire world. While it is important for us to take care of our country and our needs, we must also give back what we have been so richly given.
It's just like in the 12 Steps: You can't give away what you don't have, and you can't keep what you don't give away.
By having a real spiritual experience, a real awakening, and a release from resentment, fear, wrong thinking, and wrong action, we make a promise to help others find their way out. When we have had that awakening, and when our country has successfully navigated its own awakening, we must look to those millions of people who are living and doing the right thing for the greater good and place them in positions of leadership.
I pray and hope that I will see this materialize in my lifetime.
I have never felt so strongly about the presence of evil in this world, especially in our country. I see leaders around the world who symbolize destructive power through both their words and their actions. They cause tremendous harm, and they have hundreds of thousands or millions of followers who believe they are righteous and doing good.
That is the sadness of our time.
Yet we are not the first generation to face this. Humanity has struggled with these forces for millennia. There has been suffering and death throughout human history. This is our challenge and what we must overcome.
Thank you to the celebrities, politicians, and everyday people who speak out against injustice with both their words and their actions. Thank you to those who vote with their dollars.
Thank you to the judges and representatives in government who are working for all people, not just a few. Thank you to those who work for real justice and real freedom, who serve others with humility, without arrogance and excessive pride, and who understand the difference between right and wrong.
There is still hope.
What This Really Means
As I reflect on Laura Ingraham's comments and my own response, I realize this conversation is about much more than celebrities or politics. At its core, it is about several deeper questions:
Freedom and dissent — Do people have the right to follow their conscience and speak out when they believe something is wrong?
Patriotism versus political loyalty — Can someone love their country while criticizing its leaders or direction?
Character and leadership — Are we judging people by their actions or merely by their words?
The recovery principle of "watch people's feet" — True character is revealed through actions, not slogans.
Humility versus certainty — Are we willing to question ourselves, or do we assume we are always right?
Compassion and inclusion — Are we expanding the circle of human dignity or narrowing it?
Prayer instead of condemnation — Can we disagree strongly while still wishing healing and growth for others?
These themes run throughout my reflection. While there is strong criticism of policies, leaders, and movements that I believe are causing harm, the message is ultimately not about anger. It is about accountability, conscience, compassion, and hope.
Perhaps the most important thing is how the reflection ends. It does not end with condemnation. It ends with prayer.
I pray for those I agree with, and I pray for those I disagree with. I pray for healing, awakening, understanding, and compassion. That is because I believe the answer to hatred is not more hatred, and the answer to division is not deeper division.
The answer is love guided by truth, compassion guided by wisdom, and courage guided by conscience.
That is the message I have tried to share throughout my life, my recovery, my ministry with Universal Rainbow Faith, and my writings in The Nature of Miracles.
Freedom matters.
Character matters.
Compassion matters.
Truth matters.
And there is still reason to hope that love can help heal our country and our world.
— Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler
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