Ernest's Speech at the February 2025 Hands Off Protest

WE ARE HERE FOR A PURPOSE.

Before we go to much further, out of love for our country, please put your hand over your heart and join me in the US Pledge of allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.  One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you!  Thank you for coming, for your love of country, for seeing the wrong in the path our national mis-leaders are taking, for showing up and for speaking up.  Thank you!

We are coming together from near and far.

Different jobs, Different Races, Different Family Histories.

Possibly even from different political parties.

TO PROTEST RECENT ACTIONS AND INACTION IN GOVERNMENT.

We will be peaceful.            We will be Polite.      

We will leave this area better than we found it.  Just as we want our government officials to do with the stewardship of the nation that has been given to them.

Now, per custom and as another nod to the strong feelings of love of country and patriotism that brings us here, please join me in the singing of our national anthem. 

Oh say can you see, By the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,

O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming,

And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

O say does that star spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Hands Off!  Hands Off!  Hands Off!

For now, we will be LOUD.  We will be seen.  We will be noticed.  Look around.  We are many! Over 900 signed up.  And we are not alone.  This event is only one location of many around the metroplex.

There are others in Denton, Frisco, Plano, Richardson, Fort Worth, and many more.  There are over a thousand groups, just like us, gathering nationwide on this day, at this hour.  To show our strength, to show our numbers, to give pause to the leaders who would do harm to our government and our American way, and to give courage to others around us that together we can make a difference.

To our Mis-leaders, we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

To our friends and neighbors, we say “Join with us” as we work to support “People’s Needs before Wealthy Greed, People’s needs before Party Politics”

If you don’t do one more thing, by coming out here, by joining together, you have already done something Big!  Huge!  We have made a statement!

I’m Ernest Lineberger

Your 2024 Democratic Nominee for US House of Rep in this district

I started late in the last election to fill an empty spot on the ballot as a total unknown.  I’m a retired naval officer, specialized in nuclear power, served tours on multiple warships.  Those were years of service, long hours of hard work with a dedication to our nation.  Since retirement, I was hired by Texas instruments, for the last 29 years working the details of semiconductor manufacturing, working to keep high paying jobs in this critical industry here in America.  Long before that, I was the youngest in a family of six where my father was a navy chaplain, a Lutheran minister.  As I grew up listening to his sermons as our family moved to many different places in the world, I became a person of faith who believes in Love your neighbor and We are all neighbors.  With that background, I ran to give voters a Better Choice and hope for a better future.

More than 138,000 of you voted for me to be your congressman.  That wasn’t enough to win in 2024, but it is a great start for 2026.  We are going to build on that by being active and positive in our community.  Meanwhile, our current Rep has been and will likely continue to back Trump in all of his mis-deeds.  They both have been so full of lies and mistruths that they wouldn’t know reality if it starred them in the face.  They are working to stop virtually all government spending so that they can give huge tax breaks to their wealthy supporters.  They are firing government workers high and low – regardless of the value of the good they do for all of us.  They just want to throw these workers salaries in the pot of money that they can take from.

We listened to their lies and enough people bought into them to vote them in to office.

Did you hear this one:  Trump said he was going to bring down the cost of living especially groceries and gas on day one. 

As I heard Bernie Sanders say, “That’s a Lie”

Did you hear the one about ‘they would be deporting only extremely dangerous criminals?  “another Lie”

Our Representative takes nearly every opportunity to besmirch Democrats and say that we are responsible for all of the problems, that we are demons, that we are evil and must be fought at very cost.  “another lie” 

Let’s stop listening and watch what they are doing.

US AID – If you don’t know, this extremely low-cost agency is our government’s equivalent of being neighborly.  It helps our neighbors and it really helps us.  We fight bad diseases before they come to our shores, Ebola for instance.  We got two cases a few years ago and we all freaked out.  US AID is how we stop that.  A neighbor gets flattened by a typhoon or a tidal wave… Do we sit back and laugh?  No, we respond with assistance and supplies.  Those supplies have great big American flags and words so people know who is helping them….  WAS helping them.  US AID is closed.  Done.   Over.  And the money went into a pile that they will split with their wealthy friends later.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

IRS – Who hates the IRS – people who owe a lot of taxes – So they defunded it, making it less able to catch the cheaters.  Open season for the wealthy to hold back on paying their fair share.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

CDC and NIH – These are the incredibly smart doctors and scientists that very quickly gave us the tools to live through and thrive after the COVID pandemic.  They just fired the person who approved the monoclonal antibodies (that saved President Trump’s life), and they also fired so many other important people making sure we are ready for the next bad thing to come along.  Have you heard of the Bird Flu – We are not ready if that disease jumps to humans and takes off.  And all Trump and Gill can see is the dollar signs that it takes to get ready.  They want to split those dollars with their wealthy supporters.  Who cares about disease?

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

VA – we have never had enough support to truly serve our veterans.  Few of us can imagine the mental health struggles brought on by being in the lead of defending America.  And yet the wait times for counseling and psychiatric appointments can be years.  The recently approved PACT act to provide treatment for service members impacted by carcinogens from deployed base burn pits is nearly useless as we fire the staff at the Veterans administration needed to get that care to our veterans.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

Department of Education – Our kids are our future and they deserve better not less.  America is not on top when it comes to education.  And without it, we will not stay on top in other ways either.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

Immigration – Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.  Not everyone can come to the US, but our policy is so broken that no one knows what to expect.  Our Mis-leaders have launched in to this issue with such blind zeal that they have become the very evil that our constitution was set to protect against. 

And because of this they are being called in to account.  The courts are working to reel them back.  So, now Trump and Gill shout for impeachment of good judges who are doing their job and following the law.  But Trump and Gill only recognize their own power, not their responsibilities, not their duties of stewardship and real improvements.  Their simplistic approach of ‘all immigrants are bad’ is hurtful and wrong for America.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

DEI – They don’t even know what it means or what it is.  What it is is America!!!  We have not always been good at it, But we are a Diverse, Equal and Inclusive country.  Men and women together.  Red and Yellow, Black and White. Gay and Straight.  We were never meant to be the same.  We are complimentary.  A composite so much stronger than the individual elements inside.  DEI is about recognizing that and helping everyone achieve their full potential, and helping America as a country reach a higher level of safety, security, and quality of life with everyone contributing.  Our mis-leaders are trying to eliminate everything DEI related.  This doesn’t even save money.  But they think it saves more of the good life for them.  It doesn’t.  It holds everybody back.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

Our Social Safety net is important to all but the very very rich.  Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, Affordable Health Care, and more.  President Biden called them out in his last State of the Union that they had plans to weaken the safety net, and they shouted back “No, Never”.  But look at what they are doing.  Closing offices, firing staffers, and who knows what they are trying to put into what ever bills they may eventually pass.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

Inspector Generals, Watch dogs – hard learned lessons that all levels of government must be supervised and made to follow the rules.  Fired, replaced, eliminated.  When the cats away the mice will play.  And our mis-leaders are having a field day.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

The Economy – When I ran in the 2024 election, I stressed our need to balance the federal budget and re-level the economic situation such that anyone with a job would make a living wage with a reasonable quality of life.  This would be a huge boom to American business and people’s lives.  Our mis-leaders ran on fear, hate and culture wars, and they prevailed.  Now, the rebounding, strong, post-COVID economy expertly held together by the Biden administration which nearly had inflation back to desired levels is being tossed out the window with ignorant antics of our greedy mis-leaders.  Tariffs are taxes that we will pay as consumers, people and businesses alike.  As costs grow, fewer purchases are made and we learn to do without.  Business crumbles.  But costs are going up.  Disaster and all self made.  Self inflicted.  How dumb are we for electing such leaders?

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

National security – Our mis-leaders have done noting right here.  Arrogance and bravado is not strength.  It is not protection.  Having a strong military along with strong partnerships with solid allies is they key.  Intelligence services that you can trust.  Using diplomacy as the first line of defense.  But we threaten to leave NATO.  We show favor to horribly authoritarian regimes like Russia, Hungary and others.  We insult our allies.  We do not recognize that trading partnerships are part of the deal.  You work with your allies to support each other in security and in trade.  We have lost our minds and it will take decades to earn back trust.

To this we say “Hands Off” “Hands Off” “Hands Off”

There is more.  I have only touched the surface.  These are important but maybe not the most important, and maybe not the most important to you.  I’ve tried to give voice to these complaints that I assume you share, but I don’t want to assume.  I want to know what you think.  What has directly affected you and your family?  What have you seen impact your neighbors?  Your State?  The nation? The world?  We all have a different perspective and feel.

I want to let some of you come up and share in a few words what issues you see and what is bothering you.  Why are you here today?  We are angry, but please keep your language clean.

Some of you won’t get the chance to share vocally.  I have a special survey / questionnaire.  It isn’t canned.  You can write in your own words.  I want to know what issues are driving you.  I have QR codes at this table, or you can go to my website.

LinebergerforUScongress.com

        Then select ‘Get Involved’

                Then select ‘Share your concerns’

As we get ready for some others to share, I want to remind you that I’m Ernest Lineberger, Democratic candidate for US House of Representatives putting People’s needs before wealthy greed and party politics.

And what do we say to our mis-leaders?

“Hands Off” ‘Hands Off’ ‘Hands Off’