The Patriot Manifesto

At our core, Americans strive to do right by each other. Our strength is in community and empathy for our neighbors. But our commitment to our most fundamental ideals is faltering. We have fallen prey to foreign-backed lies and misinformation, creating a crisis of unwarranted hate, fear, and violence.

For decades, American have been targeted by a relentless psychological war waged by Putin and his allies. Through spreading and legitimizing divisive misinformation, Putin is working to redefine American culture as one of lies, hate, and selfishness. Putin’s motives are clear. Our enemies know that the US cannot fall from an external attack. Instead, Putin is invading our minds, eroding our collective psyche with the intent of inciting violence and collapsing American society.

We are living through the most rapid technological change in human history. The human mind is not inherently rational and not designed to digest and interpret the onslaught of information we are tasked with every day. We did not evolve to live in modern societies rooted in science and empathy. Instead, our minds instinctively focus on and amplify fear and tragedy.

Putin is exploiting our natural irrationalities by distorting our conversations on social media. Politicians, influencers, and media leverage this divisiveness, sowing chaos and confusion in reckless pursuit of ratings and attention. And – unthinkable just years ago – we have witnessed these tactics manifest as violence against and among good people.

In short, Putin is a psychological terrorist, manipulating tens of millions of Americans into making decisions that are ultimately harmful to ourselves, our communities, and our country.

We are Putin’s targets but we are also our own best defense. We have to fight for ourselves. Every day, we are subjected to a barrage of Russian influence. How do we decide what to believe and what to support?

Love thy neighbor and let go of the burden of hate. This is not a partisan issue. We are all unintentionally complicit in promoting false, harmful narratives. But if we act with compassion for our families, our neighbors, and our fellow human, we can right this ship.

We must make consistent, conscious decisions to think critically and empathetically. We must be critical of and question media, influencers, and politicians. We must demand evidence, transparency, and accountability, holding the leaders and narratives we support to the same standards of those we oppose. We must support honest, good faith efforts to better the human condition, disavowing lies and manipulation that fuel chaos, hate, fear, and violence towards marginalized communities. We must find common ground and hold constructive conversations, allowing ourselves and others to grow, admit mistakes, and transcend indiscretions.

At our core, Americans strive to do right by each other. But we are constantly subjected to divisive misinformation, chaos, and confusion. We haven’t lost our way. We have rightly lost our sense of clarity.

Americans will prevail. We are a nation of hope, empathy, and courage. We put our families and communities before ourselves. We prioritize our country over the idolization of any person or political party. We consecrate the sacrifice of our ancestors through hard work, integrity, decency, and civil discourse. We are of many different perspectives, but share one love for America and the foundational values that truly define us.

This nation and its people will forever be in a state of becoming. It is up to each generation to transcend hates, lies, and selfishness. To build upon the promise – and the responsibility – left to us by those who came before: a better world for future generations.