Opinion

If Enough People Said ‘No,’ Intrusive Policies Would Change

If Enough People Said ‘No,’ Intrusive Policies Would Change
A traveler undergoes a full-body scan performed by Transportation Security Administration agents at the Denver International Airport. John Moore/Getty Images
Mollie Engelhart
|Updated:
0:00
Commentary

I believe in exercising the right to opt out—not just when traveling, but in many subtle ways. If we do not exercise this right, our freedom is quietly chipped away. Since 9/11 and the Patriot Act, we’ve slid into a culture of automatic compliance. But small refusals, such as saying “No, thank you,” are exercises in sovereignty.

Mollie Engelhart
Mollie Engelhart
Author
Mollie Engelhart, regenerative farmer and rancher at Sovereignty Ranch, is committed to food sovereignty, soil regeneration, and educating on homesteading and self-sufficiency. She is the author of “Debunked by Nature”: Debunk Everything You Thought You Knew About Food, Farming, and Freedom — a raw, riveting account of her journey from vegan chef and LA restaurateur to hands-in-the-dirt farmer, and how nature shattered her cultural programming.