All Americans owe a debt to the demonstrators in Minnesota, especially those who withstood bodily harm and the two who made the ultimate sacrifice.

They stood up for the rule of law, the United States’ most precious possession. Renee Good exercised her First Amendment right to protest, and Alex Pretti exercised his Second Amendment right to bear arms to protect our constitutional rights, especially the Fourth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments’ protection from tyranny and promise of equal protection.

The rule of law is what sets the United States apart from most nations and is the foundation of our political, economic and social success for 250 years. In 1787, Thomas Jefferson warned Americans must routinely defend their rights.

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"God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion,” he wrote. “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is its natural manure.”

He wasn’t talking about right-wing militias; he was talking about protesters like those in Minnesota, whom President Donald Trump called "professional agitators and insurrectionists."

I’ve reported from more than 30 countries, mainly in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. I specialized in places ruled by dictators and........

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