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A Thanksgiving Proclamation 2025
By the President of the United States James Madison (Were he President Today)** The year now drawing toward its close has been marked by trials not unknown to the human condition; yet, amidst the difficulties that attend a free and populous Republic, the hand of Providence hath not withdrawn itself from our favored land. The liberties for which our fathers contended remain secure beneath the guardianship of the Constitution; the Union, though often exercised by diverse opinions, still advances in its proper orbit; and the arts of peace, industry, and knowledge continue to enlarge the happiness of our fellow-citizens. While the national Government is restrained by its charter from prescribing forms or modes of religious worship, it is both suitable and becoming that the people of the United States should, of their own free will, unite in acknowledging the many blessings which no human policy alone can bestow. And though the Executive cannot rightfully compel observance in matters of conscience, he may, without violating that sacred line of separation, recommend to the people an occasion for grateful reflection. In this spirit, I therefore designate Thursday, the Twenty-Seventh of November, to be observed by those who are so disposed as a Day of Thanksgiving and Peaceful Recollection. Let it be a season in which citizens, assembling as their faiths and judgments incline them, shall render thanks for the bounties of the year; and for the continued capacity of this free people to govern themselves through reasoned debate rather than force. Let us likewise commend to the Author of all good the welfare of the widowed, the orphaned, the poor, and the afflicted; beseeching that compassion and public virtue, no less than prosperity, may characterize the American example. And let us remember that gratitude is best shown not in words alone, but in renewed fidelity to the principles of liberty, moderation, and mutual respect—principles which, when faithfully observed, preserve both the dignity of the individual and the harmony of the whole. Given under my hand at the City of Washington, this 24th day of November, in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-Five, and of the Independence of the United States the Two Hundred and Forty-Ninth. James Madison President of the United States |
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Montpelier, Virginia
The Year of our Lord 2025 Sir, I have lately been informed that you avow yourself a Democratic Socialist, and that by this term you signify a wish that every citizen may live in dignity, secured from the extremes of want by the just offices of government. It is a sentiment born of benevolence; and I would not withhold my approbation from any scheme whose genuine aim is the enlargement of human happiness. Yet, experience admonishes us that the same hand which is stretched forth to relieve distress may, if unrestrained, become the instrument of new oppression. In framing our Republic, it was ever our study to reconcile Liberty with Order — to render government strong enough to protect the rights of all, yet too limited to become the master of any. We had seen the passions of unbridled democracy on one side, and the pride of arbitrary power on the other, and we sought a middle path, wherein Justice should be the rule and the public good the end. You have spoken of equality as a principal object of your system. Equality, Sir, is indeed the foundation of political right, but it must be the equality of rights, not of possessions. Men differ in talents, industry, and fortune; and while the laws must protect each alike in the enjoyment of his faculties and acquisitions, they ought not to level them by force. When property is made dependent upon the will of a majority, the security of every right is endangered; for the same power which can take from the rich because he is rich, may one day take from the poor because he is weak. The true remedy for inequality lies not in the hand of confiscation, but in the diffusion of knowledge, the encouragement of industry, and the impartial administration of justice. A wise government may facilitate the means by which its citizens better their own condition; it may open the roads, establish the schools, and preserve that peace without which labor is vain. But when it undertakes to supply every want by its own bounty, it converts a free people into pensioners of the state, and substitutes dependence for liberty. If by democratic socialism you intend that the people themselves should be vigilant over their rulers; that office should be accountable, corruption restrained, and the fruits of honest toil secured to all — then you espouse the very genius of republican government. But if under that name there lurks a design to place the whole economy of life under political direction, then I must warn that the cure will prove worse than the malady. Let us therefore strive to perfect, not to overturn, the Republic. Let charity and public spirit flourish by persuasion and example; and let the laws guard, with impartial hand, both the property of the humble and the liberty of the powerful. Thus may we approach that condition wherein government, limited to its just functions, becomes the friend and not the master of man. With respectful consideration, I remain, Sir, Your humble and obedient servant, James Madison Fourth President of the United States The following letter was sent to Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader John Thune, Senator Rick Scott of Florida and Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff to the President, for distribution to all members of Congress. The letter was sent in script and with James Madison's actual personal seal.
October 31, 2025 To the Honorable Members of the Senate and House of Representatives: It is with deep regret that I observe your present discord and the paralysis into which the operations of government have fallen. The cessation of your public business—styled in modern parlance a “shutdown”—is a lamentable exhibition of that very factional spirit against which I and my compatriots most earnestly warned. When the representatives of a free people allow their party interests to eclipse the nation’s welfare, the temple of liberty itself trembles. Neither side may rightly claim innocence. The one errs in obstinate attachment to its own philosophy, the other in equal obstinacy of opposition. The effect is the same: the people, whose toil furnishes the revenues and whose trust sustains this Republic, are made the victims of your contention. The doors of public service are closed; the confidence of citizens is shaken; and the reputation of American self-government is impaired before the eyes of the world. Let it be remembered that the Constitution was contrived not to serve parties, but to preserve a Union of states and of minds under laws freely made. It demands from you not victory over your adversaries, but concord in the service of the common good. Compromise is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom—the very “reason and choice” by which we sought to prove that men are capable of governing themselves. I beseech you, therefore, to resume deliberation in the spirit of the Constitution itself: with many heads to consider, and many hands to execute, yet with one heart devoted to the general welfare. Restore the operations of government not for the triumph of a party, but for the vindication of republican principle. May prudence and patriotism once more govern your councils, lest this generation forfeit the example we endeavored to set. Redii pro Deo et Patriae With the highest respect and esteem, I remain your most obedient servant, sig. James Madison  Dear Friends,
The Constitution of the United States is not merely a document in history. It is not simply the application of quill and ink to parchment. It is the embodiment of the Liberty and Freedom and inalienable rights which are the essence of your identity as an American citizen. As an American citizen, you are the envy of the World, a beacon of hope to which all aspire. With that comes an inherent responsibility to know and understand the basis of your Liberty, the Constitution of the United States and all the Amendments. Millions have given oath to defend that same Constitution, even if it were to cost them their lives. Well over a million brave souls have sacrificed their “last full measure” to secure the blessings of Liberty for all posterity. Is it too much to ask that we honor their memory by reading the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the amendments thereto, many of you, for the first time? It is a small request; is it not? I bid you all Godspeed in your life’s journey forward. Redii pro Deo et Patriae – I have returned for God and Country. With great respect and esteem, I am, dear friends, your most obedient servant,  To those who are concerned,
A relatively new area of interest that I have had the opportunity to look at briefly is this matter of A…I, Artificial Intelligence. Well, if I may make a bold and overly simplistic recommendation, I would suggest that you gather up all the Artificial Intelligence you can find, package it up and send it to Washington, DC . There seems to be a surprising lack of the organic kind. It would appear that Reason “has left the building.” When it comes to AI, I would like to provide a warning that may already be of concern to some of you. Let us use history as our teacher. Black powder was invented accidentally by a Chinese cook when he mixed charcoal, saltpeter and sulfur. Boom! It was intended and first used for peaceful purposes like fireworks celebrations. It did not take long to “weaponize” it, as you say. AI is already being weaponized in defaming photography of celebrities and illegal voice reproduction. A picture may be worth a thousand words but at least the words aren’t the wrong face on the wrong body in the wrong situation or a recognized voice saying something that was never said by that person. Oh, what could be done in the course of the political contest with that capability. Indeed, frightening , is it not? Will AI mean that the need for humans to “reason” will be replaced? Or will AI sanitize, marginalize, homogenize and otherwise neutralize all to its lowest common denominator? Or will people be able to harness its power for the benefit of mankind? Then all you have to worry about is who and how they will define what they call “benefit.” That will be a matter of trust, will it not? Trust in politicians and corporate individuals and trust in institutions has always been a risky business. Until next time, I remain... Your most humble and obedient servant, Dear Friends,
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