What is happening to our country? We all have the right to support whatever politicians and political party we are comfortable with. What we don’t have a right to do is to allow any individual whose first and foremost goal is attaining power to manipulate our minds, hearts and basic human values.

Many of us aren’t even aware that we are being manipulated in service of providing power to another. We are losing allies throughout the world; many do not trust the United States any longer. We don’t allow free speech and press to use the same genre of language that we read on Twitter every day. We, as a country, look like fools under the guise of “Making America Great Again.”

Human beings have the greatest capacity for empathy and compassion. This is also being overwhelmed by angry, hateful, ugly and foul language and actions.

When do we stop what is happening to our country and to each of us, no matter who you support? This is no longer about any one person. This is about saving our country from the tragic and dangerous path it has been taken on.

I fear that quite soon, if not already, we all will not recognize the United States of America. We will look behind us to see how we failed to confront the dangers that are facing us in this current political environment! We all know the expression, “Hindsight is 20/20.”

We can each help by appreciating, not judging, that there are many, many different ways all people of the United States choose to live.

Please pay attention to what is being destroyed in our daily lives through the hateful rhetoric, and the power-hungry man who, himself, fears differences and only craves to rule over all of us. Don’t allow anyone to tell you who you should be as an American citizen.

We are all in this together!

Moreen Halmo

Brunswick