As many of us did Tuesday morning, I wept when the last young man and his coach were being airlifted from the cave in Thailand. What an awesome example of what the global community can do when we all pitch in together!

Divers, doctors, engineers from many parts of the world simply showed up to help. There were no political discussions, no “who’s best,” no profit-mongering from anyone – only the desire to work together to save the lives of vulnerable people.

And, then, I read my news feed and wept again. I am appalled that so many of our elected officials are ignoring the truth, the will of the people, and acting as tyrants and bullies.

I was appalled Tuesday morning to read that our governor has successfully blocked legislation that would prohibit conversion therapy. Being LGBTQ is not a disease any more than being left-handed or blue-eyed is a disease.

I was also appalled when I read that Donald Trump’s administration threatened retaliatory trade measures if a pro-breastfeeding resolution proposed by the World Health Organization was approved. My older son is alive today because I was breastfeeding – getting exactly the nutrients that were created for his body – when he needed surgery at one month old.

I beg our lawmakers to stop acting as if we, the public, are incapable of making good decisions. I likewise beg our elected officials to realize that we are living in a global community – an amazing and diverse community. We will only continue to move civilization forward when we stop acting like bullies and tyrants, when we stop hiding inside silos promoting the fallacy that some of us are more worthy than others, when we work together to resolve global issues that will promote wholeness and health for all people.

Carolyn Lambert

Kennebunk

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