Take time to find answers

To the editor,

The past four years have been, for many Americans but certainly not all, a period of great trauma and conflict. Many of the norms of presidential behavior have been smashed, and the guardrails which are supposed to protect our citizens have been crashed through and burned.

Many of our fellow Americans feel varying degrees of grievance and anger, at our system of government and those who are in power at any given time. Tragically, the administration of Mr. Trump and his supporters encouraged this anger rather than attempting to find the reasons for it; they have preyed on the fears and economic hardships of many while only working tirelessly to divide us from our friends and neighbors.

The new administration will be faced with enormous problems: uniting many different factions, working to end the pandemic crisis, working to manage the climate crisis, trying to address racial equality, and many other problems. It will be a giant task.

Are we merely going to slowly admit defeat? A recent book by Anne Applebaum has called this period, possibly, “Twilight of Democracy.” Many Western countries are struggling with anti-democratic forces within their borders; are we to be among them, or are we going to struggle free of these rightist tendencies?

Advertisement

It will take some time to find out the answers to these questions.

Bevan Davies
Kennebunk

Respect for differing opinions

To the editor,

I was so touched by the full-page ad entitled “We the People” with the names so proudly displayed for all of the town to see perhaps with the hopes to be nominated for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I have to wonder if the respect and support for America’s ideals of democracy, justice, decency, fairness, accountability, equality, compassion and transparency also applies to those who have different opinions on issues?

Advertisement

Susan Kamuda
Arundel

Consider election consequences

To the editor,

They say elections have consequences. Let’s review some on day one of Joe Biden’s.

Rejoin Paris climate accord. China, the biggest polluter in the world and Americas main economic and military adversary, will be ecstatic. The destruction of the U.S. economy will significantly help them.

End the Keystone Pipeline. For the first time in decades, under President Trump, America became energy independent. Middle East oil producing countries and Russia, who get most of their income from oil sales, will be ecstatic as oil prices increase and Americans have to buy from them again. Not to mention putting tens of thousands of Americans out of work.

Advertisement

Count non-citizens as part of the census. Democrat controlled states with large numbers of illegal aliens will be ecstatic as they take representatives in the House of Representatives from smaller states. Maine will be lucky to keep two.

End the so-called Muslim travel ban. Radical Muslim terrorists residing in countries with no functioning central government will be ecstatic as they again will be able to infiltrate into the U.S. by simply flying in.

Stop the border wall. Drug smugglers, child sex traffickers and terrorists will be ecstatic as they can once again infiltrate America through our southern border with significantly reduced chances of being caught.

Communist China gets a big boost. Communist Russia gets a big boost. Autocratic and tyrannical regimes in the Middle East get a big boost and America and Americans suffer terribly. They are exactly what Joe Biden promised and man did he deliver. Democratic communists and communist sympathizers who voted for Joe Biden must be ecstatic at these consequences.

James R. Cressey

Arundel

Comments are not available on this story.