Letters

For the past year, we have been bombarded by messages expressing concern for our democracy. Jimmy Carter is writing OpEds about it, Dick Cheney is making statements about it, countless well-informed people in positions of power are writing books about it, and journalists can’t stop talking about it.

Watching the videos of the January 6 insurrection on Thursday made it even more real to me. Then the following morning I read a long and well-written opinion piece from a Canadian publication describing how Canadians need to be worried and prepared for the possible dissolution of American democracy and how it’s going to affect Canada. There were references to several other articles written by Canadians on the same subject. That’s when it finally hit me: this is real. When Canada has to worry about the state of American democracy, I think we Americans had better sit up and take notice.

I now no longer believe this is hyperbole or sensationalism. Every day there are examples of ways in which democracy is being attacked. It was originally by a small, powerful, nefarious group of people, but by using right wing media and the internet, they have managed to recruit unthinking, gullible, and violent people to join in. Otherwise, the January 6 mob attack could never have happened. This has become a movement now.

For those who believe in our Democratic way of life what can we do?

We can remember that violence is not the answer to anything.

We can vote for candidates who are moderate, not extreme.

We can openly express our values and live by those values.

There’s no better way to protect a principle than to stand up for it, make sacrifices for it and live by it, because this is real, folks.

Paula Angelone, Ph.D.

Southampton Village