I was very interested, concerned and frightened after reading Brian Howey’s column in the Journal Review on June 12, entitled “When we refuse to accept the verdict …”
I’ve read similar articles like this but Howey somehow captured the current state of the nation and how we are quickly becoming our own worst enemies.
In his article, he quoted a YouGov poll in October 2020 that found 56% of those polled said they expect to see “an increase in violence as a result of the election” with some 40% “strongly agreed” that the United States could be “on the verge” of a second civil war. As an American, opinions like that have to frighten you especially since the level of violence issue has seemed to increase. What’s next? That is not the way most of us were raised.
The shocking part is that much of this anger and distrust has come from within and, from within, I mean from many of our government officials whom we have elected to look after our best interests and those of the country. The Washington Post has reported that a third of nearly 700 Republicans running for House and Senate positions have “embraced Donald Trump’s perverse and baseless notion that the 2020 election was “rigged” and “stolen.” That’s almost beyond belief if it weren’t for people we all know who blindly “drink from the same cup” that contains no substance.
One has to wonder how many candidates really believe this and how many are afraid to admit otherwise and risk political defeat from members of their own party who, themselves, are seeking approval from their party’s de facto leader? Either way, we are playing with fire. Our form of government doesn’t come with a lifetime guarantee. As President Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” How long can our government survive when its own members refuse to accept proven facts and continue to sow the seeds of doubt for their own political benefit? How long can our government survive when it citizens willingly choose to believe baseless charges about the legitimacy of our Presidential election that have been proven to be false over and over again but continue to be endorsed and promoted by so called cable “celebrities” 24/7?
We, as Americans, have a choice to make. Do we continue down the road to possible self-destruction or do we face up to our shortcomings and vow to return to the principles that made us the envy of the world?
It’s time for all of us to take a few moments and think of what we want our country to be. We have to start thinking less about of being Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals, and start remembering what it should be like to be a plain, simple American. We need to look back at why this country was founded and why, until recently, it’s been the gold standard for countries all around the world.
It’s not too late if we all do our part and do what’s best for our country above all else.
S. David Long
Crawfordsville
