Thiele letter: Eyes wide open, hearts pumping
Americans are tired of the unrelenting divisiveness that continues to plague our political life. We worry about fake news, threats to press freedom, and with it, freedom of speech. Some believe these worries are unfounded. Many wish that democracy would leave them alone since they did their part by voting. But these are real threats to our democracy. To minimize these concerns is blind faith. Paraphrasing a great American, “Democracy may be a self-evident right, but it is not self-implementing.”
As we move forward, we all have a responsibility to remain vigilant, engaged, and appreciative of others exercising their citizen responsibilities and rights. It has become evident that many of our elected leaders are incapable of healing our country, so citizens must do so. Together, we can find our common ground and the civility to accept differences. We must come together sharing ideas, listening and creating a path forward. Even if we disagree with fellow Americans, we must not close our minds to each other.
Let us celebrate those that speak out with civility against anti-democratic actions, petty divisive rhetoric or deliberate distractions from important issues, while keeping our own eyes and hearts wide open.
Barbara Thiele, New Meadows
This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Thiele letter: Eyes wide open, hearts pumping."