What a strange situation we face! The search for harmony has always been difficult, so difficult that we once fought a civil war when some abandoned the effort. Now we search for some common ground from which we might begin to pull together. That search is frustrated by an inability to find an agreed upon body of information. Illustrative of our problem is the treatment of the 2020 election and its aftermath. A number of people and a majority of one of our political parties insist that the election was fraudulent. They hold that position without the kind of evidence which is acceptable in a court of law.
On the other hand, many of that group take the position that the January 6th event at the U.S. Capitol was not a violent, lawless activity in spite of legal evidence (sworn testimony, photographic accounts, etc.) to the contrary. The U.S. prides and promotes itself as devoted to the “rule of law.” We measure other countries by the extent of their devotion to that principle. Now we face the dilemma of wholesale rejection of that basic principle. Most alarming is the willingness of national politicians, major media outlets and candidates for local state and national office to support the erosion of fundamental principles. We would like to believe that people will reject that path. But if people can’t or won’t vote, the loudest, most organized voices will control and cement measures to prevent opposition from obstructing their path.
Richard Hesse
Hopkinton