Take a deep breath, be thankful that once again America has begun to steer the ship of state back into a path of unity, insisting on truth and justice as our prime directives. Perhaps we’ll never fully know how close we came to losing the republic that Ben Franklin challenged us to keep if we could — but keep it we have, and now we must begin to repair the damage done during the past four years.
Begin by trying for common ground. The past four years have been spent in trying to divide the nation by striking fear into the people — we must now see that the common good is not a threat to any particular class or group of people, but a powerful force which could lift all Americans. Insist that both parties in Congress honor their oaths of office above any other concern. That will force them to work together for the good of all — and the battle will be uphill all the way.
Talk to the friends and family who sadly have fallen victims to the poison and lost one another from alienation. Your leaders should be the ones insisting on this, from their boardrooms, their pulpits, their classrooms, their elected offices and their editors' desks. Anything less will be a continuation of the past four years of betrayal.
And finally, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our Black, Indigenous, and people of color, who set aside their personal concerns to deliver America’s return to respect, competence and honor. Remember them in the coming years.
— Suzanne Miles
Eagle River
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