Editor:
Let’s try to understand what we as a nation have just gone through these past few months.
The U.S. Capitol Building and other parts of the District of Columbia as of early January were under the protection of the National Guard and law enforcement agencies of the country. The reason was because of possible armed protests, especially what took place on Jan. 6 and fears of it during the inauguration of our new president on Jan. 20.
You and many others may say, “Why is this happening when we are trying to fight off the COVID-19 pandemic here and around the world?”
Is it possible that we as Americans can be united to eradicate this virus and repair our economy? Let us all be supportive of our new government administration in resolving these two important issues and others going forward.
It has been said by some that we are a divided nation. That may be true on certain issues, but I would like to believe that as true Americans, we can and will accomplish what needs to be done.
We as the “United” States of America have endured in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
We as a nation should consider what our founding fathers would say about our present condition, being divided as we are now, and trying to understand why.
Let us consider and review some of their thoughts and ideas about this new nation of ours.
They also had to deal with some diversity of views, ideas and thoughts and how to become the nation we are now.
This is what was said by John Adams in defense of the British soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials, December 1770: “Facts are stubborn things, and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
Perhaps we can relate these words directly to the 2020 presidential election.
This next statement was from Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Peter Carr on Aug. 19, 1781: “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions.”
Perhaps we can relate these words directly to our 45th president of the United States.
For this new year of 2021, let us all work together ideally as one United States of America for whatever issues we are challenged with. We must do this not only for ourselves but for our children and grandchildren.
We need to show the world that our nation is still here to solve problems, differences and always seek liberty and justice for all the peoples of the world.
Thomas E. Carter
Rio Rancho
