Letter to the Editor: Submitted by Karen Carlton

To the Editor:

If you are an American citizen, you must stand up for your rights now. The current administration’s actions are like a hurricane, destroying everything in its path. A hurricane doesn’t discriminate but destroys whatever or whoever is in its way.

I like the right to vote for candidates. I want to know the military is being guided by smart people who live their duties and responsibilities. I want Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid to be there for all. I need to have the finest scientists overseeing the nation’s health and research. I want the best and brightest educators to engage students of all ages and stages of learning. I need journalists who are protected. I want to know that the vulnerable populations are respected. I must have three independent branches of government, and have the rule of law applied to all. I want good housing, wages, and benefits for all. I require due process and presumption of innocence under the law.

All of this and more is under attack and if you don’t speak up, you are complicit in the destruction.  We don’t have the luxury of time to wait for mid-terms.

Before World War II, many Germans chose to be lulled into believing their leader wasn’t that bad. Even when imperfect, democracy beats dictatorship every time. I would much rather work to improve democracy than watch it be blown to pieces.

Karen Carlton
Waukon