Seeing someone punch a pregnant woman would make us angry. That is the healthy response. Seeing someone traumatize a child would make us angry. That is the healthy response. We have just watched our country open a Pandora’s box of ugly, hurtful, selfish behavior. Anger is the healthy response. I’m still stuck in a place of grieving, hopelessness and shame for our country.
When I can crawl out of this place, I want to join you in your place of angry energy; to be present for those friends and strangers who will now need protection because they are not acceptable in the new “trumpopolis.”
If you are angry because of our diminished place in the world, you are in the right place of energy. Now we need to find the most powerful places to put this energy! We need to protect the children with hope. We need to protect all that we have won during the last eight years. Find your compassion for whatever cause calls to you and support it.
We can start locally with supporting our schools, health clinics and neighbors. Don’t waste energy with those who voted for Trump. They had the facts, and chose, in their selfishness, to ignore them. I won’t support their businesses. I won’t donate to their causes. They have gone low, so I will strive to go high.
Honey DoneganQuechee
To all those who voted for the president-elect:
You may not be a bigot. You may not be a racist. You may not grope women and brag about it. You may never have called women fat pigs or dogs. You may not want to ban immigrants to the United States based solely on their religion or ethnicity. You may not require constant adulation to feed your insatiable ego. You may not say whatever the people in front of you want to hear only to say the opposite the next day.
You probably would not think of behaving this way.
But you do think it is appropriate for your president to be and do all of these things.
You have sown the wind, now get ready to reap the whirlwind.
Lloyd BuntenCanaan
Where Have the Grown-Ups Gone?
This is in response to a Washington Post article published in the Valley News titled, “Where Are the Grown-Ups After Florence Henderson’s Death?,” Nov. 26). I will say that they have gone to where the youth of today have placed them — into a world of insignificance. The media, in particular television, have thoroughly de-emphasized the importance of parents with shows depicting casual sex and “partying” as the way to live. Parents are made to look like fools or “know-nothings” in those rare shows that depict any type of family presence.
I recall the shows Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, Family Ties,The Brady Bunch and others, that demonstrated the importance of parents in the family and how they guided youngsters through the numerous pitfalls of the adolescence years. But today, the youth are dictating to the parents concerning the lifestyle they want to live, not realizing that parents have had more than 20 or 30 years more experience with life.
It’s not surprising that church attendance has waned over the years, not only because of disinterested youth, but also because most parents (also raised with little or no discipline) do not put an emphasis on moral behavior and respect for one another.
Our government has deteriorated into a morass of incompetence, feeding only on the wants and desires of corporations and the extremely wealthy. The past presidential election demonstrated how much our values have diminished when the best that the two parties had to offer were candidates with little or no morality.
Who is to blame? I am, for not standing up at crucial times and speaking out against the immorality that was rapidly creeping into our television shows and for not admonishing politicians who recklessly devalue our lives for their own selfish interest. Shame on me.
Jim MinnichBethel
Happier Times Ahead
With all the hubbub about the election, I’m glad to see signs that people are being cheerful and keeping their hopes up. While driving around the valley, I’ve noticed a lot of Christmas decorations being prepared. Also nice that no one has turned them on yet. I am anticipating seeing the annual Christmas show!
I’m also glad to read all the letters reminding people to respect the process and go forward. Regardless of all the rhetoric, differing opinions and angry words, maybe we can still stick together as Americans. Let’s enjoy the holidays. That’s also what we’re about.
Stephen Raymond Sharon
Scrooge, Reconsidered
If you and your family have not seen the Northern Stage production of A Christmas Carol, get to it! (It plays through Dec. 24.) Not only is the acting superb, but the sets, lighting, and special effects are extraordinarily creative and make for a thoroughly enjoyable performance. And Scrooge is nowhere near as grumpy as I had remembered him to be!
Jim Wilson Strafford