Can’t We All Just Get Along?
This letter to the editor, by Laurie Harmnon, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on October 30, 2025.
The division in our country is exhausting, but it’s also serious and has trickled down into our very families and communities. We can no longer escape what’s happening in America and the only question now is how each of us will react.
Many of us have passed the point of politely changing the subject when politics are mentioned. Truthfully, the politics have always been there, under the surface, waiting to bubble over whenever the water reaches a boiling point. We have always been a country of revolutionists. We are a people with something to say and we continue to fight for the freedom of speech to support that right.
250 years ago, we stood against a controlling, unfair, obstinate leader who cared more about the money the colonies made for him than the liberties of the people. In that way, we seem to have come full circle.
When Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Sherman and Livingston crafted the Declaration of Independence, which was essentially a breakup letter, they not only declared American independence from British rule, they listed the reasons for the split. The document is relatively short, hard-hitting and to the point. School children can easily understand and relate to the concepts and arguments.
Some of the colonists’ complaints against the king included: preventing people from moving to America by blocking laws that helped immigrants become citizens; placing standing armies in places during peacetime without the approval of local governments; hindering trade with other countries; declaring citizens enemies and waging war against them; and stirring up rebellions.
In 1776 we laid the foundation for our government. From the beginning and throughout our history, we have a proven track record of speaking up and speaking out against injustice, inequality and corruption. Protesting is in our DNA, as evidenced by the over 7 million people who showed up across over 2700 cities for the “No Kings” rally recently. Our national nature includes rebellion against tyranny, leading to a better way.
America is a work in progress, which can be exhausting, but the payoff is worth it. Democracy is worth the fight.