The fact that Donald Trump won the election is a huge red flag. A Canadian once told me they feel Americans are greedy, angry, armed racists. It was offensive, but now it appears we are achieving all these. Civility, compassion, respect for diversity and fairness is in decline on all levels, global, national, state, town and community.

The power of Fox News and social media is clearly in evidence and has become a very effective way to distribute false and inflammatory information. Spreading fear, hate and blame is an effective tool to stir discontent and build allegiance to an autocratic government.

I recently attended three large protests in Portland and one thing stood out: Most of the people there were age 40 or above. Where are the young people? We need to resist the current administration’s efforts to tear down democracy. While Trump creates distracting chaos and division, Stephen Miller and the Project 25 team work to disable the courts, threaten Congress, compromise elections and benefit the wealthy. We are a young democracy, based on the excellent foresight of the Founding Fathers, who never anticipated the current situation that compromises balance of power, creates global chaos and benefits a very small minority.

It’s time to push back. Contacting our representatives and senators helps, but working at the local level is critical as well. We can regain civility, compassion, respect for diversity and fairness, but it takes focus and commitment.

Craig Kinney
Yarmouth