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Letter to the Editor: A Lesson Learned on How Fragile Our Democracy Is

We now know who Donald Trump is, though we always really knew. We always knew he was a liar, making up “alternative facts” that would suit his own ends. We always knew he had no respect for norms or laws. He would break them all to suit his ambitions. We always knew he had no knowledge or respect for our Constitution. His own personal ambitions would trump them all. We knew he hated “losers,” a group that now includes him.

What we didn’t know was how truly fragile our democracy was. We should be very grateful to those Republican officials in Georgia and Pennsylvania and to Vice President Pence, who were able to resist Trump and who had the courage to put the rule of law, truth and principle above party loyalty. 

We took our democracy for granted. Little did we appreciate Benjamin Franklin’s warning that ours was “a republic if you can keep it.” We’ve kept it for now, but barely.

Harvey Friedson

Egg Harbor, Wisconsin