On Oct. 6 The Monitor published a letter to the editor from Ned Sheats of Mission, titled “New topics requested.”
Mr. Sheats suggests that we (I, Joel Ramirez and others) stop rehashing the same old topics “over and over” again. Topics like the insurrection, corruption in government and hate, discontent, bigotry and division currently being used and abused by politicians to gain power and control over our form of government and “We the People.”
Mr. Sheats is wrong. It would be nice to speak of other things. Even suggesting answers or making some suggestions on “how to solve the issues that are negatively affecting America nearly to the point of dissolution,” as Mr. Sheats seems to so patriotically state. Or, as Mr. Sheats suggests, write about how to “replace gerrymandering with a geographically equal system not designed by any party to exclude or include a particular type of voter.” If only that were possible.
Where has Mr. Sheats been for the last five or six years? Is he totally unaware of our disintegrating political system? Is he not aware of the Republican agenda of absolute obstruction of any “answers” or “solutions” to the ever-growing discontent, hate, bigotry and division being espoused by our very own governmental officials?
We cannot move forward with any answers or solutions to our problems by ignoring our current political situation. We cannot hide our heads in the sand, and simply move forward with America’s agenda of democratic government, which provides “We the People” the tools to find “answers” and “solutions,” when the very politicians running for office are those who have abandoned the idea of an American Dream, and seek to replace it with an “American Nightmare,” tried before in Germany and other countries around the world. Their “ideas” bring only destruction, pain and misery, not the “answers” or “solutions” Mr. Sheats seeks or wants.
So, I say to Mr. Sheats, what are your “answers” and “solutions” to dealing with or solving our current and ongoing political dilemma, if not repeating and attempting to show in some way the hypocrisy and duplicity of those in office and those attempting to gain power and control over our elections and our governance? We must continue repeating, over and over again, the threat and the risk of not doing anything, or simply ignore the problem and move forward into a wall of resistance and obstruction by those who control our government. We must have people like Joel Ramirez and others, who are willing to stand up and speak up, and not just ignore the problems we face.
In order to find “answers” and “solutions” to our many problems, we must have leaders who can see, hear and believe in our form of government, not those who are determined to exterminate the very seeds of our democracy with their autocratic, repressive and oppressive, misguided views and misrepresentation of our form of government.
Without acknowledging and dealing with the ongoing “assault” by “they” (those who espouse overturning our government), there will be no “answers” and no “solutions” to anything. So, people like Mr. Ramirez, and even people who think like I do, will continue to write about our current state of affairs, so that people can think and ponder “answers” and “solutions” as to how to return to the normalcy of our democracy, and continue the long struggles and hope of our hard-fought legacy. Answers and solutions can only be achieved in a free and open society. But first, we must ensure that we retain our freedoms by exposing the problems, and not sweeping them under the carpet to fester and grow, without acknowledging they exist.
One thing at a time, Mr. Sheats. First, let’s solve our current problem of who runs or controls our government. The answers and solutions you suggest will follow in a free and democratic society, where leaders respect themselves and the people they serve. Leaders should not control the people. The people control their destiny and their dreams. That is the American Dream.
Al Garcia lives in San Juan.
