Race to the finish line

by Will Walker, Hamilton

I would like to begin this letter to the editor by saying that most political discourse in our country now is pure garbage. Sheer, unadulterated refuse. I think that pressing my eyes against a cathode-ray television and beaming uninterrupted static into my brain for a dozen hours would be a healthier use of my time than reading about the election, a week before the big day.

Some of you may recall that I wrote semi-regularly to the Bitterroot Star up until this summer, when the flow of letters stopped. I meant to write again- I really did- but when I sat down to try to say something about anything, that feeling of disgust overwhelmed all my interest in coming back into the fray. It was a decision made in the interest of my own mental health, and were we not at the height of our political fervor, I could have probably stayed out. Nevertheless, here I am now. I wanted to get one last word in before the ballots are counted.

This word is addressed to the regular patrons of the Opinion section of our local newspapers, who seem to exemplify this deterioration of our discussions around politics. I really, legitimately cannot remember the last time two opposing viewpoints were able to have a respectful, good-faith discussion about issues that mattered to them. Everything seems to degrade into ad-hominem attacks and you-know-what flinging at the other side. What do you think happens when that becomes the normal means by which we engage with each other? We take it to the ballots. Our politicians begin to pick up that anger and turn it on the other side. Faster than you would ever know, we turn from a functional democracy into a battleground. January 6th didn’t happen because we all held hands and skipped around the Capitol. It was a reaction, and the more rage and animosity we pump into our debates, the stronger and more violent those reactions will become.

I personally know several people in the valley who have told me they’re ready to take up arms. Do you hear yourselves? Making war on your own countrymen? Do you understand what there is to lose? We are at the most pivotal moment in the history of the American experiment, whether you are able to recognize it or not. What happens in the next few weeks will determine the fate of our democracy. Do not be the person who throws it all away.