The roots of democracy are the existence and acceptance of differing opinions. No one in their right mind wants only one view to prevail over all. Our nation has survived for 250 years living by this rule.

Even though the president-elect is an “old white man,” that thinking no longer prevails. I do not want either party to disappear, but to just morph into a relevant, functional entity. Our nation has done this many times. One hundred fifty years ago the GOP was the progressive party.

So please, for the sake of all, people need to stop ignoring the truth if it doesn’t agree with their politics. We just got a lesson on what lies can do to our democracy — much to Putin’s delight.

That’s not a hoax.

Rudolph Ziehm, Sabattus