Images of the catastrophic landslide in the Himalayas unearthed a political comparison in my mind. Scientists now believe that, before the disaster, the bedrock beneath the glacier had shifted more than a foot. When it finally collapsed, an avalanche of rock, mud, and water thundered down the mountains at more than 100 miles per hour. Its mass was enough to fill 70 football stadiums. The people living in the valleys below were caught unaware and unprepared. Many were swept away.
I fear something similar is happening within our political system. The current administration is steadily moving the country toward a more autocratic form of government. Laws and legal safeguards are being ignored or dismantled. Human rights are violated without compunction. Science and truth are disregarded whenever they become inconvenient. Each action chips away at the constitutional bedrock of our democracy.
The ground beneath us is shifting, yet many remain unaware of the danger. Conditions seem increasingly favorable for elections to be restricted and power to become even more concentrated. My fear is that, come November, those responsible will celebrate the political landslide they have deliberately set in motion—while the rest of us are left to face the devastation below.
RICHARD BROACH
Delavan
