Truth is part of our heritage. We need to rediscover it. | Letter

I write as a ninth-generation Virginian, whose family fought in the Revolution for one principle: truth. Families in Maine — my own included, just north of Portland — fought for that same principle. Without truth, there is no independence, no freedom and no legitimate self- government. A free people cannot act freely if they cannot first see clearly.

Truth is the precondition of all republican liberty. Independence requires the ability to judge reality as it is, not as it is distorted. Freedom requires citizens who can make decisions grounded in fact, duty and shared conscience. When truth collapses, self-government collapses with it; the people become manipulable, and the institutions meant to serve them become hollow.

Maine has long understood this. Its civic character is built on directness, duty and accountability. People cannot bluff their way through a Maine winter or a working harbor; the land itself demands honesty. That expectation of plain dealing is part of the state’s moral architecture, and it is worth defending.

This election is about whether truth is an obligation of our heritage. When leaders abandon it, they erode the inheritance secured by those who fought before us. Sen. Susan Collins has repeatedly abetted failures of honor, duty and collective historical conscience, and Mainers deserve better stewards of their trust.

Truth is not a partisan instrument. It is the foundation of independence and freedom themselves.

Once, our ancestors — Virginian and Mainer alike — risked everything to secure it.

Once again, the nation looks for truth.

Tom Inman
Purcellville, Va.

Copy the Story Link

Tagged: letter to the editor