Dear Editor:

The sheer number of politically-charged letters to the editor of national significance the past two weeks should be an ominous warning to everyone, as opposite reasons for distress were on full display.

Therefore, after first accepting the universal consensus that we are a lost and divided nation in dire need of an all-embracing cure to our civil conflict, we then merely need to realize that the root of the problem that is negatively affecting all aspects of freedom, security and basic living is in plain sight. After all, most of us grew up in the prosperous aftermath of a unifying and victorious world war and thus, justifiably trusted our national institutions for the most part. Yet, we are to blame for carelessly assuming that what we had is guaranteed.

At the same time the American experiment is being celebrated, there is a single dynamic its very survivability has always hinged upon. It’s the undeniable fact that the dissemination of truth and objectivity through a neutral free press has been the key foundation upon which the unique American system of governance was built upon by design in order for it to successfully function and survive.

Put more bluntly, without a dominant collection of national media outlets focused on their main mission of unbiased truth-telling, a nation of self-governance like ours automatically devolves into cynicism and despair as evidenced by the chaos we are watching destroy this once great nation.

During this time of rampant confusion as to what to believe, each of us should at least consider questioning everything we are told until self-verified as true or false and then recognizing that result as fact. In turn, this due diligence helps prolong the continuation of the only societal experiment in modern history to produce two and a half centuries of uninterrupted success.

Frank Gabl

Prospect Heights, Ill.