I’m writing to convey my deep appreciation for Sen. Angus King’s speech honoring the legacy of Sen. Margaret Chase Smith’s courageous opposition to McCarthyism 75 years ago next month. In today’s politics, her ascension to the Senate might be considered a DEI hire.

King’s address calls to mind the powerful warning issued by Martin Niemöller in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust: “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists … Then they came for the Jews … Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

My only concern about Sen. King’s speech is his strong focus on the president, who lacks the integrity, understanding of democracy and respect for the rule of law that might cause him to change course. King referenced his colleagues having abandoned their duty to uphold the Constitution. But they need to be called out loudly and directly for their abject subservience and willful silence in response to the daily attacks on our democracy that King highlights.

That’s what drew so many into the streets on April 5, and it’s what calls so many of us to action now. I am proud to call Angus King my senator, but action that will bring about real change is what’s urgently needed.

Scott Landis
South Berwick