Editor’s note: This letter is in response to Victor Nuovo’s column in the Jan. 10 edition of the Addison Independent.
Dear Victor,
Thank you for proposing a constructive pathway to defending our democratic system of government. You are right to point out that our “great experiment” is threatened to the extent that we may be tempted to feel helpless and reluctant to watch each day’s new trespass.
We will be eager to learn how the lessons of history can be used to reassert our democratic practices. Beyond assuring our Washington delegation of our firm support, we need no further effort in that direction. How can we play a useful role closer to home? Perhaps our best hope lies first with the Mueller report. Surely, the reestablishment of civility and orderly government will require the commitment of all good citizens to the fundamentals that your essays will provide.
So thanks. With you, we also appreciate the Independent for supplying this vital public education. 
Dick Cramton and
Betty Thurber
Middlebury