Many years ago, as a young Air Force pilot, I was cleared to land at an airfield along the Mississippi gulf coast. A fog bank was slowly moving in, covering the far end of the runway, and I was still hot and high, trying desperately to lose airspeed and altitude. Suddenly I realized that my feet were pressing on the brake pedals, instinctively trying to slow my approach. My training kicked in, I released the brakes, focused on the runway, landed safely and taxied in surrounded by the fog bank.

Our first instinct isn’t always our best. As I reel with the daily disasters unfolding in Washington I want to lash out at the administration and anyone damn fool enough to think this man wanted anything but chaos, power and revenge. But that’s my first instinct. And the only sure way to beat back this man and his minions is through our system of government.

Specifically the courts, the legislature, and the ballot box. Our justices need to hear from us regularly, expressing our opinions and our feelings. They are not immune to the public’s perception of what is just and fair. And our legislators on both sides of the aisle worry about one thing more than any other – getting re-elected. Either because they care about our country, or because they want job security. So they pay at least some heed to their mail.

If I had blindly continued my approach 50 years ago with the brakes applied I would, at best, have blown the tires. So, first instinct though it is, don’t just get angry. Instead write, early and often, forcefully and respectfully, to as many of these potentially patriotic justices and legislators as possible. Here’s where you can get some of the addresses you’ll need: www.supremecourt.gov › contact ›contactus

Find Your Members in the U.S. Congress | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Jim Talbert

Middlebury

I served in the Air Force from 1969-1974, training Vietnamese and Laotian pilots in Mississippi, and Air Force Academy cadets in Colorado. I retired from a financial advisory career in 2008.