EDITOR:

Some of you will remember seeing this episode. Everyone else should find a way to watch it. “The Twilight Zone” original series, the episode was “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street.” The aliens didn’t have to invade Earth and fight to take over. All they did was find a small group in the suburbs where everyone knows everyone, and they all got along. The aliens land (hover) a couple of blocks away. The locals know that they heard a spacecraft land a block over. The aliens start doing tricks on the residents on Maple Street. The lights go out and then come back on in just one house, then another, then the phone rings, and the streetlight comes on and then all congregate under the streetlight all of the suspicions get started. One guy likes to go out and look at the stars – looking for his alien friends to show up? Then everybody is yelling at everyone and Ole’ Joe goes and grabs his gun and a brawl occurs, and the gun goes off and one guy is dead. The nice little community in the suburbs, where everyone knows everyone and they all got along, is changed forever.

I watched that episode and it just made me think that this country is headed down the same path, Maple Street. In my over 63 years, I have seen a lot and my first memories are just before JFK was killed. Then in small towns in Ohio, Indiana and Texas. All of them were just like Maple Street. Everyone knew everyone and we all got along. Now, if I voted for Trump, I’m a stupid racist idiot. If you voted for Biden, you don’t have a clue. It doesn’t matter which side you are on. We can’t see eye to eye on much of anything anymore and the divide gets violent way too quick. I was in a job where every week I would see another 40 couples, or families from another part of the country. It didn’t matter who you voted for, or what your opinion of something political, I was in charge of making your Waikiki vacation something special. This country was built on that kind of mentality; the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Is there hope left in this country? Or are we, like the residents on Maple Street, doomed to destroy ourselves?

We have the ability to bring about change, do we have the guts to get ‘er done?

Tom Grant

Escanaba