Patrick Leahy: “from the sweeping Green Mountains to the shores of the iconic Lake Champlain, one need look no further than Vermont to…”

“from the sweeping Green Mountains to the shores of the iconic Lake Champlain, one need look no further than Vermont to find the beating heart of America. To this day, communities across Vermont are welcoming refugees from around the world and most recently from war-torn Afghanistan. It is our history as a nation of immigrants that make these United States, as George Washington put it, the Great Experiment. But with each passing moment, it seems this simple foundation of our Nation is under attack. Nationalism is on the rise and, with it, the threat that bedrock principles of our democracy are threatened. The strength of our Nation rests not in what divides us, but in what unites us. By sharpening the division, we edge toward authoritarianism, as Vermonter Haviland Smith wrote earlier this month in his column, ``Rural Ruminations.'' Another of our great Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, so clearly said, ``A house divided cannot stand.'' Those words, now nearly 164 years old, are as true today as ever. I would invite everyone to read Haviland's recent column, and I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record. Its observations, and importantly the questions he pose, deserve thoughtful consideration. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [From the Times Argus, Jan.…”