Judith Meyer, in her Jan. 7 editorial, misses the vital truths we must learn if we are to survive as a democracy. Blaming harsh political discourse for Jan. 6’s insurrection on the Capitol might seem fair minded and kind, but it totally misses the point and meaning of this historical moment.
One man and one party caused the riot. Egged on by most of his party, Trump has been a racist bully from the start. Words matter; words incite.
We have endured years of the president vilifying all those who have stood in his way as “evil” and as enemies of the people. Acts of violence have been committed in his name, and he has never denounced anyone or any act for it. Before being shamed, he celebrated the white supremacists and Neo Nazis in Charlottesville. Most recently, without a shred of evidence, he and his supporters have promulgated the myth that his so-called landslide victory was stolen from him by his vicious enemies on the left and the press.
So Jan. 6 he called on his minions to rise up, and they did. “We will never concede,” he said. “You will never take back our country with weakness.” And with those words he urged them on to the Capitol.
Jan. 6 is history now, but this terrible moment is far from over.
After 240 years, our democracy is still fragile and requires our care and vigilance if we are to pass it on.
Steve Bien, Jay
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.