I have a few thoughts regarding the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Congress coordinated by Donald Trump and his team, and carried out by his supporters.
First, to the sadly misguided dupes who believe every conspiracy theory they hear from the far-right extremist media that have infected our nation like a creeping, oozing cancer—grow up. Try to understand what it means to be a responsible American.
It means that you truly believe in and support freedom, justice, and opportunity for all Americans—regardless of skin color, gender, religion, national origin, or political persuasion. It means you truly believe in democracy. As in, sometimes you lose elections.
It also means that you believe in the law. A delusional president who thinks he has all the powers of an emperor or a dictator, and can literally do anything he wants, is still not above the law no matter how infatuated you are with him and his self-aggrandizing bullshit.
On the other hand, being an American does not give you permission to physically attack the institutions we have held sacred for nearly 250 years (and which are continually improving) just because your favorite celebrity idol has whipped you up into a pseudo-patriotic froth.
And let’s not forget that Trump could never have successfully pulled off this assault on the people of the United States without the devoted help of dozens of pathetic, hypocritical Republican officials (McConnell, McCarthy, Hawley, Cruz, Rubio, Nunes, Jordan, and many others).
These cowards and ass-kissers have continuously supported the Trump administration’s lies and crimes—at least until Jan. 6, when they suddenly became terrified and appalled at Trump’s unleashed mob, cried for help, and issued multiple statements about how awful and un-American it all was.
These hollow men and women masquerading as our “representatives” need to be held fully accountable for their actions by the American people. Unfortunately, there is no practical way to hold accountable the many millions of rank-and-file Republican voters who knowingly went along with Trump’s endless attacks on our democracy without a peep.
Finally, it should be noted that Trump, his family, and his close associates are guilty of repeated acts of treason. My understanding has always been that under federal law, treason is a capital crime. I see no reason the law cannot be applied as intended in this case.
Christopher Hamma
Arroyo Grande
This article appears in Volunteers 2021.
This is an amazing “letter.”
Where to start. First, the “attack” on the capital started 20 minutes before Trump ended his speech. It takes another 20 minutes to walk to the capitol. So this “attack” started 40 minutes BEFORE it was “incited.” Strange.
A tiny number of people made that attack, and it is not yet clear who they were. But more than 99% of the people who attended the Trump rally had nothing to do with that assault.
And Mr. Trump said to protest “peacefully.” If you do not believe in the right of peaceful protest, you do not understand the nature of a free society.
Your verbal slurs deprive your comments of legitimacy. 74.2 million Americans voted for Mr. Trump, and they are very likely to be among the most patriotic citizens in our country. That many of them believed the election had been “stolen” from Mr. Trump is not irrational. Mr. Trump received more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016. Mr. Biden apparently received more votes (by an enormous margin) than did the much more compelling Barak Obama.
More than 70% of our population now believe that the mainstream press (which is now controlled by a very small number of families who are part of the “elite” in Washington and New York), has been unfairly biased against Trump, starting on the first day of his administration. Their 24/7 assault on him for four years has had the inevitable consequence of many of their readers and listeners having a very distorted view of the administration. That the Horowitz Report and its now declassified footnotes showed that the Department of Justice and FBI actively tried to damage the Trump administration, adds fuel to the allegations of unfair treatment of Mr. Trump by the press and the Washington “swamp.”
And when it comes to moral equivalency, I suspect that the majority of Trump’s supporters would say that the hundreds injured, the destruction of more than $8 billion of property, the arson, assaults, looting and destruction of small businesses in our country this summer, were criminal and should have been criticized by the governments which excused them at every turn. Note that even Ms. Harris raised money to bail out the rioters who had been apprehended by police in those violent demonstrations and said that they should not stop.
Apparently hypocrisy is a part of the politics of the left.
So there!
Hi Chris
I couldn’t have laid it out any better than you have. Thanks for posting an unfiltered spot-on comment.
To Christopher Hamma, I say “thank you,” for your excellent and truthful comments. Never has our country seen the level of disintegration in our democracy as we have experienced with the maniac who has ruled as an autocrat for the last 4 years. I say good riddance; may we be able to restore and heal from the horrors we have experienced.
To Clovis Dad, I say wake up! You have been sadly sucked in to a cult-style form of a political movement that has done great harm to our country. Democracy cannot suffer such tyrants and the fools who believe in them!
Tina Dickason
“he “attack” on the capital started 20 minutes before Trump ended his speech. It takes another 20 minutes to walk to the capitol. So this “attack” started 40 minutes BEFORE it was “incited.””
That is true only if you discount all the preceding calls “to “fight” for your country”. Trump has been asking his supporters for months to “fight’ for his right to remain President. He did not just call for them to vote and get others to vote for him. He asked them to “fight”. A term that implies physical actions, not just talk. So they acted.
The rioters were wrong to “storm” the Capitol and the arrests are prosecutions cannot be completed too soon. It is questionable whether Trump can be held responsible as well.
After having watched the friendly media coverage of this summer’s BLM riots, with police chiefs “taking a knee” to show solidarity with the rioters, rioters being allowed to paint their murals on public property, and politicians falling over each oter trying to accommodate the demands of the rioters (such as defunding the police), you can understand how the violent kooks of the far right might get the impression that violence is an effective technique to get their way. And we have liberals suddenly crying “insurrection!” after having spent the summer cooing approvingly at the seizure and occupying of the Seattle police station and the surrender of 6 city blocks to rioters, and 1 00 days spent trying to burn down the Federal courthouse in Portland. The liberal hypocrisy is staggering.
Very well said Mr. Hamma. Thank you!!!!!
Why even bother talking to Lefty’s….if you argue with an idiot….what does that make you?…Libby’s always have that holier than thou look on their faces…the time for talk is over!
Clovis Dad: I presume the survey you report is this one, which is phenomenally biased? https://www.npr.org/2017/02/17/515791540/t…
And we liberals did not have to read/watch/listen to mainstrem media to form negative impressions of Trump. All we had to do was follow his Tweets. And, I have to ask you, where do you get your news? Breitbart, Fox?
As for you comments about the Horowitz Report, more misinterpretations. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/20…
Keith Cambell, if the “time for talk is over,” what are you suggesting?
clovis dad, let me see if I understand your rebuttal.
“Where to start. First, the “attack” on the capital started 20 minutes before Trump ended his speech. It takes another 20 minutes to walk to the capitol. So this “attack” started 40 minutes BEFORE it was “incited.” Strange”
So, what you’re saying is Trump had nothing to do with what happened at the Capitol.
“A tiny number of people made that attack, and it is not yet clear who they were. But more than 99% of the people who attended the Trump rally had nothing to do with that assault. And Mr. Trump said to protest “peacefully.” If you do not believe in the right of peaceful protest, you do not understand the nature of a free society.”
They were just a couple of bad apples, so to speak. Then why the outcry and sympathy? They should be caught and get punished to the the fullest extent of the law.
(Your verbal slurs deprive your comments of legitimacy. 74.2 million Americans voted for Mr. Trump, and they are very likely to be among the most patriotic citizens in our country. That many of them believed the election had been “stolen” from Mr. Trump is not irrational. Mr. Trump received more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016. Mr. Biden apparently received more votes (by an enormous margin) than did the much more compelling Barak Obama.)
All that means is more people voted. Perhaps, because they felt the need to, where as in past elections, they didn’t. In all honesty, I flipped a coin. The rare occasion the electoral college system doesn’t go their way, simply isn’t a good enough excuse to be sore losers- that goes for both the Capitol protesters and Trump. I thought Trump was going to be the first Persident in our nation’s history to forcibly removed from the White House. His refusal to concede in a timely manner showed that he lacked etiquette necessary and was conduct unbecoming of the Office of the Presidency. And, oh btw, i voted for the guy.
“More than 70% of our population now believe that the mainstream press (which is now controlled by a very small number of families who are part of the “elite” in Washington and New York), has been unfairly biased against Trump, starting on the first day of his administration. Their 24/7 assault on him for four years has had the inevitable consequence of many of their readers and listeners having a very distorted view of the administration. That the Horowitz Report and its now declassified footnotes showed that the Department of Justice and FBI actively tried to damage the Trump administration, adds fuel to the allegations of unfair treatment of Mr. Trump by the press and the Washington “swamp.”)
But, not the 70% of voting Americans.
“And when it comes to moral equivalency, I suspect that the majority of Trump’s supporters would say that the hundreds injured, the destruction of more than $8 billion of property, the arson, assaults, looting and destruction of small businesses in our country this summer, were criminal and should have been criticized by the governments which excused them at every turn. Note that even Ms. Harris raised money to bail out the rioters who had been apprehended by police in those violent demonstrations and said that they should not stop.”
If you’re refering to BLM, the difference is that it was about social injustice and police brutality. It was a desperate cry for help and reform. There were two sides to that protesting and rioting. The police taking a side, where as they needed to remain impartial, was what made it so volatile and destructive. What happened at the Capitol wasn’t. Those folks were in doubt of the results of our voting system of electing the President- the very same one that put Trump in the White House.
“Apparently hypocrisy is a part of the politics of the left.”
And, on the right.