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Within 24 hours after Donald Trump swore to defend the Constitution, he issued an executive order that pardons 1,500-plus deluded people who had attempted to storm the Capitol, overthrow the government and overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. They broke into the building, attacked the police, paraded the Confederate flag, defecated on the floor, threatened the lives of Congress members, and erected a gallows and chanted to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence. All while Donald Trump watched — and for a long time, did nothing.
For more than four years he has gaslighted the country about a stolen election and stated that these insurrectionists, who were legally tried and convicted for their crimes, were heroes, patriots and hostages. And now they will go free.
This is intolerable and unforgivable to me. It is also an indication that Trump intends to rule by lies, fear and intimidation and to create an imperial and compliant government that more resembles Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping’s China and Hungary’s Viktor Orban. He has already indicated that he wants a compliant Congress that is not a co-equal partner but a Soviet-style politburo which merely praises the leader and claps politely.
Our representatives must hold their ground and defend the nation against Trump’s excesses. Our senators can start by demanding that cabinet applicants are more than mere fawning toadies and ideologues but instead have resumes to actually serve the American people. They must reject sub-par and incompetent candidates like Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They must use their duty to advise and consent or lose it.
Greg Rossel
Troy
