Republican cult and Jim Jones

Echo letter to the editor published in Houma Today, a Louisiana newspaper: American democracy died.

It was slain by #TFG Donald Trump and his cult minions in the U.S. Senate. Indeed, it was devastating to watch insurgents invade the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, our very center of democracy. 

This was done at the behest of their seditious leader, and the vast majority of the Republican party voted to acquit him, even after seeing and hearing overwhelming testimony sufficient to convict him.

By doing this, a clear message was sent to staffers and all personnel who work at the Capitol: You’re on your own. It’s tragically ironic that people were beaten and killed in defense of the very people who, by not voting to convict, seem to condone it. Not holding Trump accountable is an insult to every victim and every American patriot.

This blind commitment to Trump by these politicians is cult-like, and Trump seems cast as the new Jim Jones. What are these politicians afraid of? Why do some sacrifice their own moral standards for his benefit? What are they afraid of? 

I’ll tell you: They are afraid of YOU. They want to be reelected no matter what.

As long as you choose to look the other way and ignore the erosion of our American Constitution, set forth by our forefathers, and keep electing people like Trump, who seek not to govern but to rule, our country will suffer. 

Hold people like Donald Trump accountable, like any other citizen!

Too many valiant men and women have fought and died for the many freedoms we enjoy and take for granted, like voting. I am humbled by their sacrifice and I honor them by voting. We elected a new president, and Trump needs to get over it.

I pray that our beloved country can heal from this in spite of the injustice it has suffered. I pray for continued healing of the defenders of our Capitol. I pray nothing like that ever happens again. But after the verdict, no one can be sure.

I am reminded of a quote by Abraham Lincoln: “ America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.“ 

And the chilling words of Russian communist leader Nikita Khruschev in 1956: “We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S. . We will destroy you from within.”

Lou Anna Guidry