January 6th Trumpzi attacks threatened Vice President Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi

An echo opinion letter published in the Indiana Star Press:

nsurrection and the subsequent #GQP attack!

Still, the Republicans that voted with Trumpzi was alarming!

Donald Trump is a dangerous fraud!

Our democracy is shaking on its foundation. Our U.S. Capitol, where the legislative branch of our government works, was invaded by a large mob of angered Trumpzi  #GQO (QAanon) loyalists who were incited by his persistent claim the presidential election was a rigged. Trump continued his fraudulent claims even after 60-plus lawsuits failed and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against his claim. 

State election officials, including numerous Republicans, again and again had found no impropriety in the results.

When the attack occurred, both legislative branches were in session. Their sole purpose in meeting that day was to certify each state’s Electoral College votes — something routinely following a presidential election. That day, however, the legislators barely escaped the rioters who threatened to assassinate Vice President Pence and Nancy Pelosi.

The insurrection was scary, but more upsetting to me was that only hours after they had narrowly escaped the insurgents, over 100 legislators voted against certifying the election. This signified these legislators chose Mr. Trump’s unproven claims over the Constitution.

While I was pleased Senator Mike Braun R-Indiana, withdrew his objection to certifying electoral votes, he did so only after the insurrection, which means the rioters believed they had his support. Senator Braun, you are a smart man, so why did you not use your intelligence to recognize and admit Trump’s illegal claim about the election was totally unsubstantiated. It took an insurrection to convince you. Why?  

Beckie Adams, Yorktown, Indiana

Republicans failed their own fundamental political principles

An echo opinion published in the Indiana Star Press newspaper:

Republican party must return to its principles! Restore dignity.

GOP, you should be ashamed of yourselves! Your corrosive agendas and constant villainizing of the “other side” have led us to this horrible chapter in our nation’s history. The terrorist attacks of 9/11, as shocking as they were, pale in comparison to the damage Trump has inflicted on our democracy during his four years.

On Jan. 6, anarchists, encouraged by their fallen idol, invaded and desecrated our U.S. Capitol. Their mission was to intimidate Congress and assassinate Mike Pence and Nancy Peloski.

The House has impeached Trump for a second time. The number should be five. Trump’s first impeachment dealt with his blackmailing of the Ukraine and, of course, Senate Republicans acquitted him, disallowing witnesses or evidence.

Contrary to William Barr’s interpretation, the Mueller report called for further investigation by Congress, a request that the GOP refused. Trump’s efforts to strong arm Georgia officials into committing election fraud should be considered an impeachment offense. The fifth instance is his selfish mishandling of COVID-19, resulting in over 400,000 (update, now 500,000!) deaths and trillions of lost dollars.

GOP politicians have stubbornly enabled this spoiled child for fear of being “primaried” in their next elections. It's past time for the Republican Party to return to their principles and part ways with this would-be dictator. You may lose the radical elements who blindly worship the Trumpian charlatan, but that’s a small price to pay for preserving our democracy and restoring your dignity.

Bill Grobey,  Muncie Indiana

Trump conspiracies are bunk!

Our democracy is consumed by misinformation

An echo opinion letter published in the Star Press, a Muncie, Indiana newspaper. 

https://www.thestarpress.com/story/opinion/readers/2021/01/23/muncie-letters-editor-jan-24/4238815001/

As a young boy back in the '70s, I remember standing in line at the grocery store with mom and noticing The National Enquirer, The Globe and other scandalous magazines. No words were exchanged but I remember Mom rolling her eyes as we both snickered. It’s surreal in today’s world where the internet and social media has become a dirt rag.

It amazes me otherwise intelligent people in every aspect of their lives believing misinformation that is obvious bunk. Maybe it’s just where we are in our evolutionary journey that our brains tend to gravitate toward stories rather than cold hard facts. 

We know that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West or that gravity is real and the Earth is not flat. There are no alternative facts to those conclusions.

Companies now exist to perpetuate false information for profit and manipulate public policy. The statement that former president Trump was an excellent businessman prior to the 2016, election after six bankruptcies (soon to be seven) is an example. Or that Bill and Hilary Clinton were running a pizza parlor pedophilia ring or that a doctor's report from Britain claiming Immunizations cause autism. 

It seems to me that our democracy is being consumed by misinformation and social media and how it all washes out is to be seen.

Our founders could never envision such threatening things to our republic; and if they could, I’m almost sure their mouths would be hanging open, in a state of (disappointing) bewilderment.

Rich Stahl  Muncie, Indiana