Letter: Peaceful and functioning democracy, or autocratic country?

To the editor:

Yes, I am very disappointed that the Senate did not convict Donald J. Trump of Incitement of Insurrection, because it was painfully clear that he was/is guilty. Even Mitch McConnell said so.

Can you just imagine what the Republicans would be doing if it had been Barack Obama inciting Black Lives Matter to storm the Capitol? Oh, how different they would be looking at it. Even John Kasick said “If the GOP doesn’t find a way to dump Trump and start anew, the party will fall in on itself.” I think the Republican Party should cultivate Liz Cheney. I think she is the future of the Republican Party. Not Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Democracy is America’s most important brand and Trump damaged it. He has lied at a pace unmatched by any other leader in history. Post-truth is pre-fascism. That is where we are today, and that is very scary. This is what Germany looked like in 1933.

The day before the attack on our Capitol by domestic terrorists, messages online called for things like “Be ready to fight!” “Congress needs to hear glass breaking and doors being kicked in!” “Get violent!” “Stop calling this a march or a rally or a protest! Go there ready for war!” Yet they said they had no idea it would get this bad. Give me a break!

We watched an insurrection of domestic terrorists incited and formatted and planned by our very own president! It is abundantly clear that Trump was the worst president in our history, but by letting him off the hook, we may in the future have a president even worse. People thinking an individual is more important than the Constitution resulted in Jan. 6.

It boils down to, are we going to have a peaceful and functioning democracy, or an autocratic country?

Our country has been knocked down and bruised, so we have to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start anew. We can do this. There’s a new sheriff in town who said “Democracy prevailed! America is back!” Let’s work together and prove him right.

Watch out world. Here we come! Truth, justice and the American way!

Kathryn Bonnell