Dear Editor:

Jan. 6 is the one-year anniversary of a violent insurrection. The investigation continues and we have yet to serve justice on all those who plotted, funded, and encouraged those lawless acts. Former President Trump’s role in the worst domestic attack on our democracy ever was not his first, coming just days after attempts to pressure the Georgia Secretary of State to fraudulently change Georgia’s election results.

Having lost both the popular and electoral college votes needed to stay in office, Trump led a campaign of lies, attempted to interfere with the legal certification of election results, and incited right-wing extremists to violent acts of domestic terrorism against Congress. The insurrection failed only because members of Congress were removed to safety by Capitol Police just before the Senate chamber was breached. Thanks to their bravery, the duties of the House and Senate to formally acknowledge the rightfully elected Joseph Biden as president were delayed, but not prevented. But not before 140 police officers were injured in the attack.

If you are among those who fondly remember when your Republican party was the party of Lincoln, I feel for you. If it were still true, I’d be a Republican today. But the time is long gone when the Republican party leaders stood for “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

The party that once believed in human rights and fair elections now embraces undermining election fairness, disregarding election results, and declaring their own winners. Some Republican officials talk about Democrats as vermin and make veiled threats of assasination against other members of Congress. Such talk has incited threats of violence toward elected officials and poll workers. What today’s Republican party leaders stand for isn’t democracy. It's a lawless, violent, and oppressive dictatorship. We can’t continue down that path.

I still believe in the best intentions expressed in our founding documents, that all people have the same rights, and in truth, justice, and government of, by, and for the people. In 2022, let’s all work, regardless of party, to support justice, respect truthfulness, and restore fair and democratic elections.

Christopher Johnson

Somerville

Chair, Lincoln County Democratic Committee