Letter to the editor: Dark day in our country’s history hopefully leads to bright future
Wednesday, January 6, 2021 will be a dark day embedded in our country’s history. That day, a mob egged on and encouraged by our POTUS, stormed our Capitol. Vandalism, theft, and violence occurred. People were hurt with one woman dying from a gunshot. These so-called “Patriots” desecrated the seat of our federal government. Selfies were taken and one man proudly posed with mail he had stolen from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Our country, along with the rest of the world watched with horror and dismay. How could this happen in our beloved democratic republic?
There is a terrible divide in this country. The 2016 election had a surprise victor, Donald Trump. I remember watching him and his family during a TV interview and him solemnly saying he would work on bringing our country together. That never happened. We instead had increasingly divisive rhetoric, countless lies, name-calling, and belittling, denigrating, and outrageous behavior from our POTUS. Conspiracy theories flourished about a Deep State. There was a loss of judgement and critical thinking. What shocked me most of all was the silence and complicity of those close to him. Repeatedly, we heard apologies or he was simply ignored. That is my simplistic explanation on how we arrived to January 6, 2021. You keep putting fuel on a fire and it eventually gets away from you.
I hope that proper consequences occur for those involved. I hope the enactment of the 25th amendment or impeachment occurs. I hope those who supported the challenge of certain states certified votes would be voted out of office or resign, our Representative Doug LaMalfa included. I hope for peace and the ability to work across the great divide in our country. I hope for a lifting of the darkness that has weighed so many people down. I hope for a bright and just future for everyone. I hope for love and forgiveness. I hope for hope.
Laura E Rodriguez
Quincy, Ca
