Letters to the editor: Capitol riots, Trump and the Republican Party

Riots

For those who traveled to Washington, D.C., and took part in the riot at the Capitol:

18 U.S. Code § 2101 - Riots

(a) Whoever travels in interstate or foreign commerce or uses any facility of interstate or foreign commerce, including, but not limited to, the mail, telegraph, telephone, radio, or television, with intent—

(1)to incite a riot; or

(2)to organize, promote, encourage, participate in, or carry on a riot; or

(3)to commit any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; or

(4)to aid or abet any person in inciting or participating in or carrying on a riot or committing any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; and who either during the course of any such travel or use or thereafter performs or attempts to perform any other overt act for any purpose specified in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of this paragraph— [1]

Shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

John Llewellyn, Boise

Confederate flag

It is sadly ironic that 156 years after the Party of Lincoln kept the Confederate Battle Flag out of the nation’s Capitol, at the cost of 360,222 Union soldiers killed and one president assassinated; that same party would be culpable in allowing that Battle Flag to be paraded unimpeded through the Halls of Congress. In fact, some members of the Party of Lincoln extolled the virtues of those who rampaged through the Capitol on Jan. 6 carrying that banner. The Republican Party leadership should be ashamed at what they have wrought, apologize to the American people and remove the titular head of their party. Shame on them for their silence and acceptance of the “Stop the Steal” lies and actions over the past two months.

Frederic Abt, Boise

Republican Party

We now know, without a doubt, what America looks like when one of its two major political parties no longer believes in democracy. Republicans, as a political party, have lost any legitimate claim that they stand for constitutional principles, conservative values or Democracy. They pledged fealty to and supported a party icon who tried to undermine the trust in our elections and the will of the people by “falsely” claiming wide-spread voter fraud. This election hoax was nothing but an all-out effort to seize government control (coup) and install a dictator. The Republicans, including Idaho’s Simpson and Fulcher, could have stopped this election hoax, but instead they supported it (Texas lawsuit), and their failure to act contributed to the Trump incited attack by his supporters on the Capitol building. Remember the heavily armed pro-Trump militias who invaded the Michigan state capital with Trump cheering them on? After the attack on the capital, it is apparent that Trump is willing to burn America’s institutions to the ground if that is what it takes to save himself. Authoritarianism did not and will not make America great.

Tom Lorentz, Boise

Virus

Now we know. President Donald Trump is the virus that was and is infecting the United States of America. He has, for four years, spread his poisonous vile, hate and lies. Among those carrying and spreading his virus are Idaho Rep. Russ Fulcher. He has blood on his hands for the deaths and the assault on the Constitution. To my Republican friends who are trying to explain the sedition away as legal protest, as the violence of only a few, I say you too have been infected with the Trump virus. There is no justification for what happened. It was criminal, it was deadly, it was treason. I ask them: If your home was invaded by a crazed mob shouting, “Hang ‘em! Hang ‘em!”, would you justify them as peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment right? Your silence and shame expresses your true feelings.

Russell Joki, Meridian