As Republicans target crime as a focal point in the upcoming election, what they fail to acknowledge is that seven of the states in the top 10 with the highest per capita crime rate are all red states.
They would have you believe that an assault on the Capitol of the United States and the officers that were beaten in an attempt to protect it was simply an act that your eyes shouldn’t believe and not a crime at all.
You had an opportunity to demonstrate your support for law enforcement in the days after Jan. 6. Instead, you turned your back on those officers.
And again, when top secret government documents were taken without proper authorization, the party of Lincoln one more time provided cover for this ex-president and attacked another branch of law enforcement, the FBI. I guess laws are only enforceable as long as you get to dictate what those laws are.
The practice of dodge, deceive and confuse has become an art form with the once-respected conservative party of America.
We have watched some of our closest friends, family and acquaintances fall victim to the lies and whims of a self-centered, egotistical, Hitler-like character. His lies have led to the demise of not only a respected political party but also to the demise of the personal character of people, chosen by the people, to have honor, courage and dedication to America. They have supported this character even after he inspired an attack on this very government simply because the word defeat was not in his vocabulary.
After over 60 American courts threw out his false claims of voter fraud, he continued his crusade of lies and falsehoods challenging the fabric of American democracy because each time he has made that claim, he is saying that he doesn’t believe in the American democratic process, in favor of what we see in Russia, Iran or Venezuela.
If you believe that over 60 courts of law were wrong in those decisions, why would you ever believe in any judicial process in future? Why would you believe in the outcome of any sporting event without the proclamation of being cheated?
Like a house of cards, the pillars of democracy are slowly being pulled away with these ill-advised false claims of voter fraud, all for the purpose of giving one man a moment of comfort. In Arizona, for example, after a series of recounts, Joe Biden was awarded more votes than previously thought.
In 2016, J.D. Vance stated that Donald Trump was America’s Hitler; now he cries out for Trump’s attention. That same year, Sen. Lindsey Graham said, “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed and deservedly so.”Even after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Graham said he had enough, only to cling tightly to this fatally flawed man when the opportunity presented itself.
Character in the Republican party is bridge too far for many, as they have made attaching themselves to a lie the measuring stick as to how far they will follow you. It’s all based on a lie that they know is a lie, but fear that without adherence to that lie they have no political future. It is a lie that propels innocent election workers to endure threats upon their lives because of false claims that have repeatedly been debunked.
In times of fear, good habits are so much easier to rid yourself of than bad ones, as demonstrated by today’s Republican Party, which does not make you wonder about the wickedness of man, but it does make you wonder how they can not be ashamed of who they have become.
To all my Republican friends that live each day in fear of the self-anointed king, Jordan, Graham, Vance, Cruz, McCarthy, Hawley, Greene, Boebert and a host of other elected officials that have chosen to live in fear, no one can make you feel inferior or bow your head down without your consent. Liz Cheney is someone I will likely never agree with politically, but chracter-wise, she rises far above any of aforementioned congressional representatives because she has courage, character and conviction.
Victory by any means appears to be the motto of today’s Republican Party, even if it means the end of this democracy. A child afraid of the dark is something we have all experienced in our lifetimes, but a man afraid of the light — and the truth is the light — is a man afraid of his own shadow and not worthy of a seat in the most honored building in our nation.
Hershel Walker, Alex Jones, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, QAnon supporters and Trump make up today’s Republican Party, and if that doesn’t make you fear for this democracy, then you are not paying attention.
Charles Thomas lives in Lima. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of The Lima News.
