The thin red line
When does a U.S. citizen become ineligible to run for public office? When found guilty of sedition, a “serious felony,” a U.S. citizen is disqualified from seeking any elected office.
Statute 18 USC 2381, item 2, defines sedition as a “serious felony” in which the actor “forcefully opposes government authority, preventing, hindering, or delaying the execution of any law of the U.S.”
This statute clearly identifies as seditious Donald Trump’s misdealings of Jan. 6, 2021, when he schemed to prevent the presidential certification of duly elected Joe Biden. Trump is guilty of sedition. The courts must invoke their justice. They must ban him from seeking, much less holding, any public office ever again, especially not the presidency.
How slack-jawed are the pundits who deign to ask, for the sake of their nightly news ratings, “Will Trump run again?” — as if he were a groundhog who reappears every four years, and leaves us guessing, “Will he? Won’t he?” Then they report, “It’s Trump rally time again!” and Trump plays his “Now-you-see-me-Now-you-still-see-me!” games, like a 21st century Barnum, for the sake of his own ratings.
But this time, we are not playing. This time, the courts must stop him. Trump trampled the Constitution he swore to uphold, endangered the nation he vowed to “make great again,” and lied to the people he promised to uplift. Trump is clearly guilty of sedition. He has disqualified himself. When will the GOP find the courage to bring to justice this self-aggrandizing sociopath who threatens our precious democracy? When will we draw the thin red line, over which no one can cross? This time, we must stop him and declare, “Never again, Trump.”
Lisa Kliger
Moscow
Misinformation rules
Once again, misinformation rules. Buried in closing paragraphs, Chuck Pezeshki (His View, Sept. 25) defiantly proclaimed masks suck, criticized the CDC and the FDA, writing COVID-19 vaccines are useless for 7-year-olds, including the assumption all grade school kids are immune. Pezeshki says parents are tearing their hair out in frustration because their unattended kids are “glued,” to “tiny” screens, eating nothing but junk food and getting fat.
Yes, Chuck there is an obesity and mask problem. But a portion of the misinformation, bloviated by an engineer who seemingly has rejected science, comes from your column.
Alert! — not misinformation — The Washington Post, NBC, Science, Nebraska Med and many others have ended the discussion saying there are two ways for people attain immunity — contracting covid and vaccines.
Also, they say the science behind the efficacy of masks is correct. Science says, “place it in yer ear, Charles.”
And, Constance J. Brumm (letter, Sept. 25) must believe she has natural immunity, an erroneous assumption but, is complimentary to her confusing brand of misinformation. Good form!
Most former conservatives, including Pezeshki and Brumm, have deluded themselves into believing just about anything. Even though the writers covered other subjects, witness the misinformation and damage to democracy concerning the “tourists” on Jan. 6 who beat police and smashed through windows and doors — legally termed breaking and entering — at the U.S. Capitol with American flags. Congressmen, as well, are using big lies to sweep bigger lies under the rug, including the pandemic, a “stolen” election, gerrymandering and abortion to name a few.
Worse yet, they have turned representation into a quaint notion of bygone days. Bad form!
Jim Roach
Moscow
