Category Archives: Second Amendment

If tradition holds (and who knows about that anymore), on a cold night this February Joe Biden will motorcade from his new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. up Capitol Hill, and a new House sergeant-at-arms will proclaim, "Madame Speaker, the president of the United States!" In front of that so-familiar flag, the 46th president will ask a joint session of Congress for unprecedented, bipartisan help in facing the worst domestic crises since FDR and the Great Depression a race to vaccinate millions of Americans as thousands die daily, amid food lines of the many unable to work.

Yet as Biden looks out over the House chamber, he will see staring back at him the blank faces of 147 lawmakers who just days earlier had voted to suspend not just the basic tenets of U.S. democracy but the very notion of rational truth in voting to halt the certification of the Democrat's election, on utterly unfounded voter fraud claims. And arguably that's not the worst of it.

Sprinkled among those scores of Republican truth-deniers are some who based on credible allegations and what we already know about the stunning Jan. 6 insurrection that occurred at the U.S. Capitol met with or gave verbal encouragement to the mob that stormed the building in the rampage that left five people dead. It's likely that the 117th Congress, in its first weeks, will be knee-deep into a Democrat-sought probe into whether some of its members gave tours to the 1/6 rioters the day before, or shared knowledge about how to find the hidden officers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Biden's likely plea for bipartisanship and unity in the face of the worst pandemic in 100 years will encounter the angry glare of new extremist members like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-QAnon, who if her words uttered on Newsmax this week can be taken seriously will have introduced an impeachment resolution against the new president on Jan. 21 and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Youcrazy?, if the heat-packing Coloradan hasn't been stopped at the metal detectors.

As the dust settles from Wednesday's unprecedented (and totally warranted) vote to impeach President Donald Trump a second time, in the waning hours of his destructive four-year term, everyday Americans need more help from Washington than any time since 1933. And yet our Congress has never been more divided and wracked by anger and paranoia, understandable since some GOP members sure seemed on the same side as an armed mob that erected a gallows in its fantasies of hanging Democrats.

In a stunning interview with my Inquirer colleague Jessica Calefati, western Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb one of the most moderate Democrats on Capitol Hill, who calls for working with Republicans and occasionally does so said his trust is shattered, and that some of his GOP colleagues have "become morally blind to the consequences of their own actions."

The distrust over the insurrection isn't even the end of it. Democrats are also furious over the refusal of many Republicans to take the deadly coronavirus threat seriously and wear masks, with two members including 75-year-old cancer survivor Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey and a congressional spouse infected after sheltering with mask-less GOPers during the siege. Among Republicans, Second Amendment zealots like Boebert are furious over the presence of metal detectors that might curb their heat-packing ways. Amid this rancor, an army of 20,000 National Guard troops protects the Capitol in the biggest force since the Civil War, or maybe we should now call it Civil War I.

Living Americans have never seen anything quite like this, although, as Yale historian Joanne Freeman chronicled in her remarkable 2018 book "The Field of Blood," Congress was marred by a stunning number of fistfights, canings and duels in the run-up to that first Civil War. How do we get out of this mess? It won't be easy, but here's a couple of thoughts.

First, Congress will need to separate out the completely unacceptable direct involvement egging on the murderous mob at the Capitol from the also-troubling but, arguably, not criminal support for blocking the rightful 2020 election results.

For example, an investigation needs to look at the roles of Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Briggs of Arizona and Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama. In a since-deleted video, Ali Alexander, the right-wing activist who was central in organizing the Jan. 6 events that culminated in the Capitol assault, claims that the three GOP congressmen helped plan the entire affair, including the notion of applying "maximum pressure" to flip Republican votes on certifying Biden's election by "hearing our loud roar from outside."

The House just voted to impeach Trump for inciting the violence. If the claim by Alexander about Gosar who'd insisted at a December rally that Biden's presidency could be stopped "once we conquer the Hill" Biggs and Brooks can be confirmed, the three must be expelled from Congress for insurrection. Period, end of story.

But the problems may not end there. On Wednesday, New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill like Lamb, one of the most centrist and least confrontational Democrats on Capitol Hill made the stunning allegation, later joined by more than 30 of her colleagues, that some members may have offered "reconnaissance tours" to the soon-to-be-rioters on Jan. 5, the day before. Democrats are demanding a probe of that, and troubling aspects of the attack insurrectionists knowing where to find the secret offices of Pelosi and Majority Whip James Clyburn, or the panic buttons ripped out of the office of Rep. Ayanna Pressley that suggest the coup plotters had inside help.

Anyone who aided the coup plotters should be expelled. That would take a two-thirds vote, which would need to include Republicans (although knowing these blood-red districts would send new Republicans to Washington might sway them, if the evidence is damning enough). But there is precedent. During the Civil War, Congress expelled 14 insurrectionists. It's stunning that this would be relevant in America in 2021, but here we are.

But that's only part of the problem. The 117th Congress now includes those 147 Republicans eight senators and 139 members of the U.S. House who voted last week, even before the clean-up from the insurrection had begun, to buy into the same American version of The Big Lie that had motivated these rioters and thugs, the complete fantasy that some kind of election fraud denied Trump his rightful victory.

In the days since, I've seen numerous calls from progressives on Twitter for any or all of these 147 to be expelled from Congress. Whatever the moral validity of that argument, it's just not realistic, politically, that two-thirds will kick out the other one-third over their vote, regardless of how harmful it was to democracy. It's a "marshal of the Supreme Court"-level fantasy. Some GOP senators like Missouri's Josh Hawley and Texas' Ted Cruz have seen the largest newspapers in their home states beg them to resign. But they are not going to resign. They will be in the Senate for the next four years, taking votes on whether you get evicted from your apartment or whether you can get a vaccine in time before you get sick.

For many Americans, probably many of the 82 million who voted for Joe Biden, the new Congress is already illegitimate with 147 members on the record as voting against reality. This truly is a Civil War-sized dilemma, and I only see one possible way admittedly, a long shot, although not quite as unlikely as mass expulsion out of this bind, short of that second Civil War. Congress needs to create a Truth and Reconciliation process a commission, perhaps, or even just an open forum that will allow some or hopefully most to acknowledge Biden's victory, state for there record that there was no election fraud in 2020, and maybe even apologize for saying otherwise.

Last year before we had any idea the 45th president would incite an insurrection against the U.S. government some of us called for a national Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address the lies and the anti-democratic policies of the Trump years. For that idea, we were vilified by some right-wingers who acted as if we were proposing a Nuremberg-war-crimes-trial kind of operation. But in fact a Truth and Reconciliation Commission as successfully pulled off in South Africa and other strife-riven countries is a chance for finding a common national story, for amnesty and a new beginning.

I'd be shocked if this happened, but I don't know any other peaceful path forward. If Congress doesn't somehow address its growing rift and descent into hatred and fear, a lot more than five Americans will needlessly die, either from an unchecked disease, or from hunger and depredation, or from growing civil conflict. Lincoln was right: A House and Senate divided against itself cannot stand. Expel the criminals. Acknowledge the truth. Then reconcile and start tackling America's real problems before it's too late.

(Will Bunch is the national opinion columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer.)

(c)2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer

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Will Bunch: Congress must expel its coup plotters, then somehow find truth and reconciliation, or US is doomed - LancasterOnline

WASHINGTON - Wyoming Congresswoman and House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) issued the following statement after co-sponsoring H.R. 38, "The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act," legislation put forward by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) that would allow people with state-issued concealed carry licenses or permits to conceal a handgun in any other state, as long as the permit holder follows the laws of that state:

"I will always protect and defend our Second Amendment rights. This legislation will safeguard law-abiding citizens as they travel across state lines, and ensure that their constitutional rights are not infringed upon by burdensome technicalities. I'm proud to stand with my good friend Richard Hudson in supporting this bill, and will continue working to combat any attempts to violate the rights of the people of Wyoming to keep and bear arms.

H.R. 38 would allow people with state-issued concealed carry licenses or permits to conceal a handgun in any other state, as long as the permit holder follows the laws of that state. It also allows residents of Constitutional carry states the ability to carry in other states.

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Cheney: I will always protect and defend our second amendment rights - KULR-TV

WASHINGTON, D.C. Wyoming Congresswoman and House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., issued the following statement after co-sponsoring H.R. 38, The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, legislation that would allow people with state-issued concealed carry licenses or permits to conceal a handgun in any other state, as long as the permit holder follows the laws of that state:

I will always protect and defend our Second Amendment rights, Cheney said. This legislation will safeguard law-abiding citizens as they travel across state lines, and ensure that their constitutional rights are not infringed upon by burdensome technicalities. ... (I) will continue working to combat any attempts to violate the rights of the people of Wyoming to keep and bear arms.

Cheney has co-sponsored the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act in previous years. In December 2017, the bill passed in the U.S. House by a vote of 231-198, yet was not taken up in the U.S. Senate.

H.R. 38, which is supported by major pro-Second Amendment groups, has been called the greatest gun rights boost since the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791.

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Cheney: I will always protect and defend our 2nd Amendment rights - Wyoming Tribune

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) The death of a Capitol Police officer brings the toll from Wednesdays riot at the U.S. Capitol to 5 people.

The rampagethat has shocked the world and left the country on edge forced the resignations of three top Capitol security officials over the failure to stop the breach. It has led lawmakers to demand a review of operations and an FBI briefing over what they called a terrorist attack. And it is prompting a broader reckoning over Trumps tenure in office and what comes next for a torn nation.

Protesters were urged by Trump during a rally near the White House earlier Wednesday to head to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers were scheduled to confirm Bidens presidential victory. A mob swiftly broke through police barriers, smashed windows and paraded through the halls, sending lawmakers into hiding.

Heres what we know about the lives that were lost:

Officer Brian Sicknick, 42

The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that Officer Brian D. Sicknick was injured while physically engaging with protesters during the Wednesday riot. He was the fifth person to die because of the Capitol protest and violence.

During the struggle at the Capitol, Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, two law enforcement officials said. The officials could not discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

His family said in a statement Friday that Sicknick wanted to be a police officer his entire life. He served in the New Jersey Air National Guard before joining the Capitol Police in 2008.

Many details regarding Wednesdays events and the direct causes of Brians injuries remain unknown, and our family asks the public and the press to respect our wishes in not making Brians passing a political issue, the family said.

Ashli Babbitt, 35

Capitol Police on Thursday identified Babbitt, 35, as the woman who was fatally shot by an unidentified officer. Bystander video shows she was trying to climb through the broken window of a barricaded doorway inside the Capitol when the officer fired.

Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who identified as a Libertarian and supporter of the Second Amendment, frequently posted unsubstantiated views about election fraud by the president and his most extreme supporters activists whose conspiracy theories and unflinching support for Trump have attracted large online followings.

On social media, Babbitt often ranted against the presidents frequent targets illegal immigration, government mandates to contain the coronavirus and Trumps critics.

Her Twitter account promoted mainstream conservative views but also included references to the QAnon conspiracy theory, which centers on the baseless belief that Trump has been secretly fighting deep state enemies and a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals operating a child sex trafficking ring.

Kevin Greeson, 55

Greeson was from Athens. Alabama. His family says the 55-year-old had a heart attack. They described him as a supporter of President Trumps but denied that he condoned violence.

Kristi Greeson, his wife, emailed a statement toWKRG News 5saying, he was excited to be there to experience this event he was not there to participate in violence or rioting, nor did he condone such actions. She went on to say he had a history of high blood pressure and suffered a heart attack.

Our family is devastated. We are thankful for all of the thoughts and prayers and appreciate privacy at this time as we grieve, she wrote. Kevin was a wonderful father and husband who loved life. He loved to ride motorcycles, he loved his job and his coworkers, and he loved his dogs.

Benjamin Philips, 50

Philips, 50, of Schuylkill County, Pa.,died of a stroke, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

NBC News reports Philips was a computer programmer who founded a website for Trump supporters. According to the report, the website helped coordinate rides for people to head to Washington for Wednesdays events.

As my children are grieving and processing yesterdays shocking events, I respectfully request privacy, said Nicole Mun, Philips ex-wife, in a statement to the Inquirer.

Rosanne Boyland, 34

Boyland also died due to a medical emergency. According to Atlanta news station WXIA, first responders performed CPR on her after she collapsed Wednesday evening.

WXIA spoke to her family who described her as a a really happy, wonderful person.

They say she was a passionate supporter of Trump and there was a family argument over whether she should attend the events in Washington. Family members told WXIA Boyland got wrapped up in dangerous conspiracy theories and political beliefs.

Her family added Boyland was an aunt to two girls who adored her.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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What we know about the 5 people who died during Wednesdays Capitol riot - ABC27

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claims he put up nearly $500,000 to mount President Trumps disastrous speech Wednesday in Washington, DC and was asked by the White House to lead the subsequent march that devolved into a riotous siege of Capitol Hill.

No one would book the Ellipse, no one would book the other areas. No one would pay for it. We went and paid for it, Jones said in a video posted to his InfoWars website Thursday and reported by The Independent.

Thank God a donor came in and paid like 80 percent of it, he went on. Because it cost close to half a million dollars, with all the equipment, all the stages and the rest of it. Port-a-Potties, you name it.

Jones did not name the anonymous benefactor but he did shed light on an initial plan to have the Secret Service escort Jones through the gathered Trump supporters so he could head a procession to the Capitol.

The White House told me three days before, were going to have you lead the march, Jones said.

And Trump will tell people, go and Im going to meet you at the Capitol. But there was a million people outside, he explained. So by the time I got out there there were already hundreds of thousands of people ahead of me marching.

The video clip was posted to social media by Kelly Morales, Joness estranged wife.

Jones, who has appeared at multiple Stop the Steal rallies in the weeks since Election Day, was seen in the crowd outside the Capitol on Wednesday, but seems not to have entered the building, The Independent reported.

Jones has been in legal hot water for pushing bogus coronavirus cures on his website and for using it to push the theory that the 26 deaths in the Sandy Hook school massacre were faked as part of an anti-Second Amendment plot.

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Alex Jones claims he funded rally that led to Capitol chaos - New York Post

This is a reworked column. I say reworked it is rewritten entirely because prior to the situation that unfolded Wednesday at the Capitol, I had already written my weekly offering, and it was about Congress.

It wasnt overly critical, but it didnt read like a thank you note. It was mostly light, poking slight fun at the fact that there are several members in the House and Senate who have been in office since prior to the microwave becoming commonplace. I made some humorous comparisons of how technology has evolved but Congress has not so much, and how appreciative we should all be that at least our phones and televisions are smart.

I cant say it was my deepest work to date, but anytime anyone writes a column it is best to kind of keep check of the pulse of the whole so to speak. There is a temperature of sorts, and it helps dictate the tone of what gets written. My tone was the right pitch, but to publish it now I feel would be in poor taste.

It is necessary when writing to have an awareness and understanding of current events, and yet at the same time you have to also have an almost complete indifference. You have to stay unbiased if you can.

So I had finished writing and was taking in a matinee horserace when I got a message about the breach at the Capitol. The horses were running at Delta Downs. It was a fast track. I prefer muddy, or better yet snow at the northern tracks. I think it adds more chance to the odds. And, when the lights hit the snowflakes against a backdrop of racing horses, its pretty.

We as Americans like pretty. We love things that look good. We like to look good. But are we good?

The phrase we are better than this has been repeated over and over since the disgraceful acts unfolded at the Capitol, but are we?

I wasnt overly surprised. I dont think anyone was. It has become normal to stomp around and riot. Watching looting and burning air on the news was a pastime for some during the shutdown.

We have watched politicians encourage the division on both sides of the aisle from the very top down. But now suddenly we are better than any of this? No we arent. We feel a little convicted maybe. Our consciences may be bothering us a bit, but no, we are not better than this. This is exactly who we are. This is who we have become and this is who we will continue to be unless there is a collective effort to be better.

It may start by dialing it back some of the rhetoric, and by having enough character to practice self-restraint rather than self-expression.

I think people were more surprised by how unprepared Capitol police were than by what happened. There was no preparedness. Especially considering the controversy that was surrounding the certification of the electoral votes.

I take it we are not defunding the police now? It seems we may should keep them. Maybe even hire a few. What happened at the Capitol Wednesday where at least five people lost their lives reemphasized why some people find it necessary to carry a pistol for protection and think it is important the Second Amendment be kept securebecause we are not all good. We are not all better than this. We arent even close. If we were this never would have happened.

Amanda Walker is a contributor with AL.com, The Selma Times Journal, Thomasville Times, West Alabama Watchman, and Alabama Gazette. Contact her at Walkerworld77@msn.com or at https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWalker.Columnist.

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Are we really better than this? - AL.com

I was a reporter at The Orlando Sentinel before I moved to Cleveland 25 years ago, and a columnist there named Charley Reese started every year with a disclosure column. Columnist Scott Maxwell continues the tradition today.

Its a good idea for a columnist, and its a good idea for an editor. I direct all content you find on cleveland.com, in The Plain Dealer and on all of our other platforms, so you deserve to know what makes me tick. Im stealing the idea from Charley and Scott. Here goes:

On the personal side, Ive been married for 35 years to a woman I began dating when I was 17 and we worked together as counselors in a summer camp. We have two grown children, a son who lives in Michigan with his wife and 4-year-old son, and a daughter who lives in North Carolina with her husband and 1-year-old daughter. We live with a gentle 9-year-old golden retriever named Ella who gives us much love and daily laughs.

On the professional side, I was a reporter for 20 years in New Jersey (where I grew up), Delaware, Harrisburg, Pa., Orlando and Cleveland, where I covered crime and City Hall before becoming an editor in 2002. I became Metro editor at The Plain Dealer in 2006. Ive been editor of cleveland.com since 2013 and The Plain Dealer since last June.

My job today is directing our coverage, suggesting story ideas, engaging with readers by email and text, hosting a couple of podcasts five days a week, sending out messages about what we are working on to people who subscribe to my texting account, participating in Editorial Board discussions and doing all the tasks that come with managing a newsroom. I usually start the day between 5 and 5:30.

I think the most important roles we play are keeping people informed, holding people in leadership positions to account, providing a wide band of perspective and viewpoints on issues that matter and advocating for ways to make life better for people in Northeast Ohio.

On the conflict-of-interest side, I am a board member of the Ohio Debate Commission. Advance Ohio, which operates cleveland.com, was a big supporter when this commission began a few years ago, driven by Dan Moulthrop, the City Club of Cleveland chief, and Jill Miller Zimon, the executive director. The goal of the commission is public discourse, something we feel strongly about in our newsroom. Im proud to be part of it.

For a few years, I had the titles of both editor of cleveland.com and president of Advance Ohio, and as president, I served on the boards for the United Way, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the City Club. When Brad Harmon took the reins as president of Advance Ohio and Advance Local Midwest a little more than a year ago, I resigned from the boards.

It was an interesting dance serving as both editor and president, and Im glad to no longer be doing it. And Im glad Brad is here. In just a year, he has improved our financial fortunes, giving us all more confidence that we are on a path to long-term sustainable journalism.

On the financial side, my wife and I own two houses, in Cleveland Heights and in Michigan. We bought the Heights house when we moved to Northeast Ohio 25 years ago. We bought the Michigan house a few years ago, with money my dad left us when he died, to make visits with our son and his family easier. We dont own stock in anything that would give me a conflict of interest in directing coverage of stories.

On the political side, Im a registered voter but not in a party. If I didnt have this job, Id register as a Democrat, because in Cuyahoga County, almost all of the important races are determined in the Democratic primaries. By not being a registered Democrat, I have little say in local elections. In this job, though, I think its important to be registered as an independent.

If you analyzed my politics, youd likely say I lean left, but I dont think its that simple. Yes, I believe Donald Trump is the worst president in history and marvel that anyone could vote for him, but on the other side, Im a big supporter of gun rights. I think the Second Amendment is so strongly written that I dont even understand how people can be required to get concealed carry permits. That seems like an infringement to me, and when you infringe on one amendment, you make it easier to infringe on the others, like freedom of speech. Im absolutist on that one, too.

On the health side, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease 20 years ago this year. Back then, no one had heard of it and nothing was marketed as gluten-free.

On the religious side, Im not. I guess Im what the late novelist Kurt Vonnegut called a humanist, which he said means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without expectations of rewards or punishment after I am dead. My philosophy matches closely with a quote Vonnegut attributed to his son: We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.

Vonneguts one of my favorite authors, by the way. The others are John Irving, John le Carr and a Cincinnati-area woodworker/philosopher/writer named Chris Schwarz. Woodworking is one of the things I do for fun. The others are photography, riding a Peloton bike and, for the last two years, trying to play a guitar with terribly uncoordinated fingers.

Originally posted here:
You deserve to know who I am and what makes me tick: Letter from the Editor - cleveland.com

On the morning of January 6, first-term Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican chiefly notable for her support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, tweeted that the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results amounted to a new American Revolution.

Today is 1776, she wrote.

It turned out that describing Wednesday as a violent revolution was more apt than Boebert may have intended. Several hours later, on the heels of a speech by the president decrying the 2020 election as stolen, a pro-Trump mob descended on the US Capitol, overwhelming Capitol Police and storming the building. Trump supporters waved Confederate flags and seized control of the Senate chambers; police drew their guns. At least four people died as a result of the chaos.

Blaming President Trump for this violence is, at this point, stating the obvious. He has been inciting his supporters for weeks, telling them that the election has been stolen and they need to stand up to save freedom. If you really believe that took what the president said seriously why wouldnt you take dramatic action?

But the blame needs to go beyond Trump and land squarely on the Republican Party itself an institution that, for decades, employed a political strategy that sowed the seeds of an uprising against the American state.

The animating force of modern Republicanism is this: Democratic Party rule is an existential threat to America and is by definition illegitimate. It is a belief that explains much of what weve seen from the GOP in the past few decades, the glue that binds together Republicans ranging from shitposters in the QAnon fever swamps to much of the GOP congressional caucus.

Whether elite Republicans genuinely believe what they tell their base is beside the point. The fact is their delegitimizing rhetoric has been the fuel of the conservative movement for many, many years now. Trumps presidency, and the violence with which it is ending, represents the logical next step for the modern GOP and where it goes from here will determine our future as a democracy.

In 2010, during the height of Tea Party fervor, then-Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R-NV) told talk radio host Lars Larson that she believed Americans might need to take up arms against the tyranny of Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress:

You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. And in fact Thomas Jefferson said its good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years.

I hope thats not where were going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around?

Angles story is illuminating. Initially, she ran as an insurgent, casting herself as the rock-ribbed alternative to a weak, corrupt Republican establishment. The party actually tried to stop her, but she was embraced by the GOP once she won the Republican primary in Nevada. The party held a glitzy fundraiser in Washington for Angle several months after the Second Amendment remedies comment.

Hardly a relic of the Tea Party era, its a story thats emblematic of the contemporary GOP. The party leadership has created an institution where people like Angle can win primaries; though leaders may resist extremists at times, they end up admitting them as members in good standing when it becomes clear that the choice in a given election is either a right-wing radical or a Democrat. As a result, theres a one-way ratchet toward an increasingly extreme party, one that has convinced itself over time that Democratic rule is so dangerous that getting in bed with anti-democratic radicals is preferable.

There are at least three critical features of the GOP as an institution that have allowed this process to go on as it has.

First, there is the argument, offered by mainstream Republicans at the highest levels, that freedom itself is on the ballot: that the Democratic agenda is so catastrophic that it might spell the end of America as we know it.

This is something Republicans have been saying about Democratic policies including ones common in other advanced democracies for decades. In 1961, Ronald Reagan warned that the passage of Medicare would be the end of liberty in America: that if federalized insurance for the elderly were to become law, you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our childrens children, what it once was like in America when men were free.

Sarah Palin offered a more recent variant in 2009, writing in a Facebook post that Obamacare would create death panels, transforming the America I know and love by imposing a system [that] is downright evil on it.

In 2014, Ted Cruz claimed that Obamas use of executive orders was creating an imperial presidency [that] threatens the liberty of every citizen. In 2019, the National Republican Congressional Committee the official arm of the party responsible for House races all but accused Democrats of being murderous Stalinists:

Hyperbole in politics is normal, of course. There are plenty of examples of rank-and-file Democratic partisans calling George W. Bush Hitler.

The difference is that casting the opposing party as an existential threat, a demonic force bent on destroying the very fabric of a free society, has become an accepted part of conservative rhetoric at the highest levels of the party. Yes, youll see an example here and there, but there is simply no comparison with how Democrats talk about Republicans; polarization in the United States is profoundly asymmetric.

These arguments do not merely attack Democratic policies; they attack the very idea that Democrats can be legitimate leaders of the American government. Among some Republicans, they bleed into baroque conspiracy theories about Democrats as individuals, explanations for how people like Obama and Hillary Clinton can support such heinous policies. Obama isnt merely a liberal Democrat; he must be a Kenyan Muslim anti-colonial plant pushing America toward full communism.

Political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, in their book How Democracies Die, talk of mutual toleration: the idea that, in a democracy, both parties respect the other ones right to win elections and hold power. In the United States, Republicans have all but told their supporters that Democrats do not, in fact, have a right to rule that they are fundamentally hostile to the American way of life.

This rhetoric might not be so bad if it werent for the second prong of the problem: the alternative conservative media ecosystem that disseminates those messages.

From practically the inception of the modern conservative movement in the 1950s, a central tenet has been that the mainstream media is irredeemably biased against them an agent of liberalism, not to be trusted. The conservative response has been to relentlessly delegitimize the media in their public discourse and to construct alternative media institutions for its base to consume.

This created space for extreme voices who, out of sincere belief or rank opportunism, chose to peddle dangerous falsehoods. Just think about everything thats been said on Fox and talk radio in the past decade: Glenn Beck arguing that AmeriCorps would become Obamas SS, Rush Limbaugh claiming that Obama and Hillary Clinton were responsible for Benghazi, and of course the spread of Donald Trumps claim that Obama wasnt born in America, something 56 percent of Republicans still believe.

There are no guardrails in the conservative media ecosystem world, no institutional Republicans willing to force their allies to adhere to the truth. These are the conditions under which Trumps totally false claims about election fraud could become an article of faith among hardcore right-wingers to the point where storming the Capitol started to seem justifiable, even righteous.

But its not just that Republicans have primed their audience to hate Democrats and created a media system that promotes the most extreme claims about them: Its that theyve tolerated and even cultivated figures in their ranks who are willing to explicitly endorse violent, individual action.

In 2009, for example, Alaska Rep. Don Young signed a letter claiming that should our government seek to further tax, restrict or register firearms ... the duty of us good and faithful people will not be to obey them but to alter or abolish them and institute new government. The letters author, Alaska-based militia member Schaeffer Cox, was later convicted of plotting to kidnap and kill federal agents. Young is still in Congress; in fact, he is currently the longest-serving House member in the GOPs history.

If you are a rank-and-file Republican, the kind of person who listens to your partys elected officials and friendly media outlets, you have been marinating in anti-democratic beliefs for years: that Democrats are fundamentally hostile to the American way of life, that people telling you otherwise cannot be trusted, that you have an obligation to fight against tyranny on your own.

In a 2020 survey, 51 percent of Republicans agreed with the claim that the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it. Forty-one percent said that a time will come when patriotic Americans have to take the law into their own hands.

These are not fringe views. They are the views of roughly half of Republicans. Those views were plainly in sight months before a mob stormed the Capitol, writes John Sides, a political scientist at Vanderbilt University. Without concerted and sustained pushback by Republican leaders, those views will remain long after Trump is gone.

The reaction to Wednesdays fracas vindicates Sidess pessimism. A snap YouGov poll of Republicans across the country found that a plurality 45 percent approved of the storming of the Capitol.

The day after President Trump incited a mob to attack the Capitol, he called in to a Republican National Committee winter meeting. The assembled Republicans did not greet the president with horror or anger; instead, he was met with cheers.

Of course, not every Republican is as corrupted as the ones on that call. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) voted for Trumps impeachment and has gone after him in the day since the attack on Capitol Hill. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has called for a second impeachment after the mob.

But even the responsible leaders have often been complicit. Lest we forget, Romney courted Trumps endorsement during his 2012 presidential run while Trump was in the midst of his birther crusade against Obama. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), famous for his thumbs-down vote on Trumps Obamacare repeal proposal, is the man who unleashed Palin on the world by making her his vice presidential pick in 2008.

From top to bottom, the party has stoked the embers of extremism. They have worked to convince their supporters that Democrats are monsters, they have to delegitimize the mainstream press and replace it with fact-free alternatives, and they have embraced extremist politicians and commentators who have condoned violence in the name of putting down the Democratic threat.

This is not just a question of thats how we got Trump (though this is in fact how we got Trump). Its that the party leadership has knowingly and willfully created an entire segment of the electorate that is prone to violent and dangerous conspiratorial thinking.

In the days since the Capitol insurrection, there have been innumerable calls from legislators and commentators to impeach Donald Trump or for his Cabinet to remove him using the powers of the 25th Amendment. Its possible that such a thing will happen; some reports have suggested the discussions are more serious than they have been in the past.

But we have reason to be skeptical. Removing Trump from office would amount to an admission of Republican complicity.

They knew who they were enabling. In 2016, Ted Cruz called Trump utterly amoral and a pathological liar. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) described him as a race-baiting xenophobic religious bigot. And Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), in comments that proved prescient, describes him as someone who was inciting violence among his supporters:

I think we also have to look at the rhetoric coming from the frontrunner in the presidential campaign. This is a man who in rallies has told his supporters to basically beat up the people who are in the crowd and hell pay their legal fees, someone who has encouraged people in the audience to rough up anyone who stands up and says something he doesnt like.

But leaders cannot say whatever they want, because words have consequences. They lead to actions that others take. And when the person youre supporting for president is going around and saying things like, Go ahead and slap them around, Ill pay your legal fees, what do you thinks going to happen next?

The dangers of Trump were obvious to these men. But they chose to enable him after his victory anyway, much in the way their party chose to embrace Sarah Palin and Sharron Angle and Glenn Beck and all the other extremists who have proven useful to it. The Republican establishment created the conditions for Wednesdays violence and chaos, and these conditions will persist even if Trump is removed prematurely. QAnon supporters are now sitting in Congress; Newsmax, a more unhinged version of Fox, has only grown in recent months; Trump was greeted by applause by House Republicans Thursday morning.

Just hours after her 1776 tweet, Rep. Boebert tweeted fearfully about the attack on Congress. We were locked in the House chambers, she said, as if the chickens werent coming home to roost.

But the fact that they dont really want a violent uprising doesnt mean their most committed supporters feel the same way. Republicans not just Donald Trump, but the entire political movement own that mob. If they do not change course, they will own the next one, too.

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Trump and Republicans own the Capitol mob - Vox.com

COLUMBUS State Rep. Jon Cross (R-Kenton) today took the oath of office for his second term as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He represents the 83rd House District, which includes Hancock and Hardin counties, as well as the northern portion of Logan County.

I remain committed to boosting Ohios economic recovery and working on policies to keep Ohio safer, stronger and open for business during the next two years, said Cross.

Cross recently announced his legislation, House Bill 405, creating the Family Forward Linked Deposit program was signed into law. This bill helps remove financial barriers to the adoption process so families can adopt Ohio children in need of a loving family.

Three other bills sponsored by Cross were signed into law during the 133rd General Assembly and include:

.House Bill 2, which creates the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) and TechCred program in Ohio to help develop a skilled workforce and attract investment in our state

.House Bill 352, legislation that reforms the states workplace discrimination laws to strengthen Ohios business and legal climates

.House Bill 224, which was amended into House Bill 197 and authorizes medical professionals and facilities to fully utilize Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to improve patient care

Additional accomplishments of Crosss first term in office include:

.Sponsored 16 bills and co-sponsored 105 bills

.Secured $16.3 million for Hancock and Hardin counties for community projects and flood mitigation efforts

.Approved $5.5 million for local governments in the 83rd House District for COVID-19 pandemic-related expenses

.Secured $1 million in COVID-19 relief funding for local school districts in Hancock, Hardin and Logan counties

.Hosted monthly district office hours and 24 community town hall meetings

.Supported pro-life and pro-second amendment legislation

.Passed a balanced budget with significant tax cuts of nearly $700 million and investment in Ohios infrastructure, law enforcement, education, agriculture, workforce and economic development, and local governments

.Served on four House standing committees: Finance, Energy & Natural Resources, Financial institutions, and Public Utilities, as well as appointed to two-subcommittees

I am proud of the achievements during my first term for my constituents and communities, added Cross. I look forward to continue to champion the 83rd District in the 134th General Assembly.

Todays session marked the beginning of the 134th General Assembly.

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State Rep. Jon Cross Sworn-In for Second Term of 134th General Assembly - WKTN Radio

When the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791, we should remember that a musket could fire one to three or four rounds per minute, requiring the gunman to stop between each shot and reload gunpowder, add a patch and a ball, use the ramrod to clean the barrel, and then seat the round bullet properly. Oh, and fill the flashpan with gunpowder. There was no standing army. The amendment reads, A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Things have changed. So, should it be legal in this day and age that anyone old enough to buy a weapon can flaunt and potentially fire an AR-15 (which fires 45 or more rounds per minute) in a public setting? Or carrying current-day arms at a public event? Really, the Second Amendment was not meant for assault weapons. Bear in mind that arms also means bombs, rockets, bazookas and machine guns, to name a few. Perhaps the issue for the assault rifle proponents is to possess all that power.

Interestingly, James Madison was the most influential framer of the Second Amendment. He intended the amendment to guarantee the right of each state to resolve its internal problems; for him especially, this included the problems of a large slave population, as he was a slaveholder.

Loraine Brandt, Salt Lake City

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Letter: The history of the Second Amendment - The Salt Lake Tribune - Salt Lake Tribune