Letter to the Editor: Too many election deniers in Congress to properly run government
When Bill Clinton questioned the meaning of the word “is,” it opened the floodgates for every conman and carpetbagger with a hustle to lower the standard of truth required in public statements. This slippery slope led to a grifter becoming president of the United States, and he was able to increase his supporters after verification that he told over 30,000 lies or misleading statements while in office.
The libel laws provide some semblance of truth for appearing in newspapers or on television. Social media and radio that profit from likes and interactions with most of the population have no values and don’t legally require truth filters, honor or moral integrity. The public expects politicians to be liars, and Honest Abe is dead.
After Donald Trump attempted a coup on Jan. 6, 2021, the only people I heard sounding alarm bells and defending democracy with passion and sacrifice were Republicans Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. Many elected Democrats in fear for their lives on Jan. 6 are apparently still unsure whether an attempted coup “is” illegal or unethical.
When a member of Congress stands before citizens and makes false statements with the words of a cult leader as their only evidence, we have a problem in America. This includes lies like the election was stolen, climate change is not real, my God says you cannot have an abortion under any circumstance, and more guns make you safer. When you have 185 members of Congress that agree with a mob that marched on the Capitol to overthrow the election based on a lie, you have a clear and present danger to democracy and our way of life.
The U.S. government must establish standards of truth on all media platforms to protect democracy. Citizens must hold elected officials accountable for standards of truth in their promises and accusations. All the citizens of this nation deserve to know why 185 members of the 2022 Congress and their supporters still share the same “Big Lie” after the Jan. 6 hearings as the mob that marched on the Capitol. We deserve to know why a woman is dead and many victims of deceit are in prison when they believed lies from a cult leader who said they were being patriotic on that day. We deserve to know why our leaders have failed to convict the organizers of the Big Lie coup or Jan. 6 insurrection.
We deserve to know why charges have not been filed by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., (chairman of the Ethics Committee), against organizing and participating in an attempted coup and/or for submitting fake electors? Why are television, radio or newspapers silent on this matter?
A national solution must be reached for each state to educate all citizens with a 30-minute program that provides facts and explains when, where and how to vote in that state and the Electoral College process. Television and radio could solve national problems of doubt by teaching civics and the voting process. This would restore faith in elections and government, and showcase pride in America, which is a needed public service and opportunity.
The government of the people, by the people and for the people, through the Federal Communications Commission, should require each channel to provide at least 60 minutes a week of nonpolitical public education, including voting issues and processes. In 1983, 90% of U.S. media was owned by 50 companies. By 2020, through deregulation and mergers, 90% of media, without a truth filter, are owned by six corporations. Media could solve the cost problem of higher education by offering free education on television. Earn an associate degree from CBS or PBS, or history credits from the History channel.
Pundits and influencers spin the truth to create content about their useless predictions, reporting on party politics and how many Republicans or Democrats won, instead of solutions on how Americans can win. They use bad news, horse-race mentality and conflict to generate clicks.
Do your members of Congress honor their oath to their country over party clicks or profits? Do they serve America, their God, their party, themselves or a cult leader first and foremost? You deserve the truth.
Why isn’t “185 Republican election doubters won” the front-page headline in every newspaper and on every news channel? The deniers that lost made the front pages and talking points on CNN and MSNBC, as if the danger has passed. How do you run the government, when 185 out of 222 majority Republicans promote these detrimental lies? Are Democrats doing anything to recognize the next coup and protect our democracy? We deserve the truth.
Johnny Vaughan
Lewes
