The responsible, patriotic thing for United States Senators to do, instead of warning of "violence in the streets" resulting from indictments of former President 45, would be to point out that in this country, violence committed with the intention of overturning the rule of law is illegal, unpatriotic, seditious and makes those who advocate it the enemy of the people. It is unfortunate that some states seem to have elected a few who have no sense of their responsibility as a Senator, and are more loyal to a former President than they are to the Constitution or to the democracy that it establishes and sustains.
There was violence after the murder of George Floyd and the far right gleefully blamed it on the left, though there's absolutely no indication that anyone on the left, at least among those elected to office, ever did anything except condemn the violence and use their influence to stop it. Those on the "left" who were elected to serve governments in areas directly affected by it took action to stop it. And none of it was aimed at overthrowing the government and defying the constitution. It was still wrong, and the politicians on the left said so.
The threats that are being made now are being used as leverage, in defense of a corrupt politician avoiding criminal indictments for crimes for which there is substantiated evidence indicating he committed them. Those who are making the threats and advocating the violence are subverting the rule of law, not supporting it. It's beyond irresponsible for an elected member of Congress to do anything except speak against it.
I don't recall any threats of violence when Hillary Clinton was under investigation. And the only conspiracy theories I heard about the possibility of thwarting the peaceful transfer of power after Trump was elected came from right wingers projecting all of that on the left, claiming that President Obama had some kind of secret plan to declare martial law, and keep Trump from getting the Presidency. There were also right wing extremists claiming that Vice-President Biden had a secret plan to avoid certifying the electoral votes from several states to give the Presidency to Clinton instead. But it never happened, because it was never planned.
So what's happening among Republicans now is quite the contrast.
It's become pretty clear, through all of the whole saga of Trump's failure to follow constitutional law, and attempts to overturn a legitimate election, that all of this was planned in advance. It's also pretty clear that if the labels were different, and this was a Democrat who was doing this, the same Republicans now warning of potential violence would be up front and center demanding that the rule of law be followed and that the perpetrators of this gigantic fraud and sedition be prosecuted immediately to the full extent of the law. Their silence is actually sending a loud and clear message about where their loyalty really lies, their selfish ambition and their lack of respect for the American people, representative democracy, and the whole foundation of values and principles on which this country was founded.
I remember from the Vietnam War era, a bumper sticker that was a slap in the face to draft dodgers and those opposed to the war, which read, "America: Love It or Leave It." Any United States Senator, representative or elected official who is not willing to take a stand against political violence should not be in office and should resign immediately. Otherwise, they are betraying their oath of office and the American people.
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