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The party of law and order?

Posted 1/29/25

The party of law and order?

Dear Editor,

The latest outrage by the new administration is the pardoning of 1500 rioters who stormed the Capital on January 6. About 600 of these rioters were convicted of serious crimes of violence against the...

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The party of law and order?

Posted

The party of law and order?

Dear Editor,


The latest outrage by the new administration is the pardoning of 1500 rioters who stormed the Capital on January 6. About 600 of these rioters were convicted of serious crimes of violence against the Capitol police. Two quotes from Heather Cox Richardson sum up the issue well. 

“Ryan J. Reilly of NBC News explained that rioters wounded more than 140 officers with ‘firearms, stun guns, flagpoles, fire extinguishers, bike racks, batons, a metal whip, office furniture, pepper spray, bear spray, a tomahawk ax, a hatchet, a hockey stick, knuckle gloves, a baseball bat, a massive ‘Trump’ billboard, ‘Trump’ flags, a pitchfork, pieces of lumber, crutches and even an explosive device.’ Trump called it a ‘love fest’ and those convicted were ‘hostages.’ Some Republicans have actually called January 6 a ‘peaceful transfer of power.’” That is the definition of hypocrisy. 

“U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly summed up the judges’ outrage when she wrote: ‘Dismissal of charges, pardons after convictions, and commutations of sentences will not change the truth of what happened on January 6, 2021. What occurred that day is preserved for the future through thousands of contemporaneous videos, transcripts of trials, jury verdicts, and judicial opinions analyzing and recounting the evidence through a neutral lens. Those records are immutable and represent the truth, no matter how the events of January 6 are described by those charged or their allies.’”

The Fraternal Order of Police (a group which had previously endorsed Trump) in a joint statement along with the International Association of Chiefs of Police wrote: “Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety—they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law.  Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families."

I am personally outraged. I wonder what Trump’s motivations are. He shows a lack of empathy and laziness in not researching these cases, making a blanket decision without investigating who among them are the most heinous. My future son-in-law is a deputy sheriff. My good friend in Denver also has a son-in-law enforcement. This action by Trump devalues their sacrifice and undermines the rule of law for all of us. How are we to square this circle and tell them to keep doing their job.

I was in Viet Nam towards the end of that war, and felt, along with many of my colleagues, "Why are we here when so many are protesting at home?” I wonder if the police feel the same. Trump has freed 600 of the worst hooligans who are now empowered to believe that using violence to get their way is ok. I fear for our democracy, as well as our law enforcement officers.

  Bill Thibedeau

Gilpin County