Dear editor:

On April 2 the Powell Tribune published Linda and Bob Graff’s comments about my March 26 letter against pardoning the violent attackers from Jan. 6. The Graffs wrote that “We do have the right to question 2020 election. That is all the Jan. 6ers wanted.” But the brutality of Jan. 6 was not “questioning” the election.

I made the point that people must have strong evidence to justify deadly force to stop the transfer of power. It remains un-American to attack congressional representatives after the presidential voting was certified by all states, and every court challenge revealed no major fraud.

The Graffs claim that we do not know the truth. They wrote: “When we watch conservative TV we get both sides of the story.” Dominion sued none of the news outlets listed in Graff’s letter for lying about its voting machines. It did sue conservative Fox News for not telling both sides of the story and Fox agreed to pay over $750 million for the damage it caused.

The Graffs also wrote that “no one was arrested or imprisoned for those [Portland] riots.” The DOJ website claims 74 people were charged, with at least one person receiving a 10 year prison sentence and another nearly four years.

The proven inaccuracies surrounding “2000 Mules” will be left for another day.

If you want some truth about the 2020 election there are two recent books. One is “Stealing Your Vote” by Christina Bobb, an attorney for President Trump in 2020. It emphasizes that Americans have lost faith in the integrity of our elections. (Because of the Republican’s false claims?) The other is “Disproven” by Ken Block who was hired by Trump in 2020 to verify claims of fraud. Block found none of them were substantiated, and were without foundation in fact.

As a second point, my letter wanted Republican lawmakers to stop inspiring citizen violence. As a current example, that very same issue of the Tribune reported on Rep. Hageman’s town hall meeting in Powell where a person voiced a brutal plan of “… hanging bastards on the White House lawn” because they’re “killing the rest of us. And we have to fight back somehow, and there’s got to be punishment.” Hageman could have said that’s not the American way; that such ideas do not promote domestic peace; that we will just end up killing each other; or say something to discourage the use of such violence.

Instead, she implied consent and approval, but would try lawmaking first. She is quoted as saying “I’m not quite there yet — and I wouldn’t announce it publicly if I was — but I am trying to do some things to hold people accountable.”

Humor, if that was her intent, does not always translate well, but Hageman left the impression that violence is a viable option she will consider, but not announce. Implicitly she is advising others to do as she does — keep your urge for violence hidden; we may eventually get there. Is this how she honors her oath to faithfully support the Constitution?

Patriotic lawmakers should condemn violence, not support it.

In my opinion, the Jan. 6ers convicted of violent crimes beyond a reasonable doubt by impartial citizen jurors should not be worshiped and honored as heroes, nor pardoned as a reward for blindly fighting for Trump’s false claims.

Jan. 6 reflects death and destruction, not patriotism. Stop the lie.

Dennis Reuter

Powell