America Under Siege
By Elaine Turley
America was irrevocably changed on January 6, 2021 in ways that will become clearer once we are able to take a collective breath and recover from the shock of the violence on our government. Make no mistake – this was unlawful violence perpetrated by an angry mob opposed to the rule of law that governs our democracy.
This violence was not an act of civil disobedience designed to right a wrong committed by our government or legal system - it was mob violence in support of an individual who has convinced American citizens to violently fight for his personal interpretation of the law rather than the law as determined by elected and appointed officials from every state and the federal government as well as over sixty courts, including the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
The violent uprising of January 6th was inspired not only by the man who is refusing to accept the constitutional and statutory authority by which our democracy elects the officials who will represent our citizens, it has been promoted by all those elected officials who have encouraged American citizens to defy the laws of our nation. Town and state leaders who enact and enforce laws to protect the public, such as the requirement to fence in a pool so our neighbors’ children don’t drown, but encourage our citizens to defy laws to protect our public from disease and pretend they are doing so in the name of liberty. Officials elected to Congress who brazenly violate their oath of office by voting to overturn elections by the American people which have been investigated and upheld by officials and courts throughout this nation. And ordinary Americans who engage in twisted logic to find any means possible to support an individual who has proven time and again that he is ignorant of and disdains our American laws and values.
I fear for the future of our country. It is not the threats of civil war and continued violence being promoted by the far right terrorists who stormed our capital yesterday that I fear most. I fear the neighbors near and far who continue to support lawlessness and subversion. I fear most those who seem to truly believe they are supporting American laws and values and will continue to do so unless true leaders emerge to fight this scourge. But until then I am left fearing and despising neighbors and friends who I no longer trust to understand what my country truly represents. Neighbors who no longer uphold and defend a legal system designed to protect and defend the United States of America and its people.
Elaine Turley is an attorney who lives in Smithtown with her husband and family. She is the former chairperson of the Smithtown Democratic Committee.