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Opinion: Lessons learned from 1/6

Dismayed by disinformation.

  • By John Sonin
  • Monday, July 4, 2022 3:31pm
  • Opinion

By John Sonin

As resident of Alaska for the last 25 years and an active servant of our civil community here in the City and Borough of Juneau for 23 of them, I have become dismayed by the spread of disinformation that has been dismembering our constitutional mission to ‘form a more perfect union’ as it manifests in the continued consideration of the previous administration’s conspiracy-centered false narrative, or its Big Lie. (If we remember, former President Donald Trump started warning of voter fraud well before any campaign began.) Most disheartening, this falsification of reality thwarts too many misinformed fellow electoral participants who no longer have a bipartisan option of perspectives on the future, from which we can choose from and prepare for our children when next casting our ballots. Thanks to the GOP falling into the autocratic impulses lingering at the core of its perspective for the future, voters can no-longer trust republican leaders with our children and their freedom to have “life, liberty, or seek their happiness.” Exactly what our Fourth of July celebration acclaims.

The Jan. 6 hearings have made clear that too many leaders in that party demote their public service, and our national pursuit of a more perfect union, to a passing fancy. The GOP campaigns, deceitful and abusive, seek only to “win” for power and domination, without regard for any ‘vision’ for our children, while our precious social order be damned! All one need consider is the delegitimizing of our constitutional, judicial third branch! I may not have agreed with the perspective of Lisa Murkowski’s father, Frank, when he was in the Governor’s Mansion, but at least his policies saw some future for my children. Unlike the current Governor’s Mansion squatter, continuing to ransack education, seniors and the disabled to appease his perceived, treasure-seeking Mat-Su Valley constituency.

From pleading the fifth on the question of our constitution’s morality (as a the now abrogating, amoral Mike Flynn (who can no-longer be called U.S. Army General if he won’t ‘stand’ by his sworn allegiance) testified, to wanting to give unsecured Ellipse entry to a white nationalist, pseudo-military force because they sought to “hang Mike Pence” and not harm him, the GOP’s fidelity to the last administration has abrogated their claim to our civilized, family-friendly, bipartisan future.

• John Sonin resides in Douglas. Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire. Have something to say? Here’s how to submit a My Turn or letter.

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