Letters: Trump's hold on his followers emboldened him

Palm Beach Post Readers
Trump supporters participate in a rally Wednesday, in Washington. As Congress prepared to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory, thousands gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his baseless claims of election fraud.

Listening to last week’s congressional debate to impeach President Donald Trump, I remembered him saying how he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would still be behind him. As Trump grew into a more influential person with his followers, he has become more brazen. 

Well, I see he has decided to ratchet it up a little from a fantasy shooting to having a base of support even if he allegedly incites violence on the U.S. Constitution and our democracy. 

May this never happen again, and shame on those who blindly followed him. 

R.H. Briant, Royal Palm Beach 

Thiessen can't quit

his what-about-ism

Well, columnist Marc Thiessen almost did it. In my opinion, a lot of Thiessen’s columns are convoluted at best, and his arguments in support of President Trump always contain some reference to, “so and so also said this” and “so and so also did this” in justifying the actions of Trump. 

So, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I read the title of his latest offering ("Trump has blood on his hands after Capitol attack," Wednesday). I really believed that Thiessen had found a kernel of journalistic integrity. 

He came ever so close. He almost put the blame for last week’s riot in its proper place. But no, he had to end with the hope that there will be an “examination of conscience on all sides.”

When it comes to storming the U.S. Capitol, my conscience is clear. He obviously still believes “there are good people on both sides.” 

Edward J. Brookes, Lake Worth 

If fraud swayed election,

make the evidence plain

It seems that the great divide and cause of great chaos over the 2020 presidential election is whether there was election fraud. Many of President Trump’s supporters believe that the election was indeed stolen due to fraud. Since judges did not accept proof from lawyers that filed claims in courts, there must be something else we are missing. 

Frankly, the average person would need a lawyer to explain the documents and decisions that were presented in courts. So what proof do they have in plain, common language that regular citizens can understand for us to know the truth? 

Could we have the names of the dead people that voted? Who are the people that voted twice? Which specific election workers do they think shredded ballots? Is there anything else I need to know about the fraud?  

If they could just issue an easy-to-read document answering those questions, many of us would like to look at the specifics. I am retired and have plenty of time to do research about their objections. 

Edith Davis, Jupiter 

Scott's Electoral College

vote was last straw

The citizens of Florida should be outraged by the “yes” vote and participation of Sen. Rick Scott in an attempt to overturn an election. He should resign or be expelled immediately. 

In addition to the unforgivable act stated above, Scott has not served his constituents or lived up to his oath. He has downplayed the COVID epidemic, and actually cast aspersions on the people who were thrust into it through no fault of their own. 

What we have here is an uncaring millionaire once embroiled in a Medicare fraud; a former governor who rigged the state’s unemployment system to be unusable and prevented former convicts who served their time and probation the right to vote; and a leader who made snide remarks about “lazy” people struggling to keep their families housed and fed. 

Mary Nagle, Boynton Beach 

Capitol riot response

shows double standard

There can be no doubt from anyone now, about the racial prejudice at the heart of law enforcement in this country. If you are still looking for verification, review the U.S. Capitol’s police handling of Trump supporters compared to the Black Lives Matter march last year. 

The terrorists at the Capitol on Jan. 6 arrived with weapons and intent to stop the course of a peaceful transfer of power. Watching the gentle pushback by the police after a four-hour siege compared with the beatings seen at BLM marches was appalling. Even the comparative arrest numbers between the two were an embarrassment to all those who believe in law and order. 

On that day, we lost the ability to ever judge another countries', election process as we became a banana republic, our democracy stained. It is imperative that we seek prosecution for incitement, whether against a president, senator, congressman or lawyer. 

Chris Bell, Lake Worth Beach
