Hey guys,
Sorry that my writing’s been a bit US-heavy, and today won’t be an exception. However, I feel this is a too important story to pass up:
Trump has been subpoenaed. He will have to appear in court and be held accountable for his actions.
This decision, voted unanimously by January 6th Committee, is the culmination of months of work, carefully examining the attempted insurrection at the capitol and Trump’s role in it. Not only have they been investigating Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, but they’ve also been examining Trump’s repeated false claims that the presidential election was stolen from him. His protests are inaccurate and often are the exact opposite of what actually happened - I recall Trump asking the Georgia governor to “find” him 11,000 votes - he ignored the truth and continued to push his own agenda. Since then, the Republican party as a whole has made election-denial one of their founding philosophies, with many GOP candidates across the nation making it the base of their campaigns. Republican criticism of both the election and anyone who ever votes for anything the Democrats prepose reveals how entrenched they are in their philosophy - that everything the opposing party does is wrong, and therefore it would be impossible for them to ever win an election. No matter which party is “right” in this situation, this is extremely unhealthy for a democracy. Democracies were built so the people could make decisions, represented by smart but respectful politicians who acknowledged their adversaries, and worked to both triumph and cooperate. The Republican agenda is throwing these ideas out with the recycling - what will that mean for our nation?
But our democracy, among the largest and strongest in the world, isn’t going down without a fight. The January 6th Committee is now calling to hold Trump accountable for his actions that resulted in this downward spiral. “None of this is normal, acceptable or lawful in our republic,” argued Liz Cheney, the vice chairwoman of the committee. Cheney, however noble her actions may be, is a Republican, and her role in the committee has tanked her popularity; she will not be returning after the next election closes. Even this is an example of what is happening to America: the good, honest people who don’t care about political points or appealing to the division to make it through the next election, are rapidly disappearing from the political landscape.
Trump’s subpoena is a major step. A step back toward the democracy that we all miss dearly.
- For live updates, visit https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/13/us/politics/heres-what-to-expect-from-the-jan-6-hearing.html.