The House Select Committee to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol is currently revealing the financial, political and moral fleecing of America caused by Donald Trump’s Big Lie. Trump has grifted roughly $250 million for his Official Election Defense Fund, has poisoned civil society, inflaming racist hate groups with Replacement Theory rhetoric, and fractured Americans into tribal political groups. The health of a democracy depends on shared beliefs and common acceptance of facts, which is why Trump must be held accountable.

From the Civil War to the McCarthyism, democracy and the rule of law eventually prevailed over sectionalism and illiberalism; however, many Americans today are more concerned with the price of gas than with the quest for truth. The 21st century has unleashed social media platforms fomenting radical disinformation, while Congress remains impotent to regulate tribalizing algorithms, gun safety, and women’s rights over their bodies.

There is a solution: Vote for people who are committed to the truth in 2022 and 2024. Use websites like FactCheck, FullFact and PolitiFact, and verify before you trust what you’re hearing or reading. Advocate to your representatives and senators for causes you believe in, but first ask yourself if your beliefs infringe on the rights of others. If we don’t participate in a tolerant, civil democracy, we can view our future in today’s Russia, an autocratic state dominated by another lying schoolyard bully. Our Founding Fathers designed a government ruled by law, not a bully.

Mary Johnson
Holden