Shame over Nunes silence on Capitol attack: Letters to the editor, Jan. 17, 2021

Not the rule of the mob, but of law

To Devin Nunes: I am appalled that after many days you have yet to denounce what happened at the Capitol. I am embarrassed to call myself a conservative.

Those people were not protesting, they were terrorists. Not only did they violate the law by breaking into the building, but they attacked law enforcement officers. I thought conservatives respected the people that put their lives on the line to protect us, but I guess that is no longer true. I put you in the group that caused this mess. With your lack of denouncing these acts, you are continuing to encourage this behavior.

The world has always looked to us for a peaceful transition of power, and now because of your actions, that is down the drain. President Trump has shown his true colors these past few months, yet I cannot understand why you continue to stand by him. Our country is run by the rule of law, not the rule of the mob.

Greatest generation ashamed of us

My father and grandparents use to tell me about how everyone had to sacrifice during World War II. Citizens got gasoline rationing stamps. My grandmother saved aluminum foil and rubber bands. People had victory gardens. Thousands of young men and women joined the military. Our soldiers, including my father, were handed rifles and risked their lives to defend America’s freedom. Everyone sacrificed for the common cause.

It is sad that today — Americans are so divided on the battle against the pandemic, what the president called an “invisible enemy.” Whereas our soldiers sacrificed hugely during war, a large number of Americans today won’t even put on a paper mask to fight this enemy. They claim the mask mandates are an infringement of their freedom. So pathetic, these descendants of the greatest generation.

Media, politicians helped make attack

 The storming of the Capitol and the damage done is unforgiveable and completely unacceptable by any group, and those participants should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But the act perpetrated should not surprise anyone.

When the media and politicians alike ignored the violence in Portland, Chicago, Seattle, NYC and other cities, and some politicians called others to “get into peoples’ faces, make them feel uncomfortable,” in fact all of this was condoned. We saw mayors telling their own police to stand down and other politicians calling for “defund the police.”

So what has been the message throughout? No politician or any media outlet was held accountable for inciting any of this activity? So as ugly and completely unacceptable the storming of the Capitol was, no one should be surprised, least of all the media or any politician.

How to define Fresno’s culture?

I found irony in two Beevoices (Jan. 11) on the topic of Fresno’s “culture.” Editors scolded mask-averse “patriots” trying to commandeer Trader Joe’s, while Marek Warszawski bemoaned a church buying the Tower Theater. Editors were right to decry the stunt at TJ’s (a missed opportunity, though, not linking the recent gun-slinging at Fashion Fair). Warszawski was right to resist the loss of another Fresno landmark (even though the Tower’s is but a precious, rarified space that shows dwindling ability to change hearts, minds and viewpoints).

What constitutes Fresno’s culture? We have the same challenges as other large cities: the struggle for power and control; the need for balance and harmony; and media-reporting that presents “news” that seldom feels productive. The Bee recently listed six gun-deaths on Page 1. A day later, it listed four, a recent DUI, and/or high-speed-chase traffic fatalities. Violent deaths, street races, DWI, guns-drawn at 4 in the afternoon in a crowded mall.

Let’s talk about preserving our culture here in Fresno. But first – we need to decide what our culture is right now, and what we want it to be, going forward. Our country as a whole is having the same kind of “Aha” moment.

This story was originally published January 17, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Shame over Nunes silence on Capitol attack: Letters to the editor, Jan. 17, 2021."