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After reading John Cline’s letter of June 22, I reread the June 15 editorial, “Rule of Law or Mob Rule.” I found it interesting that while the Republican Party is never called out, his letter is a full-throated defense of that party and what it has become in these times.

Many observers of recent events, especially those who have viewed the Jan. 6 Congressional hearings, see that the party has morphed from its conservative foundations into the party of Trump, a party without any democratic (small “d”) moorage.

The Republican witnesses before that committee make clear that Trump and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, joined by John Eastman and others, were behind the mob’s attempt to take over the U.S. Congress and the threat to lynch former Vice President Mike Pence. Phone recordings of Trump document his attempts to coerce the Georgia secretary of state to violate his oath of office and “find” over 10,000 non-existent votes for Trump. There are videos of Trump whipping his followers into a frenzy.

Like Cline, I too served in the Air Force. At that time, Richard Nixon was the Republican president. While he was behind the break-in of the Democratic Party office, he did the right thing when he resigned public office. But not Donald Trump. He fought and continues to fight to remain in office while creating havoc in our country.

His choice to condone mob violence and his blatant unwillingness to support the “rule of law” speaks for itself. The tapes, the videos and the numerous testimonies of many staunch Republicans swearing under oath about the illegal and unconstitutional activities of Trump and his cronies do not lie.

The efforts of many Republicans to subvert much that this nation has represented here at home and throughout the world – and that the Republican party at one time represented – is troublesome.

I don’t have to “malign, hector or simplistically caricature by sanctimonious” means what has happened to the Republican Party. They are doing a better job than I could ever manage, if that were even my goal, which it is not.

Focusing on border issues and crime is a distraction from the point of the editorial. Keep practicing your freedom of speech. Pray that you will continue to be able to do so. And be thankful that we have an honest and thoughtful free press.

Rick Shorten

Pleasant Ridge