There’s No Other Way to Put It: January 6 Was a Violent Coup Attempt
The attacks on Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Center (WTC) on 9/11 were certainly monstrous and a serious threat to our nation with significant tragic loss of life.
However, the attack on the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, was an even more serious existential threat to our nation’s democracy and Constitution. Our entire nation was united in opposition to the attackers of Pearl Harbor and WTC. But, amazingly, a portion of our nation’s population was in support of the seditious attempted violent overthrow of our democratically elected government.
Sadly, in his letter to the editor (“Descriptions of January 6 Capitol Rioters Are Exaggerated,” Jan. 11-17), Bruce Kelly doesn’t seem to recognize the traitorous threat posed by the thousands of violent Trump supporters who attempted to thwart the presidential election. And, for the first time in our nation’s history, prevent the peaceful transfer of power. It was an attempted fascist overthrow of a new administration – fairly elected by a more than seven million-vote majority – aided and abetted by several dozen Republican traitors in Congress. And now the Justice Department has begun to hand down indictments of sedition on the organizers. If this isn’t an existential threat to this nation, I don’t know what is.
Mr. Kelley draws a comparison between the violence that has occurred at some BLM and Anti-fa(scist) demonstrations with what he characterizes as the relatively “benign” attempt to overthrow our government on Jan. 6. While I unequivocally deplore any violence by anyone, the BLM and Anti-fa(scist) outrage was directed at the injustice of police brutality where it occurs. The Jan. 6/Trump outrage was directed at the U.S. Congress with an attempt to undermine the sanctity of our democracy all in the interest of an egotist.
My wife and I attended at least two dozen BLM demonstrations in New York City, Westchester and Putnam counties in 2021. And every one of them was peaceful. Mr. Kelly’s letter was full of many other errors and incorrect statements that space won’t allow me to address.
But what should be understood was that what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, was the attempted violent overthrow of our government – and by default our democracy and Constitution. A manifestation of the growth of fascism on the right in this country.
Nick Kuvach
Putnam Valley
Examiner Media – Keeping you informed with professionally-reported local news, features, and sports coverage.
