Letters to the Editor: The impeachment takeaway: Never laugh off a shameless liar like Trump

To the editor: In former President Trump’s second impeachment trial, we are seeing firsthand that it’s not enough merely to condemn a bigot and would-be tyrant. Trump said loudly and clearly what he stood for. He is the only president I ever heard condemn entire cities because the mayors were Democrats. He was not president of the United States; he was president only of the Republican states.

On Jan. 6, we got the consequences of what we ignored for too long. The insurrectionists are being hunted down and charged, but what about the insurrectionist in chief? And what about Fox News and all the other right-wing media that spread Trump’s lies? They are just as guilty.

This didn’t just suddenly happen on Jan. 6.; it had been building for years, aided by everyone who supported Trump and the rest of us who laughed at him because he was great fodder for comedians and not someone who should have been taken seriously. Well, surprise surprise.

Men like Trump who flagrantly lie are the biggest danger this country faces, along with the media that assiduously circulate those lies. Let’s never ignore a politician like that again or the media that support those lies. Shame on us all. We knew better.

Fran Mills, Glendale

..

To the editor: We all know how the impeachment trial will end. Still, Trump cannot avoid history’s condemnation.

He will forever be remembered as the president who tried to overturn a fair election. The people spoke, and they voted him out.

Trump incited a riot to stop Congress from counting the electoral votes. He sent an angry mob to attack Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and anyone else, Republican or Democrat, who stood in his way. He disregarded his oath to the Constitution and the American people.

History will remember as this country’s most notorious traitors Benedict Arnold and Donald Trump. In lieu of conviction by the Senate, I guess we will have to be satisfied with that.

Joyce Jacoby, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: The Senate will almost certainly acquit Trump, but he will always be remembered for ignoring a pandemic and contributing to the death of almost half a million Americans and the collapse of the American economy.

He will be remembered for trying to thwart the peaceful transfer of power; for spreading the lie that his election loss was based on election fraud in urban communities of color; for orchestrating a campaign to challenge the certification of the electoral college vote; for summoning the crowd that became the mob that assaulted the Capitol; and for achieving the distinction of being the only president impeached twice by the House of Representatives.

The border wall, the tax cut for the wealthy, the appointment of three Supreme Court justices — all will be footnotes to his incompetence, cruelty, racism and ignorance. He will share the distinction of being the worst president in history with Andrew Johnson, who was also acquitted after being impeached.

Sidney Morrison, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: As America has watched the shocking and disgusting images of the mob rampaging the Capitol, literally using Trump flags as weapons against law enforcement officers, it’s worth recalling that four years ago someone referred to Trump supporters as being in a “basket of deplorables,” and lost the election likely as a result.

Now that we realize this assessment to have been one of the great understatements of our time, the question remains as to what expression will best describe the hopefully dwindling number of senators who, having seen what we have all seen in the impeachment trial, will refuse to vote for conviction.

Michael Toohey Heilig, Venice

..

To the editor: If Republican senators, after hearing the factual presentations of the House impeachment managers, choose not to convict Trump because they think the public will soon forget the Jan. 6 insurrection, well, they have another thing coming.

The “January exception” is being seared like Sept. 11 into American memories.

Paul McRae, Torrance

..

To the editor: The Senate is not voting on Trump. He only represents the basic problem. It is not voting on the philosophy of political parties, such as social or economic issues.

It is voting on the future of democracy in this country. Do senators want the government run by people freely elected, or by autocrats who use intimidation and force to take control?

Edward Gilbert, Studio City

..

To the editor: The Times should not have offered up as news its reporters’ assessments that the Senate trial will probably end in acquittal.

During the trial of O.J. Simpson — or for that matter Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez or the Hillside Strangler — would The Times have stated repeatedly that, due to fear or cowardice of the jury members, acquittal was likely? No, as it would have shown prejudice and a disrespect for the norms and standards of media and trial objectivity.

The Times makes acquittal look reasonable by reiterating it as a foregone conclusion.

Teri Bernstein, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: I wonder if Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) realizes the potential impact of one of his comments during the impeachment trial. In what may have been a throwaway line, he called Jan. 6, 2021, “Insurrection Day.”

It struck me as an extremely important insight for a number of reasons.

First, while it likely will never be a national holiday (although an argument can be made for it), Jan. 6 should become an annual day of national reflection, when sitting politicians at all levels, historians, pundits, journalists and educators take time to examine the causes, the consequences and the prevention of any repetition of the insurrection.

Second, it can become one method, but not the only one, for deprogramming those deluded individuals and fellow-travelers who disgraced themselves and our country on that date. The deluded include all senators who vote to acquit Trump.

David L. Burdick, Ridgecrest, Calif.

..

To the editor: This was as much an impeachment trial as an intervention. God save us.

Richard Hawkins, Gardena

..

To the editor: To all those who still support Trump, shame on you.

Carla Golle, Culver City