Letter to the editor: Trump's genie is out of the bottle

It’s an old story: A foolish person sets a genie free from a bottle in exchange for a wish. But the wish is rash, reckless and ill-conceived, and so it becomes a curse that boomerangs back to destroy the fool.

The violent Jan. 6 insurrection that I believe Donald Trump orchestrated was identified as an act of domestic terrorism by FBI Director Christopher Wray. The attempted assassination against him is now also being investigated as a potential case of domestic terror.

Trump should have been careful what he wished for — the terrible genie of American carnage, once unleashed, cannot be easily controlled or put back in the bottle.

The shooter was a registered Republican whose father is reportedly a Trump supporter , but still Republicans have tried to spin blame onto President Biden. But Biden was instrumental in passing the 1994 assault weapons ban and has worked to reinstate it despite Republican opposition.

So, while Trump has engaged in extremism and insurrection, and Republicans are still inflaming partisan rancor, Biden has been working for a policy that would have helped protect Trump and his supporters and potentially saved the life of the father and husband who was slain.

David Ninehouser

Ambridge