It’s time for all good people, regardless of party, to stand up against political violence and violent rhetoric. Recently, Rep. Kevin McCarthy purposely shoved a fellow representative in the back, Sen. Markwayne Mullin was ready to physically fight with a union leader during a hearing and Rep. James Comer verbally abused a fellow representative.

In the same time period, Donald Trump posted a request for a citizen’s arrest of Judge Arthur Engoron. This would not be legal, and it would also itself be the crime of assault. Trump also continued to joke about the violent attack of Paul Pelosi by a man who has been convicted of assault. Amazingly, Trump’s followers laughed happily at these “jokes.”

If not for the attempted insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, and the recent polling indicating that nearly one in three Republicans think violence may be necessary for what they want America to become, these might be seen as isolated or even silly incidents of immature people. Seen in the overall context, such violent behavior looks more serious and too much like the violence leading to the takeover of governments of other nations in the past.

With the same outrage Sen. Bernie Sanders displayed in calling out and stopping potential violence by Mullin, we must let the leaders of our parties know that even violent rhetoric is unacceptable.

Robert J. Reiland

O’Hara

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