Letters

On Wednesday, January 6, 121 members of the U.S. House of representatives rejected the election results from Arizona; 138 House members rejected the results from Pennsylvania.

Authorities have called this election the most secure in our history. No results, none, were challenged within states themselves. No meaningful fraud was detected anywhere, by any judiciary, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And yet these elected GOP officials, “leaders,” as they are called, chose to oppose the results anyway.

Our representative, Lee Zeldin, was among those opposing the results of all contested states. I have no doubt that the majority, if not all, of these representatives knew the election results were accurate. I assume their objections were based upon narrow ambitious calculations tying their fortunes to the deranged personality cult of one very damaged man, Donald Trump.

We generally presume that our elected leaders have reliable information and act reasonably on what they know. We depend on our leaders to keep us informed and help us understand what is going on in their respective realms of authority. Leadership is defined as “an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction; the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group.”

Ideally, If we are to be governed wisely and well, our leaders must tell us the truth, speak truth to lies, without posturing with what they think we want to hear.

In 1868, a New York Democrat declared, “If a man is ignorant, he needs the ballot for his protection all the more.” For our protection, we need our leaders to be truthful.

Rather than leading with truth, Lee Zeldin, along with his nefarious GOP congressional cohorts, have spoken lies to truth. By endorsing the lies of election fraud, and thereby telling supporters that they actually had a chance to overturn this past election, Zeldin has utterly failed in his leadership responsibilities. He has inflamed inane conspiracy theories and false accusations. And, finally, last week, by thoughtless, senseless opposition to these many valid state election results, he almost certainly encouraged an actual insurrection, with deadly violence done to our precious, fragile and now stunned constitutional representative democracy.

Lee Zeldin can no longer claim to legitimately represent our constitutional democracy, nor serve the good people of the 1st District. He has lost the credibility, respect and basic trust that a real leader deserves. He should resign immediately from his position.

He and his various colleagues in opposition are now probably even liable for the federal crime of sedition — “conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state; incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government.”

James Ewing

Water Mill