On July 26, the most crooked, corrupt president in American history gave a speech at a conference sponsored by the America First Policy Institute. Donald Trump had the audacity to speak about the lack of law and order in this country. What a joke!

Give me a break. This was the president who gleefully watched on Jan. 6, 2021, as his supporters vandalized the U.S. Capitol, injured police officers and threatened to kill his own vice president. Trump had the power to stop this violent insurrection. Instead, he did nothing. He just simply watched on TV for 187 minutes before finally being persuaded, reluctantly, to make a statement.

So whenever Donald Trump speaks about his support for law and order, it is simply another of his many lies, which sorrowfully include his Big Lie that he won the 2020 election. That Big Lie, of course, fomented the vicious attack on the Capitol.

The only thing that Donald Trump supports is whatever is good for Donald Trump. He and any of his enablers on the local, state and national levels are dangerous to our democracy and should never be elected to any political office.

Rudy Diamond

Lewisville

At a crossroads

Two stories in the news have disturbing similarities. Police officer Derek Chauvin, now in prison, was convicted for murder after holding his knee on a man's neck until he died. The police officers who stood by and did not intervene have now been convicted and will soon be sentenced. On Nov. 3, 2020, even before all the votes were counted, the defeated president figuratively placed his knee on the neck of American democracy with his Big Lie about voter fraud and a stolen election. He increased the pressure until Jan. 6, 2021, when at his behest ("fight like hell, we love you") his supporters rampaged through the U.S. Capitol, braying for the blood of the vice president, the speaker of the House and any other Democrats who got in their way.

Democracy survived that day but is not yet secure and still could meet a different fate. This country was at a crossroads in 2016 and chose the road that led us to division, doubt and ultimately insurrection. We now stand at another crossroads. Will we choose to pursue justice, as after the death of George Floyd, in an effort to preserve democracy? Or will we follow the lies to autocracy?

Are so many of us unable to think clearly that we accept the ravings of a sore and desperate loser over solid evidence and rational thought? Will 2020 mark the last free and fair election in the U.S.? History will record our decision and we will live with the consequences, for better or for worse.

Lee Pulliam

Winston-Salem

Christian nationalism

I am a practicing Christian. I'm also a patriotic American. And I am deeply offended by the loud elected voices who choose to ignore their oath to defend the Constitution of the United States.

Religious pluralism is part of our American identity. Our forefathers came here to establish religious freedom, not to establish a Christian nation. These angry voices who call for Christian nationalism ignore the fact that Christianity is pluralistic as well. Even Christian denominations are pluralistic within themselves. Data from a recent Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey shows that most Americans embrace those differences — 7 in 10 Americans say they are proud to live in a religiously diverse nation.

The First Amendment to our Constitution protects our right to practice any religion, or no religion. The desire of some to return to “the good old days” is a result of hindsighted bias; those days were never as good as our memories portray. 

Art Gibel

Winston-Salem