All of us in the Toiyabe Chapter are struggling with the events of the past week. We watched as armed insurgents attempted to bring down our democracy in the very citadel of its existence, the United States Capitol. We watched as rioters gathered in the National Mall, and at the direct urging of Donald Trump and with the alleged support by several members of Congress, stormed and ransacked the capitol building, yet were allowed to leave freely and unharmed. Six people died as a direct result of this insurrection, and there were multiple other injuries. Several explosive devices were found on the scene, and the rioters carried confederate and Nazi flags and wore anti-Semitic and white supremacist messages on their clothing. Some of those who breached the capitol building were carrying zip ties that could be used to subdue and kidnap public officials. Estimates of the crowd size varied, but it was certainly in the 1,000s. Many if not most of the participants did not wear masks or honor social distancing, further endangering all who were present during this pandemic. The initial shock that all of us felt as the events unfolded may be wearing off, but it has been followed by the realization that the damage done and the degree of violence in the capitol last Wednesday is far worse than the initial news reports indicate. We came perhaps as close as this country has ever come to an actual coup. We must now decide how best to respond, and what we must do to maintain our beloved democracy going forward.
We begin with this statement by Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, and we thank him for setting the tone for our response. We must demand that the rule of law be applied equally to all involved. We must strive to squelch the lies and amplify the truth. A thorough investigation of the events must occur at the highest level, and we must determine how these domestic terrorists were able to enter the capitol building so easily. We need to know why the capitol police were not better prepared even though there was plenty of warning that the planned demonstrations could turn violent. After all, Donald Trump had been urging his followers to come to the capitol on January 6th for weeks, and had tweeted his supporters to “Be there, will be wild!” as well as extorting them to “fight” the results of the election. Finally, we must hold ALL who were present responsible and accountable.
This goal to hold those responsible accountable starts with Donald Trump himself. It is clear that his speech on the mall just prior to the insurrection was meant to incite the crowd. He has refused to accept the results of the election, and has been recorded extorting the Secretary of State of Georgia to “find some votes.” This alone would appear to be an impeachable offense, but combined with his incitement of violence on January 6th it is inexcusable.
Being able to explore, enjoy and protect our planet depends on the safety of our elected leaders as they conduct their constitutional duties. Anyone who assaults these leaders threatens our foundational environmental laws and democracy itself. Everyone complicit in the terrorist attack on the US Capitol needs to be held accountable. No one is above the law, even our highest elected officials.
Sierra Club appreciates the House of Representatives 2nd impeachment of Donald Trump. Here is how Nevada’s federal House members voted on impeachment on January 13:
Representative Dina Titus - Yes
Representative Mark Amodei - No
Representative Susie Lee - Yes
Representative Steven Horsford - Yes
Please take action TODAY by calling your representatives in Congress to either thank them or express your disappointment in their votes. The Sierra Club has set up two special hotlines that will help you connect directly to your elected officials. The number to call your Congressperson is 1-855-980-2275.
Please also call Nevada senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen to share your support for a fair and thorough trial of Donald Trump in the Senate - 1-855-982-2515.
We must ensure that all who were involved in this attack are brought to justice. We applaud the current efforts by the FBI to find the domestic terrorists who stormed the capitol and bring them to justice. But we must also be aware that there are individuals within our own region who were complicit.
Newly-elected Nevada Assemblywoman Annie Black (R-AD19) from Mesquite was in the crowd and marched from the White House to the Capitol, but there is no evidence as of yet that she was among those who entered the building. Of course, even though she may have been a peaceful protestor, one could certainly question her judgement in traveling to Washington D.C. to participate in such a large gathering given that her constituents are currently suffering greatly from the pandemic and we are in the midst of a statewide “pause” to try and curb its spread. There have been local calls for her resignation, but her response was “I’m not going anywhere!”
Other local officials, including Assembly members Lisa Krasner and John Ellison have made inflammatory claims about the events in Washington, including calling these white supremacists “patriots” and claiming that the election was stolen and “antifa” is responsible for the uprising.
On January 8th, two days after the insurrection, the chairman of Nevada’s Nye County Republican Party published a blog post that claimed, among other atrocities, that Donald Trump WOULD be President for another four years, and accusing Vice President Pence of treason because he did not stop the certification of the election (even though it was clearly impossible and against the law for him to do so). As of this writing, the blog is still up on the Nye County Republican Party website. Its last line is “It's 1776 all over again!”.
We cannot tolerate such incursions on our democracy. We must continue to speak out. Elected officials locally and nationally must be held accountable for such inflammatory actions. You can call or write your local state representatives and let them know that we do not tolerate this type of intolerance. It is not too early to start thinking about how these individuals can be replaced in their next elections. Speak up! This is particularly important for any of you that live in these representatives’ districts. They are supposed to represent you as well as their more radical constituents.
Our diligence must extend to the future, particularly during the days leading up to the Inauguration of President-Elect Biden and Vice-President Elect Harris. The FBI has confirmed credible threats of more violence, including armed protests at every state capitol, in the days leading up to and including Inauguration Day on January 20. We all need to be vigilant. We fear for the safety of our members and friends throughout the country, and ask all to be aware and careful. It is also time to be caring of ourselves and our neighbors. We call on local law enforcement to be prepared to safely protect our citizens. Finally, we must all stand together to work with the new administration to bring back sanity to our government. We have faith that the first 100 days of the Biden/Harris Administration will bring many positive changes. Our job is to support the new administration any way that we can, while continuing to hold them accountable to their campaign promises to begin healing our country and our environment. Our democracy, our environment, and indeed our planet depend on it.