Enough of the hateful language

Enough, already! Enough with the hateful, vindictive language, the squabbling, the violence. Now is not the time to exacerbate the divisions among us ["Heeding the warning," Letters, Jan. 13]. Now is the time for healing, time for our leaders on both sides of the aisle to step up and demonstrate their leadership. Now is the time for our leaders to validate the reasons why we elected them in the first place. We did not elect them to make things worse. We elected them to make things better. People are very scared. Many have lost their jobs, their businesses and their loved ones. Now is not the time for vindictiveness. Now is not the time to ban people from social media because they express opinions we don’t like. Now is not the time to waste our time and money trying to impeach a president who will be leaving office in days. President-elect Joe Biden and other Democratic leaders should put aside animosities toward President Donald Trump and his supporters. They should forget about placating their supporters. It’s time for healing.

Larry Jacob,

Plainview

I don’t know why I am shocked, but I am truly disheartened and disgusted by the display in the House of Representatives during Wednesday’s impeachment debate ["Trump impeached for ‘incitement of insurrection,’ " News, Jan. 14]. Democrats and Republicans were attacked on Jan. 6, yet most Republicans fail to see the connection between the president’s rhetoric and the hyping-up of a crowd that marched on the Capitol to do harm. It is hard to believe that almost all the GOP members did not vote for impeachment after what happened. President Donald Trump told the crowd to march to the Capitol and he would be with them, but instead he slinked back to the White House to watch on TV the destruction he incited. Many fail to recognize that Trump led his supporters to endanger the vice president and members of Congress. I guess Trump was right — he really could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his followers, namely many Republicans, would still be loyal to him. How did we get here?

Brenda Ferrante,

Lindenhurst

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) was just reelected in his district because, in my opinion, he is the kind of man we, his constituents, want. He is attentive to what we need and works hard to see that we get it. He has the same right as any other representative to express his opinion, which I believe is the same feeling of most people in his district. Let’s stop the witch hunt now. He’s not going anywhere soon.

Carla Kessler,

Mount Sinai

Some say patriots acted at the Capitol, others say they were terrorists. I advocate that they were neither. Clearly, a mob sought to have its way respecting no laws or authority. We cannot let mobs prevail because when we do, such as what happened across the country with those advocating for social justice, we are encouraging other mobs to form to exact their "justice." To me, a number of mayors and governors were derelict in their duties to protect the public. Now, Democrats have impeached this president again. Is this the road to reunify our country that President-elect Joe Biden publicly espouses? I think not. I suggest Congress forgo exacting its pound of flesh and let this presidency lapse, or risk further enraging 74 million of our countrymen. This is the Democrats’ opportunity to "Build back better."

Joe Miranti,

Rocky Point

Our "Grand Old Flag," the Stars and Stripes, is a symbol of our nation and the principles of free society that has been a model for all who strive to make the world a better place — no matter who you are. I am saddened that when our flag is now displayed, it is assumed to be for allegiance to President Donald Trump and that the true patriots of America are those who follow his call to arms to stop the theft of his electoral victory. On Jan. 6, America and the whole world witnessed who these "patriots" are, a vicious mob empowered by its president to attack the Capitol. The attempted coup failed, but the stain on our democracy will never go away. When future generations study Trump’s presidency, I hope they learn that the character of the person we elect as president is a reflection of us all. I also hope that once again I will feel pride to display our "Grand Old Flag," and that forever in peace it may wave.

James Dyckman,

Kings Park

I haven’t heard a word about what would have happened if the Capitol was prepared for a lockdown. Only a few years ago, everything was draped in scaffolding for improvements. How many millions of dollars were spent? I am confident that virtually every large event in venues like theaters and stadiums has been planned with crowd control in mind. There have been times after games when fans stormed fields. Exiting efficiently is at issue. Nobody gets into the White House. If the Capitol, one of the most scrutinized buildings in the country, could have barred windows and doors in an emergency, this catastrophe likely would not have happened. Who’s at fault?

Michael Kosinski,

East Hills

President Donald Trump, to me, is a modern-day, male version of Joan of Arc. In my view, he has stood steadfastly in the path of the socialists who could try to change our Constitution, and now they are trying to burn him at the stake.

Joe Ruszczyk,

Kings Park

A reader stated that until Jan. 6, he thought "most supporters of President Donald Trump were hapless loons or harmless buffoons". I believe ridiculous statements like this have brought this country to where we are today. Imagine painting all supporters of President-elect Joe Biden as violent anarchistic usurpers of democracy as some of our cities and small businesses burned this summer with the "mostly peaceful" protests. This rhetoric must stop.

Kevin Harrington,

Medford

The first thing our new president should do is to pardon President Donald Trump and then have the courage to stand up to those seeking revenge and filled with pure and obvious hatred of Trump and tell them the Trump era is over! Let us move forward and not get caught up in the quagmire of past events. President Abraham Lincoln, if he listened to many in his party, should have hung by the neck hundreds if not thousands of the rebels. He did not let the blood lust for revenge consume him. He did the right thing for the sake of the people of America and sent every one back to their homes to reunite the country. Upon his inauguration, President-elect Joe Biden should take a hard look at the Lincoln portrait, and ask him: What should I do?

Peter Kelly,

Medford