“It was in this climate then, that I reached the decision to go on the offensive – to put a check on government abuse of power where others had failed in stopping the federal juggernaut run amok.”
Some seeing these words might think they were uttered within the riotous mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol to protest our legislative body’s constitutional responsibility. They were not. They were written by Timothy McVeigh as he awaited execution for the murder of my mother and 167 others in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Radicalized nationalism and domestic terrorism are perhaps the most lethal threats to our democracy. The cowards who stormed the U.S. Capitol, fashioning themselves as “freedom fighters” and “patriots,” drunk on self-righteousness and under the influence of misinformation and absurd conspiracy theories, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Further still, the politicians and media personalities who “overserve” the public with this fabricated nonsense should be held responsible for inciting this behavior and denounce it altogether. Our elected politicians carry virtual megaphones and have an obligation to use their First Amendment right responsibly, since we all clearly see it can lead to violence and seditionist acts against our republic.
With this in mind, I call on Colorado District 3 Rep. Lauren Boebert to either dial back the rhetoric or resign so that we might avoid any more unnecessary loss of life in a manner similar to that which occurred on April 19, 1995, and January 6, 2021.
Brian BealDurango
