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The idea of a "new" third party is very inviting to many of us. As a lifelong Republican, I see the party now as a lost cause. It has lost its direction, is steeped in MAGA and QAnon forces, and its leaders are trampling one another to gain favor with the worst President we've had to endure in my 70 years. We need a party that will be true of Lincoln—all men and women are created equal, we are all in this together, racism is antithetical to this country, and there is a reason the founders set three independent branches of government. Those who choose to disregard the vote of millions of Americans should be treated as traitors to their oath to protect and abide by the Constitution of this, the greatest country in the world. What an embarrassment they are in front of the rest of the world. We, the voters, will remember when their next term comes up. —Steven B., Florida
With so much horrifying news, it would be easy to put out a very sour paper. But as always, THE TOPLINE's tone is factual and practical. Reckoning must be meted out for the sedition and armed insurrection. Enablers and endorsers need to be removed from public service. People in government positions who don't understand that elections are not subject to being overthrown to suit minority preference or curry favor with a would-be autocrat must be ejected and marked for the base actors they are. It feels silly to have to say that! Please keep pressing on the topics of the fundamentals of the country: honor, integrity, honesty, and dealing on behalf of the people who need it rather than being in it for the glory and enrichment of those who already possess those things by being corrupt. We don't owe them anything but a fair trial. —Anna K., Washington
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Plenty of social media posts since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week say things like "It was always going to end this way," or "I didn't expect it to end this way." Sadly, this isn't the end—and, in fact, it may get worse. Extremist groups are already planning repeat visits to Washington, D.C., in the days ahead of next week's inauguration and on Inauguration Day itself. Remember: millions of Americans have been brainwashed to believe that the election was rigged via a mass conspiracy. That fact hasn't changed. In some of their minds, this is 1776 again, and war is their only recourse. Even those who would never consider attacking the Capitol building—or any building, for that matter—have become apologists for the insurrection online. We are at a perilous point in our history. We need swift accountability to penalize the terrorists responsible for inciting and carrying out last week's attack. We need immediate action to guard against future attacks. And we need more lawmakers to step up and thoroughly discredit the lie that led to such violence. —Mindy Finn
