LETTER: We need to unite behind the Constitution

I am retired law enforcement and a long-time Republican. I agree with most others in my party that we must unite. The question: How and behind what?

I observe that, whatever our differences, the one thing politically we have in common is our Constitution. We should unify behind it as the supreme law of our land. The core value it establishes through the system of checks and balances is the peaceful transfer of power following a free and fair election.

In this spirit, members of my party (and any others) who perpetuate the knowing, willful and outrageous lie that President Donald Trump won the election could go a long way toward establishing unity by abandoning that lie and affirming the fact that Joe Biden won fairly and that claims of fraud were and are sheer fabrications, concocted for political advantage.

To me, this seems like a simple request. After all, in my field of law enforcement, one must of necessity rely on facts, not make-believe. To do otherwise could endanger one’s life as well as the lives of others.

Another thing many of us have in common that we can unite behind is our Judeo-Christian heritage. The Ninth Commandment says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” This means don’t lie; if you are lying, stop. The political “leaders” cynically peddling the lie, know it’s a lie and are the purveyors of disunity. They need to be called out.