Five years after Jan 6, 2021

Five years ago today the President of the United States incited an insurrection. He betrayed his oath of office, he rejected and actively sought to destroy our democracy in order to subvert the will of the American people and stay in power.

Though those events did not occur in Summit, they were an attack on our way of life and affected all of us. As a Councilmember who swore an oath to defend the Constitution, I called upon every member of our community to join in speaking. Speaking not with a partisan voice, but with one American voice to reaffirm our commitment to justice, truth, and our representative democracy.

With the same criminal back in office, the daily stream of lies, and constant lawlessness it can be tempting to believe we lost the fight or that the challenges we face are too great. But the fight isn’t over. Here’s three things I believe we all need to do in order to move forward:

1) Honor and remember those who lost their lives and who bravely placed their lives on the line to defend others. Their sacrifice matters.

2) Refuse to engage with those who deny what took place. We can have reasonable policy disagreements, but not with those who refuse to acknowledge the truth or those who excuse violence.

3) Vote. Vote in every election, every year. Vote for people who respect the Constitution, honor their oath, and are not afraid to use their voice. If your representative (at any level of government) will not do that - then it’s time to think seriously about whether you should run for office.

The challenges are not too great, and if we all do our part, we will win this fight.

Onward.
Greg


Greg Vartan is former President of Summit Common Council and current Chairman of the Summit Democrats