For those inclined to believe that the path of a patriot lies in support of the ignorant and petulant behavior displayed at our Capitol on the sixth of January, I remind you now that these actions have irrevocably harmed the fabric of our democracy and are an embarrassment to anyone who actually believes in representative government.

As a veteran who has served in combat, I stand appalled by these charlatans, their hypocrisy and their ignorance. Their invasion and desecration of the symbolic heart of what they purport to fight for has been recorded and is available as testament to their selfish stupidity. I vehemently denounce their behavior in the most emphatic terms. They were, however, not born to this fate. Emboldened by a media-driven cultural affinity for extremism and division, the forces that have deluded and divided us are the root of our inability to find a cooperative path forward and anathema to the very concept of community, cultural equity and compromise.

It is time we reject this insurgency and rediscover that there is far more that unites us than divides us. It is not too late.

Adam Courbin

Preston