Re: Letters, Jim de Bree, “Revisiting Patriotism,” March 26.
Thank you for your kind words, Mr. de Bree, but I believe you totally missed my point in my response to Mr. Thomas Oatway and his ever-present, nonstop fanatical hatred of Rep. Mike Garcia and anyone/anything that has the audacity to hold an opinion contrary to his.
I will also add that Rep. Garcia is hardly the first nor will he be the last elected official to question our election process. As I have pointed out in other letters, MANY Democrats up to and including Hillary Clinton and Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and current Vice President Kamala Harris have publicly questioned the results of elections. Both sides do this pretty frequently as can be seen by doing a casual search online.
Rep. Garcia, along with numerous other duly elected officials, questioned if certain states had followed their own constitutions when it came to who has the constitutional authority in their state to change the balloting/voting process. They didn’t question the results — they only questioned the constitutionality of the process.
When the Supreme Court — the body ultimately authorized to make a final determination on such matters — ruled in favor of the states, Rep. Garcia immediately accepted their decision. He didn’t protest publicly … he didn’t go on social media and hold a press conference and trash the Supreme Court like many Democrats up to and including the current occupant of the White House did and still do.
I know lots of people whom I consider to be patriotic who never served in the military and I NEVER made the assertion that only people who served could be patriotic, nor would I EVER consider anyone who questions government actions or inactions to be un-patriotic no matter which side of the fence they happen to be on.
Rick Barker
Valencia
