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Eulogy for heroism

By Staff | Jan 21, 2021

To the editor:

Brian Sicknick, an Iraq war veteran and 13-year member of the Capitol police died after Jan. 6 insurrection; from injuries inflicted by an angry mob of Trump supporters. While giving his life to his duty, I would argue he exemplified some of the best in law enforcement. His family has asked that he be remembered as a hero. I am thankfully unaware of the gruesome particulars of Officer Sicknick’s final moments, but I humbly suggest to you “…the great task remaining before us is surely to take increased devotion to that cause for which he gave the last full measure of devotion.” The right of the people to govern peacefully by vote. The right of the people to choose their own representatives of state power. The obligation to a peaceful transition of power after the people, all the people, have voted. I suggest we must accept this as our sacred resolve.

Florida Sen. Scott, who likes to wear a Navy cap to hide his baldness, never personally risked service in the military. Our senator had confined his public service before running for elected office to running a company that bilked millions of taxpayer dollars.

He was present when officer Sicknick was attacked on the Capitol by Scott’s fellow travelers. Scott was one of the few unrepentant senators who cynically voted to impugn the Presidential electoral decision of the people of Pennsylvania. Not to get too far into the weeds on this, but in 1957 the constitution of Pennsylvania was amended to allow voting by mail. They have been doing it since 1960 in Pennsylvania, and I know of no Republican who has ever complained about it before. Those who wanted to drag Pennsylvania to court to restrict the voting rights of citizens in this state to in person voting during a pandemic, could have done so any time during the last year BEFORE November’s balloting. But the disingenuousness of the argument is laid bare by the fact that there was no complaint filed about Pennsylvania’s 60-year tradition to vote by mail until after Biden carried the state. AFTER the election votes were counted it is too late to retroactively restrict certain voters’ rights. These spurious Trump complaints were rejected by the courts, and clearly intended only to distract the simple minded into collusion with demagoguery. The craven opportunism of Scott, attempting to curry favor of Trump loyalists by seeking, on the floor of the United States Senate, to disenfranchise voters, is all the more shameful for being done while figuratively standing in a warm pool of hero’s blood hours after Sicknick may have saved Scott’s life.

Sicknick’s family has asked that we remember him as a hero. It is also my hope that the voters of Florida will honor Sicknick and also remember to vote in the next Senatorial election in Florida.

Ellen Starbird

Cape Coral