January 17, 2021
Last week, horrified Americans watched as a violent assault was staged in our nation’s capital, putting the lives of our elected leaders and other public servants in danger, and disrupting a constitutionally mandated meeting of Congress to advance the peaceful transfer of presidential power. Here in Wyoming, we watched the shocking footage and share in the sentiment of former Sen. Hank Coe, who told the Cody Enterprise: “It was absolutely the most disgusting, heartbreaking production I’ve ever seen in my life. It did its best to destroy the American values.”
We are asking our state and national elected leaders to demand full accountability for those who incited, abetted, and participated in the attack. There cannot be healing without accountability.
And we cannot ignore the truth: The insurrection last week was the direct result of an ongoing campaign of lies and deliberate misinformation coming primarily from the President of the United States. As Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney put it: “We just had a violent mob assault the Capitol in an attempt to prevent [Congress] from carrying out our Constitutional duty. There is no question that the President formed the mob, the President incited the mob, the President addressed the mob. He lit the flame.”
We are grateful to Congresswoman Cheney. She was one of a terrifyingly small number of leaders in the president’s party who—prior to the attack on the Capitol—had the courage to stand up to him, to stand up to the threats and bullying, and speak up for the U.S. Constitution and core American values about democracy. She warned, prior to the violence, that the president’s lies, toxic rhetoric, and attempts to thwart the will of the people were not only wrong but dangerous to the future of our republic.
We need a national reckoning. Not only with this violent insurrection but with what led to it. We have yet to fully grapple with the anti-democratic, pro-authoritarian political movements that have gone from the fringes to the mainstream in this country. And we have yet to honestly address the role of white supremacists and racist ideologues that have long been promoting the kind of violent insurrection and domestic terrorism we’re witnessing today.
The facts are that over 60 court cases and multiple state-level recounts have uncovered no meaningful “fraud” and no so-called “irregularities” that would have even come close to changing the results of any presidential, legislative, or other election. In a country governed by the rule of law, respecting the role of the courts and the authority of states to administer and certify their elections is not optional. It is the foundation of American democracy.
If we fail as political leaders and as a people to coalesce around the truth, we will continue to allow the lies and disinformation to fracture and polarize our society. If our democracy is to survive and prosper, we will require courageous, patriotic leaders who will stand up for our system of elections and who will not lie to us about the integrity of American voters and the legitimacy of election results.
We, the people are responsible for the durability of our democracy. We must rise to this occasion and find the courage to speak out against those who, in the interest of power, embrace conspiracy theories, white supremacy, lies, and violence. As former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright said: “While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is the most fragile.”
And as the late Rep. John Lewis wrote: “The truth is a powerful force. It is the foundation of all things. The truth is so all-consuming that it cannot be denied. You cannot erase the truth. You cannot tarnish the truth. You cannot whitewash the truth. It is bigger than the sum of us all, and whole, even in its parts.”
Together, we stand for the truth. We expect all our elected officials to do the same.
Wyoming State Legislative Board, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
Wyoming Public Employees Association
Wyoming Outdoor Council
Wyoming Interfaith Network
Wyoming Education Association
Wyoming Equality
Wyoming Coalition for a Healthy Retirement
Wind River Native Advocacy Center
SMART Transportation Union
Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter
The Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 800
Equality State Policy Center
Anastasia Marchese
Alan Rogers
Lisa Foutz
Lynn Achter
Jason A. and Linda E Lillegraven
Evelyn Griffin
Jacqueline Holz
Lynne Huskinson
Lindy Glode
Wyoming League of Women Voters
Carol Wauters
Ender Collins
Scott Fossel
Virginia Symons
Sandy Leotta
Rodman Moorhead
Ellin Stiteler
David Kellogg
Miles Yazzolino
John Harkness
Angela Jordan
Myron Allen
Carolyn Svendsen
Anna Kerr
Shauna Roberts
Meghan Wood
Carter Heinemann
Robert Morse
Samuel Singer
Dale Frincke
Wyoming Untrapped
Lisa Robertson
Marilyn Couch
Vance Carruth
The Rev. Janet Seeley
Megan R
Seana Minuth
Chuck Harris
Kathy Pappas
Kevin Krasnow
Nancy Guthrie
Elizabeth Senior
Adam Wright
Skip Thornton
Maike Tan
Mike Selmer
Gwenn Wadsworth
Jim Barr
Deb Reis
Bailey Collins
Bill Reyner
William Reinecke
Colleen Crook
Kerri Ratcliffe
Hank Boggs
Carol Harkness
Richard Bloom
Troy Rumpf
Elliot Stein
Keith Sproule
Robert Kolscher
Tom Thompson
Bill and Nancy Alley
Michael Massie
Linda Burt
Randall Kaufmann
John Wood
Nancy Lockwood
Penny Mann
Kathleen Moriarty
Emily Sadow
Steven Deutsch
Joe MacGuire
Terry Solon
Margaret Babcock
Judith Frumkin
Tracey Burke
Thomas Markovits
Bern Hinckley
Jodi Pederson
Carole Johnson
Patricia Stuart
Krystal Hoffman
Meg Morguson
Liam Carrigan
Linda Unland
Raz Reinecke
Marian Meyers
Cynthia Dietzmann
Samin Dadelahi
Janice Harris
Randi Slaughter
Laura Langberg
Kelli Trujillo
Cynthia Hogan
Nikki Kaufman
To add your name, please click the button below:
We agree with the statement by the Equality State Policy Center and other Wyoming organizations about the lies and resulting insurrection that occurred in our Capitol on December 6th. Wyoming’s political leaders must acknowledge and support the truth!
Senators Lummis and Barrasso owe the people of our state a bold condemnation of the attack on the US Capitol. Anything short of that should be understood as complicity!
Congresswoman Cheney stood up for democracy and the rule of law, in stark contrast to the vast majority of her fellow Republican legislators and to Sen. Cynthia Lummis. Representative Cheney’s action in voting in favor of constitutional democracy should be commended. Further and full account of other members’ actions leading up to and throughout the insurrection should be investigated and made public. Indeed, in order for the nation to heal and to right the wrongs done, a full and fair accounting of what led up to the events, who organized, incited and participated in them, and who executed the attempt to overthrow the duly-elected government must occur and the facts be made known to the public.
THANKS FOR TAKING A STAND CHRIS.
It is a sad day when we have to fear our fellow citizens, the ones who seem to have embraced fascism without even knowing what it is.
Whole heartedly agree!
Chris,
So glad to see Equality State join to endorse this powerful statement. Denial of the truth in all matters is so dangerous. In ecological principals the truth is difficult to discern. even for those who study the fields. For those who will not put faith in science we must be wary.
Duane Keown
Representative Cheney, please lead Senator Lummis to the truth or to another line of work. I’m Catholic and wish the Diocese of Cheyenne would sign this also.
Thank you Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.
I urge you to demand full accountability for the attack on the Capital on Jan 6. That includes a complete investigation, arrests, trials, fines, sentences for ALL involved, including any politicos who were involved either in verbal support or by inaction, denial, or inattention to their words and actions.