To the editor:

The year 2020 was a terrible year for Republicans. This former Marine officer swore like every serviceman or woman that we would uphold the Constitution and defend it. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was a Republican. But he was such a different man than most of the current Republicans who are merely a cult of former President Donald Trump, arguably the worst president in our history.

It frightens me that we came so close to losing our democracy in the presidential election of 2020. And many Republicans are still believing that there was fraud, despite evidence to the contrary, believing the lies of Trump and GOP members of Congress.

Honesty , above all, became President Lincoln’s hallmark. He acquired the name of Honest Abe when working as a store clerk, walking several miles to return a few pennies to a customer and carried this reputation of honesty the rest of his life.

President Lincoln warned against internal threats. Always remember, my fellow Americans, Jan. 6, the day the president urged his supporters to take the Capitol. It was sedition, which is the crime of revolting or inciting revolt against the government, which happened as we all saw. Trump’s supporters were trying to stop the process of counting electoral ballots.

From Lincoln to sedition, that’s where Republicans stand now.

Richard Sengpiehl,

Lawrence