America recently honored our veterans and rightly so; Ben Franklin said the founding fathers had given us a democracy — if we can keep it.

A government where people can elect their rulers and rule-makers is preferable to a system where a single person is allowed to determine the future of America, or groups of its people, or selected individuals at whim. And for almost 250 years, the people in our armed forces and our national services have ensured that no foreign entity has been allowed to alter the way we are governed or do essential business. Our veterans respond without hesitation and do their best to fulfill the needs of our country regardless of risk or hardship. We should learn what we can of their feats, appreciate their courage and sacrifice, and honor them for their commitment.

But not all threats to America’s freedom and culture are foreign. Organized crime, political corruption and unscrupulous corporations tear at the fabric of what it means to be American, and what America stands for. Various law enforcement agencies are tasked with confronting sinister actions and protecting our interests and values. So I am standing to recognize an obvious but overlooked and underappreciated action taken by a vastly outnumbered and desperate but resolute and determined group of defenders of America, her people, and what it means to be American.

138 officers of The Capitol Police and Washington, D.C. police were injured defending the U.S. Capitol from a gang of more than a thousand attackers on Jan. 6. 15 officers were hospitalized. Three policemen were dragged down a flight of steps into a crowd and beaten with sticks, clubs, pipes and flagpoles. Other officers were hit in the head with various weapons plus had stun guns and chemicals used on them and lasers pointed into their eyes. Three policemen were hit in the head by a thrown fire extinguisher. One officer got two cracked ribs and two smashed spinal disks for defending the Capitol. One lost an eye. A policeman was stabbed with a metal fence stake and another lost three fingers. One was hit six times with a stun gun, beaten with a flagpole, lost a fingertip and survived a heart attack. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died of blood-clot caused strokes the day after he helped prevent Congress members from becoming casualties or captives. Five months after the assaults, 17 officers were still unable to report to work due to their injuries.

We quite possibly owe our continuing democracy to these men and women.

What do you think these militants who brought clubs, communication devices, personnel restraints, and pipe bombs attached to 60-minute kitchen timers had in mind when attacking the Capitol? They believed they could put their man in the oval office no matter the people’s vote. Donald Trump told them the vote was stolen and that he had documentation to prove it. I do not believe that Trump is stupid. I believe that if he had evidence the election was illegally altered, he would not have let more than 60 cases be dismissed or thrown out of court for lack of evidence. He is not the gullible one in this instance. Most likely his supporters do not care because they are convinced he is the best American for the job. He tells them they are exceptional, and our country’s problems are the fault of other, less perfect Americans, because the other side is always ultimately evil. This is the same kind of talk and attitude that made German people let a man throw away their democracy in favor of becoming a tyrant who got their country bombed to rubble and killed millions.

I believe Trump had several good policies along with some bad ones — but he is simply unfit for the office of President. I am not in favor of a bullying, mob boss-like, wanna-be dictator forcing his way into the White House. I am a democracy-loving kind of patriot. Thankful that a band of American police resisted with sacrifice, an attempted takeover of our American government. Hats off to them all.

Richard Allee, Florissant

(A response to Nov. 17 Johnson letter.) Former President Trump’s response to the “Unite the Right” rally at the University of Virginia: “Very fine people on both sides.” Many of these people were carrying flaming torches and chanting, “Jews will not replace us.” Also heard was the Nazi slogan “blood and soil.” Trump’s response to this rally gave moral equivalency to white supremacists and Nazis willing to come out into the open.

In January, Trump had encouraged and then refused to stop the attack on the capital where a hanging noose was waiting for his vice president, Mike Pence, congressmen were threatened and the installation of the election results, fully sanctioned by both parties, were temporarily stopped because of the onslaught.

Throughout his presidency,

Trump’s systematic attacks on the courts, the press and Congress, are all historic moves that have been made by autocrats who want to dismantle institutions that constrict their power.

The lewd caught-on-tape comments that Trump made about women characterized his campaign style. He used every tool, legitimate and illegitimate, fair and unfair, true and false, to destroy his opponents and their families.

These are not personal characteristics that an American president of a free democracy should have. Letters to the editor are published on a space-available basis, firstcome, first-served. Email letters to michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. The Courier reserves the right to edit to reject any submission and to edit submissions longer than 250 words. Letters should have the author’s full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.