ALTON LEE / HUDSON VALLEY TIMES
(editorial) As a veteran, I’m offended that those who attacked our Capitol in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 were rewarded by President Trump with blanket pardons simply because of their unquestioning loyalty to him. As a formerly incarcerated person, I’m outraged that so many other people in prison, who have done tremendous work to turn their lives around and give back to society, still languish there without any such recognition. That’s why I’m working to pass Parole Justice legislation and expand the responsible use of executive clemency in New York State.
What’s especially galling: Trump called the insurrectionists “patriots.” By definition, insurrectionists are not patriots. Patriots, regardless of party, respect democracy.
On that day of infamy, hundreds stormed the Capitol, assaulted federal employees, and even desecrated the flag. As a Black man, I was especially shaken by their talk of “lynching” our elected leaders…