To the editor:

I was horrified to see a protestor carrying the Confederate flag through the capitol on Jan. 6. My Hoosier ancestors fought in the Civil War to preserve the Union and to abolish slavery. My great-great grandfather, Floyd Songer, who is buried in the Duff cemetery in Dubois County with five generations of Songers, suffered PTSD from the battles that he fought, and I can’t believe that a senator from the state of Indiana would sympathize with insurrectionists.

But that describes Senator Braun. Prior to Jan. 6, he was on a list of senators who objected to certified election results. Thankfully, after being terrorized by an angry mob that stormed the capitol, he changed his mind and decided not to go along with the insurrection that was incited by President Trump and his fellow senators such as Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley. I urge Senator Braun and his fellow Republicans to tell the truth to the American people — that Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in a free and fair election. The horror that we saw at the nation’s capitol is the result of perpetuating lies about fraud in the election.

I am a Democrat, but I believe there is a place in our country for a strong Republican party that stands up for American ideals that all of us can agree on, such as the peaceful transfer of power and adherence to the Constitution. If we don’t have that, we are in a lot of trouble. Our elected leaders need to step up and tell the truth to the American people and stand up for American and Hoosier values.

—Julie Songer
Bloomington