Letters-to-the-Editor & Commentary

A Celebration That Used To Be

Published 2 weeks ago2w ago • Bookmarks: 6 • Comments: 1

January 7, 2026

Today, January 6^th, used to be a day of celebration in my family. My father, a veteran of WWII, was born on this day in 1916. Up until his death in 2004, our family gathered to celebrate this proudly patriotic, ethical man.

Dad would be horrified about how January 6^th has become tainted by the crimes that our current president and his loyalists committed in 2021. January 6 has become a symbol for this age of lawlessness, distortions, misinformation and violence. As the editorial board of the NY Times declared on December 31, 2025, Trump has become known as “The January 6 President,” and this day one that should live “in infamy.”

With the firestorm of anti-democratic actions that has characterized the past year – challenges to elections, pardoning of criminals, immigration actions that violate due process, the illegal invasion of Venezuela – it is easy to become overwhelmed by the threats to our democracy.

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Although there are signs of hope in Trump’s falling approval ratings and recent Democratic election wins, pundits and poets alike are still describing this time as one of uncertainty. As each of us determines how best to navigate these challenging times, we have to keep front and center in our minds the harm that Trump and his administration are continuing to do to our democracy.

For me, January 6 will always be a day of remembrance for my father and for the moral clarity he represented. That version of patriotism seems vulnerable to being erased if we don’t find ways to collectively end this age of lawlessness. May we continue to remember that the future is in our hands.

Madeline Hunter

Ossining, NY

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