“A stake was driven through the heart of American democracy on January 6, 2021, and our democracy today is on a knife’s edge. America was at war on that fateful day, but not against a foreign power. She was at war against herself. We Americans were at war with each other – over our democracy. January 6 was but the next, foreseeable battle in a war that had been raging in America for years, though that day was the most consequential battle of that war even to date.”

“In fact, January 6 was a separate war unto itself, a war for America’s democracy, a war irresponsibly instigated and prosecuted by the former president, his political party allies, and his supporters. Both wars are raging to this day. A peaceful end to these wars is desperately needed. The war for our democracy could lead to the peaceful end to the war for America’s cultural heart and soul. But if a peaceful end to the war for America’s democracy is not achievable, there is little chance for a peaceful end to that war. The settlement of this war over our democracy is necessary to the settlement of any war that will ever come to America, whether from her shores or to her shores. Though disinclined for the moment, as a political matter of fact only the party that instigated this war over our democracy can bring an end to that war.”

“Like our war from a distant time, these twin wars are ‘testing whether th[is] nation or any nation… so conceived in Liberty… can long endure.’ We must hope that January 6 was the final battle of at least the deadly war for America’s democracy,” writes former federal Judge J Michael Luttig, whom Ted Cruz has said is “like a father” to him and also mentored MAGA fascist lawyer John Eastman. Luttig will testify to the House January 6th Select Committee on Thursday, a hearing centered on Trump and Eastman’s effort to pressure Pence into overturning the election on January 6th.