It must be painfully evident to many in Congress, perhaps hundreds, that Donald Trump is ethically, morally and mentally unfit for office. Yet they won’t state the obvious because too many are complicit in his crimes to remove him. Well, they should state it anyway, because the bottom line is this madman has no right to authority over us, and we the disaffected are a population larger than most independent countries (larger than sovereign Canada and certainly larger than the 13 colonies when they declared independence).

It must also be obvious to them that Trump committed treason with what he intentionally fomented on Jan. 6, 2021, and refusing to recognize the authority of a traitor is no act of treason. If he remains president, it is time to seriously reconsider the political nature of our union. Hopefully this can be done without the union’s partition, but I’m tired of hearing that secession isn’t an option because “the South already tried that,” as if our grievances are no more legitimate than those of the people who tried to preserve slavery.

A state voluntarily leaving this union that the original states voluntarily formed might not be explicitly permitted in the Constitution that Trump routinely violates. But remember that every July 4 we celebrate an action deemed illegal by those then governing us. Self-determination is our right, whether or not the law at that time acknowledges it. We don’t want to see this union dissolved, but it would be worse to remain united under tyranny.

Paul Parsons
Portland