Supporters of Donald Trump clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

The signers of the Declaration of Independence, which America celebrates this week, all knew they were putting their lives on the line. Benjamin Franklin is said to have muttered, “we must all hang together, or we shall all hang separately.”

At the time, treason against the King of England brought a punishment of being hung, drawn and quartered (cut open while alive with body parts removed), often before large public audiences. As Maine gathers on Thursday for Fourth of July festivities, we urge you to consider the risks our Founding Fathers took to establish the rule of law.

While the United States may have problems, our constitutional republic is a historically unprecedented representative democracy. So powerful is this idea that from the start Americans have given their lives to protect it. As veterans of the 9/11 wars, we often reflect on the many sacrifices made over the past 248 years.

This year, in what is shaping up to be the most consequential campaign season in our lifetime, a pillar of what holds this all together, the peaceful transfer of power, is under attack. In every election since 1788, except one, the losing party has always “willingly and peacefully” relinquished power to the opposition.

The exception was 2020, when Donald Trump whipped his supporters into such a frenzy that they attacked the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the official certification of results. America’s courts and broader society continue to wrestle with what was an attempted coup d’état that occurred on Jan. 6.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to question the legitimacy of our elections and spread conspiracy. Among those conspiracies is a twisted interpretation of 1776, with Trump and his supporters wrapping their white supremacy in red, white and blue flags. They are also threatening violence again if the election does not go their way.

The American Revolution was violent. But it also contained the seed that grew this representative democracy: belief in the rule of law. Leaders from 13 colonies overcame the fear of potentially being hung, drawn and quartered by the English crown – and agreed to embrace rule of law as the foundation of a new society, an experiment that continues to this day.

For these reasons we have forged a coalition of veterans from different political parties and diverse backgrounds. Our mission is to ask Democrats, Republicans and Independents for a simple pledge – renounce violence this election cycle and honor the 2024 election results.

In Maine, our organizations have almost 500 members combined. We veterans comprise about 7% of the state overall and are a force at the polls. We and our military families seek a commander in chief who is guided by humanitarian values and who will have a steady hand at the helm.

In late May in North Carolina, which houses America’s largest military base, we attended the Republican state convention where GOP leaders were echoing Trump by promoting violence on the campaign trail, in addition to dismissing the 2020 results. When we requested that they consider our pledge, they threw us out.

During last week’s presidential debate, Trump evaded three questions on accepting election results, and when asked about Jan. 6, he lied and blamed the mayhem on Nancy Pelosi, the then House Speaker. His fearmongering was in overdrive, as was his disregard for the rule of law and his disparaging of veterans and the concept of service.

As you gather with friends and family on the Fourth of July, recite a line from the Declaration of Independence – that we are all created equal – and explain that more than 3,300 men and women from Maine have died overseas to defend that idea.

Then ask any Trump supporters nearby what they think John or Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson would say about Jan. 6.

Don’t be afraid to set the record straight.

The post Veterans urge Mainers to discuss January 6 on July 4 appeared first on Maine Morning Star.