Proclaiming his party stands for God and the Constitution, on February 4, 2022, Ector County’s elected State Rep. and attorney Brooks Landgraf put out a dog whistle on social media for his constituents to come armed to protest a political rally for Beto O’Rourke. The rally was going to be held in Odessa.
Political disagreement should never be a justification for a public official to energize a militia. It is not mindful of our constitution. It is reminiscent, of totalitarian regimes that our forefathers came here to escape. The right to peacefully assemble should never be hindered by a public official. Many people did not get out of their cars or even come to the event in fear they may get shot by the cowards who showed up with automatic weapons. This was the intent of Landgraf. It was to intimidate people from showing up and listening to a political opponent’s ideas. It is disturbing, as a descendant of a Jewish Holocaust survivor (my grandmother, Miriam) for someone like Landgraf to endorse the idea of political suppression through violence. He is one of those Republicans, that people thought would never endorse such actions. But unfortunately, we have lost him to the extremists. And as my grandmother, Miriam, warned me when extremism and hate is normalized by the majority, democracy will fail. That is why I attended the rally. That is why I spoke up on the news. That is why I am writing this letter to the editor. I leave you with this quote from “To Kill A Mockingbird”:
“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
Sara Spector
Midland
