The nation has certainly seen difficult times before this and prevailed in the end. We have no doubt the dark political clouds building over Washington and spreading across the nation will, eventually, end well for the nation.
The United States, and its citizens, have weathered a civil war to end slavery, the Great Depression, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the abhorrent detention of Japanese-American citizens, the McCarthyism abuses, the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, a recent pandemic, and the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol.
All of that is a testament to the nation’s unique Constitution, and, just as importantly, the mettle of the majority of Americans who believe in honesty, freedom, integrity and that all people “are created equal.”
The signs are unmistakable that the nation’s democratic tenacity is about to be tested again as Donald Trump prepares to take control of the most visible of the nation’s — equal— branches of government.
For months, as a presidential candidate, Trump said that, if elected, he would use the government to vengefully investigate and prosecute his political rivals, journalists, media companies, tech company leaders, former Republican congressional leaders, federal prosecutors, U.S. intelligence workers, the nation’s former U.S. military chief and other politically progressive Americans.
During the past two years, Trump has repeatedly, in public or on social media posts, said he would seek to use the U.S. military to enact revenge on or punish American citizens he’s angry with or dislikes. He said he would try to invoke military tribunals in an effort to convict former GOP Congressperson Lynn Cheney and former Democratic President Barack Obama, of something.
Trump has said that former U.S. Army General Mark Milley, his own appointed chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was treasonous for using back channels in 2023, during a crisis at the end of Trump’s first term, to assure the Chinese government that the United States was not planning a direct attack on China. Last year, Trump said Milley should be executed.
Now, as Trump tries to load the U.S, administration with people stating they are willing to help Trump use the government to enact revenge on whom he deems a political opponent or personal adversary, or people who openly use pseudoscience to make life-and-death national healthcare decisions, or people who demean women in the military, and seek to lead it, a source for facts and veracity will become critical.
Here in Aurora, Trump has threatened to unleash “Operation Aurora.” He’s yet to define what that actually is, but he has repeatedly said that it will involve “mass deportations” and insinuated that he would compel military and local police to somehow round up undocumented residents and send them out of the country.
That mass round-up and deportation are being invited and cheered by a small but vocal minority of local political leaders. Aurora Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky is greatly responsible for drawing Trump’s attention and wrath toward immigrants in Aurora and Denver. Jurinsky regularly has made unsubstantiated and repeated claims on national right-wing TV shows that parts of the city and some apartments have been overtaken by Venezuelan immigrants who are gang members. Police have just as routinely acknowledged there are gangs and there is crime, but that northwest Aurora is not under control of any gang or criminal element.
At the same time, Denver and Aurora have been overtaxed by a flood of immigrants from Venezuela and Latin America during the last two years. And police have made clear there have been isolated crimes by immigrants linked to South American gangs. They point out, however, that those and other apartments, and others all over Aurora and the metro area, have seen a vastly larger number of gruesome and distressing crimes committed by American citizens.
Trying to discern what’s fact, politicized puffery or outright lies is critical to how the nation will navigate the next few years.
The Sentinel is making a commitment to provide as much direct fact-checking of statements and assertions made by political and community leaders as possible.
Residents in the Aurora region, the state and across the nation must not only hold local and national leaders accountable for not being truthful and factual in their official roles, readers must hold the media equally accountable. Media channels and sources that do not clearly identify opinion content and material as opinion content or material, such as this Sentinel editorial, or media that permits political leaders to make unsubstantiated claims without identifying them as such, increase confusion and provide dangerous credence to exaggeration, misinformation and deception.
The Sentinel challenges readers and the community to lean into credible, trusted media striving to provide facts and valid information and hold all government and community leaders accountable for deceptive behavior, as well as the media complicit in misleading the public.
A clear account of what the government does moving forward, and an engaged citizenry, will ensure that Trump — and all elected officials and community leaders — is held accountable for any unconstitutional, illegal, deceptive or dangerous plots, stunts and schemes.
Ideally, an attentive, engaged community and nation, aided by strong, determined national and local media, will thwart nefarious political leaders from carrying out their illegal and dangerous threats. Almost all of these officials and leaders are beholden to their electorates in efforts to maintain their power or positions. Public opinion can drive most of these leaders to positions that benefit the entire nation.
If that’s not the case, the media will offer accurate documentation of what’s to come so that the next wave of American leaders, and the public, can reflect on any impending disaster, just as the nation has in the past.
I want and support free media precisely because it is sometimes surprising and provides me with uncomfortable facts. Sometimes, the opinions run counter to my own, but they make me think about my thoughts and challenge my position. I despise the algorithms that continue to feed me with articles associated with “my interests,” because I have an interest in finding out new things and not wallowing in one mindset. I encourage my fellow citizens to donate to free media, like I’ve started to do. Pick reputable media outlets and avoid proven propaganda, like Fox or MSNBC. I like to primarily rely on written press and listen to unbiased news from Reuters, so I get info from beyond my back door. I donate to the Sentinel as one of my outlets and will continue to do so! I also support CPR.
Sorry, but the majority of Americans didn’t buy this nonsense on November 5th, and they aren’t buying it now. What Americans did weather was the complete weaponization of government against the enemies of the Biden crime family.
‘The Sentinel challenges readers and the community to lean into credible, trusted media striving to provide facts and valid information and hold all government and community leaders accountable for deceptive behavior, as well as the media complicit in misleading the public’
I challenge the Sentinel to write every article and editorial from a neutral political position instead of the far left drivel that we’ve come to expect, be investigative journalists and report the unbiased truth. The American people are smart enough to draw their own conclusions, 1.37 million Colorado voters voted for Trump on November 5th but you can’t tell it from reading the Sentinel.
“The United States, and its citizens, have weathered a civil war to end slavery, the Great Depression, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the abhorrent detention of Japanese-American citizens, the McCarthyism abuses, the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, a recent pandemic, and the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol.”
How dare you put the Jan. 6, 2021 altercation in the same sentence as the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 attacks, and the pandemic like they’re on the same level and I’m pretty sure the investigation is still open. Yes, it was unfortunate and an ugly day but it was staged too.
“During the past two years, Trump has repeatedly, in public or on social media posts, said he would seek to use the U.S. military to enact revenge on or punish American citizens he’s angry with or dislikes. He said he would try to invoke military tribunals in an effort to convict former GOP Congressperson Lynn Cheney and former Democratic President Barack Obama, of something.”
President-elect Trump has repeatedly stated that his revenge will be success, the revenge and punishment that you refer to has been fodder for MSNBC, CNN, and countless newspapers. It’s wild, somebody mentions Trump and it’s a dog whistle for every far-left scummy reporter. Liz Cheney destroyed or allowed evidence to be destroyed while she was on the partisan J6 committee.
“Residents in the Aurora region, the state and across the nation must not only hold local and national leaders accountable for not being truthful and factual in their official roles, readers must hold the media equally accountable.”
This should be the mantra of every news organization in America.
Never in the history of the country have citizens stormed the capital. This event is as history making as the others referenced in the sentence. It’s laughable that you intimate it was staged. Where is your source to indicate Liz Cheney destroyed or allowed evidence to be destroyed. Which talking head is telling you this?
I don’t disagree that our politicians should be held accountable but who do you expect to hold the media accountable. Do you expect there to be a committee whose sole purpose it is to fact check the media? Just because someone doesn’t like what the media reports means it’s bogus.
It’s only far left if you don’t like the content.
There’s a major issue in today’s world that is putting the media on it’s back foot; social media. The fact that anyone, anywhere can post anything on social media that becomes gospel is extremely dangerous. More people are getting their “news” from social media than from legitimate media outlets. If someone doesn’t like what is reported in the news media, they’re going to easily find a retort on social media to justify their disagreement. Real journalism is not being trusted the way it should be. The other problem is that the national media has become more about the “Talking heads” (as I like to call them) than the actual journalism being reported. People like Rachel Maddow, Joe Scarborough, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and others are being seen as the face of national news. All they really are are soapbox commentators who say what their listeners want to hear. They’re not reporting the news. We cannot allow censorship of legitimate journalism. Some people may not like what the news has to say, but we have to ensure the journalists are not censored.
Rachel with her facts figures sources is a talking head??
The headline of this “Editorial” screams the bias, hysteria and position of this newspaper. The Sentinel hates Trump, those that support him, voted for him and believe in him. Just admit it because it’s brutally obvious and you prove it with this piece let alone your daily “coverage”
You tore down anyone who spoke out on the TDA mess in Aurora and accused them of lying and hysteria. How’d that work out for your crack journalistic team and ethical compass? Not so well.
Aurora is comprised of plenty of people who voted for and support a new direction after 4 years of utter disaster. The sentinel CLEARLY has no interest in supporting such a stance and is not interested in changing course.
Resistance is what your readers can expect and that’s what they’ll get. The only “impending disaster” that lies ahead is for your most gullible readers who think you’ll be a beacon of “truth and accountability. What a crock.
Stop pretending it to be political revenge, it’s accountability for political overreach against Trump. That kind of unchecked and harmful abuse cannot become the new normal. State and local prosecutors traveled to and communicated with the White House. Federal agencies were politically exploited. The Jan 6 Committee prevented due process and lost credibility. Politically appointed judges in Colorado tried to remove Trump from the ballot. The narrative you use has never had validity. Might want to stop embarrassing yourself with it.
I have always believed that the media was our protection against government misconduct. I believed that when my fellow police officers had nothing but disdain for the media. Since the media no longer tells us the truth and has become a political arm, I can’t say that I have faith in the media. The Sentinel has not shown any real inclination to investigate the truth in Aurora and has taken a decidedly liberal stance on everything. No impartiality or fairness here. I have been privy to a number of meetings lately where the City does its usual trick of limiting any questions and discussion by anyone who might know something that would contradict the City’s feel good line. The Sentinel doesn’t blink at this charade. Even a cursory examination of the consent decree and the police law passed by Rhonda Fields and Leslie Herrod would show huge problems. No investigation there. A recent article in a local paper pointed out that the newest police law prevents officers from doing normally lawful duties. The clearest case is that the police can no longer legally use any force to detain mentally ill persons who fail to cooperate. So, even with a court order, the police cannot use force to enforce that order. Under the vague guidance of SB217, everything is a use of force. Touching someone is a use of force. The police also cannot use force to move a crowd in a riot or at a fire. They can only arrest. Just a few examples of the many flaws in a bill that forced thousands of officers out of the job. No media investigation here, even though it greatly affects your safety. Chief Chamberlain said that they have examined all of the circumstances around the shooting of Kilyn Lewis and everything was legally upheld and everything was within policy and training. That means that the oversight of APD training is so poor that future shootings will result from that poor training and supervision. The tactics were examined by the Force Review Board. That same Force Review Board condemned former officer Haubert of excessive force without even viewing the videotapes that later cleared him in court. I have brought this up previously to the City Council and made an Internal Affairs complaint against Division Chief Juul and Detective Snow who filed charges against the officers before even picking up the videotapes that would have cleared them. Silence. No interest from the Sentinel or the city in the facts of a case involving gross dishonesty by the command of the APD. No interest in how one officer is convicted of failure to intervene in excessive force while the other officer is cleared of excessive force by a jury. No interest in the fact that two officer’s lives were ruined and the City paid out $830,000 to a felon who was trying to take an officer’s gun. That felon is back in prison on other charges. To the question of training, I have these comments. Why are APD officers standing in the open and not using cover? Why were multiple SWAT officers yelling commands at Kilyn Lewis when basic police recruit training is that only one officer gives commands? Any SWAT officer with experience knows that yelling “get on the ground” is a bad idea. What you want to yell is “Police, don’t move”. You want no movement so you can judge compliance and are not anxious because of some move he is making. When suspects are diving for the ground, the officer does not know if the suspect is complying or is diving for cover or crouching to pull a weapon. It is especially bad if there are multiple suspects moving. Poor commands and poor use of cover lead to unnecessary shootings.
To those who fear what Trump has said about using the police and military to enforce his objectives, there are some assurances. Chief Chamberlain has said that the police will follow the law. Although I agree with Trump’s stand on immigration, I realize that he is a blowhard who is as ignorant of the law as is Mayor Johnston. The police are sworn to follow the Constitution. They are not sworn to follow Donald Trump and certainly are not going to stand at the Denver City limits to keep out the Feds. Constitutionally, the police can’t stop anyone from entering the City without some real hazard being shown.The police are busy trying to follow the weird laws that the Colorado legislature passes. Wrong as it is, they have been told not to comply with the Feds, by law. If there are still police officers with integrity, they know that they can disobey any order that is unlawful. So, I take issue with APD’s Force Review. I question their training if all of that was within training. There have been other shootings where the officers failed to use cover and shot out of a perceived threat to themselves. Although I realize that the officers should be judged legally and not professionally, they should be trained professionally to a higher standard. The public doesn’t understand these things. So, where is the media that is going to protect us from all the lies and incompetence?
Sorry Dave but as a rabidly moderate Independent, I’m giving you and the Sentinel A VERY LARGE LUMP OF COAL this Christmas for consistently spewing leftist propaganda while you claim to be independent.
Want to prove me otherwise? How ’bout some hard investigative reporting into the ~35 years of economic sodomy inflicted on Aurora by the Denver Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. That Ponzi scheme collects over $8 million per year in Aurora and we celebrate that the Fox got a shiny new $250K sign?!?!? Why haven’t you ever dug into the numbers on the SCFD taxes collected vs. grants dispersed in Aurora, Dave? Is is too much for a journalist to challenge the SCFD policy where such info is not publicly disclosed? Can’t handle the truth of the fraud you’ve faithfully supported? After all, you can’t report negatively on anything that might disrupt a key fundraising network for the party, right?
Yep, as a news editor, you definitely deserve a big load of filthy, high-sulfer COAL dumped at the Sentinel’s front door.
Ha ha, you won’t post my sound and legitimate comment. I predict you’ll be closing your paper soon. Sad.