On January 6, 2021 the coverage of what should have been an august and time honored tradition of the counting of the electoral votes descended into scenes of madness, chaos, and tragedy. The world watched on, in horror, as a seditious group of homegrown domestic terrorists desecrated and defiled our nation. 

The images of Wednesday’s events, of our representatives seeking shelter beneath their seats as mobsters brought bloodshed to the halls of Congress, will live on in the hearts and minds of my fellow Americans— right next to the images of the planes hitting the twin towers and the audio of the truly brave patriots who gave their lives in Shanksville to protect our nation’s Capital on September 11, 2001. 

These insurrectionists did not just break American property, they broke the promise of America as a “shining beacon on a hill,” an example of what government could be at its best. They did not just take artifacts, they stole the pride we should all be able to feel wholeheartedly and without question for our republic, whether or not we agree with the person at the helm. 

We are not democrats or republicans. We are not conservatives or liberals. We are Americans. We do not negotiate with terrorists— foreign nor domestic— and we do not hold our democracy hostage. 

Yet, that is exactly what some of our own elected representatives did. They caved to the demands of these traitors, in advance of and even following the events on Wednesday, by objecting to the results of our election. These officials are directly responsible for the rhetoric and energy that fueled the attack on our Capitol by granting credence to falsehoods and fomenting distrust of our Commonwealth over the past several months for their own political agenda. 

It is an insult to the voters, the volunteers and the employees in every county across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to question the results of what is proven to have been a free and fair election. It is a disservice to those who have spent many hours performing their civic duty to the best of their ability to count and report every vote and every voice. And, for some of our state legislators, it is disingenuous to blame their opponents and constituents for the perceived failures of the changes to the election process that they, themselves, designed, approved, and implemented prior to the 2020 election. 

Every person who has encouraged and incited this behavior over the past several months needs to be held accountable. Every representative who has upheld their own election results while denying that Joe Biden is the duly elected President needs to apologize for their role in this American travesty— or resign. 

The constituents of the 14th congressional district are entitled to and deserve the immediate resignation of Congressman Guy Reschenthaler, who objected to the certification of the will of the people of Pennsylvania, invited shame upon our Commonwealth and our Republic, and whose hands are soaked in the blood of the lives that were lost on January 6, 2021. 

For the preservation of this union of states and the integrity of office, what has just transpired should not be taken lightly. It cannot be forgiven. Make no mistake, it WILL NOT be forgotten as long as we recognize the names of those who contributed to this sedition wherever they may appear on the ballot, so help us God. 

Signed,

Sydney Vegoda Hovis, 

And these fellow constituents, herein;