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To the Editor:

Unfortunately Del. C. Matthew Fariss sometimes follows the standard Republican line of conspiracy theories and accompanying lies. There is no plan by the Virginia Crime Commission to weaken the senate regulations for crimes such as producing child pornography, rape or other felonies that Fariss mentions.

He has that all wrong, and he knows it. Crimes for minor charges like, for instance, smoking marijuana, will be, and should be, reduced or eliminated.

Far more seriously, though, Del. Fariss writes that “many Virginians are angry over the results of the election.” So what is new about that? Many Virginians were angry about the 2016 election, during which, and after, but they didn’t riot about it. (President Donald) Trump stated that 2.5 million Democratic votes were fraudulent in that election. Remember that? But his commission could not find any fraudulent votes, even though he was president and had the wherewithal to find them if there were any.

There can be danger in making inflammatory and conspiracy statements and lies.

Joe Biden was elected president by a majority of several million votes, so confirmed by Trump’s attorney general William Barr, two Supreme Court challenges and about 60 or more court cases. Some of Trump’s challenges were so ludicrous his lawyers were laughed at by the judges. And the only fraudulent votes I heard of were three by Republicans in Pennsylvania, and the perpetrators were prosecuted.

Where are all the other fraudulent votes? Answer, there are none anywhere — none in Georgia — none in Arizona — none in Pennsylvania. And yet, Trump lied to millions of Americans who believe him or perhaps are so afraid of him not to.

It can be said that lies repeated often enough will be believed by some. Trump’s lies are many, are often repeated, and many folks believe them. There’s been more than 25,000 lies by mainstream count, but not believed by anyone who has heard them for so long, and not by anyone who seriously investigates them.

The bottom line is that Trump is both a liar and a loser. He is and has always been. He says he has never lost at anything, which in itself is a lie. How many times did he and his businesses go bankrupt?

He says he won the 2020 election and, if you were to discount the African American vote, he may have, but the African Americans voted in record numbers, firing him. And they overwhelmingly voted Democratic.

Republicans should come to realize that white Americans will, by 2024, be fewer than 50% of the total population. So, unless they refuse to recognize this, and begin to change their programs and policies and actions accordingly, the GOP will gradually lessen its influence and fade into insignificance. Then their lies and conspiracy theories will be of no consequence to voters who look for and want the truth.

John Sykes

Buckingham