Like almost everyone else in the country, after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, I found myself unable to pull away from the stunning images that I was seeing on the TV. What happened seemed unthinkable. Today, I am having a similar experience.No, the violence in our nation's capital right now is not as destructive or deadly as those attacks, but the effect on me (and I suspect on millions of other Americans) is, once again, stunning. And this time the attack is coming from American citizens, brainwashed by their deranged leader into trying to stop a peaceful session of Congress because they don't like the inevitable result.
Yes, today marks the first time in our nation's history when an violent, undemocratic coup attempt was made by our fellow citizens on the halls of congress. An angry mob of President Trump's supporters, fueled by his usual torrent of lies that he made at a rally near the nation's capital earlier today, stormed the Capitol Building, smashing windows, looting and threatening members of congress. It was all in a an attempt to stop the Electoral College vote count that will certify Joe Biden as the next president. So far, one woman has been shot and is in poor condition(it's not known yet why) and more than one suspicious package has been found in the halls of congress. Watching it in real time was surreal as the protestors moved slowly but steadily up the steps of the Capitol Building, testing the boundaries of where they could go more and more, until all hell broke loose. It's amazing to consider that this possibility was apparently never seriously considered by the people in charge of the building's security, along with the Police and the National Guard. When every Black Lives Matter rally is met with police armed with riot gear, how could this protest be so unprepared for? Inevitably there will be many investigations done to find out how this assault on our nation's capitol could have happened (were there security guards sympathetic to the protestors who left doors unlocked?).
Trump's response has been predictably muted and pathetic. First, he chose to say nothing as hours went by and his Vice President Mike Pence had to be evacuated, and then finally he released a video statement. While he made a perfunctory request for the protestors to go home, his words were far from critical. In fact, he even seemed to praise them, first by inevitably repeating his baseless claim that he won the election, and then by telling them directly that "I know how you feel.” and "I love you. You’re very special." Yes, the president told protestors that had threatened the lives of members of congress that he loved them! His more honest feelings were revealed at that rally he had earlier, when he told the cheering crowd that “We will never concede.” He also tweeted out a request for his followers to attend the rally by writing “Be there, will be wild." It's not just the president that is whipping up anger and violence: Congressman Louie Gohmert recently said, after his legal attempt to overturn the election was dismissed by the Supreme Court, "The bottom line is the court is saying, 'We're not going to touch this. You have no remedy. Essentially, the ruling would be 'You have to go to the streets and be as violent as antifa, BLM.'" Also, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani called for "trial by combat" at a rally in front of The White House.
The bottom line is that it obvious that Trump will now do anything to steal the election, and that even letting him remain in office another two weeks is dangerous. I believe that congress should call an emergency impeachment vote as soon as possible, and that he be removed from his position in handcuffs if necessary.
When Trump somehow won in twenty sixteen, I and a lot of other people had always feared this day. But when Mitch Mc Connell signalled back in December that Biden was the winner, and Mike Pence looked ready to confirm that today, I was at least somewhat relieved. But now here we are, with tens of millions of Americans thinking that the election of Joe Biden was illegitimate and thousands of those millions ready to act violently about it. I've often wondered if the country could survive the Trump presidency intact, and now it looks even less likely. Obviously, I would never want a violent war to rip the country apart, but maybe a peaceful separation of red and blue states may have to take place. Given what happened in our country today, it might be the best thing.
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