I’m the guy who tries to find humor in the world around me. Unlike stand-up comics who pounce on any disaster and finish their joke with the line “too soon?”, I shy away from making fun of tragedy.
I also avoid talking politics in this column. I do have an outlet for my political feelings, and I can be blistering, but felt my writing should be fun. After this past week, it is impossible to avoid discussing what happened at the capitol on January 6, 2021 and what caused it.
Like most of this country and world, I sat in horror as I watched Trump supporters storm the capitol building and take it over. What I saw on the television were obvious Trump fans (not ANTIFA) waving their flags, many milling around on the outskirts of the building with a good number breaching the capital police and entering the building. Inside, our duly elected representatives were trying to put the finishing touches on this past year’s Presidential election. What should have been ceremonial at its extreme, was turned into a sideshow by some congressmen and senators using the event to grandstand and promote their potential political futures. It also put everyone in that joint session of Congress in extreme danger. Damage was done, blood was shed and lives were lost.
To clarify where I stand politically, I am a radical centrist. I have always believed there is middle ground that can be reached if politicians are sincere in finding a solution. I loved the TV show Malcolm in the Middle. One of my favorite songs is “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Steelers Wheel. People in Middle Management inspire me and one day I hope to visit Middlesex, England. I am also not naive. Compromise went the way of the dinosaurs in the 80s. Over the past four decades it has gotten worse because of the extremes (and I emphasize the word “extreme”) of both parties. The “My way or the highway” form of politics has ended up with very little good being done for the people of this country.
Over the past four years during the Trump administration the efforts to compromise have completely vanished. One Republican who has tightfisted control of the Senate has made it impossible to do any good for the voters of this country. He stopped President Obama from exercising his constitutional right to appoint a very moderate Supreme Court Justice. Instead of using the Constitution as his guide, he used rules created by partisan senators to block hearings, resulting in President Trump being able to appoint a very conservative judge of his choosing. He also ushered through a tax cut that only helped the super rich, while ballooning our deficit like never before. When the President was shown to have violated his oath to the country, he made sure it was dismissed as soon as possible. Yes it angered those on the left but it also angered us in the middle at the same time. This past November, a majority of the electorate chose to remove President Trump due to his incompetence. Instead of the right leaning voters accepting what most of the voters wanted, they chose to side with the lies Trump was spreading about a non-existent corrupt election. Two months of spreading these lies by Trump, right wing media and his devoted cult lead to what happened at the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.
I will be honest, I have not always been happy with our government. I was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam era. Fortunately I was never sent there but the possibility was always lingering. I never supported that war but I did my duty when I was called, whether I liked it or not. I also took an oath to uphold the constitution of this country, and I had no problem doing that. I think we are so lucky to live in a country that gives so many the opportunities to be successful. Unfortunately not everyone was able to share in the dream but as time moved on, we were able to correct that by amending that constitution. Saying that, we are far from perfect and more changes are needed.
What I saw on Wednesday was not patriots expressing their right to free speech. I saw a treasonous mob trying to assert their will and overthrow our duly elected representatives. It was disgusting. I saw a bunch of clowns mugging for the cameras but I also saw people who were dressed for combat. The first images showed multitudes of people moving in and out of the building but later video showed how violent and dangerous it was. Some images show these insurrectionists with anger in their eyes and attacking those with protecting the capital. As a result a capital policeman was murdered and many more seriously injured. They caused great damage and looted the offices of our representative. I also saw a lack of police presence and the capitol police being over matched, and why?
The irony of all this, is how Trump and his followers claimed to be law and order advocates while breaking the law, and eventually killing a police officer.
The saddest part of this whole disgusting demonstration was seeing people wearing t-shirts that said “Camp Auschwitz” “6 million dead wasn’t enough” (referring to the number of Jews that died at the hands of the Nazis) and the confederate battle flag being marched through our capitol building. Is this what these people want our country to become? If so, they are not true American citizens.
I was and still am angry. I pray that all those involved are brought to justice. Trump is the one who set the standard of punishment for those who violated public property with an executive order setting out a 10 year prison sentence. Everyone who incited this insurrection also needs to answer for their crimes. It is the only way to let these extremists know that their behavior will not be tolerated.
We went through this before and for many of the same reasons we are going through this now. We fought a bloody civil war to keep this country united. Abraham Lincoln clearly summed up the reasons for pursuing such a devastating war in the Gettysburg Address. Read it. It is very sound advice from the past.
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