US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick He gave his last full measure.
As I started this blog, I was watching the remains of Officer Brian Sicknick being placed in state under the Capitol’s Rotunda. It is an honor that is given to few people. He earned it. He is the US Capitol Security Policeman who was murdered by insurrectionists when they stormed the Capitol on January 6th. A folded US flag, in a triangular wooden case, sat beside the wooden cube that contained his ashes. He had given his last full measure defending the Stars and Stripes and the democracy it represents.
It was a quiet tribute. At first, his family took their place before the bier that held his remains and flag. After a few moments they touched his remains and then silently walked away. Afterwards, one by one, dignitaries and his comrades in the Capitol Security Police paused before his ashes to pay respect and then soundlessly filed out.
The attack on the Capitol claimed five lives and in the following days two more when Capitol Police Officers committed suicide. At least 140 Capitol Police were hurt, some with debilitating injuries, including brain damage. The people who stormed the Capitol were prepared and intended to harm or kill police and legislators.
January 6th, 2021 was the resumption of our unfinished Civil War. Racism, left to fester since 1865, has mutated like the COVID virus into various lethal strains spread wide and far. It is time we must deal with it once and for all.
The Capitol attack is our Fort Sumter. It is a declaration of war, just as when insurrectionists attacked the United States fort in Charleston Bay. Just as the carnage of Bleeding Kansas foreshadowed the Civil War, so to does the brutality leading up to the 6th. There can be no mistaking that the killing of women’s physicians, attacks against Black Americans and other people of color, the murder of members of the LGBTQ community, the Border Patrol’s crimes against children and families, increasing anti-Semitism and ethnic violence, and the attacks on Black Lives Matter demonstrations, has been prelude to now.
Officer Sicknick is the first to fall in this conflict, defending the Union and our democracy. Sadly, he will not be the last. In an interview on MSNBC, Probulica investigative report A. C. Thompson stated that there will be a mass casualty attack this year. He should know. He has written a concise and frightening series of articles about the Nationalist menace in America. His most recent article, The Boogaloo Bois Have Guns, Criminal Records, and Military Training, is worth the read. We are in greater danger than most of us have imagined.
There is no place for insurrectionist sympathizers in our government, military, or police. We need to start with our elected officials, the people with the power to foment rebellion and obstruct the defense of our nation and democracy. To protect ourselves from sabotage and insider attacks it is necessary that we root out these threats and remove them from any form of power. Those who have acted must be tried and held fully accountable.
We are at this point because half measures and turning a blind eye does not work. We must unite as Americans to defeat this un-American threat. Courage, dedication, and perseverance are the watch words for now. As Benjamin Franklin said, “If we do not hang together, we will surely hang separately.”
I never thought the words I recited in grade school would come to mean so much.
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.“
Healing our country and effectively combating the pandemic requires that we communicate with each other. At this moment this seems impossible. Many Republicans honestly believe in a false narrative that has been constructed over decades. Their beliefs politicize what should be a common concern for all Americans. This isolates them from the rest of their American family and prohibits them from taking the actions needed to protect our public health and revive our devastated economy. How can we bridge the chasm and promote a healthy conversation with our insular fellow citizens?
I recently heard a conservative analyst say that to effectively communicate with Republicans and possibly begin a healing discussion, it was necessary to focus on feelings and emotions rather than rely on facts and figures. He also said that berating these folks only makes them firmer in their resolve and less likely to hear any differing points of view. The idea, he said, was to point out fundamental inconsistencies in the news and their ideas in a non-threatening way, and then let them work it out for themselves. For some, this will open the door to expanded conversations. For others, it will have no effect.
How do we unite and return to “normal”? There are two things that need to happen. The first is to increase public health measures to overcome the pandemic. This is happening now. The second is to unite by taking the politics out of the crisis.
With over 440,000 dead Americans and 2,000,000 dead worldwide, we have a public health crisis. There is no need for it to be a political one. Unfortunately, many of our fellow Americans believe that wearing masks, following public health guidelines, and getting vaccinated means surrendering their personal freedom. At the same time, these same people rightly believe that each of us should take responsibility for our actions. Here lies the problem.
In a democracy, our freedoms come with responsibilities. One such obligation is to carefully consider how exercising my freedom impacts on yours and then behaving accordingly. That means, each of us is responsible for both our freedom and that of others. I may have the right to risk my own life, but I do not have the right to risk yours. One way of thinking about public health guidelines and regulations is that they are formalized definitions of our duties towards each other.
Ending this catastrophe requires coordinated local, federal, and international efforts. We need to realize that it will take years to “normalize” our situation. On the local and federal levels, it is necessary to vaccinate at least 85% of all 330,000,000 Americans to create what some call herd immunity. This is a massive undertaking that requires wartime like logistics to manufacture the vaccine, distribute it to every corner of the nation, and administer it. That is the easiest part. The harder task is convincing at least 85% of Americans to get vaccinated and then voluntarily follow public heath procedures for a year or more into the future.
Vaccines are not a silver bullet. While providing a higher degree of immunity to those vaccinated, vaccines will not immediately stop the pandemic. What they will do is slow the spread of the virus, lessen the severity of its infection and reduce the death toll. During and after the vaccination campaign Americans will need to continue to protect themselves by wearing masks, social distancing, and washing their hands. Why? Because there will continue to be sources of infection both domestic and international.
Herd immunity, many people mistakenly believe, will put an end to this tragedy and allow us to get back to our open, freely socializing ways. Herd immunity does not end the disease. It only makes it harder to spread and unprotected people are still vulnerable.
As we have recently seen, measles, once well under control, has again become a public health concern due to the anti-vaccine movement. Anti-vaxxers think that the measles is relatively harmless. As part of their movement, they form networks of like-minded people who themselves are unprotected. When the measles appears, it spreads rapidly. As a result, the threat to the public quickly increases and places people who have not been vaccinated due to medical conditions at a growing risk.
There are four groups at risk of serious complications: children younger than 5, adults over 20, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems. The CDC points out that 1 in 5 people with measles requires hospitalization. This is often due to pneumonia, which is the how most children die. Another threat is encephalitis which can leave a child deaf or with brain damage. Also measles can cause complications during pregnancy leading to premature births and low birth weights. There is also the long-term risk of a fatal central nervous system disease that can appear 7-10 years after infection. Measles compromises the immune system and opens the door for COVID.
Viruses mutate. The strains from the UK, South Africa, and Brazil, are examples of how quickly the coronavirus can mutate and spread. Viruses can share genetic material and traits with other viruses, such as drug resistance or the ability to spread more quickly. The new strain can be more virulent and may make current vaccines less effective or useless. It is easy to see that unprotected people are the equivalent of petri dishes where viruses are free to mix and mingle, posing the potential threat for new deadlier diseases.
Public health does not stop at the US border. The last year has shown how disease has no boundaries. That means that our actions cannot stop at the border. The same steps we need to take in the US to ensure the availability of vaccine and the other materials, such as needles and syringes, must be taken around the world. This requires an international effort in which the US plays an important role.
What will it take to vaccinate people world-wide? Currently, vaccine supplies are limited by the manufacturing capacities of the pharmaceutical companies who developed them. Around the world there are many qualified pharmaceutical manufacturers who have unused capacity. They could be licensed to produce more vaccine, thus increasing supply, and speeding up distribution. Likewise, there are not enough trained people to vaccinate everyone. Here too, a massive training effort is required and, again, can be implemented through international efforts.
This will cost a lot. Poorer nations do not have the resources to purchase vaccines nor the infrastructure to administer them. Yet, we cannot ignore their plight since that places us at a greater risk. Hence, the US and other developed nations will have to provide the funds and the personnel to assist in building the necessary infrastructure and provide training.
If we do not do this then we are faced with a continuous cycling of COVID strains, like the flu, but far more deadly. Imagine the yearly scramble trying to anticipate which strains of COVID will likely strike and preparing vaccines for them. As with the flu, the more strains circulating, the greater risk of an unanticipated strain spreading without a corresponding vaccine and creating another pandemic.
The bottom line is COVID is not going away soon. How completely we unite and respond, both at home and abroad, will determine how many loved ones die or are disabled, and when we might eventually return to the “normal” we all desperately want. It is up to all of us. This rises far above politics.
I have discovered that I am still waiting for the shoe to drop. After four years of Trump, I am trained to expect something outrageous every day. What new assault on civility and commonsense is about to occur? Four long years of emotional abuse. We are just now leaving an emotionally and physically abusive relationship with a narcissistic tyrant. Like any battered person, I still flinch as the Republicans continue to foster the Big Lie or try to impede progress. Four years of fight or flight responses has left me exhausted.
The good news is that the Biden Administration has released a surge of political endorphins with executive orders, cabinet appointees, and cogent plans for the next four years. At last, the threats that have been piling up on us are being dealt with. It is refreshing to be told the truth, including the harsh reality of what we may expect in this coming year.
Telling the truth, being candid, is the only way to heal and reconcile. All of us need to be on the same page with no sunny denials, rosy predictions, or false narratives to divide us. Times are hard for most Americans, regardless of political affiliation. The only way that we can make life better throughout the United States is to deal with the actual causes of our pain.
We can do that most quickly and with the least pain, if those who have been misled and goaded for years are able to wean themselves off the addiction of outrage. This addiction started decades ago, long before Trump. Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, and Republicans built the Big Lie, bit by bit, until they were as addicted as their party base. Mitch McConnell and the outraged Republicans tried to sabotage President Obama’s efforts to provide relief to millions of Americans who had been devastated by George W. Bush’s eight years in office. The economy crashed due to Bush’s illegal $2 trillion war against Iraq. It was left to Obama to pick up the pieces. And all the time, even as the economy improved and people returned to work, the Right complained and was outraged.
When Trump was elected, the Right remained outraged even though they had won. Their anger was, and remains, focused on Democrats, Liberals, Progressives, and anyone else whom they are directed to hate.
January 6th demonstrated how dangerous outrage is. Today, Trump, Republicans, and the Right-wing media continue to stoke the fires. How can outrage addicted Americans regain their footing? How can they wean themselves off the poison they have become habituated to?
Outrage is a behavior based on strong emotions. It is exhausting and causes stress related illnesses. It can lead to violence, as we have seen. However, it need not be a permanent condition. To heal our nation, we must be aware that fellow Americans are suffering from anger, fear, uncertainty, caused by unemployment, healthcare, keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table. They do not need our pity or condescension. They need us to stop enabling their behavior by feeding into their unreality.
As in a family with an addicted family member, we need to continue our daily routine without them manipulating us and creating chaos. We must remain on the path of honesty and action in the effort to rebuild our nation. We must move forward with or without those of our national family addicted to outrage. Whether they choose to change or not, they will still benefit when we are successful.
We face more existential crises than any generation before us and time is critical. We must gain control of the pandemic; rebuild our economy to serve all Americans; address racial and economic injustices; recognize and begin massive programs to mitigate Climate Change; fix our electoral system; rebuild our relationships around the world; and defend our nation against China, Russia, and others.
What to do? The poison that creates outrage is like alcohol, freely available and legal. Like alcoholism, it is up to the individual to recognize their dependence and seek help. Because we do not have, nor should we, “education camps” it is left to the individual to heal themselves. That is where the rest of America has an opportunity to help.
It begins with firm love. The decades of lies and manipulation have left millions of Americans living in a half-reality. We all see the same things but interpret them differently through the lenses of our experiences and what we have been taught. We must confront the addict’s misinterpretations with the shared reality the rest of us have. Anger, hysteria, and condemnation are counterproductive. The goal is creating healthier relationships with our fellow Americans so that we can work together and share the satisfaction and pride of achieving great things together.
Our family members, friends, and neighbors have a powerful addiction based on lies and manipulation. It is the duty of the rest of us to protect ourselves and them from harm. They are not the enemy. They are our fellow Americans.
01/27/2021 – Corrections to grammar and punctuation.
I began this post while listening to the House Rules Committee debating on the impeachment of Trump. This debate underscored the division that fractured our nation and how insidious the reality of the Big Lie remains. Republican Jim Jordan, Ohio, continued to defend Trump and use false equivalency as a defense. This argument was and remains one of the tools used to minimize the severity of Trump’s behavior. It is based on blatant lies. During the 25th Amendment debate another Republican Representative stated that “You’ve won the election. Why do you continue with this? Let’s just move on.” This minimizes the reality that the President and members of this Committee endorsed and promoted the Big Lie that led to the attack on the Capitol. Add now the double-standard defense that ignores four years of belligerency and threats.
Trump apologists push false reality when comparing Trump’s years of angry rallies promoting violence to the Black Lives Matter movement. A movement that promoted peaceful dissent that resulted in massive and almost universally peaceful protests all over the nation and the world. Democrats encouraged peaceful protests and did not threaten the government. Trump chose to be belligerent, repeatedly urging his supporters to come to Washington DC on January 6th saying that “It will be Wild.” In Trump’s defense, his supporters point to one moment when Trump said that the protest should be peaceful. They ignore the rest of his incendiary speech that claimed it was was a do or die situation and that they must show strength, thus inciting the protesters to become a mob.
During the entire summer of 2020, as people protested police violence and Floyd’s murder, the message from community organizers, religious figures, city officials and supportive Minneapolitans was that peace and restraint was the way to go. No one called for the destruction of local, state, or federal institutions. Many called for the rioters and looters to be held accountable. What is forgotten is that in Minneapolis, there were two separate groups of rioters. Local people and verified outsiders representing the Far Right. The right-wingers were here to intensify the violence by attacking small, neighborhood, black owned businesses and to start a race-war. There are videos of these actions.
In a strange way, this was a good thing. Finally, the rebellion has come out in the open for all to see. No longer hidden by rallies and thin excuses, we are confronted with an evil that has been building in the United States since 1866.
Over the years, the U.S. Government and the American People have failed to deal with the resurgence of racism and the growing privileges of our ruling elite. This has led to the spread of armed nationalist paramilitary groups. It has created a class of wealthy, privileged elite who do not fear the law and use it to punish the innocent.
Just one year after Lincoln’s assassination the new President, Andrew Johnson, permitted southern state legislatures to pass a series of racist laws, the Black Codes, that restricted African Americans ability to work, participate in government, and freely move about. These laws re-imposed conditions reminiscent to the bondage Black Americans had just been released from. It was slavery through debt and intimidation.
Northerners were enraged by these laws and the Radical wing of the Republican Party passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867. Johnson, because of his sabotage of Lincoln’s Reconstruction was the first President to be impeached. The Reconstruction Act of 1867 ensured that African Americans could participate in government and they were soon being seated in state governments and the U.S. Congress. This trend continued for about ten years. However, racism in the South and the North continued and within a decade reactionary forces had reasserted themselves. The Republican Party became more conservative and less egalitarian.
On 03/27/1876, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the conviction of three white men, convicted for participating in the politically motivated murder at least 100 Republican African Americans who were trying to protect the county courthouse from takeover by a mob of Armed Democrats who were disputing the results of a local election. The Colfax Massacre is a frightening foreshadowing of events 151 years later at the US Capitol.
The Federal Judicial Center summarized the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v Cruikshank, “The Cruikshank case arose from the 1873 Colfax Massacre, in which a group of armed whites killed more than a hundred African American men as a result of a political dispute. Three men convicted of violating the 1870 Enforcement Act – a law aimed primarily at curbing Ku Klux Klan violence that forbade conspiracies to deny the constitutional rights of any citizen – appealed on the grounds that their indictments were insufficient. When the case reached the Supreme Court, the Court sided with the defendants, holding that the rights they were alleged to have violated were not enforceable in this case. The First and Second Amendment rights to assembly and the bearing of arms were, according to the Court’s ruling, intended only to restrict the actions of the federal government and did not apply to the states or private citizens, and the Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process and equal protection applied only to state action and again, not to the actions of individuals. The Court’s decision was further evidence of its narrow interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment as well as the federal government’s diminishing focus on Reconstruction.”
In 1876 Lincoln’s dream died. He had wanted to heal the nation after the Civil War with a Reconstruction that would slowly welcome the Confederate States back into the Union as they made democratic changes to their governments and, also, guaranteeing liberty and self-determination to the millions of freed slaves. Since 1866, racism and its companion authoritarianism have been on the march.
In 1896 the Supreme Court decided Plessey v. Ferguson, by upholding the 1890 Louisiana law, Separate Car Act the Supreme Court codified the hateful tradition of “separate but equal” that institutionalized the racial segregation of public facilities. This affront to human dignity would continue for almost 70 years until it began to crumble, starting in 1954 when the Supreme Court decided, Brown v. Board of Education, and outlawed segregation of public education. Separate but Equal was further curtailed with the Civil Rights Act, 1964, and the Voting Rights Act, 1965. Of interest is, Plessey v Ferguson was never explicitly overturned by the Court. It’s a zombie in the shadows of our law.
Thus, throughout our history racists have been members of our federal Legislature, Supreme Court, and Presidency. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Trump are the most recent examples.
It was the 1974 Pardon of President Richard Nixon by Gerald Ford that set the precedent that holding him accountable was too divisive and dangerous and, thus implying that the President is above the Rule of Law because he is too important, in essence saying the President Is The State. This is the heart of all monarchies and dictatorships. This idea was legitimized in some people’s minds. It would grow more prevalent among conservative Republicans over the next 46 years. Now there is a militant minority who wants to impose an authoritarian government on the U.S. and has acted to do so.
There has been a trend of pushing limits, rule breaking, and lawlessness in the Republican Part. It started with Richard Nixon’s Watergate Scandal and continues through today at both State and Federal levels. Nixon never saw trial or conviction, but 58 other people tied to the Watergate scandal did go to jail. Reagan had two scandals; the most notable the Iran-Contra Affair, where he ordered the federal crimes of trading weapons with Iran then using the Iranian money to support the Nicaragua rebels, Contras. Congress had passed laws prohibiting involvement in the Nicaraguan civil war involving the Contras and Sandinistas. These two crimes landed 27 members of his administration or their associates, behind bars as well, while Reagan was chastised but received no meaningful punishment. With Trump only history will show the true scope of Trump’s criminality. However, it is possible to say that the were 34 people indicted and 6 Trump associates convicted.
What about Carter, Clinton, and Obama? Carter and Obama had no administration members be indicted and go to jail. Clinton’s administration had 2 indictments, 1 was acquitted and the other was convicted but later pardoned. In the last six administrations, three Democratic and three Republicans, there were 2 Democratic indictments with 1 conviction; Republicans had a total of 134 indictments and 91 convictions. The persistent pattern is that Republicans are more likely to push limits and break the law than Democrats, indicating a lack of respect for rules or the laws that enforcement.
Nixon’s crimes are not in the scope of this blog. Suffice it to say, Nixon was guilty of instigating the breaking into of the Democratic offices, in the Watergate Building complex, to steal information that could be used by Nixon and Republicans to undermine the Democratic Presidential Campaign of 1974. Nixon also ordered his closest advisors to obstruct the investigation. While Nixon never saw trial or conviction, 58 other people tied to the Watergate scandal did go to jail.
The nation was strongly divided concerning Nixon and his impeachment. Up until the almost end, Republicans preferred a light sentence and his speedy departure. Democrats wanted the laws upheld and an impeachment trial consummated.
On September 8th, 1974, President Gerald Ford issued a pardon to disgraced ex-president Richard Nixon. It was one of the biggest mistakes in United States history. It avoided doing the necessary hard work of following the Rule of Law and attaining Justice.
President Ford’s announcement of his pardoning Nixon clearly shows that the short-term expediency of politics outweighed the long-term benefits of working to deliver Justice. It would send a strong message forward to all future Presidents and officeholders that breaking the law will not be tolerated. It did not happen.
Ford’s pardon set the stage for our current crisis.
By the President of the United States of America a Proclamation
Richard Nixon became the thirty-seventh President of the United States on January 20, 1969 and was reelected in 1972 for a second term by the electors of forty-nine of the fifty states. His term in office continued until his resignation on August 9, 1974.
Pursuant to resolutions of the House of Representatives, its Committee on the Judiciary conducted an inquiry and investigation on the impeachment of the President extending over more than eight months. The hearings of the Committee and its deliberations, which received wide national publicity over television, radio, and in printed media, resulted in votes adverse to Richard Nixon on recommended Articles of Impeachment.
As a result of certain acts or omissions occurring before his resignation from the Office of President, Richard Nixon has become liable to possible indictment and trial for offenses against the United States. Whether or not he shall be so prosecuted depends on findings of the appropriate grand jury and on the discretion of the authorized prosecutor. Should an indictment ensue, the accused shall then be entitled to a fair trial by an impartial jury, as guaranteed to every individual by the Constitution.
It is believed that a trial of Richard Nixon, if it became necessary, could not fairly begin until a year or more has elapsed. In the meantime, the tranquility to which this nation has been restored by the events of recent weeks could be irreparably lost by the prospects of bringing to trial a former President of the United States. The prospects of such trial will cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States.
Now, THEREFORE, I, GERALD R. FORD, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninety-ninth.
GERALD R. FORD
Citation: Presidential Proclamation 4311 of September 8, 1974, by President Gerald R. Ford granting a pardon to Richard M. Nixon, 09/08/1974, Record Group 11: General Records of the United States Government, 1778 – 1992; NARA, Washington, DC. (ARC #194597)
Image: I re-interpreted the original official portrait, using Photoshop and Topaz Studio, to create a mysterious atmosphere with the a hint of foreboding and evil. In general, Nixon’s features appear indistinct, as if they are in the process of transition. However, his eyes remain focused, sharp, like a predator.
His handling of the Vietnam War was criminal as was his use of petty criminals to spy on the Democrats in the Watergate Scandal. Yet, he recognized the growing power of the Environmental Movement. His top domestic advisor, John Erhlichmann, understood the need to protect natural resources and worked with Nixon to pass the Clean Air and Water Acts and create the Environmental Protection Agency. It’s ironic how these two men would proceed to severely damage Democracy and then help to lay the foundations for a strong environmental movement in the US and the world.
Yet again, all was not what it seemed. One of Nixon’s last acts before resigning and leaving office was to veto the EPA’s budget. The whole thing had been a political gambit to undercut the Democrat’s environmental positions and weaken them in the 1972 Presidential Elections.
On Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, I watched what I have been waiting for and praying against. Insurrection. The rebellion has come out in the open for all to see. No longer hidden by rallies and thin excuses, we are confronted with an evil that has been building in the United States since 1866.
Over the years, the U.S. has failed to deal with the resurgence of racism and the growing privileges of our ruling elite. This has led to armed nationalist paramilitary groups and a class of wealthy, privileged elite who do not fear the law and even use it to punish the innocent. While the lack of equal justice impacts middle-class white Americans, its consequences are far greater on people of color, disabled, infirm, poor, illiterate, and elderly.
Even now, just a few days since domestic terrorists occupied our nation’s Capitol Building and invaded other state capitals across the country, the politicians and pundits are beginning to equivocate about holding the chief Domestic Terrorist, Donald J. Trump, legally accountable for his concerted, years-long attacks against our democracy and our people. They use the same arguments that were used when President Ford pardoned Richard M. Nixon. We must heal the nation and, to do so, we must not hold the President accountable because it will only provoke greater unrest and bitterness. Political considerations overruled the law. That bitterness never went away. The Nixon pardon was an object lesson that there are people above the Law, starting with the President of the United States.
Congress, with its unwillingness to hold its own members accountable has provided another lesson that shows the Law does not fully apply to them as well. In the past six years, we have seen the Republican controlled Senate bury nominations and laws to thwart the will of the people. Barack H. Obama, 44th President of the U.S., was held hostage to the whims of Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican, Kentucky, who abused his position as Senate Majority Leader. In the last four years, Senator McConnell has continued to block House bills, even when bipartisan, from being considered in the Senate, effectively denying the will of the people.
The last two decades, since the Supreme Court interfered with the 2000 Presidential Election, giving the election to Republican George W Bush despite the popular vote going to Democrat Al Gore, we have seen the steady erosion of Democracy and Rule of Law. It has accelerated in the last six years until now we have an open insurrection to deal with. All of this is due to our government and the American People being unwilling to face the hard truths and do what must be done. We must hold all those responsible for this insurrection accountable in a court of law, regardless of their position.
Within a few hours, the rebels began to regroup. Within minutes of the assault on the Capitol. Fox Broadcasting was already spinning the events to fit their long, traitorous narrative. Without missing a step, Fox’s commentators began trying to shift blame away from the Trump insurrectionists to someone else, Antifa. They continue to demonize Democrats. Rather than stepping back, Fox doubled down on the Big Lie that the election vote was rigged, and everyone was out to get Trump. As Republicans scrambled to save their own asses by distancing themselves from Trump, Fox commentators and other traitorous media personalities turned on them as well. For instance, Lindsey Graham belatedly began to voice concerns about Trump; he was mobbed at the airport and required police protection.
Across the nation Trump supporters have become more belligerent and are openly trying to intimidate the American people. Ever since 2015, when Trump announced his candidacy for President there has been a growing wave of hatred and violence directed at people of Black Americans and other people of color, Jews and Muslims, and Trump’s political opponents. Now the fascist rebels have dropped all pretense of legality and shown us who they are.
And yet, Trump’s Republican supporters continue to caution against holding him legally accountable for fear of violence. That ship sailed a long time ago. If this were a typical western drama, this is the scene when Clint Eastwood would be told by the oppressed, frightened town folk that, “We don’t want no trouble here. Don’t mess with the Trump gang.” YouTube provides ample evidence that the trouble is here and must be firmly dealt with.
A Minneapolis Star Tribune video of a rally in front of the Minnesota State Capitol makes the point. The speakers clearly demonstrated that there was little room for discussion and threats were made.
An unidentified man in a long black overcoat said, “We have gone beyond the point of protesting, we have gone past the point of rallies, and we are now at the threshold of civil war. Where do you see us today? Have we moved forward? Hell, no we haven’t. We’ve regressed. We’ve gone backwards. Historically, in America, the only time we’ve progressed, we’ve marched forward, technological advances, economic advances, the only time we’ve evolved was after a war. “
“We have reached that point. We cannot move forward. We cannot evolve as a people because we are being choked-off by weeds. Weeds of Communism, weeds of Socialism, weeds of [inaudible] Liberals, [inaudible] suffocating us. We are a garden that needs to grow. We cannot grow if we have weeds choking us off. We need to burn; we need to pull the weeds.” [Crowd applauded and cheered.]
A woman speaker said, “Without you, without the middle-class, America cannot survive. The middle-class is the backbone of our economy. And while I’m speaking, the greatest wealth transfer in this country is taking place before our very eyes. The Democrats that claim they care about the little people, don’t care about you.” Crowd agrees with the speaker.
Another speaker said, “And now we have an executive branch that chooses not to support the law, and now we have certain members of the judicial branch, who are usurping the constitution, ignoring the constitution, and rewriting the law as they see fit. We can’t have that.” Crowd agrees.
Another speaker, Rep. Steve Drazkowski ,Republican, spoke, “Steve Simmon, the Secretary of State, and Keith Ellison, the Attorney General, [both Democrats] who are supposed to defend our laws, said that ‘You can’t do that. They said this in front of a judge. Her name is Sarah Grewing. Sarah Grewing was appointed by Mark Dayton [ex-Governor, Democrat] and formerly served as Senator Amy Klobuchar’s [US Senator, Democrat] State Political Director. [Booing]”
Next, Republican organizer, Alley Waterbury took the mic. “Shame on you Grewing, booo! Pence said that he would uphold the Constitution. No, no, no, no. He’s going to uphold the Constitution because he doesn’t have the right to say what electoral votes are true … and which are fake and which ones are real. That’s how he’s upholding the Constitution. At that point, at that point, patriots, over one million patriots, [unclear, may have been,’ whatever the figure was’], stormed the White House grounds. I believe. Now you know why Trump wanted us there.” [Cheering and flag waving.]
“I can trust you guys. You will be threatened. You will be scorned. By God you guys, we’re going to fight! We’re going to go down! There’s going to be casualties! I’ll be the first casualty, I don’t care! We’re not going to give up!” [Crowd cheers.]
State Representative Susan Akland, Republican, “My district had been blue for 16 years. I didn’t know what I was up against, but it didn’t matter because somebody has to stand up and speak up. We need our conservative Christian values represented. And they were getting washed away and I couldn’t stand it one more second.”
State Representative, Glenn Gruenhagen, Republican, “Remember that this is a cultural war on which direction our country is going to go. And the future of your children, and your grandchildren, and even yourselves are at stake.”
Unidentified speaker, “Waltz, [Minnesota Governor] if you get a piece of this, I just want to say to you, that literally, God created you and I guess you have a purpose. But you’re really using it wrong. Please take time to meet with us, one-on-one. Because if you don’t, you’re going to make us do things we don’t want to do. [Pointing at the video camera] We will come for you. We want to talk to you first. We want to use [unclear] and logic. If you don’t open our state back up, we are willing to do whatever we need to do. Because, at this point we have nothing left to lose.”
It is unarguably clear that our nation is faced with a terrible choice. Surrender to the insane rage of the insurrectionist Republicans and their supporters. Or make the hard decision to stand firm, defend our Constitution and the Rule of Law, and hold to account all those who instigate and participate in this rebellion.
Let us be honest with ourselves. The probability of a peaceful resolution is almost zero. While I believe that many who have followed Trump will have second thoughts and decide that a peaceful solution is best, there is a hardcore of believers who desire confrontation and the destruction of our government and way of life. It is this group that is prepared to wage a long war of terror using hit-and-run tactics. These domestic terrorists have dehumanized a large portion of the American people and see us as expendable in the pursuit of their selfish goals.
Prophetically, Republican organizer, Alley Waterbury, spoke the truth. There are going to be casualties. There have been casualties for years, victims of racism, bigotry, and hate. We have been at war for years and have refused to acknowledge it. We have chosen appeasement rather than face the truth.
Our biggest enemy is here at home, domestic terrorists incited by leaders who deny reality and parrot Russian propaganda. We cannot hide from the truth any longer. It is now, regardless of the cost, that we demand justice and use our democratic institutions to bring to account all those that threaten our nation, regardless of rank, wealth, or power.
Our opposition is not evil or disposable. They are people who have been misled and lied to. They have been seduced by others whose agendas are to gain personal power and wealth. Our fellow Americans deserve to have their rights observed and treated with understanding.
Unlike our enemies who wish us ill and believe that the ends justify the means, we must remain resolute and firm, in the knowledge that the United States is the greatest experiment in history to promote individual freedoms while maintaining a civil society.
The days, weeks and years ahead are not going to be easy. Justice delayed is justice denied. Our path is clear. Bring to justice all those that promote and engage in this rebellion as quickly as possible. We must unflinchingly challenge the propagandists and defeat them with both truth but also our behavior.
At the same time, we must proceed in rebuilding our fractured society while ensuring that all Americans share in our nation’s prosperity, have opportunities to succeed, and are treated fairly.
We are a great people if we have the courage to be.
