“Nothing will stop us … they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours … dark to light!” A Tweet from one of the January 6 insurrectionists.
I never thought that in my lifetime I’d see domestic terrorists storm the Capitol. I never realized the ineffectiveness of the Capitol Police and the Congress Sergeant-at-Arms. I never thought there would be a President who would incite an insurrection and refuse to concede loss. But then January 6 rolled around. I had planned to celebrate the final chapter of the election—the certification of the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Just before picking up my groceries, I stopped into Starbucks (the second time in 10 months!). As the man behind the plexiglass was taking my order, one of the barista’s yelled “They stormed the Capitol.” Surely, I thought, I didn’t hear that correctly. But sure enough, as I sat in my car drinking my latte, I listened to the news.
“The president of the United States incited an armed insurrection against America,” Ms. Pelosi said at a news conference in Washington. “In calling for this seditious act, the president has committed an unspeakable assault on our nation and our people.”
Trump organized and staged a rally at which he incited his supporters to try to stop the certification process. His supporters erected the hanging apparatus as a symbol to hang Congress. The Capitol Police could not, or perhaps would not, stop the insurgents. Some of the police, seeing a chance for their moment of fame, posed for selfies with the insurgents. If you are cozying up to the insurgents, are you really motivated to stop them? The Sergeant at Arms for each chamber were not able to muster the forces to keep out the insurgents. Can you image the terror felt by our representatives?
January 6 will enter the history books as the Day of Insurrection. Let’s hope it is the only such day, although I don’t think hope will do it. We all need to work to get this country back to a friendlier, more civil place.