Nearly a week later, I am still in disbelief. The events of January 6th at the U.S. Capitol shock the conscience.
That is, if you have a conscience. The redneck mob that assaulted the Capitol after being whipped into a frenzy by their lame duck President lacked this essential element of character. The resulting melee hasn’t deterred the base; this morning an FBI bulletin released to the media warned of more armed demonstrations at the U.S. Capitol and all fifty state capitols.
The optics of the forcible occupation elude its perpetrators. The death of a Capitol police officer and the injury of several more doesn’t seem to faze them. Neither does the threatened prosecution of its identifiable culprits nor their loss of employment in some cases.
No, instead we hear about the San Diego woman shot to death by the police as she forced her way through a broken window. Her husband described her as a “patriot,” a term debased by conservatives over the years and trampled in filth over the past four. Although her death was unfortunate and perhaps even tragic, she nonetheless met her end committing a violent criminal act.
And to what end? The mob delayed certification of the Electoral College vote by six hours and caused considerable damage to a national monument which will fall upon the taxpayers to repair. Attempting to subvert a constitutional process, to undermine the United States Constitution itself, is the polar opposite of patriotism. All identifiable participants should be prosecuted for sedition.
It’s unlikely they will. White privilege will out. The small police presence on Capitol Hill last Wednesday was rooted in an assumption that a demonstration by white people was not a potential threat. Contrast this to last summer’s George Floyd protests, which were not only met by local law enforcement in the larger cities but by a constellation of state and federal police agencies and the National Guard to boot.
Consider the intentions of some of the invaders when we raise the question of penalties. One had threatened to shoot Nancy Pelosi in the head on social media. Another was photographed in the Senate chamber carrying zip tie handcuffs as if they planned to take hostages. Then there was the gallows erected at the Capitol steps. One could go on with like examples.
There is little doubt concerning the crowd’s sentiments, as evinced by the Confederate flags and Nazi paraphernalia about. If you needed further convincing, take the bitter remark one woman made to Andrew McCormick of The Nation concerning the police. “They’re shooting us,” she said. “They’re supposed to shoot BLM, but they’re shooting the patriots.”
There you have it. It’s law enforcement’s job to kill civil rights activists, not rioting white supremacists. The destruction of a display honoring the late congressman John Lewis further underscores the racist nature of the insurrection. In any case, the actions of law enforcement officers varied from actually doing their job defending the Capitol and its occupants, to making themselves scarce rather than confronting the assailants, to mingling with the rioters and posing for selfies with them.
Meanwhile, buzz on the alt-right is framing the riot as a subversion. It was the fault of the ever-elusive “outside agitators” and “antifa.” The base continues to stick with is its narrative of deep-state conspiracies and pedophile elites. No fable is too wild to be believed.
The Dems for their part, despite their victory at the polls, continue to flail impotently at the sociopath occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The House is moving to impeach a President whose remaining time in office is down to mere days. If they somehow succeed, and the Senate somehow convicts, the only effect will be to afford Mike Pence the distinction of serving the shortest presidential tenure in history. Any attempt to invoke the 25th Amendment is a nonstarter considering Pence’s refusal to even consider it combined with multiplying cabinet vacancies.
January 20th will be here soon enough. Trump refuses to attend the inauguration, and it’s just as well. But it’s foolish to assume the nightmare will end. Talk of street protests in DC and elsewhere is rife, and will almost certainly take place. Having had a taste of the potential havoc they can unleash militant rightists will feel empowered to repeat it. Even as I write, Texas officials are concerned Trump’s visit to the border town of Alamo will lead to further violence.
For all their loud talk of freedom and love of country, the base poses an existential threat to our constitutional order and the liberties and rights it guarantees. It’s doubtful many of them actually understand these. Or care to. I’m reminded of how common Russians welcomed the 1917 revolution believing that freedom meant absolutely no constraints on their behavior. As we know, they were soon disabused of that notion, but I think a similar attitude animates the MAGA crowd.
It took almost four years, but I’m fully cognizant of how bad the situation truly is. I never distrusted my own people until now. The worst of it is there’s no escape. We have so mismanaged the coronavirus pandemic that few countries will admit Americans. I can’t even believe I’m entertaining thoughts of expatriating; I used to scoff at people who said they would leave if the candidate they opposed won. Now I’m in the bizarre situation where I’m considering it myself, even after the guy I voted for won. I want to live somewhere inhabited by sane people, if or when that becomes a possibility again.
In the meantime, it looks like the inmates will continue to run the asylum. Don’t expect reason to prevail any time soon in the madhouse our country has become.
