They Knew, Yet They Turned Away

What a travesty January 6, 2021, became. I don't know about you, but I'm so furious about what happened with the attempted coup at the nation's Capitol. Do you have burning questions? Well, I do.

1. We knew that there were going to be protests. Why didn't Congress and our various security agencies plan for the violence? Trump himself called on the Proud Boys "to stand ready."

2. Why were all of the protestors allowed to leave?

3. Why didn't the police conduct mass arrests?

4. Why are Republicans in Congress so complicit in keeping a deranged man in power?

Anyone who actually listened to Trump over the past four years could have foreseen this coming. Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC said we could not predict what happened any more than we could predict 9/11. Phooey, I say. There was online chatter for weeks saying this was coming. The Bush administration received information about 9/11, but they ignored the whistleblowers. If people actually listened to Trump, who consistently incites violence at his rallies, they could foresee this coming. Trump voters like his violence and they think he is supporting them. Trump only supports himself and could give a shit about anyone else. He feeds like a vampire on the mass adulation he receives at his rallies. People who support Trump don't listen to what he's saying. They like his violence, his attacks on the press, and anyone who challenges him.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) also said we couldn't have seen these protests coming. Well, it's her and the rest of the Republican party (sans Mitt Romney R-UT) that didn't do their job and remove the orange menace from office during his impeachment. It's the Republicans that have spent the last four years kissing Trump's arse and letting him get away with abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and other crimes soon to be revealed. That's you, Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham.

Asking again, why wasn't there a plan to prevent what happened on January 6 in place? Who failed by not calling for an increased police presence to stop the protesters they had to know were gathering. Both Democrats and Republicans failed to ensure their safety. I also entirely agree that if this were a Black Lives Matter protest, the police presence would be so much more significant. I mean, if the police can arrest Senator-elect Rev. Ralph Warnock for peacefully praying on the Capitol steps, why weren't the protestors arrested?

The media is also complicit; let's not let them off the hook. Let's start with Fox News. For years, I've maintained that the single entity to divide this nation is Rupert Murdoch and the creation of Fox News. Their vilification of Democrats and liberals, which so many deeply believe, led to the Capitol coup. I'll have a future article about the rise of conservatism in this country and how Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Tucker Carlson, Bill O'Reilly, and many others made half the country angry and defiant on a pack of lies.

The rest of the media gave Trump unprecedented coverage after he announced his presidential run. Every day on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, the headlines were Trump this or Trump that. And what did we hear about Hillary Clinton consistently? Her damn emails, as Bernie Sanders said. Or Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi. During the 2016 primaries, the media gave very little coverage to Sanders, Clinton, or Martin O'Malley. It was all Trump, Trump, Trump. The "liberal" press helped elect a deranged man to the White House. Even today, January 8, the headlines are all about Trump. During the 2020 primaries, the focus was still on Trump, and we heard little about Joe Biden and his policies even before he locked up the nomination.

Someone once asked me if I hated the Republicans. My answer at that time was no and remains no. However, after four years of Trumpism and watching the Republicans in Congress brown-nose Trump, I can truthfully say that I detest the Republican party. They are working to destroy democracy. The obstructionism, objections over a legally held election, and the right-wing hate for Americans do not deserve my respect or my support, or anyone's for that matter.

Again, if the Republicans in Congress had done their job and removed Trump during his first impeachment, January 6 would not have happened. Or, maybe it would have come at an earlier date. In any event, the Republicans ignored how mentally ill Trump is which resulted in five more people's deaths, destruction of federal property, and an entire nation on alert and stressed out. What is it going to take for people to understand how very dangerous Trump is?

The Senate needs to expel Senators Hawley and Cruz from Congress for being part of the chaos on Wednesday. The House needs to censure the 140 representatives who are still siding with Trump. Expelling them would make me happy.

Do you know what also gets me about all this? It's that 71 million people in this country voted for Trump. Are they as morally corrupt as Trump? I say yes, they are. They all chose to ignore his self-admission of sexually assaulting women, the violence instigated at his rallies, his verbal attacks on women who stand up to him, and his mocking of the disabled. Every single American who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 are complicit in the attempted coup.

I can't dance around the insanity of the last four years anymore. Not after Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Not after Trump and his supporters attempted to overthrow democracy. If you don't want to live in an authoritarian state, then stop voting for Republicans (and maybe even Libertarians). At this point in time, I truly believe that our only way forward is to turn our backs on the right-wing and rise up stronger than ever for the ideals and values that founded our country. Until we can get rid of the right-wing obstructionism, provide safety and freedom to all Americans, and defeat the racists in the country (including those who hide in the police forces around the country), we might just see more of the chaos we experienced this week. I sincerely hope that we don't, but if we do, then the moderate and progressive members of the Independent and Democrat parties need to step up and defeat the forces that would ruin our democracy.

Granny Panties (@P4Funk) said on Twitter: "We've let them think they've won for far too long." I agree, it's time to stand up to the right-wing with everything we've got.

(Jose Luis Magana / AP)