Yesterday’ s breach of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters will be seared in our memories, and in the history of the United States. 24 hours later, there are many questions.
Why were the perpetrators seemingly treated with kid gloves? Who bears the blame for what happened? What should happen in the next 13 days? And in the next 4 years?
RACISM WAS ON FULL DISPLAY
First, the Double Standard
I want you to imagine that the rioters breaking into the U.S. Capitol were Black Americans. How would they have been treated? We know how, because we saw how they were treated this past summer while marching in Lafayette Square, while NOT breaking into the halls of Congress. They were gassed and run over so Trump could literally waive a bible around in front of a church for a photo op.
But yesterday, a right wing, Trump-supporting, mostly white mob physically attacked U.S. Capitol building, breaking in, fighting with police, destroying property, causing injury and the death of 4 people.
And the police response we witnessed? Letting the insurrectionists through some barricades. Taking pictures with them. Speaking kindly with them. Perhaps this niceness was the police strategy once the police realized they were overwhelmed. But the next fact, writing as a lawyer, is shocking to me: LETTING THE LAW-BREAKERS WALK OUT OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING WITHOUT BEING ARRESTED. How is that possible?
Make no mistake, if Black Lives Matter protesters had broken into the U.S. Capitol, and were surrounded by police, they would be on the ground, knees on their necks, bloodied, and on their way to jail.
Mostly peaceful BLM protesters all over America were arrested last Summer while protesting a real, live issue (unequal treatment by police), while these blatant crime-committing thugs got to walk free after rioting in U.S. Capitol in support of a lie! Such a difference in approach by police! Why were these mostly white criminals treated so differently?
The Confederate Flags and the Noose
Backing up for a minute… As a young teenager in Dallas, I remember white kids speaking positively about the confederate flag. This was new to me. I was a Jewish kid whose parents were from the northeast. There was no talk of the confederacy in my house. These kids said the confederate flag means you’re a “rebel”. They said it stands for “Heritage not Hate”. What a huge lie their parents taught them.
The confederate flag is a symbol of hate. Why? It was flown by Southern traitors who violated the Constitution, illegally broke from the Union, and fought a bloody war AGAINST the Unites States of America to preserve their idyllic “way of life” and economic system.
That “way of life” was OWNING BLACK PEOPLE the same way they owned their farm animals. The confederate flag represents THAT. It is carried by the KKK and other hate groups. It strikes fear in Black Americans the same way the swastika strikes fear in me.
Well that disgusting confederate flag was marched around INSIDE the halls of Congress yesterday by Trump’s supporters. A national disgrace!
And a noose was erected on the Capitol grounds! A noose was the primary device used to lynch Black Americans during our racist Jim Crow era. It is a symbol of killing lots of Black People with mob violence. And Trump’s supporters put one on display yesterday by the Capitol. A disgrace!
As I said, RACISM was on full display yesterday. By Trump Supporters. And by some police who seemingly treated the rioters as allies.
WHO IS AT FAULT FOR YESTERDAY?
Let’s rank who is at fault. Here we go:
1. Donald Trump (Most at fault)
2. His Enablers in Congress and in the Administration
3. His voters and supporters
At Fault #1: Donald Trump.
Using his rhetorical skills, bullying skills, and lying skills, Trump was able to convince millions of Americans that the election was stolen. He didn’t let up. He continuously poured fuel on this fire. All the way up until in person, with his supporters, he incited a riot. How?
In front of an angry mob, he told them to “march to the Capitol” and “be strong, not weak”. They listened to him, and then they acted. Trump committed a crime or crimes. He violated 18 U.S. Code § 2383 and § 2101. He incited a riot, and he incited an an insurrection against the authority of the U.S. Government while they were in middle of carrying out a constitutionally prescribed duty.
At Fault #2: Trump’s enablers.
Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and all the other members of Congress who decided to protest this election certification. When regular Trump supporters on the street are listening to Trump telling them that the election was stolen, and want to make sure Trump is correct, where do they look? They look to other elected officials! And these elected officials VALIDATED FOR THEM Trump’s false assertions.
And many of these Trump enablers continued the charade even after the deadly riot inside the U.S Capitol. THEY ARE JOINTLY RESPONSIBLE for the chaos. If they had some backbone, like some eventually found at the last hour (Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, etc.) they could have stood in unison again Trump’s crazy assertions, and convinced Trump supporters that Trump lost. And maybe avoided the death and chaos of yesterday.
At Fault #3: Trump voters and supporters.
They made it happen. They believed the madman, ate up his lies, laughed at his bigotry, and gave him power. They supported a cult leader, a selfish egoist who does not respect the rule of law or the U.S. Constitution. They are republican and didn’t have another option? Yes they did. They could have put Country ahead of Party, like many other Republicans did. Biden was the most Centrist Democrat out of all the Democrats, not a “socialist”. And now I thank the almighty that this decent person, Joe Biden, was elected over Trump.
So to all of those above who are to blame: Well done. 4 people are dead, police are injured. U.S. public property has been stolen and destroyed. And America lies embarrassed before the world. I can only imagine the smile on the faces of dictators around the globe. They can’t wait to show the videos to their subjects to “prove” how American-style democracy doesn’t work. For heaven’s sake, where are we when the Turkish government is calling on the United States to exhibit “moderation and common sense”? Sad!
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
This is 2 questions: The next 13 days, and the next 4 years.
The Next 13 Days and the 25th Amendment
Can the Republic survive with Trump for the next 13 days? Or do we need to invoke the 25th Amendment? While I would love nothing more than to strip Trump of power immediately, it is probably not going to happen. And I do believe America will make it to January 20th.
The constitution lays out a process for the 25th Amendment, which would ultimately need 2/3 supermajority of Congress to approve it. Trump has been relatively quiet for the past 12 hours, and if that relative quiet holds, I think we should wait it out. BUT if Trump tweets out any threatening incitement (he just got his Twitter account back), then Pence and the Cabinet should do it. We cannot have a repeat of yesterday.
But for sure in the next 13 Days, investigations should begin into who broke the law yesterday, who broke into the Capitol, etc. There is plenty of footage. Every single person identified should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
And an investigation into the massive security failure, as well as why police acted toward the rioters in the way they did. That needs to happen ASAP.
THE NEXT 4 YEARS
The Untied States needs to heal. To do that, the lie that this election was stolen needs to be debunked. Trump won’t do that, but other Republicans can. Republicans should distance themselves from Trump and they should go on a campaign explaining that Joe Biden was fairly elected.
Biden and Harris need to restore civility to government. I believe they can do it. Biden has long term relationships with Republican senators. Biden asserts calmness and still says he wants to be the President for all Americans, even those who didn’t vote for him. He can match his decent words with decent actions. Starting with ending this Covid Pandemic (that we all forgot about yesterday).
May America never again see the events of yesterday repeated;
May America move towards REAL and JUST “law and order” for ALL AMERICANS; and,
May America never elect someone like Donald Trump ever again.
Couldn’t agree with you more! You’re standing on the right side of history my friend! Proud to know you!