2020: “I am one of the worst years you will ever see.” 2021: “Hold my beer.”
Congratulations, Capitol Hill protesters. You have joined COVID-19 as a blight on the population. And made the United States of America the peer of any third world nation around the planet.
In case you missed it, Pro-Trump protesters, unhappy with the Congressional certification of President-Elect Joe Biden’s win in the Electoral College, tore down four layers of security fencing and stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday.
Unprepared for an onslaught, Capitol Police were helpless to prevent protestors from swarming them. Vice President Mike Pence, on hand to oversee the Electoral College ballot count, was whisked away from the turmoil, while members of Congress were advised to don gas masks.
Shots were fired, and at least one person was killed. Tear gas and flash-bang grenades were employed. DC’s Mayor imposed a 6pm curfew. Some protesters climbed scaffolding on the side of the Capitol. Explosive devices were found on the Capitol grounds and neutralized.
State police and the National Guard were called in to help calm down the situation. Even the F.B.I. and Secret Service were on the scene.
The images from inside the Capitol building were sobering. Rioters getting selfies on the Congressional dais. Someone scaling the back wall of the Congressional chamber. A “patriot” with his feet propped up on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk. The conclusion is simple. This is why we can’t have nice things.
Especially during the holidays, families get together, eat and squabble. It’s in our nature. But while we differ on everything from sports teams to politics to stuffing recipes, we all end up around the same table, giving thanks for the things that make us love one another. Wednesday’s actions were not your typical family gathering.
In all honesty, I am not a big fan of Joe Biden. I disagree with most of his policies. But in two weeks he becomes my President. Yours, too. And I agree with him when he said the protests weren’t dissent, it was an attack on the rule of law.
In situations such as these, I am usually empathetic to the views of the protesters, whether or not I like what they have to say. Not this time. I am mad. Angry because a group of people decided that an electoral process which was been an underpinning of our nation for two and a half centuries suddenly wasn’t good enough.
I rarely care what the rest of the world thinks about us. However, the usual antics that make America special were not on display Wednesday. It was ugly. It was selfish. And it, in my opinion, made our nation look weak in the eyes of those who don’t necessarily have our best interests at heart.
If I had a message for those who would force their way into a place that has been passed down to me, to us all, for generations, that message would be simple. Our taxes pay for those fancy digs in DC the same as yours. Get. Out. Of. Our. House.
