Thoughts on the Capitol Hill Riots
Like so many Americans I find myself coming to terms with the awful events that happened Wednesday. My thoughts are with the families of those who were seriously injured or died in the senseless violence. But the remedies for this might be worse than the issue at hand. The actions of the so-called protestors (but actually better described as thugs) is completely reprehensible and those who partook in the violence and vandalism should be held accountable.
The decision made by Twitter and Facebook to ban President Trump from those platform, while good, will have repercussions. Also, it's too little, too late. I’ve heard a common theme from female Facebook friends that because of Trump’s narcissism, the ban could actually backfire. I worry that this will upset Trump’s core. At this point everyone should be working to keep America from disintegrating: both Democrats and Republicans need to understand that our nation's sovereignty is at stake. Our nation's reputation is at stake.
However, I disagree with the Democratic Party in the move to impeach the president, but for reasons you would least suspect: practicality. For one thing there is only twelve days left in the president's term before President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris take over. The last presidential impeachment that happened only just this past year is contentious for so many people. I feel there is no way that a proper impeachment can be carried out in a twelve-day span and that we would end and that we would find ourselves trying to impeach a president whose term has expired. Furthermore, it is unrealistic to expect to find enough Republicans to even support an impeachment going forward. The fact so many House Republicans voted in favor of the unwarranted scrutiny of the Arizona and Pennsylvania electoral votes is insane.
It also bothers me that Democrats are blaming Trump explicitly for Wednesday’s riot. While he did fan the flames, Wednesday’s events were more than just Trump. It was part of a chain of events that only a military force could stop. Even then I wonder if those forces could have been strong enough to hold back the thugs that infiltrated and vandalized one of the most holy of political institutions in the world. What is more sickening is that elected officials from all across the country (even from here in the Southern Tier) took part.
That said, I do support all moves to encourage the president's cabinet and the vice president to invoke the Twenty-Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Unfortunately, it looks as if the President's cabinet will not move towards that, and that in itself is sickening. The resignations that happened today and yesterday are symbolic of that- a presidential cabinet unwilling to take responsibility.
Oh, and a final note:you can thank Sarah Palin for much of the mess we have today. The hyper-nationalism, the xenophobia, the gross marriage of evangelical Christianity and patriotism, you name it.