The shock of January 6th has not worn off. I have been waiting for a multitude of emotions to simmer down so I might express my thoughts on that horrific event. But 8 days later finds me still glued to news bulletins and the drama of the orange blob being impeached once more. I decided to take a moment though to put down my recollection of events of the day and my thoughts concerning them. I do so more for a record of my views of what happened than any actual opinion about the event. Who knows in some twenty or thirty years from now I might want to review what happened. Explain the events to my grandbaby or others not yet born. I might even feel a need to leave a personal record for those I leave behind. They might need to know what happened absent professional or governmental editorial.
Let’s first begin the day before. My time was taken up in the late afternoon and early evening with the special election in Georgia. The power in the US Senate depended on the outcome and it looked as if the Democrats would really pull off the impossible. They had a real chance of taking both Georgia Senate seats thus rendering Democrats in the majority and regulating Mitch McConnell to minority leader. This was important personally and I believe nationally. McConnell had effectively blocked significant legislation that would move the United States forward for six years. His actions had prevented significant action to be taken against the plague devastating the nation. His actions had recently stopped millions of citizens from receiving significant stimulus support and unemployment support. He was almost single handedly a barrier to significant innovation and advancement in the U.S. His actions had engendered a substantial transfer of wealth from the middle and working class to the wealthy. Having the Democrats take these seats would end this reign of establishment autocracy. The Senate races were not expected to be won by the Democrats; indeed Georgia hadn’t elected a Democratic Senator in 28 years. To win two races in one year was going to be extraordinary. McConnell, nor many others thought his power was in real jeopardy. But here we were on the cusp of the impossible. That rendered me glued to the TV for hours that night watching election counts come in, hoping for the miracle. The reduction in power of Mitch McConnell would mean additional $2000.00 stimulus payments, enhanced unemployment, elimination of student debt and an increase in social security income. Needing each one of those items in my life the election was important to me personally. So late on Tuesday night, early Wednesday morning after one Democrat had won and the other not to be called until early afternoon the next day, I went to bed in high anticipation of success.
I awoke late the next morning and turned on the television looking for assurance the Democrat was going to win. He was in the lead, finally, but the race wasn’t called so we left the television on, frequently checking in for updates. As it passed 1:30 pm and headed into 2:00 pm the race hadn’t been called yet, but the Congressional count of the certified Electoral College ballots was preparing to be broadcast. I had little to no interest in the event because it was ordained that Biden had won and would be confirmed. There was no way the Democratic house was going to allow a Republican to void election results and be confirmed President. The only mystery was how long Republicans were going to drag out the process. Since each objection took up to two and half hours to resolve we were looking at a total of 15 to 20 hours of boring speeches that were going to convince no one. Having never seen the event since it was primarily ceremonial, but with nothing else to watch until the last Georgia Senate race was called, we left the television tuned to the procedures. It was interesting enough to see our Democratic process played out in real time, but when the two houses split to debate the Arizona delegates our interest was soon dissolved. The view was on the senate side of the debate and Cruz and Hawley were beginning their tired, blatantly self-interest political litany of lies designed to push the radicalized right’s belief in the ‘theft’ of the election. It was a hijack of the national and world’s political stage for the benefit of the orange blob and his conspiracy fueled ignorant brain washed followers they hoped to recruit for their own use in their presidential ambitions.
My attention waned immediately. I turned from the television to other issues of importance. But my eye caught another view on the now split screen presentation offered by the television station. What had been a regular update on the Georgia election was now a view of the outside of the Capitol building. There, side by side on our television, was a view of the Senate ‘debate’ and a mob of Trump supporters climbing the Capitol steps. I turned to my wife and asked in disbelief, “Are they storming the Capitol?” She nodded her head in wonderment. The view pulled me back to my perch before the television. It wasn’t too long before I saw, on live TV, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and the Vice-President of the United States, Mike Pence being dragged from their respective podiums by what I was informed were Secret Service agents and members of the Capitol security. On the other screen I witnessed mobs of people overwhelm the security outside the Capitol and rush up the steps of our pillar of Democracy.
It devolved from there. The news was fully aware the situation had changed dramatically. What had purported to be a boring recitation of objections to a final preconceived conclusion sometime the next day or evening was now an event. We were inundated with updates. What had happened to the Speaker and Vice-President? Were the member’s safe? Who were these ignorant asshole’s attacking our democracy? Where the hell was the armed security to drive them out. Where was the National Guard? Where was SWAT? Where was the damned Army!!!!? My wife and I watched in horror as they smashed historic windows, trashed the sacred halls we ourselves had walked in. Would they destroy the historic artifacts? Would they kill someone? Would they bomb and destroy the building? What was happening? Why was it happening?
In not too short of a span we began to realize these were the Trump supporters from the Presidents own rally. Our own President! His own rally! For God’s sake the orange blob really thought he could force Congress to overthrow the election results and install him as President against the wishes of the majority of the United States citizens. He believed all the lies and false rhetoric he and his sycophants had repeated over the last few months that all they had to do was force the Congress to void valid election results. Worse they believed, believed, against all law and legal opinion that the Vice-President had the power to just appoint him President again by rejecting all those Electoral College votes for Joe Biden and only accepting those that favored him. The absolute absurdity of that possibility was lost on him and his allies, even when his own Vice-President informed him it could not and would not be done. Worse in my mind, was his belief, after multiple recounts, over 60 lawsuits, numerous investigations, and hearings that found no fraud or abuse, and statements by his own lieutenants that this was the most secure election in the history of the United States, that he was sure the election had been ‘stolen’ from him. His simple mind could not conceive of the idea that the people would not re-elect him. He couldn’t conceive of actually losing. So, he had planned a rally on the day of Congress’ certification of the count of Electoral Votes with the intent to send these mindless minions to the Capitol and force, through their sheer will and presence, the overturning of the Electoral College results! Can you just imagine such an idea or thing? In this country? I could not even though I was witnessing in real time.
I was shocked. I was consumed. The Georgia election was now forgotten. As reports came in, we saw these traitors walk the halls of our Congress. I was furious, angry and so much wanted to see our troops repel this hoard. For three hours my wife and I watched as they roamed the halls and our leaders cowered for their safety. We saw brave Capitol police do what little they could to protect the Capitol and those within. We saw monsters beat and pummel real heroes with our own flag and the desecrating standard bore by the followers of the orange blob. The disgust for this piece of orange filth and his ignorant followers grew by the moment. I wanted them all drug out by the scruff of their necks and thrown in a large pen, arrested for their actions and desecrations. But nothing, nothing happened. Night fell and quietly they began to disband as the troops filtered in. They just walked away! God damnit! I was furious. Why weren’t they hauled away? Why were they getting away?
Then a moment arrived. A small moment in the drama that was shown on TV. A line was formed by our National Guard across the Capitol steps. A solid line. A formidable line. Step by serious step they quietly and efficiently moved the outward from the Capitol. They were not to be deterred. They were not to be ignored. It seemed just as quickly as the mob had descended, Democracy was taking back what was theirs. In the course of an hour the Capitol was surrounded by the troops, our troops. It was secure. Those remaining seditionists with their wilting blather knew their moment was over. As they stood to confront those Guardsmen, they knew, knew they shouldn’t challenge them. It was not going to be accommodated. The Guardsmen’s presence gave me a calmness I hadn’t felt for hours.
Then a great thing happened. Eight o’clock came and Congress reconvened. Our members came back and shrugged off those losers as if they were no more than specks of dirt in the firmament of life. They met in the detritus of the seditionists and ignored their pale arguments and violent acts of treason to carry out their duties to democracy and our Constitution. Those Senators dedicated to the earlier spectacle of self-serving hype were shamed. Arizona’s single objection was heard and dismissed with the irrelevance it deserved. All other protests, save Pennsylvania, were removed. Pennsylvania’s objections were settled in the Senate debate in less than 15 minutes with appropriate disgust. Finally, in the wee hours of the following morning at 3:47 am Congress completed its Constitutional duty and certified the votes of the United States citizens and confirmed Joe Biden President and Kamala Harris Vice-President. Democracy endured.
The following days we would find and see evidence, video and otherwise, that showed the orange piece of shit and his minions had orchestrated the seditionists attack on the Capitol. We would find that five people died because of that day, that didn’t have to die. We would see the virus spread in Congress and elsewhere because these idiots and their Congressional minions, rallied in the middle of an out of control pandemic. We would see 197 members of Congress still supporting the false narrative that the election had been stolen try to defend the actions of the orange blob. We would see the fastest impeachment of a President in history and for a second time. We would see and hear evidence of the orange ignorant monster rummaging around our House in defiance, disbelief and lack of understanding why he was not remaining President. We would see, finally see, many of his enablers turn on him and leave. We watched as 20 thousand troops surrounded the Capitol and numerous inauguration plans change because this worthless piece of shit and his minions were still a threat to our Democracy. Crime after crime was slowly, but relentlessly unearthed. We realized it would be years not days before this event would be settled, if ever. But we knew justice would grind on.
But as I write this, we are just 5 days away from Joe Biden’s inauguration and the inauguration of the first female Vice-President in the history of the United State, Kamala Harris. Boxes are being sent to the White House and the remaining staff of the orange child are packing up to leave. His children are being shunned by the very society that they so desperately wished to be a part. The orange blob’s personal empire is crumbling, and he will still face a Congressional trial as well as numerous other trials. Democracy is recovering. We are moving forward in Executive branch appointments and plans for the country’s future without this menace. It will be a long time before we shed ourselves of this orange stain. I hope we never are really shed of it. That minor stain may ensure future citizens never again embrace such a failure as this ignorant pile of trash. By the way, we won the Georgia senate race. Democrats now control the Senate and have reduced Mitch McConnell to minority status. What Kentucky wouldn’t do, the rest of the country did. Democrats are now in control of the House, Senate, and White House. New plans for overcoming the virus and growing our economy have been presented to Congress and the people. Finger’s crossed we will see the new President and Vice-President in office and our country returned to the beacon of power and freedom it portrayed barely four short years ago. Optimism grows. I will embrace it. But I will remain vigilant and hope this despicable event is forever behind us and the orange blobs minion’s future plans become naught but howls in the night. Bless this United States.
Douglas Courtney
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