America On the Brink… Still

 “I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement… Insurrection could do grave damage to our Nation and reputation. In the United States of America, it is the fundamental responsibility of every patriotic citizen to support the rule of law.” 

My Classmate, George Walker Bush, Yale, 1968

As the President of the United States told those tearing at the Capitol on January 6th to go home, he also sent his “love” to these “special people.” As he pledged the next day to an “orderly transition,” he iterated that he would continue to “fight” to support his “landslide victory” at the polls. After 62 courts – even those dominated by his appointees – dismissed Trump’s conspiracy theory of fraud and as each state certified their election results, Trump continues to insist that the election was “stolen” from him. He asked those gathered to hear him speak in DC on the 6th to go on to the Capitol to support those “weak” members of the GOP to reverse the election, obviously knowing that this crowd (with self-proclaimed, QAnon, Proud Boys and neo-Nazi adherents) was highly unlikely to be peaceful. It certainly wasn’t!

As they rioted and looted, as people died, Trump never condemned his violent supporters’ actions. Speaking to a crowd, Trump counsel Rudy Giuliani admonished them to engage in “trial by combat.” Legally, both Giuliani and Trump incited insurrection, a serious federal crime. Can Trump pardon himself? Could he enter the Lincoln Memorial with an AR-15, kill all in sight and pardon himself? What are the limits? What are the crimes of “insurrection” and “sedition”?

“According to Merriam-Webster, ‘insurrection’ is the ‘act of revolting against civil authority or an established government.’ Other definitions, like that of the Cambridge Dictionary, specify the act is usually a violent one. Synonyms include ‘ according to Merriam-Webster… ‘What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States,’ Sen. Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, said in his remarks on the Senate floor late Wednesday night [1/6] after the Capitol was secured.

“Insurrection, or rebellion, is a crime under Title 18 of the US Code, punishable by a fine, a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, or both. Being found guilty of insurrection also makes someone ineligible to hold office in the United States… Similar to insurrection, the act of sedition is also a crime under the US Code, which characterizes it as two or more people who conspire to overthrow the US government, or ‘prevent, hinder, or delay the execution’ of US law by force. It's punishable by a fine and up to 20 years in prison.” CNN.com, January 7t

As Trump vowed to continue the battle, unknowingly perhaps, he placed himself in harm’s way as a high-value target for an extremist’s bullet or blast. From the left, to muzzle his fountain of lies, and from the right, knowing that an assassination would be pinned on left of center (including Democrats), perhaps resurrecting another more virulent attempt at insurrection across the land. It’s all bad. It is our moment of shame. Just looking at the international press on January 7th, it is clear the from Canada and the UK, from New Zealand to several nations in Europe, major leaders have placed the blame for the invasion of the Capitol squarely on Donald Trump. High-ranking Trump administration officials were resigning in protest. 

There was also talk, from both sides of the aisle, of invoking the 25th Amendment (allowing the Vice President and a majority of the cabinet or Congress to remove a president viewed as unable to perform the duties of his office) or even impeachment to prevent what seems to be a mentally unstable Trump from using his few remaining days to inflict further damage. Those paths seem highly unlikely. Further, as a huge indicator of probable continued violence, Republican members of Congress continue to add legitimacy to Trump conspiracy theory, in an effort to placate the base even at the expense of violating there oaths to uphold the Constitution.

“There were two actual votes on Wednesday night -- one to object to the results in Arizona and the other to do the same in Pennsylvania. In the former [House] vote, 121 Republicans -- including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (California) and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (Louisiana) -- voted to object to the results. In the Pennsylvania vote, 138 House Republicans voted to object to the Electoral College results, again including McCarthy and Scalise… The Senate voted 93 to 6 to dismiss the objection raised by Republicans to Arizona's results, and 92 to 7 to reject the objection to Pennsylvania.” CNN.com. And of course, adopting the conspiracy theory blame game so well mastered by the President, some members of Congress believed that Trump and the those objecting congress people had nothing to do with the insurrection attempt; instead they tried to shift the blame to left of center activists:

“Here's Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, speaking on the House floor, on Wednesday night: ‘I don't know if the reports are true, but the 'Washington Times' has just reported some pretty compelling evidence from a facial recognition company showing that some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters, they were masquerading as Trump supporters and in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group ANTIFA.’

“And this from Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks on Thursday morning: ‘Evidence growing that fascist ANTIFA orchestrated Capitol attack with clever mob control tactics.’… The Washington Times report is an incredibly thinly sourced piece of ‘journalism’ that rests its entire headline on a retired military officer telling the paper about a facial recognition firm that claimed it saw Antifa activists in the crowd. And the facial recognition company the Times cited said Thursday morning that it had no idea where the paper had gotten its information. What was Brooks' ‘evidence?’ ‘A Congressman warned me on MONDAY of a growing ANTIFA threat,’ he tweeted.” CNN.com, January 7th. Guess they missed the MAGA hats, Trump flags and posters. They seem also to have missed Utah GOP Senator Mitt Romney’s essential advice on January 6th: “The best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset [at Trump’s loss] is by telling them the truth."

I’m Peter Dekom, and so many in Congress have prolonged the agony, continue to deny how much harm has been done to the US all around the world and simply will not accept the total shame they have brought to themselves, Congress and to the entire system of governance in the United States.