Today the world watched in horror as a group of radical right wing zealots, egged on and riled up by the outgoing president of the United States, carry out an act of insurrection.
Make no mistake. This was an act of insurrection against the government of the United States, specifically, the US Congress that was meeting to finalize the results of the presidential election. In normal times, under a normal president, this act is merely a formality. But this year, after the outgoing president's refusal to concede and after repeated claims that the election was fraudulent, some 10,000 rioters stormed the US Capitol. Despite the fact that Joe Biden received more than 7 million more votes than the outgoing president, and after courts at all levels, up to the Supreme Court, threw out more than 60 bogus, groundless lawsuits seeking to overturn the election, the outgoing president continued to whine that the election was stolen, that he had won in a "sacred landslide" (whatever that means). He continued to whip up his supporters and encouraged them to march on the capitol building as both houses of Congress were in session.
They quickly outnumbered and overwhelmed the sparse police presence, breaking windows, climbing on statues, breaking into and occupying congressional offices, even stealing the mail of the speaker of the House. Elected officials and their staffs were taken to safety. Finally, state police from Maryland and Virginia, along with DC police and National Guard units from as far away as New Jersey arrived to restore order. Why was the police presence so inadequate? Violent protests had been predicted for weeks.
Watching rioters (and these were not peaceful protesters) walk around as they carried Confederate and Nazi flags was disgusting. Although details are unknown at this point, a female protester inside the Capitol was shot in the abdomen by a law enforcement officer. She was transported to a hospital, where she died.
Today's activity was an insurrection incited by a sitting president. I know there is reluctance to take legal action against any president, particularly one in office, but what he did was at the minimal inciting of violence. He and his administration have refused to participate in the usual transfer of power by making sure incoming officials are up to speed in their respective areas. Biden's camp was denied critical national security briefings for several weeks, and the Pentagon still refuses to brief incoming officials.
And don't even start with the "what about" BLM or any other nonsense. What-aboutism doesn't work with me. Much of the violence and property damaged that occurred during BLM protests was created by extreme right wing zealots who came from other states to create havoc that would be blamed on the BLM. And let's think for a moment about why BLM was protesting -- they were protesting the continuing police killing of usually unarmed Black citizens. The rioters in DC today were trying to overthrow a duly elected government. So don't even dare to tell me I am "deluded" as one British resident did.
I am certain that the leaders of Russia, China, Iraq and North Korea are watching the chaos at the highest levels of the US government with glee. Already Russia carried out a massive hacking attack against several federal agencies and contractors. Who knows what other attacks have occurred or are planned?
Let's start by charging the outgoing president with inciting violence, with crimes against humanity for his apparently deliberate bungling of the response to the pandemic (a bungling that continues to this day with the chaos surrounding the distribution of vaccines to prevent the virus), and insurrection, as a minimum. The attorney general of the state of New York has close to 70 charges she plans to file once the outgoing president leaves office at noon on Jan. 20.
I worked for the federal government for 23 years, both for the National Security Agency and for NASA. I took an oath of office to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. I, and my fellow government employees, took that oath seriously. What I witnessed today was insurrection at a minimum, incited by the president of the United States. Investigation may well also turn up acts of treason. These actions must not go unpunished.
Some cabinet officials and members of Congress reportedly are meeting to discuss using the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove the outgoing president from office. He clearly is mentally unfit to occupy the most powerful position in the country, and the damage he can do as he continues to obsess about his election loss is too great to risk.
He cannot remain in office for another 2 weeks. He needs to be removed NOW.
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