Blog#56- 1/8/21
LOCK HIM UP
By
Richard Davis
The events of January 6 at the U.S. Capitol were inevitable. The stage was set years ago. When this country elected a mentally ill criminal to become president the drama intensified. As the weeks after the election unfolded I was sure that even Republicans would find a way to throw this madman under the bus and allow our country to move on quickly from its biggest mistake.
Instead, what happened was a four year period of enabling Trump to become intoxicated with power and providing him the license to do whatever he wanted. The Washington Republicans are mostly to blame, but both parties have proven to be too tame in their treatment of an incompetent and dangerous president and that is why things have finally gotten out of control.
The Democrats do deserve some credit for pushing initial impeachment, but the final result was nothing more than a slap on the wrist as the Senate, led by Mitch McConnell, voted not to remove Trump. They knew how out of control he was and they chose to let the sleeping dog lie.
As we examine the events around January 6 it becomes clear that the potential exists for more dire events to unfold during the long nearly two weeks remaining in Trump’s presidency. We also have to be fearful of what he will cause to happen once he has left office. He will not go away and his ego will not get smaller or less needy.
Social media platforms have helped to create the monster in the White House. The mainstream media has helped to create the Trump public persona and a case could be made to put them among his enablers. It took them more than three years to finally label Trump’s lies as lies.
If social media platforms can all cut off his lifelines he will be less able to fan the flames of insurrection. Facebook has banned him and Twitter and less robust sites need to do the same if they want to help to preserve a democracy that is being weakened by delusional conspiracy theorists who are hiding behind a constitution they are shredding.
There have been calls for Biden to help to create a more just and equal society by being the voice of reason. But we have never had a just or equal society and making big changes in the social fabric of this country will only continue to happen in small bits and pieces, as it has. Perhaps someone in 2221 might be able to look back on 2021 and say that Americans of 2021 really had no idea how little progress they had made in creating a just and equal society.
The law enforcement agencies in this country still treat people of color as if they were wild animals ready to tear them into pieces. If we compare the treatment of the mob of January 6 to the way protestors around the White House were treated in June 2020 it becomes clear that there is one standard for dealing with white protestors and another for protestors of color, even if the white people are violent and the people of color are peaceful.
A Biden presidency may not change that dynamic very much, but Biden will probably pay lip service to more equitable treatment of protestors by law enforcement. Getting rid of Trump as quickly as possible will help clear the air a little. Once he is gone his supporters will have less of a public fan-flamer.
A lot can happen in a few weeks when there is a madman who is the most powerful person in the free world. That is why Washington politicians are running around like chickens with their head cut off. Where were they when they could have prevented the bad outcomes we see today? And then there are the gutless cabinet members who are jumping ship at the last minute when it will do no harm to them. They are partly to blame for not taking action months ago.
The Democrats are talking about impeachment again and they are making a lot of speeches. Words are not enough. We need to see a vote in the House during the next day or two and impeachment needs to move quickly to the Senate. The Senate can remove Trump by finding him guilty and the stage will be set for criminal prosecution for hundreds of crimes committed while in and out of office.
A second impeachment would at least restore some confidence in the American political system, even if it happens after he leaves office. Some fear the system is beyond repair. The events of the next few weeks will hopefully pave the way for punishing the worst political criminal in the history of the United States. That may be the best we can hope for.
