Up To Date With Ethan Callender Entry 13: Capitol Offense

January 09, 2021

Remember, remember, the 6th of the first, the rioters’ treason and plot. I see no reason why America’s worst should ever be forgot. Guy Fawkes references aside, that day was one for the history books. However, before we delve into the unpleasantness of that evening, it is worth mentioning that the day actually started off quite well. In Georgia, Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, both Democrats, won their races to become Georgia next US Senators. Their wins gave the Democrats a Senate majority by the skin of their teeth, and only because the Vice President-elect is Kamala Harris, the soon-to-be tiebreaking vote.

Of course, like almost any day since the start of last year, something had to go wrong. On this particular day, that was almost more true than ever before. The day began with an extremely large gathering in DC called the ‘Save America’ rally, where many Trumps, their associates, and other supporters spoke. They spoke to the crowd, emphasizing the falsehood that the Democrats stole the election. The rallying cries eventually took some interesting turns, with Rudy Giuliani calling for “trial by combat” in typically ridiculous fashion.

Then, the crowd marched down to the Capitol building, armed and dangerous, at the likely urging of a President who only gives a damn about himself. At this time, Congress was in session, certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College. Unfortunately, despite weeks of knowledge about this event, the Capitol was left poorly defended, with only the Capitol Police having a significant presence. To set up the equation, a moderate-at-best police presence plus a massive rally equals total and complete chaos, and that’s exactly what happened. Simply put, the police forces present got overwhelmed, not helped by the cheap barricades they were using. Looking at how they prepared for BLM protests this summer, a similar presence for this rally could’ve nipped this in the bud.

Once they were in, the rallygoers became riotous terrorists, and they definitely capitalized on that distinction. Congress had to enter lockdown in a secure area, delaying and briefly jeapordizing the certification of the election. The terrorists entered Congressional offices and chambers alike, shooting, stealing, and screaming. In the chaos, five people died, including a woman in the mob who got shot and a cop who got beaten on the head with a fire extinguisher by the same mob. In short, this was a catastrophic moment for our democracy.

However, our state of affairs could’ve deteriorated even further. Some of the terrorists carried zipties and assault weapons, indicating extremely hostile intentions, possibly including taking hostages and murdering elected officials. We could’ve seen a severe hostage situation or an outright massacre. Neither of those happened, but that doesn’t mean this wasn’t unacceptable and a lethal threat to our democracy. Thankfully though, the Capitol building and surrounding area were restored to order in a matter of hours. Congress would certify the election results from that night into the following day, affirming Biden’s victory.

Since then, the fallout has been lethal to many GOP figures who supported, or still support Trump, even after all of his criminality in the past four years. In Congress, two Senators have faced the brunt of the backlash. They are Missouri’s Josh Hawley and Texas’ Ted Cruz, and they were among about six Senators who objected to the results and attempted to overturn them. Mind you, this was after a domestic terror attack that breached the very rooms they were debating in.

However, the brunt of the backlash, in general, was given to the President, who has a serious case building against him for inciting this riot. The 25th Amendment was threatened to have been invoked, which would have immediately removed him from office. Unfortunately, that requires the Cabinet’s approval, and those who would’ve approved resigned instead. Now, Congress is fast-tracking a second impeachment attempt that may actually succeed, with charges including inciting the treasonous riot on January 6, 2021, a day that will forever live in infamy.