Dept. of Remembrance
January Sixth, For Our Sins.
One year ago, I posted this, as I watched the attack on democracy. I know a lot of you were watching and listening as well.
A mentally and emotionally stunted lying grifter who, having lost a national election, urged his slavishly and blindly devoted cult members to go and break into Congress to overturn the results of that election.
Tear gas. Hate-distorted faces in a mob where people, many of them resembling nothing so much as toxic LARPers drunk on some vision of a militarized, racist, xenophobic, misogynist and homophobic America, screamed imprecations at Anyone Who Isn't Us.
Capital police attacked with poles bearing American flags, by men and women who previously claimed to "back the blue".
Confederate flags in the halls of Congress. Grinning vandals who smeared human excrement on walls. Would-be saviors of a noisome whites-only future.
It was violent. It was anti-democratic. It was horrific.
It's still horrific.
In the year since 1/6/21, I've watched the suit-and-tie type of cult members still sitting in Congress, still sitting in Fox television studios, pretend 1/16/21 never happened. I've watched as pollsters say that three-quarters of Republican voters believe (or claim to) that the grifter actually won on Nov. 3, 2020. I've watched pollsters and pundits say the suit-and-tie autocrats will win Washington in 2022 mid-terms and explode any chance of future free and fair local, state and national elections.
I've watched Democrats splinter into those who - hopelessly, given Congressional and judicial inertia - urge accountability and those who don't, or who, worse, reveal their complete abdication from Democratic and democratic ideals. (If there is a Club Hell, Manchin and Sinema are due to get past the velvet ropes and saunter on in.) Meanwhile, members of the other party kiss the grifter's ring and plan to further poison and ultimately kill democracy.
Today, I listened to President Joe Biden's speech, and cheered the way he finally - finally - gave voice to his anger about this monstrous event.
But it isn't enough.
Today I saw only three Republicans mark the day - one of them being Dick Fucking Cheney, for god sake.
And I can't get this man's words out of my head. Because he's right.
God, who I occasionally believe in, have mercy on us. We are showing no mercy on ourselves. This entry was originally posted at https://kaffy-r.dreamwidth.org/817275.html?mode=reply, where there are currently
comments. You can comment there or here, but prefer to read over on DW. You can comment there using open ID if you don't have a DW account.
One year ago, I posted this, as I watched the attack on democracy. I know a lot of you were watching and listening as well.
A mentally and emotionally stunted lying grifter who, having lost a national election, urged his slavishly and blindly devoted cult members to go and break into Congress to overturn the results of that election.
Tear gas. Hate-distorted faces in a mob where people, many of them resembling nothing so much as toxic LARPers drunk on some vision of a militarized, racist, xenophobic, misogynist and homophobic America, screamed imprecations at Anyone Who Isn't Us.
Capital police attacked with poles bearing American flags, by men and women who previously claimed to "back the blue".
Confederate flags in the halls of Congress. Grinning vandals who smeared human excrement on walls. Would-be saviors of a noisome whites-only future.
It was violent. It was anti-democratic. It was horrific.
It's still horrific.
In the year since 1/6/21, I've watched the suit-and-tie type of cult members still sitting in Congress, still sitting in Fox television studios, pretend 1/16/21 never happened. I've watched as pollsters say that three-quarters of Republican voters believe (or claim to) that the grifter actually won on Nov. 3, 2020. I've watched pollsters and pundits say the suit-and-tie autocrats will win Washington in 2022 mid-terms and explode any chance of future free and fair local, state and national elections.
I've watched Democrats splinter into those who - hopelessly, given Congressional and judicial inertia - urge accountability and those who don't, or who, worse, reveal their complete abdication from Democratic and democratic ideals. (If there is a Club Hell, Manchin and Sinema are due to get past the velvet ropes and saunter on in.) Meanwhile, members of the other party kiss the grifter's ring and plan to further poison and ultimately kill democracy.
Today, I listened to President Joe Biden's speech, and cheered the way he finally - finally - gave voice to his anger about this monstrous event.
But it isn't enough.
Today I saw only three Republicans mark the day - one of them being Dick Fucking Cheney, for god sake.
And I can't get this man's words out of my head. Because he's right.
God, who I occasionally believe in, have mercy on us. We are showing no mercy on ourselves. This entry was originally posted at https://kaffy-r.dreamwidth.org/817275.html?mode=reply, where there are currently
comments. You can comment there or here, but prefer to read over on DW. You can comment there using open ID if you don't have a DW account.