What a year 2021 has been (Day 7)

I have almost no words for what happened yesterday at the Capitol. Protesting is one thing (though I truly think it is and has been time to move on). But to storm the Capitol? A friend on Facebook said, quite simply, "Almost 20 years ago a group of people on an airplane sacrificed themselves to protect the Capitol. How far we have fallen!" Indeed.

And, yes, it IS storming the Capitol. I have seen numerous videos of people knocking down barricades/fences, pushing police officers, and breaking windows and climbing through them. That is beyond protesting. And even if a protestor did not do those things, if they followed those seditionists past those barricades and into the building, they are just as guilty.

I did not support the violent protests this summer that resulted in damages to businesses and public property (I was in full support of the actual protests). But I also acknowledged as a white person, I cannot truly put myself in the position of a black person who is angry and in fear of his life; they were, in a sense, fighting for THEIR lives (and I know some of the more heinous acts came from people not even associated with the cause). 

But the terrorists yesterday were committing acts of violence (and sedition) because their person, a rich, white man lost (yes, I know the guy who won is also a rich white man). That is crazy. But not unbelievable when you listen to what Trump has been saying for months. 

A number of people have said on social media that if the protestors had been black, many would have been shot, tased, and sprayed with tear gas. I don't think they are wrong. How is it that these terrorists were able to get into the Capitol? As someone joked on FB yesterday, "Places with better security than the U.S. Capitol? Best Buy." Also troubling is these jackwagons who made it into the Capitol taking pictures with the police officers. Um. Um.

Like many people, I thought 2020 was a tough year, and the only place to go was up, but dang, what a start to this year. 

I will leave you with George Michael's "Praying for Time." 

These are the days of the open hand

They will not be the last

Look around now

These are the days of the beggars and the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man

Whose place is in the past

Hand in hand with ignorance

And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor

And, most of us are not sure

If we have too much

But we'll take our chances

'Cause God's stopped keeping score

I guess somewhere along the way

He must have let us all out to play

Turned his back, and all God's children

Crept out the back door

And it's hard to love

There's so much to hate

Hanging on to hope

When there is no hope to speak of

And the wounded skies above

Say it's much, too much, too late

Well maybe we should all

Be praying for time