My stomach twisted into knots on Wednesday as I watched nationalist rioters desecrate our Capitol. I love this country beyond words, and to see American flags within the halls of Congress ripped down and replaced with Confederate and “Trump” flags broke my heart and shook me to my core. What took place in DC Wednesday was almost unbelievable, but considering the dangerous rhetoric coming from the Trump administration and his campaign, I am not surprised. I’ve heard countless times since the attack that “this is not what America is.” I disagree. Denial is one of the stages of grief. If you are in denial that this isn’t what America is, then you may be grieving the America you once believed to be true where this couldn’t possibly happen. The fact is that it happened, and this really is America. In 2016, our Electoral College picked Trump to lead our country. Our Congress didn’t remove him after he was impeached. He used every platform available to spread his lies to the American people and found new ways to get so many to do his bidding. He used our sacred institutions to do whatever his friends in power would let him. From day one, he has been hell bent on tearing down America with claims that what best serves our country is to roll back all progress made in the last 70 years.
He will be remembered as the worst and most corrupt President in history. I unfortunately find it incredibly believable that all of what happened on Wednesday was the result of enabling and supporting Trump’s delusions from the beginning. Some Republicans have jumped ship once they realized it was going down, while others have neglected the interests of their constituents to pledge their loyalty to Trump’s ideals.
Yes, the actions of the rioters are shameful and abhorrent, but our disgust should be directed toward the one who incited the attack: Donald Trump. He and his sycophants have wanted to stop the certification of the state’s electoral votes at least since the election. Many Republicans at various levels of government across the country have been supportive of this failed attempt to undermine many states’ rights to conduct their own elections. When it seemed Trump’s friends in Congress would not be able to successfully stop the certification of the electoral votes from the states, he sent a mob to Congress to go “wild.” People died, including a police officer. This was incited by an egomaniac and enabled by elected leaders who coddled this man and his delusions of a “great” America where our democracy is forced into a totalitarian autocracy. Some of those enablers have tried to wash their hands of responsibility for what happened on Capitol Hill by denouncing the actions of the rioters. Where is the denouncement of the man who incited this, our president?
When the halls of our Capitol were infiltrated by a treasonous mob, we needed our elected leaders to lead and hold those responsible accountable. My state legislators have both openly campaigned for Trump. Gavarone has said in a statement “we are better than this,” but failed to address that the rioters carried out the will of their party leader—something she has also done. She’s proudly attended his re-election rallies. Ghanbari has yet to comment; however, he and 41 other Republicans in the Ohio House signed a letter to Ohio Attorney General Yost on December 10 urging Ohio to intervene and support Trump’s Hail Mary lawsuits to overturn the election results. His silence now is deafening. January 6th will be a day Americans remember forever, and we will remember those who stood for Democracy and those who stood by. Silent or not, both of our state legislators have supported this president and need to condemn this attempted coup or consider resignation. We will not and cannot simply look the other way.
Laurel Johnson
Weston
