Craven, Disinterested Monsters
Have you been following the impeachment trial all week? If not, you have something in common with a number of Republican senators. Personally, I don’t blame you for not watching it. The evidence so far has been brutal. But the difference between you and the GOP senators is big: you aren’t a juror. They are. Their sworn duty is to impartially listen to all the evidence and then decide on a verdict. Instead, here’s what a number of them are doing:
A complete waste of time. Seems impartial to me!
What kind of trial can take place when half the jurors have already made up their mind? Not to mention, some of them are co-conspirators in the insurrection. Cruz, Hawley, and the rest of the goobers who allowed the election fraud nonsense to spread and gain credibility are culpable in what happened on January 6th. Maybe not for inciting the mob but there are multiple parts to a fire. They were the gasoline that allowed the anger and fear to fester and explode. What else could people think when the president and several congresspeople are telling them the election was fraudulent? No wonder they were pissed. It wasn’t, of course, and they all knew better. But in an effort to curry favor with the Orange One and ensure they don’t get primaried in the next election, they sold out their nation. SAD!
I have been at a loss for words the last few weeks. I cannot believe that this is my country. That people can witness what took place on January 6th and shrug it off. As the impeachment managers have highlighted, many members of congress, along with the VP, were minutes away from being confronted by the rioters. What would have happened if they’d been caught? That only 5 people died that day is a miracle. In all honesty, once they breached the perimeter of the Capitol, the police should have used lethal force to prevent them from getting inside the building. Hell, if a child playing with a pellet gun in a park is enough reason to shoot and kill, then surely armed insurrectionists trying to storm our house of government counts. And yet, the Capitol Police showed incredible restraint.
The facts of this case are clear:
President Trump spent months priming his supporters with claims of a fraudulent election. He did it well before Election Day, on Election Day, and for the months that followed. To this day, he has yet to concede or admit defeat.
The lies that the election was fraudulent or “stolen” was reinforced by corrupt right-wing media (who have all now had to recant their statements and be very careful after being sued into oblivion) and by members of congress who supported Trump.
Violent rhetoric, a staple of Republican propaganda for decades, combined with the falsehood that their country had been “stolen” from them inspired thousands of people to go to Washington to “take it back”.
During the speeches on January 6th, the crowd was all but encouraged to be violent. Hyper-aggressive phrases like “trial by combat” and “fight like hell” were used over and over again.
Trump instructed the crowd to go to Capitol to confront members of congress. As the impeachment managers have noted, it was Trump that changed the original permit for the rally to include a march to the Capitol.
Instead of doing his duty during the terrorist attack, which, at a minimum, would have included sending reinforcements ASAP and addressing the rioters directly, Trump was gleefully watching as it unfolded.
When he eventually addressed the crowd in a video on social media, several hours after the fact, he told them he loved them. People who chanted “hang Mike Pence” and erected a gallows outside, people who beat a police officer to death — he told them he loved them.
There is ZERO evidence provided so far that shows Trump did anything to stop, slow, or alter the insurrection. His own attorneys have said that the prosecution’s case was “well done”.
These are the FACTS. Not opinions, not slants. These are all verifiable through video and social media posts. The impeachment managers are doing a much better job than I ever could of putting together the case against Trump. And what do the Republican representatives have to say about it?
I don’t know what to say. How could they possibly have reached a conclusion before Trump’s defense has even presented their rebuttal?
In many ways, this trial is a shame because the outcome is likely already set in stone. Trump will be acquitted like he was in his first impeachment trial. But I do think that it is important to provide historical context for future generations of Americans when they look back upon this incredibly dark chapter in our shared history.
I wonder about this as well. What would it have taken for the Republicans to finally reject the white supremacist terrorist movement known as MAGA? Don’t think it’s a racist movement? Allow the participants to cure you of your misbeliefs.
Sadly, this is America.
If we refuse to hold anyone in power accountable for what happened on January 6th then I fear we are truly lost. I believe it will happen again. The sickening combination of violent rhetoric, scaremongering, and lies have led the Republican party to become a gross perversion of what they once were.
I’ll end this post with one final video. In it, you’ll see Trump supporters looking for Nancy Pelosi. It’s a terrifying thought to consider what they would have done if they caught up to her. These people were there for blood. We know this because they chanted about hanging people. We know this because they talked about it for months and years before this attack. We know this because current members of Congress have advocated for her execution before. We know this because they KILLED SOMEONE.
Watch this video and imagine that YOU are the one these people are looking for. Imagine the terror you would feel. Imagine how your parents or children would feel. And then remember that Republicans don’t think anyone in power should be held accountable for it. They are craven, disinterested monsters and they are not fit to serve our country anymore.