This week’s events border on apocalyptic.
The United States’ democratic system is under siege, and the President of the United States directed this insurrection.
The capitol was breached by a large and angry mob. Many of these domestic terrorists were dressed in disturbing costumes – goats with horns (classic demonic image) and creepy face paint, carrying defaced American flags and confederate flags. Some climbed the walls of the capitol building and gained access. Bullets were fired at the door where elected officials gathered to finalize the election process and enact the will of the majority of citizens. Our elected officials’ lives were threatened by this mob, and they hid in sequestered areas, afraid for their well-being. Senator Schumer called the governor of Maryland while sequestered, and asked that the national guard be deployed in attempt to stop the madness. The governor agreed, yet when he called the federal government for approval no one answered the phone. An hour an half later the governor got a call from a different branch (that doesn’t usually deal with crises of this nature ) asking if he had troops to deploy. He did and they were deployed at that time. An hour and half delay – that must have been beyond terrifying.
The mob’s action was meant to subvert the system of democracy that has made the United States our uniquely safe and wonderful place to live.
My parents worked hard to be allowed access to the United States to create security, find safety and start a life after surviving Nazi concentration camps. I never thought we’d see this in the United States. Yet, here we are.
It appears the rioters had access to much the Capitol. The images of this seditious mob are beyond disturbing. They are now and forever imprinted in the public consciousness.
Images of a grotesque rioter sitting and smoking at Nancy Pelosi’s desk with his feet on her desk. Images of a massive crowd in the rotunda meaning to do harm. Poop was smeared in the capital hallway. In many cases, participants published selfies on social media, expressing their pride at the desecration they perpetrated.
Not only that, an anti-Jewish stream was very present. Men wearing T-shirts with “6MWE” (six million wasn’t enough) and “Camp Auschwitz”. These Trump supporters are white supremacists. These are the same horrific mindset that fueled Nazi Germany. It’s disturbing that our Jewish brothers and sisters have supported Trump to this very day.
A sense of trauma now surrounds our communities. It impacts US citizenry and citizens of the world. Shock is setting in. This is a problem in its own right. Shock stops movement, and creates density in the body. Shock shuts down and calcifies. It stops connection and cultivates isolation. Trauma, like this, makes people forget that we are a part of something much, much bigger and that our actions matter.
The trauma will remain a factor and its impact will be felt for a time. Also, it’s naïve to think they will not act again, leaving the potential for trauma upon trauma.
The perpetrators of this insurrection are proud of their actions. Most have not yet been held accountable for this act of sedition and were allowed to leave when they were done pooping in the building.
The US Capitol, the sacred place of our democracy, has been defiled.
It would not be surprising if this type of action continues. Steps need to be taken to cultivate safety. Our beautiful country must send a clear message to the citizens of the United States and the world that this behavior will not be tolerated.
The president must leave office immediately. He is unfit to lead. There are three viable roads to bring this forward: resignation, the 25th amendment, or impeachment.
This is a big, and it impacts us in ways we are not even aware of.
Please remember to be extra kind to yourself – stay safe, eat well, sleep well, do some thing that brings you joy.
wonderfull post