Where do we live again? Because it doesn’t feel like America anymore.
How did you sleep last night? I have to say, I didn’t have a great night. Other than staying up late because I couldn’t stop watching the train wreck, I tossed and turned with weird dreams most of the night. This certainly does not contribute positively to one’s well being.
The news out of our nation’s capital yesterday was disturbing on so many levels. As a country, we saw how people protesting for social justice have been treated for months. Tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, arrests for the smallest of offenses. Even ordering dispersal of crowds for ridiculous photo ops. And yet armed white supremacists have been allowed to march the streets and occupy government property, including in my own state of Virginia, with little to no consequence.
The culmination of this was yesterday, when domestic terrorists stormed the Capitol as Congress was completing the counting of votes of the electoral college. Their goal was to disrupt our democratic processes, fueled by spiraling conspiracy theories. Our sitting president incited this. The plan has been brewing for weeks on social media. And yet law enforcement wasn’t prepared? Or did they willfully ignore the warnings and allow it to happen? I saw videos myself of police high-fiving protestors, taking selfies with them, and clearing barricades to let them pass to allow access to the capitol building. Twitter is teeming with footage. So were the police complicit with the insurrection? This smacks of favoritism and corruption. Where is the “law and order?”
Obviously we don’t know the full story yet. But I hope we will know more soon. And I hope that more arrests will follow. This wasn’t “Antifa.” This was a mob of violent domestic terrorists seeking to overthrow the government. A mob that was stoked not only by our sitting president, but many Republican lawmakers who refused to accept the outcome of a legitimate election, proven multiple times in court and in recounts.
My daughter asked me which day was scarier: 9/11 or this. I was still more terrified about 9/11. Not only was I pregnant with the daughter who asked me this question, but the threat seemed so intangible and out of control. And although this disruption to our democracy is shocking, there were definitely systems in place that allowed it to happen. Systems that can be corrected. And we need the appropriate powers to actually do their jobs to protect our Constitution and Republic.
Today, as I drove home from work, I saw a large truck proudly displaying a giant Trump flag and another large flag I didn’t recognize. Imagine the mindset of someone so emboldened to drive around like that after what happened yesterday. It’s unfathomable. Our country needs help.
What are your feelings about the events from yesterday? If you don’t live in the US, what impression do you have of our country now? I’d love to hear your thoughts. As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
Anne the Vegan 
Hi Annie,
I am aware of that situation.
If possible, you may like my previous posts (Few questions about the USA & also thoughts )
(What am i saying about.)
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I will check them out. Thank you!
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Usually, I am not saying (asking) everyone to check (read my posts). Your topic is related to this, that’s (why I’m said.) ( My views are different).Thank you for taking the time and reading!.Thank you Annie.
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Oh, I totally get that and did not read it as a solicitation at all! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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It’s extremely frustrating to me that the person who is “running” our country basically opened up a platform for these people to do whatever the heck they want. They think it’s some type of victory by breaking and entering. By stealing. By taking their selfies with whatever they wanted for social media joy. I’m happy the house and senate didn’t stand down and worked through the night to confirm the vote. Now we can only hope for some actual legal action that should have happened a long time ago.
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I absolutely agree.
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I live in a small Ohio town (@1000 people). My husband is black, I am white. We have children. I am angry and disappointed in what happened at our capital. Across the street from our house, a trump flag flies directly below the US flag. A house behind us has a confederate flag on their truck. And this is definitely a majority representation of our community. To say we are uncomfortable with our neighbors, some of whom are family.
When 9-11 happened, I had a one year old baby at home. I was scared, I cried. It hurt my heart. And while it seemed everyone came together at that point, there were some terrible things going on too. People were attacking Muslims, profiling and hating. I remember that part too.
Now, what is happening feels like it is right in my back yard, literally. Some people from our town went to DC that day. My husband is a runner, I am fearful every run he takes. I feel that if my family and trump were in the same burning building, even my family would be torn who to save.
I am scared, my fear is much more tangible this time around. These enemies are in our backyard, at our workplaces, in our church, in our family, and I am scared.
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I’m so sorry you are going through all of that. It’s certainly a very scary time to live in this country, and I do feel like hate is at an all time high. I have another post I worked on this weekend now that I’ve had the time to reflect on things. I live in a very conservative county, too. As a runner, I’ve thought of my Black peers and people like Amaud and how I used to take it for granted that I can run anywhere without people questioning my motives. (((hugs)))
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Living in the UK, the USA situation has sort of proven where the priorities lie there, in that the police would rather hurt people who are standing up for social justice, rather than stop people from storming the capitol. It is extremely sad, though I think it reflects the way things are to some extent in other countries.
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It is very unsettling that white supremacists are allowed to trample on our most sacred lawmaking chambers, but peaceful protests in the name of equality and social justice are met with excessive police force. It’s so obvious that there was cooperation from police to allow entry into the Capitol. And the White House denied authorizing the National Guard’s help until it was almost too late.
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