I watched, angry at what I saw as domestic terrorists stormed the Capitol.
Easily identified by their MAGA caps and flags as Trump supporters, many wore paramilitary gear and maneuvered as trained militia. The nearly all white invaders, neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, anti-Semites and white power group followers were called to action by a now twice- impeached president.
I was in disbelief of the call to “hang Mike Pence” until I saw the rope-ready scaffold, until I saw the American flag on a pole being used to beat a police officer, until I saw a fire extinguisher thrown, until I saw yet another officer being crushed in a doorway. I was sickened by a wearer of a “Camp Auschwitz” T-shirt.
The roots of anti- government racism run deep in American soil. For decades they’ve hidden in plain sight, drawn together in so-called leaderless cults by white skin and hate. But never before have they been invited to carry out approved violence.
Today, I wonder if those who proudly placed Trump signs on lawns feel at all as I do. They can’t bring themselves to denounce what happened Jan. 6.
How can so many still believe in a stolen election, all evidence to the contrary? What moral or religious beliefs do they hold? Can they not know that their silence betrays them as enablers of hate and racism?
I’m still angry. I’m sad. I’m afraid.
Glenn R. Plummer
Unity