‘Yesterday…’
With over 250,000 adults living in the United States who routinely use the word “yesterday,” Donald Trump, who once said, “I know words,” apparently wants to eliminate its usage because it is hard for him.
Watching his mind sputter over the innocuous word “yesterday’ in the outtakes of his January 7th speech, a day after an attempted coup, was funny and sad. But all our troubles are not far away. Last night’s final season installment of the J6 Committee Hearings was riddled with moments of pathos, fear, humor, and cowardice. Seeing Josh Holly imitate Angela Davis’ clenched fist before the riots and running like Forrest Gump later brought loud laughter to the room of somber observers. The sullen words of a national security expert talking about his colleagues wanting to make what they thought might have been one last call to loved ones were sobering.
Over and over again, we watched raucous men and women who identify as Americans do vile things to our Capitol and institution of government. Why was Senator Hawley so frightened; did he already know this was not just a protest but a murderous mob and did not want to get caught up in the backdraft? Many Democrats have boarded the Liz Cheney train over what, I will admit, has been stellar work in the committee. I am not quite ready to buy a ticket to her policy to nowhere just yet. I was disturbed that she described Mr. Trump as having turned the rioters’ ‘love of America’ into a weapon. Far from the love of country, I saw hatred for it in people’s eyes. We keep excusing the actions of adults as if they are mindless children in need of a spanking. Sure, Donald Trump is an awful Republican parent. Still, all his defenders are not red hat-wearing goobers; many are members of the legislature and members of the armed military and civilian forces. Have they suddenly reverted to Benjamin Button and are in physical reverse and, along with it, moral decline.
Much time was spent wrangling over the term dereliction of duty and how one would define the former President’s actions. The committee used the wrong terms. The fear for every American should be that Mr. Trump was not derelict but depraved, and what happens if a brighter, more polished traitor to the nation assumes the office, one who really knows words and wants to make American democracy yesterday’s news. My words may seem like far-fetched hyperbole, but so were thousands of insurrectionists storming the Capitol; erecting gallows; urinating in the hallways of Congress; beating police officers, and burnishing the memory of the Confederacy, all on behalf of the Commander-in-Chief.
There are very few questions left over Donald Trump’s culpability in the January 6th riots at the Capitol, but the Justice Department is standing on tradition and history. The then-president of the United States worked for three years to legitimize white supremacy, delegitimize the justice system and turn brother against brother. Not since the Civil War has the country been so morally and yet not hopelessly and irrevocably divided. Continue to Vote for Change
