Extraordinary events touch all of us directly and indirectly, even when they seem remote and confined to whatever screen we are currently fixated on.
That includes me. My well-oiled production system went haywire yesterday, January 6, 2021. The day started out all right. As usual, I'd completed my research and writing not long after midnight, copy-edited my essay, did one last check of news sources, and hit the "publish" button at my website.
Later, as per usual, I got up, reread the essay before copying and pasting my work here at Facebook.
After a few hours of sleep, I woke up to the news that thousands of Trump supporters had gathered in Washington. That was when a true sense of foreboding started taking over my day.
On a personal level, it was supposed to be a joyful day, focused on family. One of my grandsons had turned 14 the day before and one of my granddaughters turned 7 yesterday. I was looking forward to them opening the presents I'd ordered from Etsy. (I'm trying to quit the Amazon addiction.)
Also, my youngest daughter was flying across the country and I'm one of those Dads who checks the flight status repeatedly when my kids are in the air. Pathetic of me, I know. But my presumption is with me staying in such close contact with the airline, the plane will function properly and the pilot will stay alert. I just want her to be safe; she knows that and tolerates my silliness.
As it happened, her initial flight was late and as a result she missed her connection in Detroit.
Whenever one of my kids spends some time in my native state, it makes me hungry for news. "Do things seem normal there?" I texted her. By now the coup was underway in Washington, and as a journalist I was on full alert for any signs of trouble anywhere. She texted back that everything seemed fine.
After a long delay she finally made it to Newark last night and via Lyft to her house.
At least in that one matter, I could relax.
Here, my sweet little granddaughter liked the present I got her and reveled in turning the august age of seven, somethings she's been anticipating for at least a year. When I asked her if she felt any older, she got a thoughtful expression and shook her head.
"Nope."
During all of this personal stuff, the events in the Capitol preyed on my mind, and I started posting repeatedly, ignoring my usual protocols. I called for Trump's impeachment, then I denounced the traitors, and finally when I saw the photo of the noose they'd erected, I threw together my fourth post of the day around 11 p.m. last night.
Now, the day after, I am emotionally exhausted. After a fitful sleep, I awoke late to confirm it was not a nightmare, it was the reality of a world gone insane.
***
The news:
* A growing number of lawmakers -- including from Democratic leadership -- are calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office either through impeachment or the 25th Amendment to the Constitution after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer put out a statement Thursday denouncing the "insurrection" at the Capitol "incited by the President," and saying, "This President should not hold office one day longer." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the call later Thursday at a news conference. "I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the Vice President to remove this President by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment," Pelosi said. "If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment that is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus and the American people." (CNN)
* Mitch McConnell's wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement Thursday that she is resigning, becoming the first Cabinet member to leave the administration in the wake of President Donald Trump's response to a mob of his supporters breaching the US Capitol. In the statement, addressed to the agency she led, Chao wrote that she will resign effective Monday and was "deeply troubled" by the "entirely avoidable" events at the Capitol building. (CNN)
* A Mob and the Breach of Democracy: The Violent End of the Trump Era -- Those who warned of worst-case scenarios under President Trump — only to be dismissed as alarmists — found some of their darkest fears realized in the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday. (NYT)
* Nearly 6,200 National Guard are being mobilized to provide security to D.C. (CNN)
* Pence and McConnell defy Trump — after years of subservience (WashPo)
* A Democratic Triumph in Georgia, Overshadowed by Right-Wing Violence in Washington (NYT)
* Trump Is to Blame for Capitol Attack -- The president incited his followers to violence. There must be consequences. (By The Editorial Board/NYT)
* Trump caused the assault on the Capitol. He must be removed. (Editorial Board/WashPo)
* Trump has committed treason (WashPo)
* As thousands of Trump’s fanatical supporters smashed windows and stormed the U.S. Capitol, realizing a plot that was apparently brewing for days, at least one historian was not surprised in the least. “I hate it when I’m right,” said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a New York University professor and fascism expert who has been warning that Trump would resort to force rather than leave office peacefully. [HuffPost]
* Flying the flag of fascism for Trump (WashPo)
* Trump, Hawley and Cruz will each wear the scarlet ‘S’ of a seditionist (George Will/WashPo)
* Capitol breach prompts urgent questions about security failures (WashPo)
* Lawmakers are vowing an investigation into how law enforcement botched the violent breach at the Capitol. U.S. Capitol Police, charged with protecting Congress, turned to other law enforcement for help with the mob that overwhelmed the complex and sent lawmakers into hiding. Outraged lawmakers from both parties said the police force seemed inexplicably understaffed and unprepared, even though Trump had stoked the mob at an earlier rally and talk of the insurrection had been brewing for days online. [AP]
* There are 3 problems with our media that are fueling polarization: 1. The closing of 2,000 local papers, which are typically not very partisan; 2. Cable news maximizing audience share by adopting political stances (Fox); and 3. Social media’s supercharging of conspiracy theories. (Andrew Yang/Twitter)
* U.S. Is Blind to Contagious New Virus Variant, Scientists Warn -- It’s not too late to curb the contagious variant’s spread in the U.S., experts say — but only with a national program for genetic sequencing.(NYT)
* With Mass Arrests, Beijing Exerts an Increasingly Heavy Hand in Hong Kong (NYT)
* The Last Two Northern White Rhinos On Earth -- What will we lose when Najin and Fatu die? (NYT)
* New Food Safety Law Requires Restaurant Workers To Take Full Bubble Bath After Using Restroom (The Onion)
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