Over 700 cases have been brought against individuals involved in the riot and invasion of the Capitol almost a year ago today. A few people are still being pursued, and all will face a judge sooner or later. So far none are getting away with "time served" or some kind of plea deal or leniency for a first offense.
Trump is being investigated by the New York AG and the Georgia AG, and for all we know by the DOJ (who doesn't talk about their prosecutions beforehand). Congress is diligently and determinedly investigation what happened on January 6, an investigation which Trump can't even slow down, much less evade. Signs indicate that despte the historical precedent of the party out of the White House gaining seats in Congress, the Democrats may well hold both houses and even see gains. This is in no small part due to the very Trump supporters we are all supposed to be so very afraid of.
Does no one remember the story of the boy who cried wolf? Can no one perceive that 3 years is a long time off? Joe Biden seems quite comfortable with what he's accomplishing and what he will accomplish, and his attention is on leading/serving the nation, not his poll numbers. Take a lesson from the oldest and currently most successful politician in the nation, and relax.
The only service done by those crying "FEAR! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE!" by know is that they are proving their bona fides with the kewl kids, who all know the present condition is the worst it's ever been (for white people) since 1968, which at one time was the "inflection point" in recent American history when wise heads said we almost lost democracy because of that turbulent year. 54 years later, who even remembers it? Who remembers all the political violence of the '70's? Even the "existential threat" of Islamic terrorism, for which we were supposed to surrender all our individual liberties (no threat to democracy there?). Yeah, it's all about self-importance and being alive "AT THIS TIME IN HISTORY!" and how fucking self-important we are.
As Chou-En Lai reportedly said when Nixon visited China and a reporter asked the Chinese leader what he thought of the French Revolution: "It's too soon to tell."
An anchor on CNN the other night took her chance to pontificate on the airwaves about how "fragile" our Democracy was, and how January 6th "proved it." And I remembered again 1968, and then Watergate, and Nixon's resignation, Ford's pardon (which reaked of being an inside deal, mimicked by "Poppy" Bush in the last days of his only term, saving his own fat from the fire, something even Trump didn't do), and all I can think is "If democracy was THAT fragile the tent would have folded on January 7, 2021." It isn't, of course; it's the narrative of our fragility that is fragile, so everyone with a microphone or a public platform must assure us the emperor's clothes are indeed on fire.
Calm down. In fact, calm the fuck down. The people with access to the megaphones are no brighter or wiser or better than you; in fact they are often more childish and immature. Pay no attention; remember you are a grown up.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. (Frank Herbert)
Yeah, that's a good way to start the year. Look at it this way: despite Trump's clumsiest efforts, the institutions of government held and things went on. Even the assault on the Capitol is not being ignored. Yes, our systems work in part on expectations of acceptance of the rule of law; but the rule of law had the last word, in 60+ cases, in the inauguration of Joe Biden as President, in the Congressional committee investigating the bizarre effort at dictatorship.
Now, let's talk about the expectations of the rule of law where non-whites are considered. Let's talk honestly about what CRT really is, and why it matters, and why white people are so afraid of it. And for God's sake let's quit having this conversation as if only white people mattered and only their experiences/opinions were normative. A lot of what people at the NYT (and elsewhere) are surprised by is that not all white people think like they do, and that we all still have a problem of allowing non-whites to be human beings, and not representatives of some ideal of their "race" that we still want to hold them to.
Lotta bullshit goin' down; a lot of it is on us, the white people in charge. White supremacists see that and fear their power ebbing. I think that's the same fear reflected by the NYT editorial board. But in neither case does it have to be an existential threat that causes us all to panic, run in circles, and scream and shout.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. And isn't "total obliteration" what they are all afraid of?
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