I’m going to take what might be an unpopular stance. We should have many more memorials/remembrances/commemorations/whatever-you-want-to-call-them around Jan. 6 than we do for 9/11.
Let me be super-clear; 9/11 was horrific and tragic. We should absolutely memorialize those who lost their lives and those who took part in rescue and first response efforts. We should absolutely condemn such acts of terrorism, and work toward seeing that such an event never happens again.
But.
Al-Qaida was never an existential threat to the United States or its government. They could not invade the US. They couldn’t wipe the US off the map. They didn’t have the power to overthrow or significantly alter our form of government. They could, and did, inspire fear and anger and terror and they could, and did, kill Americans. That’s the extent of it.
The Jan. 6 insurrection was, in fact, an existential threat to America. There was a small, but not zero, chance that a free and fair election could have been overturned by a bunch of traitorous assholes who couldn’t accept that their candidate lost. There was a tiny, but non-zero, chance that a success like that would have led to significantly more violence as other groups of citizens sought to re-establish something like normal order. The aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, where the events of that day have been whitewashed and minimized, where the perpetrators have been pardoned, and where the chief instigator suffered no consequences has led to said instigator being returned to power to do even more damage than he did the first time around.
So - I propose that we co-opt all of the, “Never Forget,” energy and apply it to Jan. 6 of every year. Never forget that many people still serving in government have tried to tell you that you didn’t actually see what you saw that day. They took the coward’s route and voted against removing that guy from office. They tried to hamstring the Jan. 6 committee’s efforts. They have blocked investigations and prosecutions into the perpetrators and instigators. They have refused to engage with the ramifications of that day in an honest manner, and have lied to our faces about what actually took place. They have made heroes out of the fuckers who, at best, believed the lies of a narcissistic man-baby and who, at worst, seriously tried to murder the Vice-President and usurp the power and authority of the legitimately elected Congress and President-elect.
The NYT had some unkind things to say about Trump and his “day of love”. Not nearly harsh enough, as I think Trump could easily and truthfully be called a traitor and insurrectionist. His pardoning of those fellow sociopaths was a slap in the face to anyone who loves this country. Regardless of his relentless efforts to recast that insurrection as anything else, it will go down in history books as a blatant power grab by a megalomaniac.
Hey, that’s pretty much exactly what Ben Shapiro said on his Jan 7 episode of his show, when he thought Trump’s goose was cooked and he didn’t feel the need to lie or run cover for him. One of the few times that Ben Shapiro was absolutely correct.
When’s the anniversary day where the MAGAts got pardoned?? That day makes me feel more stabby than Jan 6. I’m sure plenty of assholes celebrate that as a type of Liberation from Bidenism Day.
