Protest on Capitol Hill

No matter which side of the political spectrum you fall under, the events that occurred in Washington D.C. on January 6th was a despicable display of democracy. From the BLM protests over the summer, to claims of voter fraud and heavy election dispute, the unrest in our country has come to a climax with the protests at the Capitol building.

January 6th was the day in which members of congress would convene to formally count the electoral votes. Since the election, the president has been on incessant rants about voter fraud due to the COVID-induced mail in voting. Despite some 60+ court cases being shut down due to a lack of evidence, Trump insists that the election was stolen.

With the presidential decision being made final, extremists turned a peaceful rally into a violent storming of the Capitol building. Angsty protestors found their way into the federal building, fighting police, as well as trashing offices and chambers. The small security force was no match for the sea of people amassing outside the building. Riot police were deployed, and the national guard was called into action.

One incredible aspect amidst the riots was the photography. Many photos such as the one shown on the right will undoubtedly be engraved in American history. Many reporters’ lives were put on the line in order to capture this historic moment.

But what did the protests achieve? As we have seen before, the violent approach to protesting seldom works, and this time was no different. The pro-Trump extremists managed to delay the count by a few hours, and cost our government a few dollars to repair Capitol Hill.

At the end of the day, the only people who gained from this incident were the anarchist types whose idea of fun is to run around like a savage, creating destruction in their wake. The media also wins here, because this event will be stretched out on your television for much longer than the few hours in which it took place. For everyone else, yesterday was a net loss. The vast majority of Republicans were left ashamed of their party. The event was nothing but another reason for both sides to hate the other.

After the damage had been done, President Trump stated on Twitter, “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.” This tweet came after other attempts to calm the protestors, but they were to no avail. However, this can be seen as the President’s reluctant acceptance of defeat.

Overall, the events that unfolded on January 6th will hopefully be nothing more than a memory. Although this country is as divided as ever, the earth will continue to spin, the sun will still rise, and for God’s sake there will not be a civil war.