I think of how it must have been for the dinosaurs dying and breathing their last gasps on the land masses of our planet 60 million years ago. I think of this as I read the news of a Capitol police officer murdered while defending our representative congresspeople from a pro-Trump and Trump incited mob who invaded our Capitol building, a building steeped in the history of our democracy. That murder should be as catastrophic as the asteroid which struck Earth leading the death of all those predatory dinosaurs.
The murder came as the result of the rioters breeching the halls of our Congress, which came as the result of incendiary Trump rhetoric over the past five years and most recently at a rally just before the attack and breech, which came as the result of Republican congresspeople naysayers questioning the legitimacy of an election proven fully legitimate by the courts and election officials from every state in the union, which came as the result of right wing sources such as Fox News, Newsmax, AON, which came as a result of false and scurrilous conspiracy theories such as QAnon, which came as a result of extreme right wing white supremacist groups such as Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer which rose to prominence as a result of Trump giving tacit, and often open, approval of these grotesque and dangerous people. Trump’s base of voters who acted with cult mentality believing, lockstep, in all of Trump’s lies and misinformation and character assassinations and false and fake tweets and retweets espousing deleterious, dangerous, and toxic fake news–fake news that Trump chronically accused the “lame-stream media” of in an effort to debase our free press.
All of the above, including Roger Stone, Rudy Guiliani, Sidney Powell, Michael Flynn, William Barr, most of the Trump family, and many others were complicit in the death of that loyal Capitol cop who was murdered by Trump’s henchmen and women. There must be severe consequences to the events of January 6, 2021, truly a bloody day lived forever in infamy.
And what should those consequences be? First, as many people as can be identified who invaded our Capitol building should be tracked down and charged with felony murder. That is murder committed by others who participated and stood by as a murder was committed by another person whom they were associated with. This is essential to show the world that we are still a nation of laws and justice for all. For the world now has its doubts, as do many of us who have been speaking out against Trump and his thugs for years now.
Second, after an investigation, officials in charge of protecting the Congress and our legislators who obviously delayed in sending in auxiliary troops and police, should be punished accordingly for negligence and dereliction of duty. This would include the Trump appointed puppet head of the Defense Department who bears the ultimate reponsibility for this defense of our legislators–legislators who feared for their lives at times during the siege for lack of that adequate protection.
Finally, as Nazi officials were hunted down and prosecuted after WWII, Trump should also be charged with felony murder for inciting the mob to march to the Capitol building and “show strength” to the “weak Republicans” and to get Mike Pence “to do the right thing” in overturning the results of a fair election. He vowed to march with them but left after about a block to get in his car and return to the White House where he watched the debacle unfold. Aides later reported that a shameless Trump took great delight in watching the siege as the Roman Emperor Nero did when Rome was burning.
Trump should also–should also–be impeached again by the Congress who were direct victims of this insurrection. This impeachment and subsequent vote for conviction should conclude in one day without debate. We’ve seen first hand his high crimes and misdemeanors and the violent effects thereof. Again, further debate is unnecessary. Just vote for or against conviction. The advantage here is that if convicted, this madman can never again hold public office. The Democratic House will certainly vote to impeach. But still, even after this bloody coup, Republican senators may vote to exonerate him. At least we will have their names–the traitors who were complicit in the failed insurrection. A monument should soon be designed and erected commemorating this infamous event with the names of all Representatives and Senators who voted against impeachment engraved in the marble.
It’s a monument that should, of course, duly honor Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police Officer and Iraq War veteran, who gave his life protecting our legislators. I would hope too that Officer Sicknick’s body will lie in state, perhaps in the building where he died. I want to see who shows up to pay their respects. The ogre Trump, who failed to show at John Lewis’s wake, is a probable no-show.
So like the dinosaurs who started to die after the asteroid hit, Trump Republicans are an endangered species. I suspect their gasps for breath in the days, weeks, months, and even years to come will relegate them to the same status as the mighty Jurassic dinosaurs.
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My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Officer Brian Sicknick, a true fallen hero in the Battle for the United States Capitol. May his death lead to an opening in the fight to save our democracy.
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