"I've Got the Conch"

 

With the inauguration of the Biden administration, much of our nation seems to be swinging the pendulum back in the direction of truth and decency. I find Mr. Biden's actions and persona reassuring. I feel hopeful for the first time in four years.

And yet simultaneously I cannot stop thinking about what happened on January 6. Apparently, I am not alone. 

This morning I read Heather Cox Richardson's letter that she posted last night. Her opening paragraph reads as follows:

"It has been just three weeks and a day since a crazed mob, egged on by the former president and his supporters, stormed the U.S. Capitol to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election. They smashed into the building, carrying handcuffs and searching for our elected officials, whom they threatened to harm. They killed one police officer and wounded 140 more. Our vice president, senators, and representatives, along with all their staff, had to be evacuated to secure quarters, and then to hide, while rioters took over the building, rifling through their offices and smearing excrement on the floors."

I had to stop reading after that. It is incomprehensible to me that -- because the candidate they had voted for did not win the election -- a mob of Americans behaved in that way. It is equally incredible that there is actually a "boys will be boys" kind of viewpoint as people assess the incident, and that there are members of the House of Representatives who are genuinely fearful of some of their colleagues.

The second impeachment trial is on the horizon. It is possible that the outcome will crush Mr. Trump once and for all. But it scares me -- very much -- to think of what it may cost in terms of his supporters' behavior.