Hail to the Chief

 

After 1461 days the United States is under new management.  President Joseph Biden was sworn in this morning as the 46th President of the nation.  I wish Mr. Biden well as he attempts to divide a diverse and extremely divided nation.

I found one line in his inaugural address to my particular liking when he said it is time to end this nation's un-civil war.  Hopefully, congress can take the lead on this as the polarization in the house and senate shows the rest of the country a horrible example.  I also hope Nancy Pelosi and Charles Schumer are willing to offer the "olive branch" to their peers on the other side of the aisle.

For the record I voted for Joe Biden in November.  I also voted for Donald Trump four years ago, but could not do it again after watching his ego get the bett er of him and the United States for the four years he served as our top elected official.

Good luck to you Mr. Biden.  You are going to need it.

Congratulations to the College Football Champs

Roll Tide!  This is a bit late but, congratulations to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide on winning the national College Football Playoff Championship over the Ohio State Buckeyes 52-24.

The Crimson Tide scored early and often and had the game put away by halftime.  For the record it never was close in the second half and Alabama won its sixth national title in 12 years under head coach Nick Saban.

The Tide finished the season at 13-0, while the Buckeyes ended its COVID-19 shortened season at 7-1.   I saw Alabama open the season the last Saturday night in September when it beat my beloved Missouri Tigers 38-19.  I was disappointed with Mizzou's defense that night, but in retrospect the Tigers played Alabama as well as any team all season, with the possible exception of Florida, who lost by six but gave up 52 to the Crimson Tide.

More Thoughts on the Attack on the Capitol Building

 

As I write, it's two days until the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next President and Vice President of the United States.  Since my post of 12 days ago, the FBI has fanned out over the United States and arrested hundreds who attacked the capitol building on January 6th.

I've changed my mind about who these attackers are.  Initially, I wrote it was individuals who had gotten caught up in protesting what they perceived as a feckless government.  But, after doing a lot of reading, I realize I was wrong.  Many of those who attacked the cradle of our nation's democracy were driven by the rhetoric of extreme right wing radicals who wanted to strike the first blow to overthrow the US government.  But, why is there such hatred?

A lot of it comes from the public's perception that our federal government is more concerned about themselves and their party than those who are paying taxes. I certainly haven't heard anyone say "these congressmen and women are doing a great job.  Let's give them all a pat on the back and send them back to D.C."  No, if anything, the sentiment is the inverse. There is so much partisanship on both sides of the aisle that Americans are sick of it.  Unfortunately, most of our congress persons and senators are clueless as to what people are worried about outside of the beltway. My perception is they don't get home enough or believe what is being told to them when they do go home to their districts and states.  This has to change.

The actions taken by the rioters can never be justified and those who broke the law on January 6th must be held responsible for their actions.  But, the bottom line is, perhaps if congress would start working together and listening to their constituents, the citizens of this country would be better served than they are now.  Term limits and real, strict campaign financing laws must also be enacted before things will change and the American public feels it is being served by its senators and representatives as they should be served.

The Morning After

Dreamstime image

Rubble, debris and a newly certified US President are with us on this first day after the US Capitol building was overrun by a group of US citizens who were incited to riot by their president.  

Overnight the US Congress certified the election of Joe Biden of Delaware and Kamala Harris of California to lead the US for the next four years based on the Democrats win of the general election in November and the electoral college.  A spokesman for President Donald Trump says the president will work with Biden and Harris for a smooth transition.

Four people died in the violence yesterday, three due to medical conditions and one at the hands of the capitol police.  This may not be a very popular idea but I believe a grand jury should be called to examine the individual who fired the shot or shots that killed a young woman from California who was protesting the outcome of the election.  But, the role of the grand jury should be expanded to investigate why there were not enough trained police officers at the building.  They knew ahead of time and had been telegraphed by social media what was headed to Washington D.C.  And the capitol police failed to protect it.  The American public has the right to know why this happened.

Finally, the grand jury should have the power to examine the role of Donald Trump in inciting a riot at the capitol.  He, repeatedly lied to the public when he knew he had lost to Biden and Harris.  And when asked to call off his supporters yesterday, Trump thanked them for coming and told them "he loved them".  Trump should be indicted and tried for his role in the rioting and violence that claimed the lives of Americans yesterday.  But, at this point I would be happy if he just goes away in two weeks and becomes the poster boy for bad leaders.

A Dark Day in the United States

It has been quite a day in the United States, as the capitol building came under attack from a mob of protestors, who entered the building as congress was set to finalize the election of Joe Biden as the country's next president.

I am confused by the actions of these few who seem to have been encouraged by lame duck president Donald Trump.  I think what bothers me most is that a US citizen died at the hands of a law enforcement officer who shot her.  I was a junior in high school when the Kent State shootings took place in May 1970.  The outrage at the time divided this country much as today's actions have split this nation.  To be fair it is too early to form an opinion on today's shooting.  But, why were Capitol Police shooting at protestors?  Why weren't alternatives such as tasers or bean bags used instead of handguns.  I also would like to know why the National Guard wasn't on call when the possibility of trouble was known well ahead of time.

I will write of this more as details become available.  But, for now I have to say I am embarrassed by the "journalism" I have seen on the commercial networks today.  From talking head reporters to network announcers, including Savannah Guthrie and Lester Holt of NBC, the reporters have for the most part editorialized whenever they've felt like it.  This is not journalism.  This is reporters taking liberty with their reporting to reflect their personal opinions or insert themselves in the story.  As an example, the crowd was initially called "protestors".  But, as the day wore on the talking heads changed their description of the protestors to "rioters" or a mob.  This was due to pack journalism.  Rather than be left behind, all of the networks I watched, decided to change that designation to rioters.  I have no doubt there were a number of people at the capitol today who wanted to damage the building and raise hell in the halls of congress.  But, my guess is many more were just out to express their frustration with the system.

There were a number of things that happened today that need to be explained properly by the media.  I look forward to learning more and will write as that info becomes available.

Happy New Year!

 

The first thing that comes to mind as we greet a new year is may 2021 be a far site better than 2020.

My thoughts of 2020 will include a world ravaged and terrorized by a pandemic and in the United States a government that was feckless at times.  The year also brings back memories of many selfish people who would rather not wear a mask than help protect their fellow man.

The inconsistencies of governments also struck me as bizarre when dealing with the COVID-19 virus which did not discriminate by imaginary lines drawn on the ground.  One county in the state where I live would have all local restaurants and bars closed for safety, while you could go to the other side of the street and restaurants and bars would be wide open.  Many "leaders" of our state and local governments showed their true colors when failing to protect the general public.

But, the COVID virus wasn't the only issue we heard about repeatedly in 2020.  The presidential election in the United States was bizarre at times.  Former Vice President Joe Biden unseated incumbent Donald Trump fairly easily.  But, the post election drama was strange as Trump and his legal teams proceeded to claim the election had been stolen from them.  No court where litigation was filed ever sided with the Trump campaign but that didn't stop it from trying to have the public's decision overturned repeatedly.

Racism is still alive and well in the United States as evidenced by the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis murdered in late May at the hands of white police officers.  For several weeks protesters and rioters across the United States used it as an excuse to riot and loot in minority neighborhoods.  Not too far from where I live, it was described as a war zone with gunfire, fires being set deliberately and helicopters flying over the combatants.  It is something that I as a white American am not proud.

I hope 2021 is a whole lot better than 2020, but in reality unless a vaccine is rolled out quickly to everyone in the world I don't think the year will be much different than last year.  I pray this changes.