On Jan. 6, the entire country witnessed a previously unthinkable horror. A mob of terrorists, many of them heavily armed, attacked and invaded the U.S. Capitol as Congress was preparing to give its final certification to the 2020 presidential election. This mob was fueled by conspiracy rumors spread by extremist sources like QAnon and two months of constant lies by our outgoing president that the election was stolen, including his exhortation that very morning to "Take your country back!"
Two weeks later, we all had the chance to watch the peaceful transfer of power to our new president, Joseph R. Biden. The entire ceremony showcased what is best about us as a country from Lady Gaga's stirring rendition of the National Anthem to the profound poem shared by Amanda Gorman. I posted this comment on Facebook immediately afterward: "As moving as the entire inauguration ceremony was, I'm still trying to get my mind around the idea that the messages of hope, unity and inclusion are seen as a threat by so many Americans. We have a lot of work to do!"
And just as predictable as the sunrise, Ron Wood made my point for me. His January 20 column in the Vista was his usual screed, clutching his pearls over the perceived loss of freedom because POTUS 45 lost his Twitter and Facebook accounts and Parler was dropped by almost every platform with a conscience. Conversely, I'm sure that when Colin Kaepernick was blacklisted by the NFL in 2016, Mr. Wood was as giddy as a ten-year-old who just learned he was going to Disneyland.
Ron, this isn't a First Amendment issue. All these privately owned entities decided to stop allowing the spread of inflammatory lies that a bunch of extremists took as a call to arms. Besides, if you're citing sources like the New York Post and Alan Dershowitz, you're already on shaky ground.
"The FBI respects the rights of individuals to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights, but we will not tolerate those who seek to incite violence or wreak havoc on our established institutions," said Rachel L. Rojas, special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division.
Just a closing quote from John Pavlovitz regarding Donald Trump: "For years your supporters would tell me that they loved you because you "spoke your mind." That was never the real story. The truth is, they loved you because you've spoken their minds. You voiced their phantom oppressions, gave credence to their hollow grievances, justified their inherited prejudices, validated their ignorant phobias, and made their fringe ideologies go mainstream.
You normalized their contempt for humanity."
POTUS 45 held a mirror to the darkness of our collective souls. It's now up to us to learn from it and strive to live up to the ideals upon which our country was founded.
Bill Hesse
Bella Vista