The dregs of 45’s term in office, so far, have been topped by a breach of the United States Capitol by a gang of Trump-supporting thugs. And as icing on the cake for his loyal followers, The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America instigated it and told this seditious bunch that he would be there with them. These domestic terrorists forced their way past the Capitol police and vandalized parts of the building including Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. At least one person shot on Capitol grounds died and at least four more were injured.
As the demand rises in Mr. Trump’s last thirteen (13) days in office for him to resign – and if he refuses to – for Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, Speaker Pelosi has publicly stated that if neither one of these things occurs then the House may impeach The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America…again. As I watched the Capitol breached by these Trump loyalists at his behest, I could not help but to reflect on the comment that Senator Susan Collins made when she voted not to convict Mr. Trump on the January 2020 impeachment charges. “I think that he has learned his lesson,” she said. Well, Senator Collins, what do you think now? Do you still think that he learned his lesson? Or, perhaps he has learned it this time, after the breach…or maybe, if he doesn’t resign, Vice President Pence declines to invoke the 25th Amendment or he is not impeached…again, maybe the third time will be the charm: only God knows what act he might commit that time!
I should not take my frustration out on Senator Collins though, after all, she is not the only Trump enabler. Besides, the fact that she said that she did not vote to convict him on the January 2020 impeachment charges because she thought that he had learned his lesson is likely not true anyway. The real reason was probably due to her political ambitions. She’s a smart lady and since any reasonable person, knowing Mr. Trump’s history, could easily determine that the odds that he had learned his lesson were slim-to-none…well, you do the math.
As the American people trudge through these last thirteen days of Mr. Trump’s term, I hope that the number “13” is not really as unlucky as all of those superstitious people say that it is. I’m not sure that it’s the case in every building with more than twelve (12) floors but a lot of buildings that do have more don’t even have a thirteenth floor listed in the elevator…I think. But I’m not a superstitious person so I’m not real sure that that is the case. Whether it is or not, I just hope and pray that Mr. Trump’s last thirteen days in office – if he is there that long, will be uneventful. However, if they are not, our elected officials and other leaders in Washington had sure better be a lot better prepared than they were for the Capitol breach if America is to avoid a potentially catastrophic situation.
Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line