The scariest thing about the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week isn’t how easily a bunch of freaking yahoos with bandanas and Army boots broke into the most sacred building of our democracy and desecrated it.
Middle schoolers on the Close-Up field trip get more pat-downs and backpack searches than the bunch of misguided fools and criminals who sauntered into our seat of government and had their way with it Jan. 6.
No, the scariest thing is what could’ve happened and didn’t.
A startling video by veteran war journalist Luke Mogelson for The New Yorker and shown over and over again — on CNN, at least; we don’t know if Fox viewers saw it — shows a stream of angry screaming MAGAheads breaking a window and pushing police officers to get inside and upstairs, where they ransacked the drawers of elected senators and banged door to locked door looking for lawmakers like they were hunting Democrats.
“Where the fuck is Nancy,” one particular yahoo asks, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“Knock, knock,” says another in a menacing voice as they enter chambers that were apparently hastily evacuated.
“Where they fuck are they? Where are they,” another asks.
What were they going to do if they found anyone? What would this crazed, chanting mob have done if they had come across Nancy or Bernie or — can you imagine? — Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez?
Keep in mind that just outside, a lynching mob had fashioned a hanging noose on a wooden frame. Keep in mind that these “protesters” used language that threatened not only the lawmakers but everyone of us.
Even Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was not safe for a couple of seconds as the mentally-challenged neanderthals who started rifling through lawmakers’ desks first misinterpreted some Cruz document.
“He was going to sell us out all along,” one bearded white guy said. Nah, bruh, another bearded white guy said. He’s cool. See? He was objecting to the vote, not the objection.
Vice President Mike Pence was a possible target, too, as a “fucking traitor.”
The whole scenario, the chanting of treason by an out of control mob egged on by certain narcissistic leaders, reminded me too much of el paredon, or the wall where traitors to Fidel Castro’s Cuban revolution were put before a firing squad.
That’s why it is especially shocking that the Cuban Republican delegation in Miami hasn’t come out swinging against this very painful and disgraceful act against the very core of our government — and freedom.
The scene also keeps making me go back to The Handmaid’s Tale storyline, which begins when the Capitol, the White House and the U.S. Supreme Court are blown up in a coup attempt by an extreme right in the wake of a mysterious virus. The attack only assured me that it could happen.
My own Trumpster parents were shocked and dismayed on Jan. 6 as they watched the events of the siege on the U.S. Capitol — and I have to stop for a second every time I say those words — unfold live on the TV set in their living room. This is too familiar, they thought.
So why haven’t our local Republican Congress members called it out. Congress members Mario Diaz-Balart, Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenez each had an opportunity (read: an out) to take a stand for democracy that would stand out for sure. All of them blew it.
Read related: Blood on his hands, Carlos Gimenez ditches TV show post coup attempt
The worse is Gimenez, who once voted for Hillary — unless that was another political lie — and beat former Democrat Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in November by selling himself as a moderate option to her “hyper partisanship,” as he called it.
Really.
Not only does Grimenez ignore the siege and vote to decertify votes and disenfranchise voters in Arizona and Pennsylvania, but he then goes on TV and tries to defend himself and talk about fake news like he hasn’t lived off it for most of his political life.
Gimenez sounded like an unhinged lunatic Sunday morning on WPLG Local 10’s This Week in South Florida, which is a staple for 305 political junkies, as he tried to defend himself from the hot seat treatment applied, finally, by Glenna Milberg and Michael Putney, who too often give Grimenez a pass.
Putney also sees the correlation between the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the Cuban revolution my parents and the congressman’s family fled.
“Given your personal history, how do you justify that,” Putney
“I can justify it very, very, very well,” Grimenez starts, already sounding like a child who doesn’t believe his own lies to get out of bad behavior. He said his vote to decertify millions of voters’ ballots in Arizona and Pennsylvania was to defend the constitution. But he sounds like he doesn’t even believe himself. Because when did he become an attorney?
Milberg actually read the law to him, which wasn’t what he said.
“What evidence did you see that 60-something court judges didn’t see,” she asked him.
He only stumbled and contradicted himself in response but he got angrier as the reporters got tougher and kept correcting him.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s online for all eternity.
Meanwhile, we have more armed forces in D.C. today than in Afghanistan, a preventative measure in case there is another coup attempt on our country on the day when there is supposed to be a peaceful transition of power. Local police — what’s left of them after at least 45 fly to D.C. to boost manpower there — have talked about “chatter” regarding more attacks and people have been arrested since Jan. 6 for planning an armed conflict.
And we have The New Yorker video yahoos promising to hunt down every last Democrat and take them to “the guillotine” and their delusional shaman delivering a note: “It’s only a matter of time. Justice is coming.”
Let’s hope that’s true and not a threat about Wednesday.
Capitol siege and Republican reaction is scary because of what could’ve been added by Ladra on
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Carlos Gimenez, Rick Scott, Little Marco… They all voted to support Trump’s Coup Attempt!
I am truly ashamed of the 13 of 15 Florida Representatives who supported the ‘Sedition Caucus’, thereby lending credence to some truly inept voters that the election was ‘stolen. Add to this Rick Scott, who has never had a moral beacon and only does what it takes to win elections. Gimenez, Salazar and Diaz are a sad crew of ‘dog-whistling’, empty headed opportunists who will only add more shame on our State’s reputation. As a former long-term Republican, I am stunned that they can’t see the parallels between Trump’s attempted coup and the behavior of Castro or Maduro, their boogey-men they use to gin up their dog-whistle of ‘anti socialism to get elected. Do they not see the comparison. You can’t fix stupid.
Haaa,haaa Ladra,you know I know Former Mayor Carlos Gimenez is Corrupt. He is part of the Establishment! He’s a Pay to Play Politician and most of them are .We need term limits on all Government Elected officials for no more than 2 terms .Also there should be term limits on the United States Supreme Court Justices as well so they can’t die in their chairs/Bench and be carted out on a stretcher or Gurney!
Dearest Chris, there is no censorship here. Your BS is allowed. You just have to wait longer than 3 minutes to be approved.
Love, Ladra
For comment i just sent went into limbo .Maybe I’m being censored!
Hmm,We can have a debate about Everything that happened with our own Government officials trying to overthrow an election against President Trump in 2016 all the way to the end of his Term .But Democrats only want to see what works for them and their Narrative. They have Power for now ,at least for a couple more years so they better hurry and corrupt the system even more ! Let’s talk about China and Big Tech liberals who want to censor free speech .The Chinese Communist Party and the Democrats along with some Republicans are in bed with each other in more than one way .This disease that has infected the world has come from Wuhan, China. How many morons don’t want to see that ? Also,Facebook, Google, Twitter, Apple all keep bribing Politician’s to let them do anything and everything with the Chinese Communist Party. Look how much the Big Tech Liberals have in common with the Chinese Communist Party. If you don’t see a resemblance than you’re not on Planet earth !
You are spot on. However, Carlos Gimenez has won six elections out of the six he has run for. Diaz Ballart is a fixture. All they had to do was repeat the words radical leftist socialist democrat. They didn’t even need a platform of policy statements. Emotions over reason reigns.
How to fix this situation in two years?
People have often advised not to categorize all republicans as white supremacists, Neo nazi racists however, judging by people involved in the violent attempt to overthrow our government on Jan 6, their “white power” (Ok) hand gestures, the “Camp Auschwitz” t-shirt guy, the “6 million is not enough” t shirts, the confederate flag toters etc.. the woman that stole speaker Pelosi’s laptop we now have learned tried to sell to Russia etc, if every single republican does not speak out and denounce these ideologies, then we have to assume they agree with them.
I still don’t get the Miami Cubans and Magazuelans. Trump literally tried to subvert the will of the people and install himself as dictator by inciting these insurrectionists to storm the Capitol and overturn the election based on a lie. We all know over 64 mostly Trump appointed judges threw out his lawsuits because of lack of evidence and the denial of the assertions of “fraud” once these attorneys were in court and in front of a judge and their law licenses were on the line. It seems to me also that Miami Cubans and Magazuelans confuse Socialism with Communism and don’t understand the difference between Socialism and Socialist programs they all benefit from lie Medicare, Medicare, Social Security etc..And the last thing I’ll mention is my Cuban best friends mom once said to him in Spanish “maybe we should move north out of Miami” to which he replied to her in Spanish ” Miami, anywhere north of Miami we’re all just Mexicans”. These are there constituents and their president. Unless these people have ever lived anywhere else in the U.S. they don’t understand this type of racism and what happened on Jan 6, should be scaring the living s— out them right now.
Gimenez does not have the ability, knowledge and personal ethical standards to be a member of Congress. He is much like Boss Tweed, the corrupt political boss from NYC, who once said “I saw my opportunities and I took them” Gimenez with the help of lobbyists and political cronies has been taking his “opportunities” for years.
However now he is under the national spotlight and will now have to be accountable for his actions.He needs to be held to a higher standard than he was during his tenure in Miami Dade County. As for him “defending ” the constitution perhaps someone should send him a copy so he can actually read it. I suggest a few political science books as well . His justification for voting against the certifications of the election of Joe Biden rings hollow. Like his entire career his rightous positions are based upon political expediency . He has no moral courage nor ethical standards that are demanded of one who hold high national public office. Hopefully he will hold such office for just one term.He can then retire with his numerous public pensions and pontificate from the golf course rather than the halls of Congress.
As a life-long Republican, I am repulsed by the actions of so many in my party. If only I could retract my vote for Maria Elvira and vote for the “socialist” Shalala.
If only they were just an angry mob of “yahoos.” They weren’t. One of the first men to enter the Capitol was an attorney from Georgia. In a war, it is essential to understand the enemy. Don’t make them appear to be simpletons with a beef. It is much more complex.
Republican Carlos Gimenez is a traitor to the United States. Gimenez voted for Trump and AGAINST voters who cast legitimate ballots. Well done Michael and Glenna from Channel 10. Everyone should watch Carlos lie like the creep he is.