Watching for Red Flags

I think most of us are trying desperately to sort out all that we have seen and heard about the January 6, 2021 riot at our nation's Capitol building. I'm getting past the shock and the feeling that this couldn't have happened in our country, to a sad acceptance that it really did.  Deep down though, I sense that it should never have happened and that something is seriously wrong. 

This is why that today I'm looking for "Red Flags". Were there warning signs that I should have seen, but I didn't? One of the biggest "red flags" that I know about is propaganda. This a when someone tries to get and keep people just reacting emotionally. The goal is to keep the people from  logically questioning what he is saying, so he can manipulate them into doing what he wants. I think of it like us standing in an ocean of emotion. We are ok though because we have our feet firmly planted on the bottom, but if someone comes by who convinces us to lift up our feet and just float, we lose control of our own lives. This other person can now, with a only a slight effort, push us around in this sea of emotion and easily lead us to places we never wanted to go. In recent times, this has happened to the people of Germany, Italy and Russia. Could this be happening here?

A Different Perspective on the Capitol Riot

I'm writing this for all of you who are feeling like I am - confused, shocked, and overwhelmed by all the information there is to process about the Capitol rioting on January 6, 2021. Here is what I do to help me see what is really happening. I start out by simplifying. Our Savior said, "By their fruits ye shall know them". This is where I start. I look just at the action, at what actually happened. The problem is that as a human being that is hard to do. I do have feelings, reactions, and past experiences which can so clutter my view and divert me onto other tracks that I can easily miss what the real issue is. 

Here is my thought process as I try to get a clearer view of what happened at the Capitol a few days ago (doesn't it seem longer!). I take Trump out of the picture. Yes, I know he was there and that is part of reality, but stay with me. Next, I thought of some Terrorist group and put them in the picture instead. The Al-Qaeda who attacked the twin towers in 9/11 was the group I chose. Now, I play the action and see what it looks like. This is what I saw. On some of it you will need to use a lot of imagination.

Breach of our National Security

I've been stalling writing this. I'm definitely not a "political activist", in fact I feel no loyalty to any political party, and I don't have any "wings" whether they are right or left. I'm just an "old" lady with some questions about what happened on January 6, 2021 such as:

• How could anyone, much less a mob of people, enter our National Capitol building?
• How could Washington DC, who regularly experiences protest marches, not be ready to deal with a well publicized event such as this "Stop the Steal" rally?
• How could those who made such an impressive display of defensive power when the BLM had their peaceful protest, now not be prepared?
• How could they allow rioters to take over our National Capitol and not get them out of the building for three hours after the mob broke in? 

Memories of a Day of Infamy

Yesterday on January 6, 2021, my husband and I sat at our computer to listen to the beginning speeches as the Congress of the United States met to count the Electoral College votes and confirm Biden as our next President. Though this eventually occurred, far more happened on this this "Day of Infamy"  than we had ever expected. I am writing this because I feel that this is a day we must learn from and never forget. 

Shortly after we began watching the opening speeches of the two party leaders in the Senate, the screen shifted to a large group of protesters outside the capitol building. Alarmed, we decided to follow the action on our TV. We watched, stunned, for the rest of the day as the PBS news reporters followed the events. In the evening, we again watched as Congress voted to certify Biden as our next legally elected President. We heard Trump's speeches to the people, and listened to many respected experts' comments. We heard what many of our elected officials actually said, and we saw the videos of the take over of our nation's Capitol building.

Here are my memories as a non-affiliated observer of this infamous day: