Now, do not hear what I am not saying. But, watching the events unfold today give me two key thoughts. First and foremost, violence should not be tolerated and is unacceptable. There are a few today who are choosing violence instead of peaceful protest and that is never the right way to voice your opinion.
Secondly, it is somehow encouraging to see the people (peaceful people) take what is theirs. Take the protest to the steps of the Capitol! Take it to the floor where the meeting is taking place! Why should taxpayers pay for boundaries & fences around the government buildings they also paid for? Why should the protest stop hundreds of yards away from the debate? Why can't it be closer to the debate floor? Democracy dies in darkness (that's the WaPo's own words), so it is encouraging people to see the citizens challenge the lawmakers face-to-face.
Perhaps the reason our government is so dysfunctional for the people is because they do not fear the people. They need reminded who they work for. Sure, Congressmen & Women meet with the people but do they fear us? I can imagine several lawmakers today were afraid. That's a good thing. They should fear the people. Fear us all so much that they dare not do something against the will.
Now, we will never all agree that the reason for today's storming is valid. That's fine. That's not the point of my post. But, think of all the hundreds and thousands of votes, motions, and debate over the years where the people should have been standing outside ready to rage. House passes motion # 1234556-B allowing remittance of $2B to the nation of Bolivia to study birdshit patterns? Shouldn't we have been storming the shit out of that instead of just allowing it to happen? $2B more earmarked for the much delayed and troubled F-35 joint-strike fighter? The most expensive defense project ever over a trillion of your tax dollars? Only 19 years in the works, hell, the Apollo space program not only got off the ground faster but made it to the friggin' moon in half the time! STORM THE GATES!!!
I think some (not all) of the founding fathers are smiling down on us today. Democracy is messy and imperfect. They knew this, they intended for the gates to be torn down every now and then. So, how often should we storm the capitol?
Secondly, it is somehow encouraging to see the people (peaceful people) take what is theirs. Take the protest to the steps of the Capitol! Take it to the floor where the meeting is taking place! Why should taxpayers pay for boundaries & fences around the government buildings they also paid for? Why should the protest stop hundreds of yards away from the debate? Why can't it be closer to the debate floor? Democracy dies in darkness (that's the WaPo's own words), so it is encouraging people to see the citizens challenge the lawmakers face-to-face.
Perhaps the reason our government is so dysfunctional for the people is because they do not fear the people. They need reminded who they work for. Sure, Congressmen & Women meet with the people but do they fear us? I can imagine several lawmakers today were afraid. That's a good thing. They should fear the people. Fear us all so much that they dare not do something against the will.
Now, we will never all agree that the reason for today's storming is valid. That's fine. That's not the point of my post. But, think of all the hundreds and thousands of votes, motions, and debate over the years where the people should have been standing outside ready to rage. House passes motion # 1234556-B allowing remittance of $2B to the nation of Bolivia to study birdshit patterns? Shouldn't we have been storming the shit out of that instead of just allowing it to happen? $2B more earmarked for the much delayed and troubled F-35 joint-strike fighter? The most expensive defense project ever over a trillion of your tax dollars? Only 19 years in the works, hell, the Apollo space program not only got off the ground faster but made it to the friggin' moon in half the time! STORM THE GATES!!!
I think some (not all) of the founding fathers are smiling down on us today. Democracy is messy and imperfect. They knew this, they intended for the gates to be torn down every now and then. So, how often should we storm the capitol?
