Capitol Attack

National Assault

The attack on our seat of government looked more like a coup attempt than a protest. We have come to the point in this country where we are no longer free to disagree. Any opposition to our point of view is met with hostility. Compromise is impossible in an atmosphere of hate. It has been coming. I have watched as the media and national leaders on both sides have fanned the flames of dissent.

I have never been a Trump fan. During his last debate with Hillary, both candidates convinced me not to voter for the other one. He did little to change my mind since. I am proudly a conservative, and was grateful his administration worked to counter my three primary concerns for our nation. He tried to stop exporting our wealth. We threaten our national standard of living when we try to support the world and allow our friends to take advantage of our good intentions. China scares me. We are economically dependent on a hostile country. Trump worked hard to change that. If we continue to increase our national debt, we will eventually go broke. Not only did Trump not correct the increasing debt, he exacerbated it. My biggest criticism of our Chief Executive was that he went out of his way to make unnecessary enemies. He never came to the realization that public office is different than running a business. CEOs are paid to make money for the company. They don’t have to be popular. Presidents need to cultivate relationships with the media, other politicians, and with the American People. He cultivated enemies, and they eventually brought him down.

His refusal to accept the results of the election was the last straw as far as I was concerned. When he took the oath of office, he swore before God and the American people to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” He didn’t do that. Instead, he led an insurrection up the steps of our nation’s capital and disrupted the constitutional process. That is inexcusable, and comes awfully close to rebellion.

I blame Trump for the attack on the Constitution, but the media and other politicians rightfully share in the blame. I understand Senator Schumer’s call to invoke the 25th amendment and would support it if Trump had more time in office. As it is, Congress moves too slow to do anything except make speeches on the subject. Trump will be gone in less than two weeks. Let him go. To use this incident to make political points is shameful. Our Governor continues to demonstrate his lack of understanding of what our country needs. He joined the lynch mob early on and never missed an opportunity to take shots at the President. His tweet during the attack on the Capitol was exactly wrong. Blaming “Trump and his lackeys in Congress” are fighting words. He tried to pour gasoline on the fire when we needed our leaders to offer words of reconciliation. The media attack on President Trump was unprecedented. It began before the 2016 election and continues today. Trump is wrong to challenge the election, but to categorize his objections as “baseless” or “false” allegations are unnecessary fighting words that make the situation worse.

This is as close to civil war as I ever want to get. I can only hope this is a wake-up call. Trump will be gone in less than two weeks. Without rump to hate, maybe our leaders will find a path they can walk together. I can hope, but I won’t hold my breath.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.