Anadi Naik
The House of Representatives of the United States is going full steam to investigate the incident of January 6, 2021 in which hundreds of Trump supporters ransacked offices and threatened the members of Congress inside the Capitol Building. Because of the riot, five individuals have died and many were injured. The saga of that day stands as a blot on the face of American democracy. The United States is known around the world for its dedication to the rule of law and the values of democracy where majority rule is the norm. Then, how could a group of people become so unreasonable that they discarded truth, ignored reality and became violent? Many wonder, “How could such a thing happen in America?” The answer to these questions lie in the system itself. The inherent permissiveness of the system comes from the First Amendment rights granted by the Constitution. Getting together to protest against injustice is not unusual. Nor is the use of unpleasant words against officeholders. But threatening to do bodily harm or imposing one’s will by force is beyond the dictate of law or democratic order.
As the investigation continues more and more details are coming to light. What has become clear so far is that there was a deliberate effort to derail the democratic system in America of which the incident of the January 6 was like a tip of the iceberg. The assembled mob tried to prevent Joe Biden who won the majority in popular votes and the Electoral College becoming president of the United States. Although numbers had been declared weeks ago January 6 was the day when the Vice President was to read that to the Congress. This was a requirement to finalize the process of electing a president. The mob wanted to derail the process. It was encouraged and supported to do so by people who should have known better. They worked within the bureaucracy and in the White House.
There are many countries around the world where strong men have remained at the helm of power by force. Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Turkmenistan, Myanmar, North Korea come to mind. There are others. What it proves is that the demise of democracy can happen in any place at any time. If the citizenry is not careful or sufficiently committed to democracy as a way of life then it could lose the rights and freedom to self-rule. Once the rights are lost it is hard to get back. On January 6 the United States came pretty close to losing its commitment to democracy. However, there were people who stood in the way. The military leaders whose support was essential to the survival and execution of a dictatorship showed their true American color – a total commitment to the civilian authority. Elected officials completed their job in spite of threats to their lives. Vice President Mike Pence did not get swayed in the face of intense pressure. Then there were the capital police and other law enforcement officials.
The committee has issued numerous subpoenas to people linked to the incident. They acted as brains behind the mob. The Government has brought charges, according to the publicly available report, against 675 individuals. 125 of them have pleaded guilty. 28 have been sentenced. These are the people who participated in the riot to different degrees. Legal maneuvering continues and in order to resolve some of the issues the Supreme Court may eventually have to get involved. Whatever may be the final outcome the 6th of January 2021 remains a tumultuous moment in American history. In the life of every nation a moment comes when the strength and stamina of its people are tested. January 6 like 9/11 or Pearl Harbor was such a moment whose consequences go far beyond the moment itself. If there ever was a need for “eternal vigilance” January 6 opened it bare before us
Anadi Naik’s books SONG OF SATAN, NINETEENTH OF NOVEMBER, BLOWN AWAY and A MAN OF HUMILITY are available at Barnes and Noble and WWW.amazon.com. Please ask your local library if it carries any of these books.
The opinion stated here is of the writer, and does not represent the views of the publication, the publisher or the editorial board.
