U. S. Capitol Under Siege; Former U. S. Presidents Push for Unity
On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, as many Georgians celebrated history being made, with Georgia’s first Black U. S. Senator and youngest U. S. Senator being elected to office, America was pushed to the brink of ruin. All should realize how deep the divisions in our country truly run.
Many in the state of Georgia were rejoicing as Democrat Reverend Dr. Raphael G. Warnock and Democrat Jon Ossoff had seized their elections in races for Georgia’s U. S. Senate seats (Warnock against Republican Kelly Loeffler and Ossoff against Republican David Perdue).
However, the glee was interrupted and overshadowed when so-called pro-Trump, armed insurrectionists stormed the U. S. Capitol who, along with Trump, objected to the election results and were prepared for a coup of the government.
We mentioned, for a long time now, how certain leaders can incite riots, insurrection, pure evil and hate, merely from their inflammatory words and actions… not denouncing racism, Semitism, sexism, discrimination. Isn’t that the definition of a dictator? Are we indeed fellow Americans? Do we truly believe in “We, the people”?
Many United States citizens couldn’t hear the official electoral vote read by Congress due to the breach by Trumpers that chose Trump over truth.
After the U.S. Capital was secured, Congress reconvened and affirmed U. S. President-Elect Biden’s win. Biden and Harris finished with 306 electoral votes, and Trump and Pence had 232 electoral votes. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
Since the awful events, Trump has reluctantly stated that there will be a change of power and that there will be a peaceful presidential transition. Meanwhile, members of the United States Cabinet and Congress are discussing the possibility of invoking Amendment 25 and / or another impeachment proceeding.
The Twenty-fifth Amendment (Amendment XXV) to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-fifth Amendment (Amendment XXV) to the United States Constitution deals with presidential succession and disability.
Section 1 clarifies that the vice president becomes president if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office. Section 4 provides that the vice president, together with a majority of certain Cabinet officers, may declare the president unable to carry out his duties, after which the vice president immediately assumes the duties of the president; if the president objects to such a declaration, Congress resolves the question.
Living Quotes
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” – Former U. S. President Ronald Reagan.
‘Georgia Has Set the Pace for a New Day’
After successful election of Democratic U. S. Senators Raphael G. Warnock and T. Jonathan Ossoff for the state of Georgia, with these victories, Georgia marks the first elections of an African-American U. S. Senator [Warnock] and election of the youngest member of the U. S. Senate in the 117th Congress [Ossoff, aged 33, Millenial generation]. Ossoff also will be the first Jewish member of the U. S. Senate from Georgia and the first Jewish U. S. Senator from the “Deep South” since Benjamin F. Jonas of Louisiana, who was elected in 1879. Ossoff will be the first Democrat elected to a full term in the Senate from Georgia since Max Cleland in 1996. He and Warnock will also be the first Democratic U.S. Senators from Georgia in sixteen years since Zell Miller left office in 2005.
“Atlanta and Georgia have set the pace for a new day. What the lawless [the insurrectionists at the United States Capitol] did today [on January 6, 2021], fueled by the current President [Trump], can’t undo the great victories in Georgia. It has lifted the hope in this century anchored in all of the hopes and sacrifices including the deaths that preceded the election. I am inspired by the beauty of the state of Georgia, my home state.” – Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.
Former U. S. President Barack Obama’s Statement
“History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation,” Obama said in a statement on January 6, 2021. “But we’d be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise.”
“For two months now, a political party and its accompanying media ecosystem has too often been unwilling to tell their followers the truth – that this was not a particularly close election and that President-Elect Biden will be inaugurated on January 20. Their fantasy narrative has spiraled further and further from reality, and it builds upon years of sown resentments. Now we’re seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo.”
“Right now, Republican leaders have a choice made clear in the desecrated chambers of democracy. They can continue down this road and keep stoking the raging fires. Or they can choose reality and take the first steps toward extinguishing the flames. They can choose America.”
Referring to the many Republicans that spoke out on Wednesday against the insurrection in the nation’s capital, Obama added, “I’ve been heartened to see many members of the President’s party speak up forcefully today. Their voices add to the examples of Republican state and local election officials in states like Georgia who’ve refused to be intimidated and have discharged their duties honorably.” “We need more leaders like these – right now and in the days, weeks, and months ahead as President-Elect Biden works to restore a common purpose to our politics. It’s up to all of us as Americans, regardless of party, to support him in that goal.”
Former U. S. President Jimmy Carter’s Statement
“Rosalynn and I are troubled by the violence at the U.S. Capitol today. This is a national tragedy and is not who we are as a nation. Having observed elections in troubled democracies worldwide, I know that we the people can unite to walk back from this precipice to peacefully uphold the laws of our nation, and we must. We join our fellow citizens in praying for a peaceful resolution so our nation can heal and complete the transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.”
Former U. S. President George W. Bush’s Statement
“This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic – not our democratic republic.”
“I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement. The violent assault on the Capitol – and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress – was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes.”
Former U. S. President Bill Clinton’s Statement
Former U. S. President Bill Clinton called the travesty “an unprecedented assault on our Capitol, our Constitution, and our country.”
“The assault was fueled by more than four years of poison politics spreading deliberate misinformation, sowing distrust in our system, and pitting Americans against one another. The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers, including many in Congress, to overturn the results of an election he lost.”
“The election was free, the count was fair, the result is final. We must complete the peaceful transfer of power our Constitution mandates.”
Last updated on January 8, 2021