Since Monday was Martin Luther King day and the City was closed, Cathy and I decided to take a drive. We weren’t sure if the road would be passable, but decided to go to Succor Creek and then out the other side through the Owyhees to Highway 95 north of Jordan Valley. The road was rocky and slippery in places. The pickup was covered in mud by the time we got back, but the sights were well worth the drive.
As you are reading this, Biden either will be or has been sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. I wish I could say that the future looks bright for his Presidency, but we all know that he will have his own rocky and slippery road ahead. Just two weeks ago, a mob of thousands stormed the Capitol building to try to ensure he did not get into office.
The main purpose of this assault appears to have been the belief that the recent election was “stolen.” Therefore, it seemed natural to those storming the Capitol to try to stop lawmakers from doing their Constitutional duty to count the electors’ ballots to officially name Mr. Biden as the next President. Different people appear to have had different objectives on how to “stop the steal.” Some seemed to have the objective to simply disrupt the process. Others appeared to actually be looking for lawmakers and Vice-President Pence to kidnap or worse. Some seemed to believe it was time for a second revolution like 1776 with the belief it is time to start over in this country. All of these “objectives” are disturbing.
I’m a bit of a history nut, so I couldn’t help but relate these incidents back to our own and other countries’ histories.
The mob who stormed the Capitol two weeks ago is reminiscent of mobs who started the French Revolution which resulted in the Reign of Terror, followed by decades of instability. It was a revolution started without a plan other than vague ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity. It descended into a nightmare of mob mentality.
This country was founded on the idea that as a people we could govern ourselves based on laws. Before 1776, governments were ruled by kings whose authority had been “granted by God.” The whole purpose of our revolution was to allow men to rule themselves as a democracy. Even before the break with England, a Continental Congress was formed to get the best minds together to work through the situation. The idea was to exchange thoughts to form the best plan and provide a uniform front. After the war, the various new states tried to work independently. This didn’t work. And so, again the best minds got together to put together a plan on how to build this country as the first experiment in democracy.
The 1776 revolution resulted in one of the most remarkable documents ever created by men because it was based on ideas and implemented by thinking men who anticipated potential problems and designed systems to safeguard against abuse.
Today, there are people who believe the election system did not work. The belief seems to be the system was manipulated in various ways on a massive scale to come to a predetermined outcome. There are many allegations of fraud and manipulation, but little evidence.
This belief exists despite local election officials at all levels, all 50 State Legislatures, the Courts including the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Congress certifying the election as valid.
The mob who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 seemed to believe that it was up to them to save the Constitution and the country.
It’s my belief the Constitution stood up pretty well on its own.
Thank you for letting me say my piece.
In City business this week, work continues on the alley clean-ups. There are about two weeks left in the process.
Also, the Electric Dept. is in the process of upgrading the residential electric meters. They will be going around from house to house in back yards to remove old meters and install new ones. Please do not be alarmed. They will be wearing their yellow safety vests and hardhats. Please make sure your meters are uncovered and accessible.
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you have a good one.
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