Lessons from the Capitol Hill riot

By Nora Sorino .

ILIGAN City – From a distance, we had viewed
the riot Jan 6 at the Capitol Hill in D.C. Still, the shock from viewers here was real.

In its aftermath though, we learned troubling lessons. One is that nobody is exempt from “madness.”

Even a powerful man like the President of America.

And two words seemed to leap into the minds of those who were in a position to control such madness. And even those who were mere viewers. The words: 25th Amendment and Impeachment.

Another word was “suspended.”

Let’s begin with the 3rd word which is
“suspended.” As in Twitter “suspended” President Donald Trump’s account. Thereby controlling his “madness” expressed in his tweets to supporters who likewise had mindsets similar to his. First, it was “temporarily.” And then “permanently.”

And then the mad Trump said, “They want to silence me.” Meaning he could not be silenced. Even if there were five people who died in that riot, per reports.

So the words “25th Amendment” then were
heard. Prompting this writer to study what is that. Which I’ m sure is not just something that we eat.

It is a move by the government that in case a sitting President is unable to do his job because he is incapacitated, then the Vice President takes over.

But that is easier said than done, as the cliché goes.

Then we hear of Impeachment – and Trump got impeaches. Again.

But there’ s little time left. Before President- elect Joe Biden’ s inauguration as the 46th President. Why not let the Trump presidency run its course like some virus that is not Covid?

But with somebody who’s “deranged ” many dangerous things can still be done during the few days that’ s left of a presidency.

Nancy Pelosi, that feisty lady of a House Speaker though has these words to describe Trump: Deranged. Unhinged.

Well, did not his niece, Mary L. Trump describe her uncle in her book, “Too Much and Never Enough ” as the world’ s “most dangerous man”?

To note, even a journalist from CNN said that it was ” more horrifying ” up close in that riot than what was seen on TV.

And lately there’s that intelligence report that there would be simultaneous riots too in each of the 50 state capitols on the 16th of this month up to the 20th, and again on D C
capitol hill from the 17th to the 20th which is President-elect Joe Biden’ s inauguration.

The acting Homeland Security head then resigned.

By the way, America has read between the lines what Trump has said that he was “not going to attend the inauguration”. Of which Biden said, ” that is a good thing.”

Is he naive then? Or just playing naive? Because many people there are saying that as a “signal” to his supporters. To “do what is to be done.” Like when he said before that Jan. 6 riot that “I will be watching.”

Many Americans now as we say it here, are “advanced mag-isip” That’ s among the lessons that they learned there. As in ” anha pa diay ka manguros kon magkilat na?”

So Twitter and other social media platforms suspended the President’ s account.

Too bad for Trump. For to date he has made history as the only President of America who has been impeached two times. With the words “Inciting of Insurrection” imbedded there.

“He got caught by his mouth, ” said Magna, a friend who came over to the office as she said she was bored inside her office with a dentist as her boss. I knew the cat, I mean the boss was away, so the mouse of a Magna got to play.

“Yeah?” I said playing dumb.

“Of course, ” she said, ” like a fish!”

“He had been helped very much by a blue bird. But the bird has stopped twitting now.”

She was referring of course to Twitter.

“Platforms like that and the others who have suspended his accounts are thinking of
‘reforms’ so as not to become instruments of
trouble in a place once dubbed as ‘ flowing with milk and honey,” I said with a put on seriousness.

“Oh, ” Magna said. ” That means that for all the accolades given to America as a first world country, we now know that they are just as vulnerable. Like us.”

“What d’ you mean,” I asked, mystified by her sudden well, intellectual sounding talk.

“Self explanatory, ” she said. “And look at these posts and comments on FB,” she said.

“From Sen. Lacson: ‘Do not vote for insanity.’ “

She then cleared her throat a little. And then she looked more closely at her gadget. “And look at this one.”‘

She extended her hand bearing her gadget so that I could look at it too and I was horrified to see a picture of people climbing a wall and bringing with them crude weapon’s like broken glasses. The caption beneath read: “A first world’ s problems require third world tactics!”

“Oh, no,” I said.

“Oh,yes,” Magna said ” Meaning every one has the right to be crazy “

“But not the President of America,” I said with a lot of sureness. “Remember that he has the nuclear bomb with him!”

My friend got speechless for a few seconds.