A day that should live in infamy (#1181)

Topics/tags: Miscellaneous

Today we take a break from our regularly scheduled [1] musings and rants about my life, particularly my life in academia, to consider a somewhat larger issue, the date.

Today is the 6th of January 2022. A year ago, misguided people invaded our halls of liberty, attempting to disrupt the workings of democracy. some were armed. Many showed little respect for those halls of liberty, physically. All of them showed more than disrespect for the orderly workings of democracy.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise. I expect that many of them regularly venerate traitors to our country, seen most often by the flying of the traitorous flag [2]. And I expect that many of them embrace the myth of the second amendment that the people of our great country should be ready for armed rebellion at the drop of a hat [3].

But it should be terrifying.

What should be even more terrifying is that our elected leaders, those pledged to protect our country, are not unanimous in decrying this attack on democracy. And a former president, pledged to uphold democracy, is at the forefront of the claims that led to this rebellion [4].

We may not agree about much in our country. We may never have agreed about much. But I thought we agreed on respect for democracy.

So let us let January 6 be another day that lives in infamy.

Postscript: In this musing, as everywhere, I speak for myself and not for my institution. I also realize that some students may be concerned that I hold different political views than they do. That is inevitable. Know that I will not hold your political views against you in your work. After all, some of my best friends are Republicans. Some are even Trumpians.

[1] More accurately, regularly unscheduled or irregularly scheduled.

[2] It is hard to dispute that the members of the Confederacy were traitors to the United States. At the same time, members of the United States in the late 1700s were traitors to the English monarchy. Sometimes revolution is necessary. But that doesn’t make you any less of a traitor.

[3] Perhaps that’s not a myth; it may be what the founders intended. I just consider it inappropriate for the 21st century.

[4] I make no comment on whether or not that president encouraged the rebellion. However, his unfounded claims about the theft of the election were key to the rebellion. It appears that many of the traitors thought they were acting on his orders.

Version 0.1 of 2022-01-06.