Capitol riots: Republicans and Democrats must meet in the middle to heal

I bleed Blue, White and Red. And I want my family, friends and my America back.

JANUARY 9, 2021 20:18

Joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden as the next U.S. president in the US Capitol in Washington (photo credit: REUTERS) — Joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden as the next U.S. president in the US Capitol in Washington

(photo credit: REUTERS)

I am sure that I am not the only Israeli-American walking around in a fog today, trying to make sense of yesterday’s news. I have been predicting violence surrounding the election for months and now – here it is – full and frontal and in our Capitol.

Full disclosure. I voted for Trump, not for his personality – but for his policies, which I found sound and refreshing after eight long and arduous years of Obama’s ineffectual leadership. I thought US President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords were brilliant and I really appreciated finally having a president that didn’t sneer at Israel’s leaders. I could have done without the tweets and self-aggrandizing. He had no “off switch.”

I believe that had Trump won the election, there would have been violence as well. Controversial as that may seem, we saw Antifa and Black Lives Matter try to storm the White House. Revolution has been in the air from the day Trump took office.

I have been asked how I can stand up and admit that I voted for Trump especially now – given that all his followers are criminals and Nazis. Because all his followers are not evil, not any more than all Democrats are radical and elitist. I recall having a discussion with a liberal relative after Trump won the 2016 election. She was heartbroken that he won – and I was appalled at BLM and Antifa violence. My relative made a clear distinction between the anarchists and the well-meaning people who voted for Hillary. But then, she added that violence in the name of civil rights was justified.

No, it is not. Violence is never, ever justified in the name of anything. Never. Ever. And whoever stormed the Capitol last night may have thought they were justified, but they were criminals. Period.

It’s been pointed out to me that prior to the riot, the president called for a fight and reiterated his “baseless claims” that the vote was rigged. I watched the hearings and listened to the testimony that was not broadcast on most media outlets.

While my liberal friends call all of it “conspiracy theories,” there appeared to be legitimate concerns that were never given enough publicity or legal scrutiny. That is a shame. America consists of two parties. There are extremists on both sides. The whole point of the two-party system is to balance, not to squelch or censor the other’s point of view.

Last night’s chaos was an amalgam of a perfect storm: a horrible pandemic, people dying, people out of work for months, extremism and people feeling marginalized. Yes, I predicted it. Yes, it happened.

And here’s another prediction. There is no balm that will make this heal, no leader who will make it go away.

Americans need to act. Both sides must take responsibility for the situation. Stop canceling each other and start listening to one another. Stop shouting at each other and start talking with each other. Be consistent. No violence from either side – not in the name of civil rights nor freedom nor justice nor anything.

I am a Patriot. An Israeli and an American. I bleed Blue, White and Red. And I want my family, friends and my America back.

The writer is a journalist and published author from Karnei Shomron, Israel.