Some say democracy dies in darkness, but I’m watching it die in broad daylight. On Jan. 6, 2021, as I was preparing to celebrate my youngest daughter’s 8th birthday, I was completely stunned when I saw the attack happening on our nation’s Capitol.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I watched nearly breathlessly for hours from my living room. When I found out there were veterans that participated in that egregious attack, I instantly felt betrayed. I took my oath seriously when I raised my right hand in 2002; this was a slap in the face. In the military, politics don’t matter, we look out for each other no matter what. The military is trained to protect our nation, not attack its own people.
My mind flashes back to watching that line of people, in military gear, winding their way up the Capitol steps, like a slithering snake creeping up on its prey. I think we have some very slimy serpents in powerful political seats who were lured there with the temptation of forbidden fruit. Their bites are venomous to democracy. We are watching democracy slip through our fingers as they try to rip it away from us. The American experiment is one poisonous bite away from being snuffed out forever.
The time to stop them is now, by passing pro-democracy legislation. Which is why I’m calling on my senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and the rest of the Senate, to change the filibuster in order to pass the Freedom To Vote Act for the American people. The time is now or never.
