Capitol Insurrection one year later, we must not be complacent.

Sterling Hammer
3 min readJan 6, 2022

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US Capitol Dome

Today marks the one year anniversary an attack on the very seat of the United States Democracy. I sat here, in this very spot one year ago — and watched in horror on TV as a mob of angry supporters of Donald Trump, stormed the capitol, and called for the hanging of the Vice President of the United States because he chose the constitution and his oath over a single man. They erected a gallows out front ready for the task.

All while Donald Trump sat comfortably in the White House watching it unfold on TV doing nothing to stop it. As his supporters, fueled by his lie that the election was stolen beat law enforcement officers while carrying thin blue line flags. These people were not patriots. They wished to install Donald Trump as leader despite losing a free and fair election. I’ll also note that many Republicans won in 2020. Did they challenge their own elections?

For a very short time Republicans said enough is enough — we cannot proceed like this. There was a glimmer of hope that maybe, they’d realize their error in supporting a man like Trump.

“The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people…They tried to disrupt our democracy, they failed…This failed insurrection.”
- Mitch McConnell

“The violence, destruction, and chaos we saw earlier was unacceptable undemocratic and unamerican. It was the saddest day I’ve ever had as serving as a member of this institution…We saw the worst of America this afternoon…”
- Kevin McCarthy

But within weeks, they immediately reverted to their old ways. Continuing to perpetuate the big lie. And then they gave him a pass by acquitting him after he was impeached in the house saying “He wasn’t president anymore we can’t convict” despite there being more than enough precedent for that. Within just the past few months, candidates for Governor of Missouri could not even admit Joe Biden won the election. You can tell by their conspicuous absence from the events today, and them calling this remembrance “partisan” that they have no desire to right the ship of democracy. For the record an attempted coup on the United States Capitol is by very definition partisan.

Had Donald Trump been successful, he would have become a dictator. He lost by 74 electoral votes, and seven million votes overall. These results were certified by all 50 states. And despite feeding the lie that he won (Starting in September of 2020 if not sooner) he lost decisively. And then, lost every court case challenging the results because he had no evidence.

To this day, January 6th 2022 there is still no evidence the election was stolen or even close.

Throughout history dictatorships have risen, rise of Mussolini in Italy, Stalin, the collapse of Weimar in Germany. There is a commonality in their rise. Underreaction from society during the phase when they had the power to stop it. The coup attempt one year ago is still in motion. Make no mistake.

We must not look the other way. In 2022, vote for candidates that reject the lies that led to the events one year ago. As important as putting people in jail over these events is, it will NOT stop the backsliding of democracy. Voting WILL.

Do not bury your head in the sand and think that it can’t happen here. Because it can, and it will. But only if we allow it to through our own ignorance and inaction.

Vote like democracy is on the ballot because it is.

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Sterling Hammer
Sterling Hammer

Written by Sterling Hammer

Technologist, Architect, Video Gamer, Electronic Music Lover. These are my musings.