Traditionally, January 6 has marked the Feast of the Epiphany, at least in the Christian year. The date is also of significance even to pagans, as marking the end of the third part of the winter solstice. After today, sunrises will start to become earlier, however gradually.
Since last year, January 6 has come to take on a new and much darker meaning, as the anniversary of Donald Trump’s attempted coup d’etat. It’s most disquieting to realize that had Trump’s unruly horde been better organized and more disciplined, the coup might well have succeeded. No longer can we North Americans look smugly at, say, Latin American countries where such coups have become almost routine, and say to ourselves, “That sort of thing could never happen here.” Last January 6 showed that it could–and damn near did. Welcome to the Third World, U.S.
Let us hope that in the coming year, U.S. President Joe Biden backs up the strong words of his anniversary speech with strong actions. Every single person involved in the seditious coup attempt must be arrested, tried, and locked up for a good long period. As for those contemplating similar action in the weeks and months to come, they must be given to understand that future coup attempts will be greeted with rifles, tanks, police dogs, and drones. It is past time that Biden stopped pussyfooting around, and started treating the enemy as the enemy.
Jon Peirce Editorial Services 