Dear Readers,
We are West Virginia tough, and we will get through the current political turmoil.
Yes, the Herald Record is the oldest Republican (Conservative ) Newspaper in the County, and no, I do not plan to take the Flag Banner and that statement from the header of the paper, even after all the “happenings” that took place last week.
Yes, I was a Democrat many moons ago, but walked away for two big reasons. The first was that I did not believe in the Democrats’ platform. The second was because voting on local Democrat candidates in primary elections was highly restricted because very few ran on the Democratic ticket.
No, I do not believe that violence will win the battles that our Country faces today. However, I do believe that we cannot set back and watch our freedoms be removed by those with political and/or financial power.
Since Wednesday evening (Jan 6th), I have been glued to the news and have also watched and re-watched videos of what took place that day.
My first question Wednesday evening was, “Where is the security that is supposed to be around the Capital building? My next question was, “Who are these people? They can’t be Trump supporters!”
Order and security for large gatherings is possible. I remembered the Promise Keepers March held in 1997 that my husband attended. The group he went with required each person be registered and wear a name tag. He told that the area they could be in was lined with National Guardsmen, and they were not allowed to stray from the path marked out for the marchers. He also indicated that the marchers did not go where they were not allowed.
The Promise Keepers March was prior to the attacks on our Nation on 9/11 at a time when the security of our Nation’s Capital was supposedly beefed-up. What is our National’s Capitol “beefed-up” with now? Snow fences, bicycle racks, and a hand full of security guards?
As I watched TV coverage on Wednesday, I saw one guard seemingly running from danger from the crowd by going up a set of stairs to the Capital building. Then on Saturday when sound was added to a video of this guard’s actions, I believe I heard him saying “This way, this way” making it appear that he was leading the rioters into the Capital building. But on Monday, the MSM reported that he led the rioters away from face-to-face contact with the Senators. Taking everything together changed my initial impression about what went on in this part of the crowd.
The event on January 3 was supposed to be a rally to support the President and give those who felt that election fraud had been committed a way to be seen and heard by their presence in Washington. However, because of the timing of storming the Capital building and violence, the full complaints about the election were not heard by the House or the Senate. Violence totally defeated the purpose of holding the rally.
MSM and others immediately reported that President Trump called for the violence in his speech. I carefully listened to a video of Trump’s entire speech, not just the bits and pieces that were being broadcast repeatedly. I encourage everyone to do this. I heard him telling everyone that it was time go home in PEACE.
Yes, at least one person from Doddridge County attended the January 6 rally. He and those who were with him left because they could see that things were going south. (Before the rally even began, bags of bricks were spotted sitting out of the way on sidewalks.)
Another West Virginian, Derick Evans, a Delegate to the WV House, entered the Capital building, took videos of himself while there, and now has been charged for his part in this crime. He has stepped down from the office to which he was elected in 2020.
Six people – human beings — died because of this violence: an unarmed woman from California who was shot dead by an Officer, a Capitol Hill policeman who was hit in the head by a fire extinguisher, three citizens due to health emergencies, and one Capital policeman by suicide.
No, I do not know the people who participated in the violence. Sadly, we, the people, will probably never know who organized and paid for this travesty.
In closing, I ask you to remember that not one of us has agreed with every US President. Some were good – some were bad – but they were OUR President. We held on to our sanity and to our belief in the sanctity of life, knowing that they can be voted out!
Respectfully,
Tammy Beamer
Editor