Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

January 6

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate...Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the 1960's I was living in an apartment on a street in the Panama Canal Zone. People were listening to a man, who was standing on a crate, screaming out directions to a crowd of young men. They were seizing residents automobiles, piling them like match sticks in heaps in the street and burning them. My land lady hid my 10 month old son and I. Literally saved out lives.

On January 6 I watched coverage on TV as violence struck the Capitol Complex. As I watched the camera panning crowds and people I particularly noticed how many people seemed to be wandering aimlessly, as a more compressed group of people stormed the building. I saw officers of the law being beaten. I saw guns waved. I saw people enter the building and break up
furniture. Many spectators were moving away, trying to leave the scene as violence escalated.

Later coverage showed officials being escorted quickly from the building and provided assurance of their safety.

I was horrified that such a large amount of people were willing to show this kind of violence and disrespect not only for the laws of the nation, also, for just ordinary civilian people, who were at the time trying to produce a calm atmosphere to achieve a simple legal change over in government.

Even as this was occurring I realize, that many people just don't know what to believe, because for years an atmosphere of lies has produced disassociated thinking in this country. Where I live people spread lies as if it is a normal thing to do. People don't have or take time to dig into any situation and discover the truth about any particular subject that may arise in the news.

When it comes to law making and bills being passed in any congress within the USA states, often the real meat of any bill is not explained in news to the public. We need open free public explanations and content of laws, that are being passed. News, that is not something that you have to dig on the internet or anywhere else to find the true content and reasons for the bills.

The working public is busy. They work jobs, raise children, keep house, regularly dealing with every day schedules. Keeping informed of public needs and other news is not an easy thing. Small groups resorting to violence will not prove anything.

Watching this brought back all the helpless feelings I felt in the Panama Canal Zone. Once violence takes over no one will be safe.