As the U. S. Department of Justice moves up the indictment ladder, the charges are getting more serious. So far there are 753 participants in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol that have been indicted. It is the last 11 however, with charges that include “Seditious Conspiracy,” that have raised the stakes.
This count that has been alleged against leaders of militant and racist organizations is significant not only because treason is officially on the table, but also because it anticipates potentially and equally serious indictments against the political and intellectual operatives that put these people on the path to the betrayal of the country.
It is clear that the usurpers of democracy are feeling the potential loss of control of political institutions and are set to attack again if they and their leadership do not get their way. One of the significant manifestations of this are the 22 percent of Americans that are confirmed “anti-vaxxers.”
Many of the enemies of vaccinations also follow the “Big Lie” and a number of conspiracy theories that are politicizing our national landscape to the point of creating state laws against voting and controlling the vote count to assure that our institutions obey their wishes. The first test of their new strategy will be conducted under the favorable condi- tions provided by the 2022 state and congressional elections.
It also appears that another test will come in the 2024 national elections where the same groups may plan to complete the takeover of government and create a type of apartheid similar to what South Africa used to have to control their Black majority. That ideology is reminiscent of one held by the nativist Know-Nothing movement that appeared shortly before the American Civil War.
Ironically, these plans are being aided by the failure of the Biden Administration to get a handle on COVID and the current struggle to get the “Build Back Better” legislation passed. The President ran on those things and even his party is making him accountable for the leadership on this difficult road.
It seemed that we were well on our way to resolving the pandemic when the Delta variant hit. Many in the health community thought that a fully vaccinated population could withstand the threat. Then the Omicron variant came and set back the progress on getting through the virus. It did not help that at least a third of the country would or could not take the vaccine.
The plans and effort to overthrow the government came at the same time that saw the rise of COVID and the Trump loss of his reelection. Both of these events have exacerbated the already deep divisions in the country.
The appearance of the Millennial community as the new majority is also contributing to sedition as the generation is displaying a significant tendency to be more inclusive in race, gender and lifestyle. This has made the holdouts from the old guard perhaps accelerate their intentions to reinvent the country to one ruled by a minority through calculated designs that manipulate the vote of the people.
The challenge to America and the American way of life is clear to see. We are at the crossroad of various paths to the future. The pull toward greater democracy and freedom for all is strong. So is the pull of old tendencies of wanting to hold on to power.
The added anxiety of a virus that defies our best efforts, complicates things. It is indeed a recipe for a perfect storm.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
