Wednesday, January 13, 2021

An Orderly Transition of Power, They Say - weekly column

 

Lawrence Hall

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

An Orderly Transition of Power, They Say

 

Is’t night’s predominance, or the day’s shame

That darkness does the face of earth entomb

When living light should kiss it?

 

Macbeth II.iiii.9-11

 

On the 20th of January in the capital of the United States there should be children waving sparklers, avenues of light, marching bands and Boy Scouts in formation, merriment along streets scrubbed clean and bright, hot dog stands, souvenir shops selling shiny tat in red, white, and blue, and a good and happy citizenry in love with their nation and practicing good will to each other.

 

But in the present unhappy reality the capital on Inauguration Day will be a mottled scape of soldiers, concertina wire strung between Corinthian columns, secret service, chain-link fencing, police, checkpoints, soldiers, roadblocks, secret service, rooftop marksmen, police, missile batteries, soldiers, no-go zones, secret service, lockdowns, police, lockouts, soldiers, security gates, secret service, identification checks, police, radar, soldiers, radios, secret service, body scans, police, x-rays, soldiers, sniffer dogs, secret service, permits, police, passes, soldiers, patdowns, secret service, badges, police, questions, soldiers, suspicion, secret service, bollards, police, armored vehicles, soldiers, and all the other menacing apparatus of a decayed state.

 

In our nation’s capital on Inauguration Day the dominant emotion will not be national pride or joy or even relief, but fear.

 

Fear.

 

Why?

 

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