By Sierra Barrios, Focus Editor
America, the beautiful. The land of the free looked chaotic and gruesome when a radical mob of President Donald J. Trump’s supporters broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s win.
I love my country. As the daughter of a former Marine, I’m hesitant to speak badly of the country my late father fought for. As an Independent, I’m not anti-Republican or anti-Democrat. But no matter which president you support, that attack disgraces the U.S. that my father fought for.
Five people died. Officers arrested under a hundred people out of the mob. Over a dozen Trump officials resigned. After all the horrible atrocities the U.S. faced in 2020, I hoped the turmoil would bring people together to create a better nation in 2021. Clearly, I was wrong.
Maybe I see the world through rose-colored glasses, but I don’t understand how anyone can call domestic terrorism a protest. The FBI defines domestic terrorism as the unlawful use of political or socially motivated force without foreign influence committed against people or property. Pride and political agendas are no excuse for terrorism.
People’s arrogance cause division. People don’t want to admit that someone else is right, and they don’t want to accept ideas that are not their own. If people could set aside their egos and talk to one another, we’d make a lot more progress in the world.
The riot wasn’t the left or the right’s fault, and the embarrassment we face now is on the people who were at the Capitol that day. But it takes two to tango, and both sides could have handled the election with more grace.
Americans need to be humble and love one another. Ultimately we’re the ones storming the Capitol, not our leaders. Now isn’t the time for petty squabbles between political parties or playing the blame game. The rioters don’t represent all Trump supporters or all Americans, but their attack only divides the left and the right further.
I believe in unity. Unity means that the U.S. needs a peaceful transition of power. I hoped that despite the party drama, we’d set aside our differences, let someone take power and start taking steps towards a better future—a new dawn for our country. To see the opposite happen is disappointing.
I can’t understand how some people believe it’s right to act so violently. I hope that one day I’ll live the American Dream and raise my children somewhere they’ll be safe. I might not understand what it means to be a parent, but a nation that tolerates terrorism isn’t the home I want for my children. I still believe in America the beautiful, and I hope that our leaders find it in their hearts to believe it too.