Twenty years.

9/11/2001. 

 I was married, then. My wife starting to have serious issues due to her MS, and I'd moved back to WI because there were flat out no jobs in Coos Bay, Oregon and in WI I could at least find *something,* plus have family near. We figured we could probably get better care, too. 

I was living in Johnson's Creek, an "apartment" that was actually a storefront. Working 3rd shift stocking at Walmart. I'd gotten home not long before.

My life seems to be defined, at times, by video games. I seem to recall being in Diablo II after work, unwinding, and chatting, when someone said a plane had "kamikazied" into one of the towers. We actually talked about that a little, the history-minded bit of me saying it was a tacky term to use for what had to be an accident. Probably a light plane or something. Then I went to turn on the TV and got to watch the second plane hit, live. I'd seen enough footage before, with the smoking hole, to know it wasn't just a replay. 

I don't remember much from that morning - I do remember going back into work for whatever reason, to tell someone or something. I didn't know how to react. Of course, that was being played there, too. Of course it was. 

I did eventually get to sleep. Not sure how long. Woke up to news of things like flights everywhere being grounded. We were at war with something called the Taliban and al-Queda not long after, which felt right. Never imagined we'd be *there* for twenty years. That people would die there that hadn't even been conceived yet. 

We hadn't been hit like that. Not like Pearl Harbor - a surprise, but one done to a military base by an enemy military. We don't like surprise attacks. We'd had terrorists hit, too... but they were home grown, Timothy Mcveighs, not from some dusty country halfway around the world. 

I'd say we were united, but ... well, some more than others. Unsurprisingly, anyone who "looked Muslem" was at risk from angry bigots. First time I'd paid much attention to finding out what a Sikh was, really, after they (non-muslem, by the way) started getting attacked as well. People who had been in and loved this country for ages became targets for some. 

And we've made a mess of things since, as well. But that's a rant for elsetime.

Riots in the Capitol. Really...

 I cannot fucking believe this. 

I expected the only circus for President-Elect Biden's nomination to be the handful of asshole Republican senators "protesting." Instead, we have a bunch of fucking pro-trump MAGA-heads *breaking into* the capitol. 

Trump does nothing but put out a tweet saying "stay peaceful." Biden? Comes out and sounds like a president. Sadly he doesn't have the authority yet to do anything. 

I'm angry. I'm infuriated not just that this bunch of idiots *did* this, think they have the fucking RIGHT, but that Trump's supported them and incited them. Trump aides are saying he doesn't want to do anything. No shit, is this surprising you at all? They're doing this *for him.* That's all this asshole has ever fucking CARED about. He should NEVER have been put in office. 

And Mitch Fucking McConnell. "Oh, preserve the process." Asshole, you and your caucus ENABLED and PROTECTED him. Not only should the rioters go to jail - fuck, you have the cages you put separated kids in, shove the lot of them there - but so should Trump, and so should most of the fucking Republican caucus. 

Let me drag the asshole down the street with the Trump flag down there, too. 

Trump should never have been put in power. Trump shoudl never have been allowed to stay in office. He should be *gone,* should have been with his impeachment, but the republicans put party and power over country. 

They chanted "lock her up" about Hillary. Lock *all* these motherfuckers up. 

Edit: And we go from President-Elect Biden's speech where he ... sounds like a president SHOULD, to Trump's "I know you're hurt, the election was stolen, we all know it, the other side knows it, but you have to go home now." 

PUT THAT ASSHOLE IN PRISON. Fucking remove him bodily from office NOW. I don't care if it's only two weeks until the inauguration. REMOVE THAT ASSHOLE BEFORE HE DOES MORE DAMAGE.