[E-rundbrief] Info 2052 - Lies and the storming of the Capitol (USA)

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief Info 2052 - FOR/USA: Lies, betrayal and the storming of 
the Capitol (Washington D.C., USA).

Bad Ischl, 9.1.2020

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Lies, betrayal and the storming of the Capitol (in Washington, D.C., 
7.1.2021)

https://forusa.org/2021/01/07/lies-betrayal-and-the-storming-of-the-capitol/

Jan 7, 2021

Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson
US-Fellowship for Reconciliaton

Lies have consequences. The insurrection that was attempted as the 
U.S. Senate and House of Representatives gathered to certify the 
election results on January 6, 2021 was incited by the President’s 
lies. The violence that ensued as they stormed the United States 
Capitol was evidence of how far people will go to keep a lie alive.

As I watched a mob break into “The People’s House,” I heard numerous 
commentators tell their viewers, “This is not America. This is not who 
we are.” Friends, we must face the truth. This is America, and this is 
who we will always be until we can tell ourselves the truth about the 
lies we keep alive. The lies are bigger than the disinformation put 
forth by the President, and bigger than the lies that went 
unchallenged by Republican leaders for months. There is a deeper 
falsehood that drives what we witnessed in the nation’s capital as 
Congress met to certify the results of the electoral college.

The lies at the core of our national psyche loudly proclaim America as 
exceptional. The lies frame a story of heroic individuals who tamed a 
wild frontier and built the most powerful, prosperous, and righteous 
nation the world has ever known.

The reality is far different. It is the story of radical settler 
colonialism and violence rooted in white supremacy. It is the story of 
the pursuit of prosperity and power made possible by genocide and 
built on the labor of the enslaved.

The mob’s arrival in Washington, D.C., was not spontaneous. President 
Trump extended the invitation weeks ago. When the crowds arrived at 
his mask-less super-spreader event, he fed their fury about his loss 
of the election with more lies. Because lies have consequences, within 
two hours, the crowd became a mob and stormed the steps of the Capitol 
Building, then scaled its walls, broke windows, and violently breached 
the institution. Once inside, the mob rummaged and vandalized the 
legislative offices, and one in the mob was hit by gunfire and died. 
Three others died from medical emergencies.

President Trump has repeatedly ignored calls to speak to the American 
people to urge peace, and instead, he has taken to social media to 
incite further violence with claims that the election was “stolen by 
evil people.” The social media platform Twitter eventually locked his 
account (temporarily), but not before he could repeat more lies about 
the integrity of the U.S. elections.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “There comes a time when silence is 
betrayal.” In that sense, Mr. Trump’s party has betrayed the American 
people with their silence and must be called into account. The 
Electoral College’s results must be unanimously upheld, and those who 
refuse should be removed from office.

America was born with the birth defect of white supremacy and until we 
cure it and renounce our love affair with the violence required to 
uphold that ugly deformity, the sickness displayed today will always 
reside in the heart of the American experiment.

It takes courage and strength to face the truth. I am praying with Dr. 
King for all Americans to take courage and be strong.

“Show us the lies that are still embedded in the soul of America’s 
consciousness. Unmask the untruths we have made our best friends. For 
they seek our destruction. And we are being destroyed, Lord. Reveal 
the ways the lies have distorted and destroyed our relationships. They 
break your shalom … daily … give us courage to embrace the truth about 
ourselves and you and our world…. give us faith to believe: Redemption 
of people, relationships, communities and whole nations is possible! 
Give us faith enough to renounce the lies and tear down the walls that 
separate us with our hands, with our feet, and with our votes!”


Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson is the 26th executive director of the 
Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR-USA), founded in 1915. Under her 
leadership, FOR-USA is adopting a reparative lens to pursue justice 
and racial reconciliation in the United States. Ordained by the 
Concord Baptist Church of Christ in 1989, her leadership among New 
York’s advocates and organizers has centered on advocacy for children. 
As executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund – New York, she 
worked with advocates to name and address New York’s cradle to prison 
pipeline crisis; prioritize youth justice within New York’s diverse 
faith communities; and close abusive youth prisons redirecting 
resources to invest in youth and their communities. Rev. 
Jordan-Simpson is a graduate of Fisk University, Union Theological 
Seminary, and Drew Theological Seminary.

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Nachsatz von Matthias Reichl:

Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson meint, wenn sie "America" und "Americans" 
schreibt, die USA und ihre Bewohner und nicht den gesamten Kontinent. 
Gegen diese Vereinnahmung wehren sich zurecht Bewohner aus den anderen 
Ländern.

-- 

     Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
     Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
     Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
     Wolfgangerstr. 26, 4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
     fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
     Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at