For a while, I was most upset about the theft of the lecturn, until I realized how materialistic I had become. What a sad loss of life, in these sad times.
Of course, like many of my readers, I'm angry. I guess I was in denial; I did not see this coming. Some friends and acquaintances---with whom I should have kept in closer touch---had seen people talking about invading the Capitol on Facebook, and assumed that I would have known. Well, I did not have to know; I do not regret missing that horrible party; I would have ended up thinking of pulling people back by their shirts, but of course, I'm not brave enough to do that sort of nonsense. It went on for so long! And we waited in vain for security forces to intervene.
Meanwhile, as you know, I am trying to work on a story that is set in the present. It is about Helen's and Sita's first few years together. Initially it was supposed to be a romantic, lyrical story. Since Trump was in the White House, I assumed that things would be a little less than rosy, especially since Sita was still an Immigrant (in contrast to Lalitha, who had received Citizenship). But I never expected this dystopia. A better writer than myself would have woven the events we have just seen into the story, but the politics would have become more important than Helen and Sita and the children.
People love to hate poor Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. The people who do are either ignorant of the sheer corruption that the poor workers---many of whom are out of a job---who live in AOC's area see; or they are willing to tolerate it, for the sake of the system of oppression that they support. They should not fear; Biden will probably make only small adjustments to the system. All this makes me so disheartened.
This protest was in fact the Haves protesting against the incoming Have Nots, though the latter are not as penurious as to be called by that name.
Kay
