The words in the title have been used many times in this extraordinary this year. Now what? I attempt to display a certain amount of omniscience here in the Daily, but I will confess our current situation exceeds even my normal hubris with numbers on that score.

Up side: we have a President-Elect now. We have the Senate results, and that is what I had hoped would occur. Something orderly and in keeping with tradition I swore to protect. But of course there was more. This morning there is talk of invoking the 25th amendment to depose Mr. Trump, or perhaps a rush impeachment in order to get his fingers off the nuclear codes a few days before he will be replaced on the 20th. According to CNN this morning, there are now five total casualties in the series of this week’s confrontations.

Trump has apparently conceded, and things will move to the inauguration of President Biden in twelve days, if you are counting them. Mr. Trump announced he will not participate this morning. Now we can start planning on how to deal with the new order with some certainty- public peace, commuting safety and who will manage the government acquisition process we must deal with.

All good. But does changing circumstance mean this unpleasant episode in American history is finally over? In a more organized thought process, I would say I don’t know. I do know how I feel, which is where most of us seem to be.

For example, there was some discussion on one of the threads I follow about the use of the term “murder” in reference to the shooting death of Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who died in the confusion. No equivalent claims have been made regarding the Capitol Police officer rumored to have been struck down with the fire extinguisher. The others who perished were named as Benjamin Phillips, 50, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; and Rosanne Boyland, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia. No word on how they passed, except unattributed reports of a cardiac arrest and injuries incurred by falls from scaffolding.

My thoughts are with the families of all of them this morning. There were clearly some misconceptions that morning on the part of protestors and law enforcement. My prior advice stands. “Avoid crowds” was the caution. I should have added “and unauthorized intrusion on Federal property.” My bad. In defense, that actually was one of the footnotes I have been meaning to include with every story. You know them, but I will repeat the first one just for clarity: “Avoid Crowds. Wear a mask if that is a condition of service. Wash hands frequently.”

I think it is appropriate to add a second footnote, or modify the first in the interests of inclusion. “Particularly avoid crowds seeking to intrude on Federal property with questionable personal hygiene.”

We had been expecting something to happen beyond the scheduled events of this week for quite a while. Some pals include the various events spanning the entire Trump administration. Others limit it to the discord of the 2020 plague, lockdown and election panoply. As part of my civic obligation, I listened to enough of the President’s speech on Wednesday to hear his position. It seemed pretty clear, and I characterized it mentally as a call for action. In response, I went to the health complex for a swim. I think the trouble began at about minute 45 of calm and steady paddling in the deep end of the heated pool. When I got back to the car, there were reports of Insurrection inside the Capitol. Or something.

Initial reports were that Ashli had been shot in the successful attempt to breach security. An hour or two later, she was reported to have died. There were three- or four- other deaths that afternoon, not shootings, the authorities were quick to say. “Medical Emergencies” was the term conjured up to describe them. The fire extinguisher used in a personal assault on a law enforcement officer was a new one, since ostensibly the attack was conducted by a protestor- rioter, if you will- in favor of law & order. But like I say, I don’t think any of us in the country know what is going on with any precision.

It is not just crowds to avoid these days. We have shared our controversies over numbers lately, and I try to stay away from them. A pal lost her Mom to COVID last week. It was real and personal and there is no other way to take the news except with sorrow for her loss.

Then there are the cascades of numbers about everything. Lockdowns, for example. Virginia is apparently 23rd in state severity, squarely in the middle of the 50 or 51 states. Then there is the curious number of COVID deaths, approaching 300,000, and which includes motorcycle, vehicle and gunshot incidents. The occurrence of heart disease, the traditional number one cause of death, has dropped radically. Flu casualties are extremely low this season. Or are counted as something else based on evolving standards and criteria.

I do think all the numbers are interesting. Reports over the summer had as many as 30 fatalities associated with the “mostly peaceful protests,” so this week’s appalling developments bring the new number to 35. If we only counted gunshot fatalities, naturally the number would be much smaller. If we were counting them as we do the COVID casualties…oh, never mind. My recommendation remains the same. Avoid crowds. And numbers.

Copyright 2021 Vic Socotra
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