For those expressing “shock” at yesterday’s ransacking of the U.S. Capitol, think back. Think back to @realDonaldTrump tweeting “LIBERATE Michigan” and then voicing approval as armed mobs assaulted the Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan.

Like so many Americans, I cried last week as I watched white policemen murder George Floyd in broad daylight in front of witnesses. And I wept last night as I watched a President of the United States forcibly reject every plea for empathy and unifying leadership. President Trump did not acknowledge his fellow Americans’ desperate appeals for equality under the law. He did not call us to our better angels by reminding us of our highest ideals and principles.

“...this is a coordinated smear campaign from far-left lawmakers and radical unelected bureaucrats waging war on the Constitution.” White House Press Secretary, Oct. 22 in reference to Amb Bill Taylor’s opening statement to the U.S. House Intelligence Oversight & Foreign Affairs. William B. Taylor, Jr. is a West Point graduate, Vietnam combat veteran, Bronze Star recipient, and a 20 year distinguished career diplomat who has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and is currently the United States Ambassador to Ukraine.

In this country, we pledge allegiance to the flag, not the president. We swear fidelity to the Constitution, not the party. Our flag is a symbol of “one nation... indivisible... with liberty and justice for all.” (1/10) Our Constitution is the document that protects those liberties and delivers that justice.