A man I’m related to (calls himself a Republican, but doesn…

He’s not the only one. Republicans everywhere are waving the unity banner. Let’s not dwell in the past, they say. Sure, we called for a mob to kill Pence and encouraged people who built bombs to storm the Capitol, but it’s time to move forward, let’s forgive and forget asap.

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And I just want to say as your Internet Mom: Hey Kiddos, you're skipping some steps. Coming together WON'T happen, literally CAN NOT happen, until there is justice.

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https://t.co/ad4ikeQXGA

I\u2019ll say it again! https://t.co/zpdIfQkbcL
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) January 7, 2021

We could try and skip the justice and just *pretend* we're sincere about coming together. Only, we tried that for about the last 50 years, and turns out, it doesn't work.

Pretending to come together benefits those in power, protects whiteness, and hurts everybody else.

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So before we wring our hands about togetherness, we need to tackle justice. Justice = appropriate consequences for those who hurt people, and for the people who were hurt.

Consequences for those involved in the attack on the Capitol may look different for each person.

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What should the consequences be for those who intended to kill? The ones who brought bombs, zip ties and guns? Who hung a noose and screamed "Hang Mike Pence"?

At the very least, shouldn’t their consequences begin with arrest and prosecution for their crimes?

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Additional consequences could include things like getting fired, losing the right to vote, jail time, maybe a lifetime ban from Olive Garden. And perhaps no one would want to date them — some consequences we get to determine, and others just happen naturally.

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What should the consequences be for those who only protested and then went home? If they didn’t break laws, I suppose the consequence is they get to go on as usual, waiting for Q to finally share the evidence of fraud, and living life as the gullible targets of Trump’s con.

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If they were unmasked while they were in D.C., the natural consequence is a high likelihood of getting Covid 19, infecting their loved ones, and possibly experiencing lifelong debilitating effects from that infection. Or even dying.

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What about the woman who was shot at the Capitol? Two of the biggest consequences for her? 1) She’s dead now, and 2) the MAGA crowd has turned on her, claiming she was Antifa. Loyalty from fellow MAGAs is apparently *not* a consequence of dying in support of Trump.

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What about politicians? What should the consequence be for Senators like Cruz? And the 120 Republican House Members who voted against certifying the vote, even though they definitely knew there is zero evidence of election fraud, and that it was a free and fair election?

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Should they get to continue to hold office after trying to overthrow the results of an election determined fair in 30+ court cases? That’s a no brainer: of course they shouldn’t. First tiny bit of justice I've seen? Marriott won't donate to them.

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https://t.co/9uCoetQThC

What about the Reps who pushed people to storm the Capitol? The 14th amendment says: "No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress … shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same[.]" Seems like it applies here, no?

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https://t.co/4GurW5oRw1

What about those who have to clean up the mess? The feces on the wall? How about those who had to hide and have PTSD from the attack? What sort of consequences would bring them justice? How about medical care? Bonuses for working under war-zone circumstances? What else?

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You may be dying to argue: What about the BLM RIOTS?? What about consequences for THOSE? And you’re right, they should lead to consequences. The natural consequence of 250 years of police violence against Black and Brown people should be defunding and abolishing the police.

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And while we’re here, guess what the natural consequence of founding a country committed to upholding slavery and racism is?

Answer: 250 years of ruling white supremacy, government sanctioned marginalization for massive numbers of people, and a painfully divided country.

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If unity is what you’re truly after, you CAN'T skip the justice part. What should the consequences be for Black people who have had to endure a white supremacist government and citizenry for their whole lives?

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In the U.S., wealth is power. On average, white families hold nearly 10 times the wealth of Black families, due to 250 years of policies that limit and punish Black people.

Reparations, with the goal of a wealth power balance, seems like the bare minimum.

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Speaking of finances, what should the consequence be for people who don't work during the pandemic in order to keep fellow citizens safe? And now can't pay rent or buy food?

$2000/month for every month of staying home seems like it would go a long ways to bringing justice.

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If we skip the consequences step yet again? We end up with pieces of shit like Jim Jordan. He knew horrific sexual abuse of children was happening, did nothing, and received no consequences for that inaction. So he continues to ruin people's lives, facing no accountability.

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Another example: A white male suicide bomber recently blew up a good chunk of Nashville. A woman had told the police that he was building a bomb. The police did not look into the bomber, but they did make the woman have a psych evaluation.

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https://t.co/utC2HR8jzq

So we see that not stopping the Nashville bomber was a natural consequence of many millennia of not listening to women and/or assuming women are witches. We skipped the justice-for-women step and it continues to cause horrible problems.

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If those who attacked the Capitol don’t face consequences, they WILL come back and try again. And it WILL be worse. We know they are already organizing to return. If the politicians who egged on the attack don’t face consequences they will continue being deeply corrupt.

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It’s possible to picture a future where citizens come together, and it’s a beautiful picture, but it’s NOT POSSIBLE UNTIL JUSTICE IS ACHIEVED. Again: Justice = appropriate consequences for those who hurt people, and for those people who were hurt.

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Prioritize justice and consequences long before you wax poetic about coming together. Until the country sees justice, your calls for unity and bridge building ring hollow, paint you as insincere and untrustworthy, and hurt far more than they help.

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