1/10 Three days ago, we saw the putrid runoff of what’s bee…

2/10
The halls of our Capitol have only twice seen such insurrection - the last being August 24, 1814 when the British invaded Washington DC, set fire to the White House and breached the U.S. Capitol building before setting it ablaze. #velshi

3/10
The U.S. Senate was unable to meet in the historic Old Senate Chamber for nearly 5 years after that. On Wednesday, Senators returned after just five hours. But what a chaotic five hours it was. #velshi

4/10
Members of Congress were in the building because federal law dictates that the sealed certificates of each state's Electoral votes - which were cast on 12/14 - be transported to the Congressional chamber to be counted. There they were stored in the three wooden boxes.#velshi

5/10
Staffers took those boxes with them as they were ushered out of the House chamber. There are duplicates and, had the rioters taken the boxes and burned them, we’d still be able to account for all of the votes and get this done. #velshi

6/10
But those three boxes represent American democracy, law and freedom. Neatly contained within three ceremonial 18” by 10” mahogany boxes. Lined in leather. Three boxes. #velshi

7/10
Frederick Douglass - the social reformer, author, statesman who escaped slavery wrote "A man's rights rest in three boxes”: the ballot-box, the jury-box, & the cartridge-box”, meaning the vote, the law and the right to defend one’s freedom. #velshi

8/10
Without those 3 boxes, he said, no class of people could live & flourish in this country. The 3 boxes that were saved from the mob this week weren’t the three that Douglass was talking about, but they represented the same 3 things: democracy, law and freedom. #velshi

9/10
I think the staffers, as they were ushered out of a Capitol under assault, knew what they were doing by grabbing those three boxes, and not allowing them to fall into the hands of the assailants.... #velshi

10/10
Symbolically they were doing what we all must do: our part, no matter how big or small, in defense of democracy, law and freedom, against a President who would subvert them for his own gain. #velshi