A Day of Sadness

Today was a day of sadness for our country, as many of us witnessed the shooting of an unarmed 35-yr-old woman from San Diego, CA, in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, the building that represents the center of our Democracy and Representative Republic. Ashli Babbitt was a 14-yr Air Force veteran, American patriot, and a supporter of President Trump who was gunned down by Capitol Police. I weep even as I write this when I think about the halls of democracy of our Republic where we are to exchange ideas and debate our beliefs. Americans woke up today viewing the video of Ms. Babbitt being shot, and hearing the testimony of those that were there, and now how shattered their view is of this great American Republic.

(Here is a video report from the local television station in San Diego)

Ms. Ashli Babbitt was one of the nearly one million Americans who came to Washington to express their concerns about a fraudulent election and to support President Trump. After the White House Eclipse rally, some rally attendees went up to Capitol Hill with the intent to maybe speak to their members of Congress to express their concerns about the Electoral College vote certification. The immediate area of Capitol Hill was fenced off. There is now video of those who pushed through barriers, and also video that shows Capitol Police opening up barriers for them to go closer to the Capitol. At this time, it is reported that elements of ANTIFA were mixed in among the crowd and instigated some of the window breaks of the U.S. Capitol.

That is when things got out of control. Others entered through doors that became open. It then became a trespass violation of Capitol security. Capitol Police were unprepared and overwhelmed. The debate and challenge by members of Congress on the Electoral College vote presentation was suspended due to the Capitol building being compromised.

The Capitol Police at that point seemed to be getting the situation under control. The video below shows the account of Ms. Ashli Babbitt being shot. She is unarmed, and the Capitol Police officer aims his gun point-blank and shoots her. There is no excuse for that lethal force being used, and we call for a thorough investigation. Her life matters, and we demand justice and pray for her family who is experiencing this terrible tragedy.

Many of us remember the days when we were young when we could go right up the Capitol steps, enter the Rotunda, and actually visit with members of Congress. The Capitol building was open to the general public. But after 9/11 and the construction of the Visitor Center, the U.S. Capitol became a much less welcoming center for the American people. Anyone now visiting the U.S. Capitol has to go through arduous security. The Rotunda is off limits unless one has a pass or is part of a tour group. The symbol of our American Republic, the center of our democracy, has become in recent years much less accessible to the American public. People want to know that their voices can be heard by those who represent them in Congress.

These are desperate times, and we urge you to seek God and to pray intently for our country and its people.