I lived through a revolution as a young man. Later in life as a military advisor, I saw civil war in El Salvador and as a civilian in Nicaragua — Life for most Americans just goes on. Wednesdays treasonous event at the Capitol was a gut punch to some while others are waiting

To get punched in the face while democracy falls apart. What did these people think they were going to accomplish?
Did they think they were going to topple the government and the FBI would sit idle and not storm the capitol?

As someone who’s already seem several societal breakdowns, as a society America core has fractured but yet not collapsed. That empty feeling, the pain, the burning fire. This is normal. This is what one feels during the breakdown of democracy.

The lost of lives, the suffering, while we see the the destruction of democracy. I told colleagues that what we saw Wednesday was coming four years ago. They laughed at me.

Every day for four years American democracy was being tested and in crisis and this is the culmination of it. But it's not that it came out of nowhere, our democracy has been going into crisis for several years and it will continue like this.

In Latin American history, when leaders incite their followers in a highly polarized environment, people take action. Words have meaning, they have power. The difference Lots of people die

These are damaging events as they are in Latin America. The big difference between this self-coup and the self-coups in Latin America is that Trump was completely unable to enlist the support of the military. A president who tries to stay in power illegally without the backing

of the military has very little chance of success. Democracy will survive but what will happen five years from now. Politicians are not our saviors and neither are the insurectionist . Al

A just society will always prevail as long as it strengthens democracy. Until everyone understand this, we will only fall further.