1. No… Let’s not move forward, let’s stay right in this moment, let’s feel every heart hastened by fear, let’s tremble with the fear of those present, let’s slip into the nightmares that haunt those that went through this attack.

2. Let us remember the pipe bombs, the gallows, the guns, the zip ties, the chants of death coming, let’s put ourselves in the place of every survivor of the attack and imagine what they probably thought were their final thoughts.

3. Let us reflect upon the courage of those who took actions, securing votes, leading terrorists away from their targets, pushing back against the invaders. Let us think about the officer that died, about his dreams, his family, his final moments.

4. Let us bathe in the pain of those crushed by doors, let us feel every single inflicted wound, every slur and epithet hurled, every blow stricken.

5. Let every single one of us live this attack as if we had been there, as if we had been the targets of such hatred, such rage, such carnage. Do not dare move forward from these atrocities committed in the name of greed and thirst for power.

6. Because it is beyond abhorrent that those responsible for the terrorist attack on the capitol, either by their words, their silence or actions are the ones clamoring today to move forward and strive for unity.

7. Where was this thirst for unity in the past 12 years when they sowed the seeds of sedition in their midst? Where was this thirst for peace when they ranted, raved and preached hatred and division? Where??????????

8. It is ludicrous to expect those present in the capitol, who had to hide under desks, to barricade themselves, to listen to people calling for their deaths, to wipe the slate clean and start over in the name of moving forward for unity and peace.

9. For it is them that created this division, them that sowed this hate, them that fed these conspiracies... it is them and no one else. So let us not oblige them and move forward, particularly since they are still doing it!

10. It is frightening to listen to them, even after the attack still either defending their actions and past, or deflecting blame or pushing us to move past the horrendous attack of January 6th.

11. Asking us to look past the bloodied halls, the sullied floors, the planted bombs as if it was something that happened by accident, something they had nothing to do with

12. NO, we can not move forward from this mess without cleaning it up first, and that starts with those responsible, those who are trying to get us to look pass the terror and the fear and the magnitude of what happened in the hopes that we will overlook their parts in it.

13. No, we will not move forward until justice is served. We will reside in this moment, with our fear, our anger and our rage and we will demand that they be held accountable.

#JusticeBeforeUnity #NotMovingFoward #TimeForConsequences.

Muriel Vieux
January 11th, 2021