The Coast Guard is blocking passage up the Potomac to Washington, D.C. This is a reminder that democracy won a battle but has not won the war. It was an important battle to be sure. The republic would have ended if Trump had won. But the fascist movement is not going away.

It won't be enough to go back to the way things were. Trump taught us that the framework for government ethics is weak. He showed how easily the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security can be corrupted. He showed how excessive presidential power has become.

Trump's failed management of the pandemic shined a bright spotlight on inequality in all areas of American life. The brutal response to BLM protesters, compared to the gentle response to the terrorists who attacked the Capitol building, showed the utter cruelty of that inequity.

Trump's cruelty at the border was so horrific that it outraged a broad swath of the public. But some who looked closer at his brutality also realized that America's cruelty to migrants predated Trump. His deeds were worse, but what existed before was unacceptable.

So no. It won't be enough to go back to what existed before. It won't be enough to mount mild reforms. The government has two years to make changes. After that, the future of Congress is uncertain, and after four years there will be another presidential election. Time is short.

Protections for voting rights have to be strengthened. Systems for securing election mechanisms against foreign attack have to be strengthened. Government ethics laws & regulations have to be strengthened. Law enforcement has to be made accountable. Inequity has to be addressed.

You woke up, America. You defended your republic. But your work is not done. Don't look away now. Don't accept half measures. Continue holding your government accountable for defending democracy. It may matter now more than even during the Trump era.