Standstill

sedition (n)
    Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch*

treason (n)
    The crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government*

insurrection (n)
    A violent uprising against an authority or government*

I haven't tuned into a live broadcast coming out of the United States since September 11, 2001. On that sunny day, I started my day like any other. I was in the office, just beginning my day, when DW called me. She was at home, on maternity leave with our first child, and she had been listening to CBC Radio. After initial reports that an airplane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center, in New York City, she switched on the news to get a clearer idea of what had happened, and then phoned me to let me know.

When I tried to search the information for more news, my Internet slowed down and I couldn't get anything, so I asked DW to turn up the volume on the television so that I could follow along.

At one point, DW told me that someone had captured the collision on video, only to say, "Oh my God, this is live! Another plane has flown into the other tower!"

I had her keep me on the phone and I related the news to my colleagues, who were sitting near me. A dark buzz of conversation washed over the entire office space. Like so many offices around the world, work came to a standstill as the horror unfolded.

Eventually, we were told to go home and hug our loved ones.

Yesterday, as I was working from home, I periodically checked Twitter for news about the US Congress tally of electoral college votes, mixed with the pro-Tr@mp rally that was happening outside the Capitol grounds. When I saw that the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, was about to speak, I tuned into a live PBS feed and listened as I continued to work.

As the proceedings were underway, I heard reports that the rally-goers were climbing the steps to the Capitol, where the security and police found themselves outnumbered. I started paying more attention to the reports and started to relay the news to DW, who shares our home office.

Photo source unknown, via Twitter.

Things escalated as Tr@mp supporters began breaking windows on the Capitol Building and forced their way inside. The Senate and House were evacuated, and I listened as PBS reporter, Lisa Desjardins, reported from inside. This is when my work was completely distracted, and I was drawn in to watch the live video footage and to various Twitter reports from various news outlets.

It almost felt like 9/11 all over again. I felt everything come to a standstill. This time, however, the terrorists were domestic and they weren't just looking to cause death and destruction, they were looking to obliterate the country's entire democracy.

Photo source unknown, via Twitter.

All at the encouragement of D@n@ld Tr@mp.

This is sedition. This is treason. This is an insurrection. For it to go unchallenged would be an utter failure.

The government of 2001 went after its enemies who were in a foreign country. With the change of leadership, it must go after its enemies on home soil.

The world continues to watch. So far, what we see is embarrassing.

* Oxford Dictionary, online