Opinion
What I learned on Jan. 6, 2021: The system worked, and ‘Eternal vigilance continues to be freedom’s price.’
Supporters of President Donald Trump gather on the West side of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. Rioters breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress was certifying the 2020 Electoral College votes. At least five people died as a result.(ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)
By Michael Judge
In the early evening of Jan. 6 — a date, like Dec. 7, that will live in infamy — I received a phone call from my 84-year-old mother, her voice full of worry and uncertainty, not for her children, six grandchildren or five great grandchildren, but for the nation she loves. “I tried to stop watching the riot at the Capitol,” she said, and “take a nap. But I couldn’t get the images out of my mind.”