Russell Rhodes Blog

On My Radar: It’s Gonna Be A Week

Washington, D.C. Capitol Lockdown

Thinking about the week ahead. A lot going on.

Let’s start with today. It’s the day we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. An important day. A day to to remember Dr. King’s “dream.” Also, a day to be of service to others. The pandemic may have changed how we do that, but the spirit lives on.

On Wednesday, the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. While this act is usually a way to show the world how the United States handles an orderly transition of power, this year will be different.

The fear of more violence in the nation’s capitol has caused unprecedented security in and around Washington, D.C. Now, even that security is being questioned.

According to the Associated Press, there is concern about a possible insider attack. The FBI is now vetting all 25,000 National Guard troops in Washington for the Inauguration. It is a massive undertaking and an indication of just how concerned officials are about another attack. Still, there is no evidence of a specific threat.

Meantime, D.C. is on lockdown. Mayor Muriel Bowser said, “I do think we have to take another posture in our city that is more domestic terrorist focused than external.”

Unbelievable. Concerns of domestic terrorism in our nation’s capitol.

Meantime, President-elect Joe Biden has a busy agenda.

Fox News is reporting he hits the ground running. As soon as he is inaugurated Wednesday, Biden will have ten days of executive orders, including a pause on student loan payments and rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. Ambitious.

The President-elect will also have to take on the Covid pandemic and the economy. He has a full plate.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to send the article of impeachment to the Senate as early as Thursday. In it, President Trump is accused of inciting the insurrection at the capitol. If in fact she sends it Thursday, the Senate must begin the impeachment trial at 1PM the following day—Friday—as stated in the Constitution.

Anything good to report? Well, the Bucs beat the Saints. Tom Brady versus Drew Brees. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Bucs got it done.

But it’s what happened after the game that caught my attention. Drew Brees and his family went back on the field to take it all in. It’s expected that Brees will retire. According to Yahoo! Sports, Tom Brady came back on the Superdome Field to seek out Drew Brees. They talked. They hugged. Then, Tom Brady threw a football to one of Drew Brees’ kids. Classy.

It’s gonna be a week. I’m hoping for calm as we do what we do in America.

Hoping we have a peaceful transition of power.