Wednesday will welcome a new president of the United States.
That’s about the only normal of the day.
A year-long pandemic and recent civil unrest has turned the pomp and circumstance upside-down.
There will be no crowds, no parades and no inaugural balls to mark the occasion.
But there will be Joseph Robinette Biden as the 46th president and Kamala Devi Harris, the first female vice president in U.S. history.
The two will keep to tradition and take their oaths of office outside on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, despite the heightened alert of U.S. insurgents and militia threatening attack.
Just two weeks ago, the site was overtaken by extremists aligned with President Donald Trump. Five people were killed in the chaos, hundreds injured, and our democracy was threatened by the insurgents trying to thwart the certification of the 2020 election results.
Demonstrators have promised more violence on Wednesday, blindly backing The Big Lie that Trump is the rightful winner of the 2020 election.
For his part, Trump is doing precious little to quell the insurrectionists.
He has yet to counter their claims by saying the election was fair, despite the fact that no election officials have found any fraud. He has yet to admit he lost, though the Electoral College results put Biden ahead, 306 to 232, and the popular vote has Biden winning by more than 7 million.
He has yet to extend a hand in congratulations to Biden.
He is the first U.S. president in 152 years to not attend his successor’s inauguration.
NO MATTER.
Biden and Harris are more than prepared to pick up the mantle and get the ball rolling.
And my, will it be different!
