The two faces of Janus

Shannon Bohrer

(8/2021) The year 2020 will be remembered for many reasons. A few include the COVID-19 virus, the death of George Floyd, the advent and use of zoom meetings, the election of Joe Biden to the presidency, and the significant numbers of people who still believe that Trump won. I do not think anyone will forget 2020. While it was a year to remember, for many, the memories are not all pleasant.

Then, early in 2021, on January 6, we had an attempted insurrection of the United States Capitol. The insurrectionists believed they could force Congress not to accept the Electoral College result because of the "big lie" of election fraud. So, while 2020 was a year to remember, 2021 began with an event that has not been repeated since 1812, when the British sacked Washington. Most of us thought that having one strange year was unique and not in a good way, and now we have two.

How did we get to a place where our differences, or perceived differences, caused an attempted insurrection? In the United States, our current differences are so divergent that they appear as if they represent two different countries. It is like the country is in a bad movie, or maybe the old television series, ‘The Twilight Zone.’ Our differences remind me of the ancient Roman religion (or myth) of Janus. Janus is frequently portrayed with two faces, each facing away from the other. The two faces of Janus represent the god of beginnings, transitions, time, and endings. He is also the god of duality and doorways, and many believe that the two faces represent the two sides that we all have. Are we two countries, or are we at the beginning of something new or the end of something old?

Politicians and talking pundits have brought up the idea that because of our differences, as demonstrated on January 6, we could lose our democracy. The idea that has been fostered - is that losing our democracy is possible. Hopefully, just because it is possible, that does not mean it is probable. So, do our differences portend the end of our democracy? Maybe the beginning of a new form of government? Maybe our democracy is just going through a transition.

According to those that stormed the capital and attempted to change the election outcome, many believed that we needed a revolution to reset or restart our democracy. They see themselves as Patriots. While that idea may seem strange to many, it is an extraordinarily strong belief with many of the insurrectionists. A large reason for their beliefs is that they have been told by Trump that he won. Many of our congressional leaders, and the word ‘leader’ is used loosely, have either parroted Trump's words or remained silent. The idea that Trump won has been deemed the ‘big lie,’ well, because it is. He lost.

Attorney Bill Barr said the election was fair, and he looked for evidence of fraud. He said, "…the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud." Chris Krebs, a Trump appointee and the director for election security, said: "the election was the country's most secure ever." The Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, spend over two million dollars looking for voter fraud in the 2020 election. They found 17 cases out of the 10 million voters. One case was individual voting while he was on probation; the others, all 16, involved the wrong address on their voter registration forms.

At least eighty-six lawsuits were filed after the election, challenging the results. The courts have ruled the lawsuits had no merit. Every case was eventually dismissed because of a lack of evidence. No matter what the evidence tells us, there continue to be talking heads and pundits that believe the election was stolen. Since proving a negative, something that does not exist, is not possible, how will this issue be resolved? Maybe we should be asking, will it ever be decided? Are we doomed to having two faces, perhaps two countries?

During the attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021, five people died, and over one hundred and forty police officers were injured. Video of the incident shows a group dragging a police officer and beating him with their fist and an American flagpole. One insurrectionist beat the officer with a thin blue line flag while yelling, "Kill him with his own gun." The insurrectionist said they were patriots. How does a person carrying a flag that supports police assault a police officer? How can anyone explain strong beliefs - that appear illogical?

In at least one case, a former police officer assaulted an officer protecting the capital. It seems contradictory to most of us that the two sides of this behavior represent the same person. Being patriotic and yet assaulting police are asserted as valid by the same person. It is illogical to most of us. Typically, we do not expect someone to say, "I like and support you," and then try to kill you.

How does anyone understand people who call themselves patriots yet assault police and believe they should take the government by force? Can anyone explain people that complain about others not respecting the flag and then use the flag to assault a police officer? What appeared totally unexpected is that members of Congress do not see the value in an investigation when it was their house that was attacked and desecrated. How does a congressperson ignore the chants "Hang Mike Pence?" We have members of the law-and-order party who said the demonstrators were not insurrectionists but were peaceful tourists. Were the 140 officers injured by tourists? The term cognitive dissidence has been elevated with more significant meaning - with the spoken words by some congresspersons. Of course, the term two-faced (like Janus) has often been associated with some politicians.

What would have happened if Congress refused to certify the election? If Trump declared Marshall law, would the same members of Congress agree with him? Would our supreme court intervene? In 1832, when the Supreme Court ruled that the American Indians had a degree of sovereignty with the U. S. Government, President Andrew Jackson ignored the decision and said, "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it." Could ignoring the court be repeated today?

If, during the next presidential election, Congress fails to certify the Electoral College, would that allow the loser – to claim victory? How close were we, or are we, to losing our democracy? Trying to describe what has occurred appears impossible because so much seems illogical. Maybe it would make more sense if Janus were not an ancient Roman god but a god from the ‘Twilight Zone.’