January 14 , 2021 The Beacon • 7
I remember vividly the thrill of standing on the steps of the United States Capitol Building on a blazing hot June day in 1994 with more than 150 eighth-grade students and chaperones from Newcomerstown Middle School . This was our first trip as a school group to Washington , D . C . What a trip it was : a long bus ride , three intense days of site seeing , meals on the go , kids not sleeping and wonderful historical sites .
It was my first trip there since 1957 with my mom , dad and brother . Those memories were pretty sketchy . We walked a lot , and I was tired , but I remember the Capitol Building and how big it was .
Our eighth-graders were hosted by the honorable Douglas Applegate , U . S . Congressman of the 18th District of Ohio . He was amazing to usher us through the passages of the Capitol Building , every site in the Capitol : the Rotunda , Statuary Hall , the Old Supreme Court Chamber , the Old Senate Chamber , the desk where Benjamin Franklin sat and the Crypt . We actually got to go into the chamber where the actual voting
Letter to the Editor
took place , sit in those benches and see the voting board high up on the wall . I was in awe .
We were told of the story of the four Puerto Rican nationalists who breached the halls of Congress in 1954 and shot five representatives . I thought at the time , “ How could that have happened ?” All these images are burned into my memory . I had never been that interested in historical relics or places , but this first trip changed my life . Every year for the next 19 years , I got to go with our eighth-graders and see some standard sites and usually a few new things depending on our tour guide — wonderful things , memorable things .
Things changed dramatically after 9 / 11 . Lots of sites were off limits . Security was everywhere . The Capitol tours were very superficial . There was a new visitor ’ s center where hundreds of tourists met to get in line for tours .
After 9 / 11 , security was huge . We had to go through scanners , single line , no backpacks in certain places , no cameras in others and no gum ... ever . There were security guards by the hundreds , especially at the Capitol Building .
Security has always been huge for every event going on in Washington , D . C . We witnessed several protests or marches . Big event , small event , it didn ’ t matter . There was always security overboard . So when a controversial and contested event like , say , the counting of the votes to elect a president in the United States Capitol Building is going on , with all eyes in the United States of America looking on and a rally ( I use the term loosely ) fueled by “ we ’ re coming for you ” and “ this is a trial by combat ” going on with the potential of anything could happen , I ’ m sure the FBI , CIA , Department of Defense and every other law-enforcement agency within 200 miles knew about it ... are nowhere to be found .
Those 20 or so security people at the Capitol Building didn ’ t have a chance . Right now , there have only been five
Website shares COVID-19 vaccination information
The Coshocton County General Health District , Coshocton City Health Department , Coshocton Regional Medical Center , Coshocton County EMS and Coshocton County EMA are working in conjunction with the Coshocton County Board of Commissioners to establish local COVID-19 vaccine clinics .
The website at www . coshoctoncounty . net / covid has been established as a resource for citizens to find information about COVID- 19 vaccinations . Citizens are encouraged to check this website often as it will be updated as information becomes available . Local vaccination clinics will be scheduled as the vaccine doses become available following Ohio ’ s phased vaccination approach . deaths associated with the carnage , but there may be more . So was the ball dropped or were orders ignored on purpose ?
As the members of the United States Congress cowered under their seats in that sacred sanctuary as the mob forced their way through the building , the calls to get help were unanswered or were ignored . It could have been much worse . Thank God for those brave lawmen that protected the people in the chamber .
Stenny Hoyer begged on his cell phone to the governor of Maryland to send reinforcements to help , and the governor was unable to get anyone on the phone at the federal level to authorize the help . Where did all these heads of law enforcement go ? That ’ s a question everyone wants to know . However , democracy has prevailed this outrageous coup attempt . We are strong . The tenacity of the Congress reconvened and finished the job they started . The die is cast . We now have a new president in a free and fair election . God bless the United States of America . Cathy McCrea West Lafayette
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