Every decent American watched the events of January 6th at the U.S. Capitol in amazement and disgust.

What would have happened if this had occurred during the George Floyd protests last June by black protestors? Imagine for a minute, the police and military response.

How many hundreds of black bodies we would have seen on TV when it was all over?

If black protestors had done what those right-wing white "patriots" did, the Right would have been screaming and yelling how terrible it was. Heads must roll, and the perpetrators must die! They’ve been telling us for years that the black protestors are terrorists, and this would have been the proof.

Interesting that it was white people who killed the Capital Police officer during the riot, while several black protestors actually protected a white police officer in the Louisville violence in June of 2020. Makes you wonder who the terrorists really are.

Several of the accused are now saying that the Capitol Police actually escorted the white rioters into the building; that they went through open doors and were ushered in by the police. It was reported that the Capitol Police Office of Professional Responsibility is looking into the actions of 35 officers during the Jan. 6 attack.  Six officers have been suspended and another 29 are under investigation following last month's deadly riot. It was revealed that one of the suspended officers took a selfie with someone who was part of the white mob that overtook the Capitol, while another wore a “Make America Great Again” hat and started directing people around the building. This would not have happened if the rioters were black.

I had always been skeptical of the term “White Privilege” as I’ve had to fight so hard for everything I have. I certainly never felt privileged. But If ever there was an example of White Privilege, the storming of the Capitol by thousands of white rioters with hardly a police presence in sight was proof positive. There was certainly no military as we saw in Washington D.C. when Trump wanted to deploy an additional 10,000 Federal troops last June during the BLM protests.

I now believe in white privilege because I saw it with my own eyes.

The bottom line is that deep down in places you talk about at parties and private gatherings, the MAGA rhetoric espoused by Mr. Trump and his legions is based on the belief that only white supremacy can Make America Great Again.   White supremacy is not a God given right and is not the natural order of things.

The right wing is deathly afraid that white people will be dislodged from their “rightful” long-held spot at the top of the pile and wants to protect the established order at all costs, ”if only blacks and others would know just know their place.”

The rise of Trump, this New Republican Party and Racism are inextricably bound together, just as were slavery and the Confederacy.

Why can’t we white people simply understand, believe and practice those sacred words contained in the Declaration of Independence; that “All men are created equal….”, written almost 250 years ago. Amazing when you realize that these words were written by white men, the majority of whom owned black slaves. It seems they didn’t consider blacks to be equal, and too many white people today still share that view.

It’s long past time that we recognize the racial bias that has permeated every part of our country since its inception. The first step is to recognize the problem of racism exists. Until and unless you recognize the problem, you can't work to fix it. If you are white as I am, you may honestly not know this problem still exists, but it absolutely does.

You cannot be a true American patriot and ignore the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. You cannot ignore racism and think it will go away.

Racism is like the air we breathe; just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not all around you. The first step to solving racism is recognizing the problem exists.