A friend sent me this. It's an excellent discussion of how people reach different worldviews and hypotheses based on their assumptions, inferences and theories.
The author's education helps explain her worldview. This piece is a good example of creative writing.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/veterans-trump-protest-capitol_n_684ee6c8e4b07f75743a2e9f
Storming The Steps Of The Capitol: Why I Got Arrested With Other Veterans To Protest Trump
I just got arrested for the first time in my life… and it was worth it.
When news broke earlier this month of President Donald Trump’s unwanted, unnecessary, and unneeded mobilization of California’s National Guard in Los Angeles to squash protests, I was furious.
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I was already pissed about Trump’s insistence that a military parade be held to mark the Army’s 250th birthday, but which also “happened” to fall on his birthday and will cost taxpayers upwards of $45 million dollars.
I am a veteran who works with veterans every day.
I’m closely connected with a large network of service organizations (both federal and nonprofit) whose missions are to help veterans with their benefits, with homelessness, with emergency assistance, with employment. There is not a single one of these organizations that is not currently suffering from funding cuts. Some of them, like the program I work for, are on cusp of being eliminated altogether.
Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” proposes to eliminate my organization under the guise of “saving” taxpayers money. The work we do is meaningful and has a measurable effect on the lives of the veterans we serve. What measurable purpose does this show of narcissistic propaganda provide? I cannot think of one.
We don’t “take care of veterans” by eliminating — or making it harder for veterans to receive — the services they need. I know Trump does not care about veterans or about active-duty military personnel. If he did, he would not send them into our civilian communities and pit them against their fellow citizens. If he did, he would not go to our military bases, hock his cheap MAGA merchandise there, and politicize our troops with inflammatory rhetoric against his opposing political party.
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I needed to do something productive with my rage, so I connected with Veterans for Peace and learned that About Face, an anti-war veteran nonprofit, planned to protest against the exact issues that are making my hair stand on end.
I flew into Washington, D.C., on Friday afternoon to take part in their demonstration. I had no details about what would take place, just a time and a location, but I went without hesitation.
When I arrived, I was met by a room full of men and women who had given years of service to this country — from Vietnam veterans to those who had just returned from serving — along with some family members of vets.
Many of the individuals there had been injured in combat. Some required assistive devices due to disabilities or because age required it. Many of them struggle with pain every single day. But no matter what most of us are going through, even when our bodies are failing us, we continue to fight for what is right. We fight for what we signed up for. We fight for what we swore an oath to — not a person or an office, but the Constitution of the United States.
What’s happening right now in this country is not normal. Trump and his administration are out of control. Our troops should not be used as pawns in an attempted political coup. Their lives should not be put at risk for the sake of a political party’s rabid pursuit of total power.
Once everyone arrived, we gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court building for a press conference. Many veterans shared their stories of the emotional battles they faced between what they had been commanded to do and what their conscience told them to do.
Too often, troops are used to benefit political figures or the corporations that back those figures. This cannot stand. Our troops have names and faces and families and lives, and we deserve better than to be used in a game of “how much can we gain from their sacrifices?”
After the press conference, we made our way to the Capitol Building for a photo-op. It would have been easy to stop there — take a picture with our banner and our signs, and call it a day.
But would that have made the news? Probably not.
So, we went for it.
There was an opening in the barricade in the very center of the grounds. We didn’t need to move anything. Once the first veteran in our group slipped through, the rest of us flooded in. There were definitely more of us than Capitol police, but they immediately sprang into action.
I cannot imagine what they were thinking — or feeling — when they saw us.
We knew that attempting this kind of direct action in the aftermath of the insurrection that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was incredibly risky for so many reasons. People had died on that day, and at least four Capitol police officers later died by suicide after responding to the carnage that took place there.
Our goal — our purpose — had nothing to do with violence. We simply wanted to get our message out into the world. However, there was no way for those officers to know that, so they did what they were trained to do. They laid hands on whomever they could get close to. They charged demonstrators who they probably assumed were a threat.
As soon as we reached the second barricade and I saw the police’s reaction escalating, I sat down on a step. That’s what we were there for: to sit on the steps of the Capitol Building and tell our message.
“Benefits not Bullshit!” we chanted. “Shame, shame, not in our name!” we yelled. “Vets say stand up! Military stand down! Time to choose a side! Choose the people now!” “We will not stop! We will not retreat! Get our military off our streets!”
I’m not sure how long they let us go on like that. I didn’t have a watch or my phone, just my I.D. and $50 cash for bail.
When they snatched our banner and our flags and began to take us into custody, I went without a fuss. Our objective had been met. The mission was done.
They lined us up, zip-tied our hands behind our backs, and stood us in a single file arc. One officer was assigned to each protester to keep a grip on one of our biceps at all times.
The cop who “apprehended” me was young — so young. He was tall, athletic, and appeared to be in his early 20s. Because there were so many protesters, it took a while for everyone to be zip-tied, so he stood next to me for quite a long time as we waited.
I was completely fine with everything that was happening. As a Gen-X vet who has found herself mobilized by activism for the first time in her life, I do not give any fucks about being arrested for rising up against what I believe to be a Nazi regime. But this young police officer did not seem to be OK. In fact, he was shaking. I knew the weather forecast had predicted rain, so when I felt droplets on my arm, I assumed a storm had started, but then I realized it was sweat from this cop’s brow.
That moment — that single moment — hit me harder than my own arrest. Harder than almost anything else I felt this entire weekend.
I realized this kid was absolutely terrified.
I was so concerned for him. Scaring the Capitol Police had not been our mission. Causing them harm was not part of our plan. It made me realize that if a group of nonviolent vets peacefully chanting had rattled a young Capitol cop that badly, the events of Jan. 6, 2021, must truly have been an absolute nightmare.
Of course most of us knew that, at least in theory. We’ve all seen the footage. We’ve all read the stories. But until I had seen the terror in that kid’s eyes, I hadn’t even begun to comprehend the full weight of what took place on that day and the reverberations that are still being felt. I know I never will — how could I? But I feel certain of some things in the wake of our protest and our arrests.
What we did on Friday night was our patriotic duty. Using our bodies and our voices to peacefully confront and challenge what is happening in our country is perhaps the most American thing that a person can do, and I’m proud that I was part of it. Our action was very different from what took place on Jan. 6 — in conception, in spirit, and in consequence — and anyone who compares these two events is either foolish or willfully trying to deceive others. What’s more, because of what happened on Jan. 6, our protest was even more important. We were there to challenge everything that the insurrectionists — and their leaders — stand for.
“What we did on Friday night was our patriotic duty. Using our bodies and our voices to peacefully confront and challenge what is happening in our country is perhaps the most American thing that a person can do, and I’m proud that I was part of it.”
Individuals who have dedicated their lives to protecting the public and our Constitution — whether it’s soldiers, police officers, the national guard or anyone else — should not be asked or ordered to participate in illegal actions for the benefit of corrupt would-be kings or his cruel minions. They also should not have to defend property, politicians or American citizens from his unhinged followers.
But we are now in a strange time when “should not” doesn’t seem to apply.
Our democracy is in danger. The truth is being trampled. I believe none of us can be safe when those who rule us are only thinking about power and profits.
So, we must continue to show up and speak out in whatever ways feel right for us. For me, and the brave veterans who demonstrated with me, that meant getting arrested to make the point that we refuse to be used in the service of fascism. For you, that might look very different.
But please, I beg you, do something.
I’m not sorry for my actions. Our message is important. We are at a critical moment in history. But I am sorry for any fear the Capitol police experienced because of our action, and I’m disheartened to think about the fear they must face every day — especially since Jan. 6.
I love this country — so much that I signed up to protect her, even if it meant losing my life. So much that I showed up on Friday night knowing that I might be arrested. And I will keep doing whatever I can to help ensure the United States does not fall. Will you join me?
Katie Bauer has an M.F.A. in creative writing from Goddard College, a J.D. from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and a B.A. in education from Western Washington University. Her book, “Finding My Reflection: A Caregiver’s Perspective on Life Lessons Learned Too Late,” is a collection of essays related to her late husband’s battle with ALS. Her history is comprised of jets, aircraft carriers, students, theatres, and courtrooms. She is passionate about advocating for veterans’ rights and the constitutional rights of all people across the United States. She lives in Maine with her menagerie — two dogs, one daughter, and three cats, one of whom is named Kevin.
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