ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

As I look back on 2021, it was the very beginning of the year, most specifically the Jan. 6 insurrection, that, along with the ongoing pandemic, will have the most lasting impact on our lives.

America's unique democratic experiment was under attack that day, and continues to be by those pushing former President Donald Trump's Big Lie that he won the election instead of the true winner, President Joe Biden.

Missouri's own Josh Hawley, a Republican U.S. Senator, created one of the lasting images of that day, raising his fist in support of the men and women who would go on to violently attack the U.S. Capitol and the police officers who protected it.Ìý

There were moments, that seem forgotten by some Republicans already, in which it seemed Jan. 6 would unite the nation in understanding that our democracy was under attack. Perhaps in time. Here are the columns I wrote, focusing on Hawley's role, and also that of Attorney General Eric Schmitt, in pushing the Big Lie:

1. Messenger: Hawley sets the constitution on fire, and chaos ensues:ÌýRead the column.

2. Messenger: Danforth calls his support of Hawley the ‘worst mistake’ of his life:ÌýRead the column.

3. Messenger: With perfect staging, Hawley becomes ‘The Face of Sedition’:ÌýRead the column.Ìý

4. Messenger: America’s original sin on display as white insurrectionists stormed the people’s building:ÌýRead the column.

5. Messenger: Who provided the legal fuel for the insurrection? Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt:ÌýRead the column.