WASHINGTON — Peaceful democracy won and beat back the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. But it was a close call. I know, having been there, inside the House chamber, when glass was broken and shots were fired. The raging shrieks of the mob still wake me.

As the duke of Wellington said, looking back at England's magnificent victory over Napoleon in the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, "the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life."

I know just what he means. The armed, organized mob nearly won the day against civilians, lawmakers and a police force that lost control of the building.

Two weeks after thousands stormed the Capitol, we witnessed a sane, somber transfer of power in the heart of our capital city, heavily guarded as if in a war zone. The new president, Joe Biden, won a civilian victory every bit as important as Waterloo. He returned us to our senses and moved many to tears at his inaugural's reminder of the usual American norms, decency and other things we used to take for granted.

We should remember that close call and be more vigilant, friends and citizens. The second Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump gives American democracy a chance to shut him out, silence him and lock him down. This is the man who emboldened the darkest sides of our country's character.

If the Senate acts properly in punishing Trump for inciting the insurrection, he can never run for office again. He is already banned from mainstream social media, the way he built his violent political following. That's a start in shunning him, banishing him from the realm, even if he's a free man in Mar-a-Lago. We may all play a part in this.

But first, let me tell you that the Capitol siege could so easily have ended in much more blood spilled on the beautiful marble floors. In a matter of mere moments and split seconds, lawmakers, especially senators, narrowly escaped to safety.

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were among the marauders who came to undo the presidential election with baseball bats, plastic handcuffs and — come on — bear spray. Did the mob really intend to hang Vice President Mike Pence, presiding on the Senate side? What was the makeshift gallows for?

A disturbing number of those charged, about 1 in 5, have military training. They knew how to handle weapons. A crying shame that was not heard in the tumult: that the lighthouse of democracy, built largely by enslaved people, was vandalized by white supremacists.

Those shattering images can't be gone from our collective mind in a couple of weeks. The calls for "normalcy" fall flat. Our weakened system, after the assault, is akin to a patient that, like me, needs time to heal.

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., says that business as usual can't go on: "Those who turned their backs on democracy under Trump will do it again if given the chance." A former Army Ranger, he decided to fight the mob with a pen if they broke into the House chamber.

As for us civilians in the public square, it's time to admit what passes for discourse is more like "discoarse." How social is "social media" at the end of the day? How much poison and hate talk can we tolerate?

"Fox News" is an oxymoron. Rush Limbaugh abuses free speech with the most vicious tongue in show business.

The violent mob did not come from the air, tweets and the ether — until, yes, it did. The internet connected thousands from hither and yon. Ready to be radicalized, they acted on a call to arms by a rogue president that lost the popular vote, twice.

The FBI has charged hundreds, which means that thousands are still at large.

So many people are turning in friends and family members who took part in the Capitol riot. These acts of courage should be thanked. They're not letting business as usual go on. The public must pressure the Senate to convict Trump.

Polite American society has to shame supporting Trump.

In years to come, nobody will want to tell their grandchildren they stormed the Capitol.

Jamie Stiehm may be reached at JamieStiehm.com. To read her weekly column and find out more about Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, please visit creators.com.