Revisiting the January 6th Capitol Riots – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – January 9, 2022
Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™
Revisiting the January 6th Capitol Riots – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – January 9, 2022
“Assaulting Your Own House?” – To this day, I still do not get the premise of this attack. Thousands of protesters, upset about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, attack the seat of government. Why? Their chant was “stop the steal,” a mantra that suggested the team of President-elect Joe Biden, somehow “stole” the reelection bid of President Trump. The apparent goal was to stop Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from exercising their Constitutional duty to certify the election results from the Electoral College. There were certainly mechanisms to attempt to do this peacefully through the courts, (and some were tried but failed), but violence was selected as the preferred option. It didn’t work.
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“A Failure of a Strength in Numbers” – Set your emotions aside for a moment and set aside your personal feelings about Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Instead, look at the legal advantage that existed here. The U.S. Justice Department has 93 U.S. Attorneys operating offices in the 50 states. Had there been clear and convincing evidence of election fraud or other criminal activity, the GOP USAs were still in office until January 20, 2021, and had the investigative power. Republicans also controlled more than half of the governor’s offices in the nation, and most secretaries of state, state legislatures, (and by extension, the courts in most of those states). So, they had a clear path to investigate state irregularities. The GOP had the power and ability to root out all the alleged misdeeds. It found next to nothing. There was, “No there, there!”
“Biden Bites Back Better” – President Joe Biden addressed the nation on the first anniversary of the attacks. He didn’t hold back. “For the first time in our history, a president had not just lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol,” Biden said, without ever mentioning Trump by name in his speech. “But what did we not see? We didn’t see a former president, who had just rallied the mob to attack — sitting in the private dining room off the Oval Office in the White House, watching it all on television and doing nothing for hours as police were assaulted, lives were put at risk, and the nation’s Capital under siege.”
“What Say You President Trump?” – The former president issued the following statement, reading in part: “Why is it that the Unselect Committee of totally partisan political hacks, whose judgment has long ago been made, not discussing the rigged Presidential Election of 2020? It's because they don't have the answers or justifications for what happened. They got away with something, and it is leading to our Country's destruction. They want all conversation concerning the Election “Canceled.” Just look at the numbers, they speak for themselves. They are not justifiable, so the complicit media just calls it the Big Lie, when the Big Lie was the Election itself.” The statement is presented here, unedited, with usage and grammatical errors preserved.
“By the Numbers” – Various estimates put the crowd of protesters at 10,100, with at least 2,000 of them breaching Capitol security and getting inside. According to ABC News, more than 700 people were arrested. Five people died, including four protesters and at least one police officer. 73 people have been sentenced on various rioting charges. 167 people have already pleaded guilty to charges. Trump ended the day on January 6, 2021, by saying, “these are the things that happen when a landslide election victory is unceremoniously and viciously stripped away." Again, no proof was offered.
“Riot Versus Insurrection” – It’s amazing the war or words that has erupted over what this “event” really was. It’s commonly referred to as a riot, or an insurrection. Many conservatives bristle at the word insurrection, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines insurrection as, “a usually violent attempt to take control of a government.” A recent Wall Street Journal editorial begs to differ saying, “The demonstrators who unlawfully entered the Capitol during the Electoral College count were unarmed and had no intention of overthrowing the U.S. constitutional system or engaging in a conspiracy ‘against the United States, or to defraud the United States.’ On the contrary, many of them believed—however erroneously—that the U.S. constitutional system was in jeopardy from voter fraud. Me thinks we’re splitting hairs. It was an unjustified, illegal, violent, and unprovoked attack.
“The Political Comparison” – Many Trump backers suggest a double-standard. “Why the outrage over the Capitol assault, but not equal outrage regarding violence from the left, during ‘Black Lives Matter’ or ‘Defund the Police’ protests?” I think it’s a fair question. Why do police try to suppress one expression of violence, but not another? I get that there is one theory of “de-escalation” in law enforcement that suggests it’s better to let people vent violently, instead of trying to enforce the law and making the situation even worse. It’s a seemingly obvious double-standard that law enforcement must address if we’re supposed to have an even and unbiased enforcement of all laws. If we’re seeking parity and equality of enforcement, this must be answered. Illegal violence is illegal violence. Of course, some will argue there’s a difference in a peaceful rally or protest that escalates into violence, and a protest that starts violently for the get-go.
What are your thoughts on the January 6th, 2021, violence? Justified, or totally out-of-bounds? Just click the comment button and let us know!
