Today is January 6th, exactly one year since the riot in DC that the Democrats are calling an “Armed Insurrection” – or was it?! It must be because Nancy Pelosi told us it is. Just today, the Co-President of the United States, Kamala Harris compared January 6 to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 in an anniversary speech at the Capitol – so, it must be so.
Not to be out done by Co-President Harris, Co-President Biden provided someone else’s thoughts on the matter. As reported by CBS News: “Mr. Biden warned that democracy is at risk, asking, "Are we going to be a nation that lives by the light of the truth but in the shadow of lies?" After all, if President Biden says something is so, then it must be a fact – he would never mislead the American public for political gain – would he? And let’s not forget Liz Cheney, Republican from Wyoming --- as noted by “Slate” just 3 days ago: “Liz Cheney’s War on Terror for her, Jan. 6 was a military battle—and her own party is aiding the enemy.” If she had ever actually served in battle, she would realize how absurd that sounds.
OK enough with the hyperbole – we could go on with all the Democrats lining up to take a swing at this political piñata. It’s time to take a deeper look at what the Dems are trying to sell the American public. Let’s start with the dictionary definition of “Armed Insurrection.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines insurrection: as an organized attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country, usually by violence.
The operative word here appears to be “organized.” We have all seen the video … at least, that video that we are permitted to see. Organized would not be the first thought or observation that comes to mind. Just how were these intruders going to “defeat their government and take control of their country”? With their iPhones and text messages?!
No guns were found on anyone that day ---
unless you want to count the gun that shot and killed Ashley Babbitt … but that is not my focus today. In fact, as of today, the US Department of Justice has not charged a single individual with the crime of Insurrection. Trespassing – YES … Insurrection – NO!
Let’s take it down a notch and see what the Cambridge Dictionary says about riot. “Riot - an occasion when a large number of people behave in a noisy, violent, and uncontrolled way in public, often as a protest.” It would appear that the term “riot” describes what we are looking at one year ago – not an Armed Insurrection. So, at this point, I think it is safe to say that as a riot, January 6 hardly rises to the level of a Pearl Harbor or a 9/11 attack on the nation. Let me be clear – It should not have happened in the first place and most likely would not have happened had the “system” not let us down after the 2020 election. The same “system,” that let us down then, is letting us down now – I’ll explain.
As recently as yesterday, Attorney General Merrick Garland held a presser inside the Justice Department. Here is the Headline from the Hill: “Garland vows prosecutions 'at any level' over Jan. 6.” The article goes on to say: Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s approach to prosecuting those involved in the Jan. 6 riot, signaling the potential for charges against those who never set foot in the Capitol. “The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last. The Justice Department remains committed to holding all January six perpetrators at any level, accountable under law, whether they were present that day, or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy.” He went on to state that: “The DOJ has charged more than 725 defendants in connection with the attack, filings made after reviewing more than 20,000 hours of video footage of that attack and serving more than 5,000 subpoenas and search warrants. Garland … went on to say: “that more than 300 of those defendants have been charged with felonies.” It is the Department of Justice that has let us, the American public, down, then as well as now.
Former AG Barr could not find a single instance of voter manipulation across the entire country and AG Garland finds an insurrectionist under every stone.
So, now let’s compare the current response of the DOJ and the Democrats on the Hill to an event that was truly - by definition - an Armed Insurrection – The Civil War!
We know this – Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, kicking off the Battle of Fort Sumter. After a 34-hour exchange of artillery fire, Anderson and 86 soldiers surrendered the fort on April 13. By that time, over 3,300 shells and “hot shot” had been fired at the fort during the initial 34-hour bombardment by 43 Confederate guns.
Now let’s review - the Cambridge Dictionary defines insurrection as an organized attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country, usually by violence. Well, the aforementioned battle seems to fit the definition. So, what did we do to this obvious Insurrectionist who survived the entirety of the Civil War? The man who fired some 3,300 shells at his government that started the bloodiest chapter in our country’s history - this man surely was charged with insurrection – dare I say “armed insurrection” at the war’s end? NO! He was not! In fact, after his military career, Beauregard returned to Louisiana, where he advocated black civil rights including suffrage, served as a railroad executive, and became wealthy as a promoter of the Louisiana Lottery.
And what of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy?
Surely, that scoundrel, a prior US Senator, was tried for treason and Insurrection and hanged? WRONG! He was not! The Confederate President was captured by Northern soldiers near Irwinville, Georgia on May 10, 1865. Jefferson Davis was imprisoned at Fort Monroe, Virginia for two years. He was never tried for treason, but was released on bond in May 1867. Jefferson Davis died in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 6, 1889.
Who else rose to armed insurrection against the government of the United Sates --- Robert E. Lee,
John Bell Hood, James Longstreet, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph E. Johnston, John Singleton Mosby and others. So, were any of these men charged with armed insurrection given that there were some 67,000 Union soldiers killed in action and another 40,000 who died of wounds or imprisonment?
History tells us the answer to that is NO! In fact, the popular term used both then and now for these men is treason. According to the United States Constitution, Article III, § 3, “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” So, now we know, for the crime of treason not one Confederate politician, general or soldier for that matter was ever tried or convicted. Not even the President of the Confederacy. So, were we better people then or are we better people now?
I think it is clear what is happening today – I think it is also clear that Americans across this great nation are not fooled by this theater – although there are some who will insist that Jan 6th is a day that equates to the loss of American lives on Dec 7th or 9/11. If we can suffer a Civil War and not have to punish the perpetrators and the participants, then we can suffer a riot on the Capital without having to persecute our political opponents.
This is still America.