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A Comment About Mob Violence
Let me lay out my assumptions right up front, before making the point I want to make.
- The President didn’t incite violence. His comments were within the boundaries of appropriate political discourse, whether or not he was correct in the views he expressed about the election. (In fact, I’m sure he was partially, though not wholly, correct.)
- I categorically condemn mob violence, and this instance is no exception: everyone who broke the law should be charged, tried, and, if convicted, punished. Whatever the motives of the lawbreakers (and I don’t know who they are or why they did what they did), I reject any claim they might have to legitimacy in their actions. Lock them up.
There. I hope that’s sufficiently clear. Now here’s the point of this post.
For months, businesses have been destroyed by lawless mobs. Billions of dollars of damage have been done to the private property of American citizens as shops were burned, windows smashed, stores looted. Through it all, the President called for a restoration of law and order, and offered federal support in that effort. In each instance he was rebuffed.
Because the destruction of private property and livelihoods doesn’t matter to folks on the left.
The Capitol break-in didn’t endanger anyone’s livelihood: no one will go out of business because of it, no Senator or Congressman will miss a paycheck or lose his life’s savings because thugs broke in to the building and damaged the nation’s property. Democracy, the Constitution, and the nation were not at risk.
The optics were terrible. But the optics were also terrible when Mainstreet USA was burning; the difference is that we didn’t see that, because the left didn’t care, and so didn’t want us to care either.
By all means prosecute the thugs who broke the law in D.C. this week, and good riddance. But remember that, when it came to demanding justice for regular American citizens faced with the loss of their jobs, businesses, incomes, and savings in the hundreds of Antifa and BLM riots this past year, it was the President who was calling for an end to the violence and the protection of regular American citizens. And the left fought that at every turn, choosing to side with lawlessness and the mob.
So to anyone who couldn’t be bothered to stand up for regular American citizens all summer long — and that’s essentially everyone in mainstream news and every Democratic politician at the state and federal level: go back and report on the tragedy of all those shuttered businesses and destroyed lives before expressing your faux outrage over this most recent event. And explain to me why all those people didn’t matter while they watched their hopes and futures burn.
Published in General
I know that. Undoubtedly they had no idea of the extent of what was going on, and were taking a prudent course. It doesn’t mean that their lives were in danger.
Or perhaps their lives were in danger. I’d like to know more, and I’m looking forward to real information becoming available.
I have no objection to the Capitol security shooting intruders. At the risk of sounding callous, I think too few violent rioters have been shot in recent months; this is as good a place to start as any.
I’ll stand by my statement that America, democracy, and the Constitution were not at risk. Whether or not many lives were at risk remains to be seen, and I’m open to the possibility that many were. Skeptical, but open.
I’m sure, on average, Trump supporters are heavily armed.
But they left their guns at home, apparently, and the only person shot was an unarmed Trump supporter.
It seems a bit strange to condemn them for violence.
I would like to know if any of the mob who entered the Capitol were armed and, if so, how.
Lock them all up anyway. But it seems like a question worth having answered.
Right. Will anyone get the straight dope? Will anyone try to get ID’s on those arrested? Will anyone figure out what the deceased woman was up to? This stuff is incredibly important.
I trust The Federalist to have the will and resources, so I hope they’re up to it.
It looks like this is in process. Here is a story about a guy from Arkansas who was sitting in Speaker Pelosi’s office chair and has now been arrested. The story reports that 12 others have been arrested, without details. This DC police news conference, on the night of the riot, reports 52 arrests. It looks like the law enforcement efforts are ongoing. I fully support that effort.
I’ve written it elsewhere, but I’m gonna repeat myself: It’s just like with COVID, which was brushed off by public health officials as nothing to worry about right up until politicians started getting it.
DC and Capitol Police laid firearms charges against several people, including one who was carrying a semi-automatic rifle. I’m not aware how many of them were actually inside the Capitol Building as opposed to simply bringing firearms to the peaceful protest outside.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jan/7/trump-supporters-arrested-capitol-riot-have-crimin/
Note: The number of people arrested is now over 80.
Here’s a partial list of people who’ve been charged federally by the DOJ so far. It doesn’t appear to include those who were arrested by the DC Metropolitan Police, which comprises the majority of those arrested.
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/crime/13-charged-in-federal-court-following-riots-us-capitol/65-46eb68bd-6f48-4b12-ba7d-b03efae9ff0f
Mr. C and I were talking about what’s happening to Latinos in California wrt COVID. Higher infection rate and higher mortality. Maybe it’s partly biological (lower vitamin D absorption than whites with Latinos’ generally darker skin). Maybe it’s cultural (more large gatherings and multi-generational dwellings). But, we’re betting a big factor is that these are people out there risking exposure by doing the simpler, lower-paying tasks of keeping the protected class comfortably fed, clothed, and sheltered. But the Gavin Newsoms won’t even allow an acknowledgement that there might need to be more done to protect vulnerable Latinos — because that would raaaaaacist. Or somethin’.
No question there is a double standard over the BLM riots, and they did set a precedent for this week’s storming of the Capital. But I don’t think it’s accurate to say Trump’s words over these past several weeks did not incite the violence. Here are some of his words and tweets:
“big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”
Supporter Tweet: “The calvary is coming, Mr. President!”. Trump responded: “A great honor!”
“The presidency belongs to the American people, and to them alone,”
Trump on Pence: he did not having “the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”
“We will never give up, We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.”
Now what conclusion would a mob reach if they were never to concede, that unlike Pence should have the courage to protect the constitution, that it was supposed to be a “wild day,” and he used the language of the military not just in tweets but on his facebook? A logical conclusion (not the only possible conclusion, but certainly a conclusion) when you are supposed to be patriots who have been robbed unconstitutionally and already have it as a value that the “blood of tyrants” needs to be shed (per Thomas Jefferson) every so often to preserve freedom would be to elevate the activity toward violence.
Only a small segment of the hundreds of thousands participating reached that conclusion, but enough meatheads did reach conclusion and it came from Donald Trump’s rhetoric over the last few weeks. Donald Trump gathered the kindle (the Jan 6th event), poured gasoline on it (his rhetoric), and a match went off, either directly from his words or from a group of meatheads who interpreted as such. Donald Trump deserves a large share of the blame.
I have been a supporter of Donald Trump for four years, but I have to be objective. There is no question that the conspiracy theories he has nurtured about the election these last four weeks and his rhetoric are responsible for what happened.
Yes, there is a question. There’s a serious question. People are responsible for their own actions. To hold Trump “responsible” is a violation of a very basic tenet.
1) At best it’s an “own goal” but it is at least cover for the left to avoid responsibility for the Antifa/BLM riots. So now the Dems pay no price for excusing/supporting political violence. We already see Kamala & Ol’ Jo using the riot, claiming that BLM would have been treated more severely- thereby protecting, inflaming, & energizing their left wing.
2) Trump bears some measure of responsibility- not in a legal sense, but morally b/c he incited the protest. Such protests always have the real risk of violence b/c we always have a subset of the population that yearns for an excuse to commit violence. Such people will seek any excuse to riot- they do not care about “the cause”. To call for such protests on the day of certification when you had exactly ZERO chance of prevailing is dangerous & unwarranted.
3) Now for years the left and the media (but I repeat myself) will always use this event to besmirch the right & justify ANY left wing violence.
I’m not talking about any legal responsibility. I’m referring to legacy, and frankly, disgrace. He disgraced his office.
Thank you, Henry Racette.
I’m a lot more worried about the country over the fact that people were kept from knowing about the extent of the rioting, looting, burning and murder this spring and summer; I’m a lot more worried about the way the Hunter Biden story was censored, and about the way doctors from places like Stanford University were censored, that I am about what recently happened at the Capitol.
I’m not talking law either. You’re perfectly fine to have your views as to his post-election conduct. I’m far from overjoyed with it myself.
But assigning the actions of others with their own free wills to someone else requires a very high stand of proof. Should we congratulate him on the conduct of a far larger group of people who peacefully protested? Or should we recognize that there are miscreants whose behaviors cannot be accounted for because it is what they chose to do.
Regarding “own goal,” I don’t know who broke into the Capitol, nor what they hoped to achieve. I will be surprised if we don’t discover that it’s a hodgepodge of unstable people of widely varied ideologies. But let’s wait and see.
“Incited the protest” is a loaded phrase. Yes, every large gathering carries with it some risk, in that some of the people who gather may be irresponsible. But to argue that that makes one who calls for a large gathering somehow responsible for the misbehavior of a small minority of the people assembled doesn’t make sense.
I’ll be surprised if that’s true. The public memory isn’t great — and talking about riots in 2020/2021 isn’t ultimately a winning strategy for the left, in my opinion.
Here’s the biggest problem: it’s grandstanding with effect.
It has emboldened Democrats to talk about impeaching Trump though he has already conceded the election and remains in office for mere days. Nancy Pelosi had the audacity to demand the nuclear football be taken from him, as if 4 years of extraordinary peace (in the Middle East and no new wars or “police actions”) leaves any reasonable doubt that Trump is not a warmongering madman.
It has emboldened the left to silence not only the President on social media but a variety of conservative journalists and commentators. Glenn Beck reports (on YouTube) that a Blaze TV journalist has been removed from social media (his personal Facebook account — not used for marketing) for filming the Capitol break-in… despite having condemned that break-in from the beginning. CNN is interviewing the young journalist’s associates in apparent preparation for a hit-piece.
The incident itself was significant, but not half so significant as the immense number of malicious riots applauded and guarded by statist media.
The diabolical use of that incident might dwarf the use of worse events. The left are always weaving false narratives. This one is bolder than most. Democrats claim it was an attempted coup so that they can justify extraordinary measures to eliminate “insurgents” who are in reality their peaceful opposition. Their actions are already outrageous. Their boldness could quickly accelerate.
For four years the NT’s said that Donald Trump was going to destroy the Conservative / Republic party. For four years they were dead wrong – until Wednesday.
Because of what happened Wednesday, the Democrats are going have a dominant majority for a generation. And I doubt the Republican party will survive through the 2022 elections.
Hope. One immutable truth n politics is that it’s a pendulum, Bush begets Obama who begets Trump.
The Democrats will overplay their hand, although it might make for a rough few years. Then the pendulum will swing in the other direction, possibly as soon as 2022.
It’s not a pendulum, it’s a ratchet. We still have the Dept. of Education, Medicare, most of the Great Society, Obamacare, etc.
I have a follow-up about the people who “stormed” the Capitol.
According to Susan Ferrechio at the Examining Politics podcast (on Ricochet, here), there were a number of protestors who were allowed into the Capitol by the police/security folks, who wandered around peacefully, and left when they were asked. There were other rioters who broke in, apparently from another direction, and did their rampaging.
This modifies my prior opinion. No one should be charged with any crime if they were peacefully permitted to enter the Capitol, and promptly left when asked.
This might make proof more difficult, because if Ferrechio’s report is correct, mere presence in the building will not be sufficient to prove a criminal trespass.
FYI, Ferrechio is identified as Senior Washington Correspondent for the Washington Examiner, and she reports as an eyewitness.
God, what an example of virtue signaling ! The riot at the Capitol was an operation funded by the same people who funded the vote fraud. More and more eyewitness accounts are coming out. Like this one.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/01/worrisome_signs_the_capitol_breach_was_planned_to_discredit_trump_supporters_an_eyewitness_account.html
Unfortunately, the
totalitarianscivil center right of Ricochet already lined them up against the wall and shot them.[Corrected]
The opposition spied on the candidate, corrupted the FBI and intelligence agencies, abused the FISA court, colluded with the press to fabricate every imaginable slander about the President, and then tried to impeach him for a phone call. We put up with utter nonsense for four years.
Now he speaks like the blustery, intemperate man we’ve all known he is. I just don’t care. I liked the way he governed, and I won’t pretend that I’m so offended by his deficiencies of personal conduct to condemn him for it. I wish to heaven he’d won, and am thankful that we had him as long as we did.
Of course he incited the protest- that isn’t in doubt- he called on his supporters to rally. The rioters bear legal responsibility for their actions- but political leaders have to keep in mind that inflammatory rhetoric can have inciting effects on a portion of the population. That isn’t a legal position- the rioters are still fully culpable- but we can’t excuse/overlook irresponsible rhetoric. The left was certainly guilty of it during the summer BLM/Antifa “protests” (ie riots) and Trump’s tweets have been over the top. The wave of crime and murders that hit many cities over the last 9 months has been greatly exacerbated by irresponsible rhetoric by many Democrats- and a similar situation exists in regard to the protest in DC this week. We can’t hold them legally responsible but we should hold them politically accountable.
It’s already happening. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-launches-investigation-biden-bus-incident-texas-trump-supporters/
At least Trump was accurate about the vote fraud. The “hallowed Halls” sounds like an old radio program
The serious question is whether they got close to his/her graft source.