Is the Government Taking the Jan. 6th Attack on Democracy Seriously?

Anyone who has read the Constitution and loves their country will read the definitions of sedition, insurrection, and treason. Therefore, they can safely conclude that the attack on the Capitol Building was a failed coup organized by Donald Trump and his people.

Sedition: Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.
Insurrection:  A violent uprising against an authority or government.
Treason: The offense of betraying one’s own country by attempting to overthrow the government through waging war against the state or materially aiding its enemies, also called high treason.

Read these definitions more than once and ask yourself these questions:

• Was this an insurrection or, as Republicans would like you to believe, an angry “riot?”
• Are Trump and Mo Brooks guilty of sedition for inciting the riot on January 6?
• Was attempting to halt the final step of our election process and harm or kill our legislators and the vice-president an act of war?
• Does attempting to overturn our Constitutional election constitute an act of treason?

These are the issues under consideration as the Select Committee on January 6 conducts its investigation.

Everyone who watched the horrific attack on our country, organized by a sitting president, must have been both horrified and angry. But, as a vehement protester of violent action, you may be shocked that my first thought was “line them all up and shoot them; they do not deserve a trial.”

But this was my country under attack. I kept screaming at the television: “Where is our military? Why were they sitting on their fat asses and doing nothing to thwart domestic terrorists committing violence against our most sacred democratic process?”

Larry Wilson, a founder of the ‘Lincoln Project,’ posted a video, fearing that our corrupt members of Congress will fail to punish everyone involved with the highest degree of severity allowed by law. I share this fear, and I will share a few of his comments.

“I am hearing from multiple people now that the subpoenas are not going to be enforced.” Several of Trump’s closest allies have received these subpoenas.

Courtesy of Blink O’fanaye (Flickr CC0)

“These are criminals who tried to overthrow the United States government.” Perfectly said.

“These people came to murder you. They would have dragged you out into the street and stomped you to death.”

Only the courage of the outnumbered Capitol Police saved the lives of Nancy Pelosi, Mike Pence, and others. This violent, fascist mob was not an angry group of protesters, and they were a part of Trump’s Neo-Nazi army.

Our government is weak, cowardly, unprincipled, and does not deserve our respect or loyalty. I honestly believe that all 535 members of our legislature should be replaced with younger, more diverse individuals who will do the right thing every time.

Yes, I am an original baby boomer. Yes, in my younger days, I trusted most of my government. Yes, I was a political junkie at a young age.

Because the fourth estate no longer exists, I often feel that it is my responsibility to report multiple acts of corruption within our government. However, there are too many for me to investigate with my limited assets.

The country I live in today no longer resembles the America I knew as a younger man. As a result, I literally trust no one in authority, those with riches beyond their needs, or the mainstream media.

Frequently, I feel like I live on an island, the only place where the country of our founding fathers continues to exist. I do not live in Trump’s America, which is dark, void of hope, and ruled by fascists paid for by plutocrats.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

CNN: Donald Trump is gaslighting us on the January 6 riot; by Chris Cillizza
The Daily Kos: Rick Wilson is LIVID! And Every American Who Wants Justice for January 6th Should Be Too; by News Corps Community

Images Courtesy of Blink O’fanaye’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License