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Perspectives on the Assault on the Capitol
Townhall.com ^ | January 7, 2021 | Terry Paulson

Posted on 01/07/2021 7:26:54 AM PST by Kaslin

This was not a good day for our country. Congress should never be challenged to reverse election results. Election fraud cannot be allowed to win the day, but this is a states’ rights issue. If you have concerns, join those who will lobby state legislators to secure election integrity by passing state laws to ensure that.

But we must be clear. We are a nation of laws. The breach of the Capitol is totally inexcusable. Demonstration is one thing; breaking into the Capitol building while congress is working to certify the election results, is a step too far. This mob action has done only one thing. President-elect Joe Biden will still be inaugurated as the next president of the United States with a new righteous justification. Mob rule cannot ever win the day. But why did it happen?

President Donald Trump certainly bears part of the responsibility for the incursion. His comments on the capital mall to the demonstrators who had gathered from across the country to support his fight against what he claimed was clearly a fraudulent election definitely stirred up the passions of his supporters. The massive crowd came to demand that congress overturn the results, something congress really does not Constitutionally control. Trump blamed Vice President Mike Pence for not standing up to the challenge after he rightly communicated to Congress that he did not have the authority to reverse the certification process. Pence’s refusal was Constitutional. Trump implied that he could win the day, but that was an unrealistic expectation that added to the frustration of those who gathered to support him.

It’s also clear that there were not adequate resources in place to secure the Capitol building. Why? They never expected a Republican demonstration to become violent. They had resources in place to handle past BLM and Antifa demonstrations, but only one hundred National Guard were called in to support the local police and Capitol security for this demonstration. As a result, the most extreme agitators were able to break past security and enter the Capitol building. One woman was shot and died. The congressional session was ended, and Vice President Pence was escorted away by the Secret Service.

When peaceful demonstrators were pushed back from the Capitol, most cooperated and left the scene of conflict. Thankfully, Vice President Mike Pence immediately communicated with the military to arrange for 1,100 National Guard to be deployed to help maintain order. As a result, the joint session is meeting to certify the electoral college results. Biden most certainly will be quickly confirmed as the incoming President.

At the same time, there was reason for the frustration of his supporters. It's also clear that there was no time or available process to verify or dispute the allegations of election fraud. This frustration contributed to the anger of many attending the predominately peaceful demonstrations. As a result of the violent actions of a few, there is no doubt that these allegations will now unlikely never be adequately addressed. The chances of President Trump ever being elected again have all but disappeared. His comments were reckless. He told the crowd to be peaceful, but then incited them to not give up the fight. And fight they did! He was late in calling for them to stand down and continued to call the results illegal.

President Trump will most likely not concede, but the transfer of power is still assured. Even those who support the President, know that one person is not more important than our republic and our track record of peaceful transitions.

This day will be used to make sure that if there were extensive fraudulent actions, they will unlikely be fully addressed. No court or judge had yet provided a public airing and consideration of the serious allegations. Until that is done and our election processes are secure and transparent, trust in future elections is seriously in question.

The mainstream media should also accept some responsibility. Without a responsible, non-partisan media that do their job to investigate and fairly report actual evidence of fraud, people will remain angry and frustrated. President Biden will call for unity, but he would also be wise to call for an independent investigation into all the allegations of fraud.

Whatever his reaction, this should not change the response of responsible Republicans. Republican Senator Tom Cotton immediately and strongly condemned the violence and called for those responsible to be fully prosecuted. Unlike the rioters and looters from the left who were never prosecuted in many Democrat-controlled cities, Republicans should support holding accountable those who breached the Capitol.

Republicans should not let this embarrassing action deter them from calling for an investigation of election integrity and reform. Stand for principled disagreement, but civil disagreement. This event should not be used to silence dialogue and disagreements on social media. Freedom of speech is too important to let this justify such actions.

Finally, this is a sad way for President Trump to exit from office. His actions today hurt any legacy he might have had. May he find a way to take some responsibility for the actions of his more militant supporters he helped motivate. May he also further condemn any further acts of violence. Elections have consequences. Mob actions have consequences. It’s time for change. It’s time for making sure that future elections build back our faith in the election process.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2020preselection; assaultoncapitol; capitolriot; electionintegrity; presidenttrump
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To: RBW in PA

> join those who will lobby state legislators to secure election integrity

RBW, FRiend, I didn’t write that!


61 posted on 01/07/2021 9:20:57 AM PST by old-ager (anti-new-ager)
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To: khelus

“Facial recognition firm claims Antifa infiltrated Trump protesters who stormed Capitol”

> https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jan/6/xrvision-firm-claims-antifa-infiltrated-protesters/

Yup.


62 posted on 01/07/2021 9:23:02 AM PST by old-ager (anti-new-ager)
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To: Kaslin
Anyone blaming Trump for what yesterday is part of the swamp or a gullible fool buying the spin of the swamp and media.

Trump and the hundreds of thousands that showed up had every right to be upset over the election fraud that occurred and made it clear that it wouldn't be tolerated.

None of the violence that occurred yesterday (which may well have been instigated by Antifa) even compares to one day of the George Floyd protests, which the media, Democrats and left either advocated or refused to condemn.

63 posted on 01/07/2021 9:47:54 AM PST by Kazan
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To: Kaslin

The politicians want us to forget:

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”

Thomas Jefferson


64 posted on 01/07/2021 12:19:50 PM PST by Hoosier-Daddy ("Washington, DC. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious")
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To: Kaslin
This was not a good day for our country. Congress should never be challenged to reverse election results. Election fraud cannot be allowed to win the day, but this is a states’ rights issue. If you have concerns, join those who will lobby state legislators to secure election integrity by passing state laws to ensure that.

Sorry; but when a certain state can screw up what happens in MY state by it's actions; then BY GOD! I must have SOME recourse to address that at the FEDERAL level!!

65 posted on 01/10/2021 5:11:05 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: old-ager

BINGO!


66 posted on 01/10/2021 5:11:48 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

had even just ONE court accepted the evidence of election fraud and had adjudicated whether or not it was sufficient as proof of fraud, this ALL might have been avoided. And yet ALL state courts, federal circuit courts and even SCOTUS have basically enjoined the American people to go self-fornicate at this point

Similar judicial “missteps” in the 1830’s-1850’s sowed the ground for the War Between the States.

Failure at the electoral, legislative and judicial levels is a nation in crisis.


67 posted on 01/10/2021 5:12:47 AM PST by mo ("If you understand, no explanation is needed; if you don't understand, no explanation is possible)
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To: hotsteppa

The BLM crowd caused more ‘pushback’ damage in Indianapolis last year than the EVER Trumpers did in DC a few days ago.

I do not recall Biden calling for swift punishment of the perps in THAT case!!


68 posted on 01/10/2021 5:13:53 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: falcon99

Bingo2!!


69 posted on 01/10/2021 5:15:02 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Bshaw

Bingo3!!!


70 posted on 01/10/2021 5:21:21 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: old-ager
Facial recognition firm shows that Antifa infiltrated Trump protesters who visited the Capitol without a tour guide
71 posted on 01/10/2021 5:26:00 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Hoosier-Daddy
The politicians want us to forget:P>Ya THINK!?!?!


 

 
 

Party ownership of the print media
made it easy to manipulate public opinion,
and the film and radio carried the process further.


 



16. Ministry Of Truth

.......

The Ministry of Truth, Winston's place of work, contained, it was said, three thousand rooms above ground level, and corresponding ramifications below.

The Ministry of Truth concerned itself with Lies. Party ownership of the print media made it easy to manipulate public opinion, and the film and radio carried the process further.

The primary job of the Ministry of Truth was to supply the citizens of Oceania with newspapers, films, textbooks, telescreen programmes, plays, novels - with every conceivable kind of information, instruction, or entertainment, from a statue to a slogan, from a lyric poem to a biological treatise, and from a child's spelling-book to a Newspeak dictionary.

Winston worked in the RECORDS DEPARTMENT (a single branch of the Ministry of Truth) editing and writing for The Times. He dictated into a machine called a speakwrite. Winston would receive articles or news-items which for one reason or another it was thought necessary to alter, or, in Newspeak, rectify. If, for example, the Ministry of Plenty forecast a surplus, and in reality the result was grossly less, Winston's job was to change previous versions so the old version would agree with the new one. This process of continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers, but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, sound-tracks, cartoons, photographs - to every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any political or ideological significance.

.

.

.

And somewhere or other, quite anonymous, there were the directing brains who co-ordinated the whole effort and laid down the lines of policy which made it necessary that this fragment of the past should be preserved, that one falsified, and the other rubbed out of existence.

 
 


72 posted on 01/10/2021 5:30:38 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie
REMEMBER the Alamo?

It was a big loss for the Texans.

Remember San Jacinto; a few days later??


Many Mexican soldiers retreated through the marsh to Peggy Lake.[Note 3] 
Texian riflemen stationed themselves on the banks and shot at anything that moved.
Many Texian officers, including Houston and Rusk, attempted to stop the slaughter,
but they were unable to gain control of the men, incensed and vengeful for the massacres
at the Alamo and Goliad, while frightened Mexican infantry yelled "Me no Alamo!" and begged for mercy to no avail.[76] 
 
In what historian Davis calls "one of the most one-sided victories in history",[77] 650 Mexican soldiers were killed and 300 captured.[78] 
Eleven Texians died, with 30 others, including Houston, wounded.[79]
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_Jacinto
 
 

73 posted on 01/10/2021 5:41:16 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie
https://www.google.com/search?q=black+lives+matter+painted+on+street&rlz=1C1AVNC_enUS560US607&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0t-m0v5HuAhVBi1kKHUK1CY8Q_AUoAXoECAsQAw
 
Remember my name....
 
Ashli Babbitt
 

74 posted on 01/10/2021 6:00:21 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

I agree with your correction.


75 posted on 01/11/2021 6:37:53 PM PST by old-ager (anti-new-ager)
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