Of seditionists, insurrectionists and sunshine patriots

So, nobody ever thought it could happen here. Who in America or any other place that ever regarded this nation to be the last best hope for human self-governance ever had such a specter enter into their thinking? Outside the conceptual confines of a dystopian novel or movie script, it was just plain unthinkable, wasn’t it? Just what exactly happened in the Nation’s Capitol on January 6th? A disgruntled malignant narcissist elected on a fluke four years ago publicly incited an angry mob to carry out an open assault on the citadel of the government he swore an oath to uphold. That is the sort of thing often seen in banana republics and third world dictatorships. Violent overthrow of our government is not what Americans do. Heretofore, such an action has been a totally foreign concept. Not anymore. The full penalty of tolerating “alternative facts” under the guise of free speech has produced toxic fruit. The constitutionally mandated Congress of the United States has been directly attacked by a slipshod orchestrated force of fringe group citizens seeking to stop the certification of a legitimate Presidential election. Said group has shed blood in their quest to stop the electoral vote certification and blood has been shed in the defense of the institution and its elected members from them. To say this takes the luster off the shining American example of how the process of a peaceful transfer of power is carried out is an understatement.

What occurred at the U.S. Capitol on the first Wednesday of 2021 is a genuine national tragedy. Aside from perhaps being held up as the quintessential bad example of what should never happen, there is no real way to spin such a thing into any sort of positive. Make no mistake about it though, the real tragedy in all this is the transformation of otherwise law abiding Americans into outlaws. So many good people invested their time, money and conscience into the rantings of disinformation and falsehoods of a failed President desperate to retain power for power’s sake. Believing in the purity of their cause, they saw themselves as patriots seeking to maintain a status quo that served their interests. Moreover, they became convinced that all existing laws safeguarding the property and elected officials they sought to damage and harm did not apply to them. They were after all seeking to impose their sense of the “Real America” and in doing so abandoned all sense of any self control, personal restraint and any regard for the law. Any law. As we have seen in the days following, their actions and conduct have generated a litany of fallout. The FBI has made over one hundred arrests associated with this ill- advised escapade and there will be more to come. Yes, there have been scattered Republican mouthpieces calling for peace and calm and unity all of which is fine and well, but first there will be accountability and consequences for all participants and those who aided them. Sadly, many participants have realized after the fact what it is going to cost them. Given that the stated goal, to stop the electoral vote certification, ultimately failed, is getting a felony conviction on their record and going to federal prison for a few to several months really worth their effort? The consequences of involvement in this seditious action is going to be especially bad for any retired U.S. military veterans receiving pension and benefits as they are still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. I wonder if Lt.Col. Brock (pictured below in the combat gear holding the zip ties) ever considered the prospect of not only going to Club Fed but losing all retirement pay and benefits for assuming the role of a domestic terrorist?

It has taken most of us a while to process the events of January 6th and many I know have gone far out of their way to explain as much as they can to their children and to those less aware of national politics. Regardless of what sort of revisionist tale-telling will be done by those involved, the imagery of that day will leave little to the imagination as to what the mob’s intent was. Those visuals of that assault on our democracy are going to linger in the national psyche for a long time.

A reasonable question is where do we go from here? A common sense reply is “forward” with the mutual understanding of a few essential items. First among them is knowing that the November 3rd, 2020 Presidential Election is OVER, second is acknowledging that a WINNER has been determined per the Electoral College, third is that consistency with REALITY matters and last, knowing that WORDS lead to ACTION for which there will be CONSEQUENCES. As we do move forward this coming week with the swearing in of a new President and a new administration, everyone needs to understand that where they stand with regard to the law DOES matter and matters a LOT. As the fallout from January 6th continues to rain down even as we transition into a new era, it is strongly encouraged of all elected Conservatives who use the bully pulpit of their office to communicate to their voter base to not only dial down their level of bombast but to be very circumspect in their choice of language. Refraining from communicating any ideas that could be even remotely construed as seditionist is imperative as they will bear the liability and be held to account for inciting violence. It should be made clear by all national law enforcement to all who support actions such as those those that happened on January 6th as to what such conduct qualifies as under the law. All insurrection-like actions will be regarded and dealt with as such. All who engage in and promote the notion that being a member of some “armed militia” makes them a true revolutionary defender of the “Real America” akin to the Continental soldiers who suffered through the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge are going to be in for a very sobering confrontation with reality. The specter of wannabe “Winter Soldiers” discovering that when facing the U.S. Military that they are greatly outnumbered and vastly outgunned is one that will only end in disaster for them. To add insult to injury, any survivors of such a conflagration would face federal charges for engaging in insurrection against the federal or state government. It would be advisable to reevaluate their strategy. Assuming any civilian militia stood a chance of prevailing, it will take a lot more dedication than that of those ostensible Summer Soldiers and Sunshine Patriots that stormed the Capitol. Given the example of January 6th, the mob had well thinned out by nightfall much like the below visual indicates.

In 2021, we find ourselves in a very different place than that of Colonial America of the late 1770s. Commensurate with where we are on the timeline of the nation and even as we are transitioning into a new era, we are confronted with multiple crises. Even still we may find comfort in the immortal words of Thomas Paine which still ring true nearly two and a half centuries hence. All Winter Soldiers who have committed themselves to the building of a more perfect Union will serve as our national example in the coming months. These are indeed times that try ALL souls.