January 6th Capitol Riot; Just "Legitimate Political Discourse". Really?

​On February 4, 2022 the Republican National Committee (RNC) passed a resolution to formally censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for daring to stand up to Donald Trump. The RNC is opposed to the Democrat-led Congressional committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riot. Cheney and Kinzinger are members of the committee, which explains their fall from grace within the Republican Party.

​It is no surprise that the Republicans censured Cheney and Kinzinger. What is surprising is the wording used in the censor resolution. According to the resolution, “Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger are participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” The characterization of the January 6th Capitol riot as “legitimate political discourse” has caused a firestorm, and rightly so. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has condemned this characterization by stating that what happened on January 6th, “was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent a peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next.” I don’t often say this, but I agree with Mitch McConnell. 

Political protest is protected by the U.S. Constitution, and many people in Washington D.C. on January 6th were acting within their rights. But some of the protestors engaged in organized acts of violence and destruction of government property in an effort to prevent the certification of a free and fair election. It was an affront to our democracy and should never be considered a legitimate form of political protest.
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There are millions of people in our country that side with the RNC’s position and feel that the Democrats have blown the events of January 6th all out of proportion for political gain. To that I say, please watch the following documentary film put together by the New York Times:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWJVMoe7OY0. 

“Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol” culminated from a six-month Times investigation. The film makers synchronized and mapped out thousands of videos and police radio communications from the January 6th Capitol riot, providing the most complete picture to date of what happened and why. I found the documentary to be powerful, disturbing, and at times difficult to watch. It certainly didn’t leave me ambivalent. I challenge anyone who watches this film to characterize the events depicted as “legitimate political discourse”.

The Republican Party doesn’t seem interested in getting to the truth surrounding the events of January 6th. Otherwise, they would be supporting the work of the January 6th committee in Congress. I for one am anxious to read the final report on the committee’s findings. Any American who truly cares about the future of our democracy should be as well. 

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Thanks,
Armchair American