Some of our Democrat citizens have taken to displaying yard signs that read, “Never Forget … the attacks on our capitol.”
Now, I know Democrats have been trying to make hay out of that unfortunate day for almost 4 years now. They and their allies in the DOJ have succeeded in over-prosecuting the protestors/rioters of that day to ridiculous degrees, including jail sentences of 3 years or more for simply being there.
But the fact is that after numerous attempts to hold Trump legally accountable for the “attacks,” none have come close to sticking. (By the way, what is this with the term “attacks”? It was one day and most of the protestors were let into the Capitol building by the police, and were soon escorted out.)
This, from a Department of Justice that was able to collude with New York city prosecutors to convict Trump of highly spurious “election interference” charges, even when he wasn’t technically charged with that crime.
Did Trump act irresponsibly on January 6th? Yes.
Did he encourage the protestors to enter the Capitol? No.
Should have done more to stop it? Yes.
But, is he and are they guilty of trying to overthrow our democracy in a real and significant way? No.
I would argue that the myriad changes made to election procedures leading up to the 2020 election were much more harmful to our democratic norms than anything Trump or the rioters did.
And, if it is a crime to question the results of an election you don’t like, why do Stacey Abrams, Hillary Clinton, and many more of their ilk get off Scot-free for challenging the legitimacy of the elections they lost?
What most aggravates me about these particular “Never Forget” signs is that that phrase is primarily associated with the Holocaust. By using it in connection with January 6th, you are falsely equating the two events and doing a great disservice to the true meaning of that slogan.
As we are seeing in the Middle East and in our big blue cities today, it is vital that we do not forget that the kind of anti-semitism and deadly hate that brought about the Holocaust still exists today and must be defeated.
The momentary anger and frustration that the protestors felt at the election results and shenanigans of 2020 are nothing compared to the real menace that is targeted by that phrase. So please have the decency to refrain from its use.
And, by the way, if we’re going to remember what happened that day, how about we remember that the only victim was Ashli Babbitt, who was shot in the neck by a police officer.
Or let’s remember that the MSM and the Democrats told us for years, and still claim, that a police officer died as a result of the January 6th riot. That never happened, but they still use that fiction to justify their fake outrage.
Or what about the fact that Nancy Pelosi declined to allow more law enforcement to guard the Capitol that day even though she and everyone knew there was potential for chaos?
Or that a guy named Ray Epps repeatedly called for protestors to enter the Capitol on both January 5th and 6th? (Yes, he was later convicted, but just got one year of probation, which was a slap on the wrist compared to the vast majority of the some 300 defendants.)
I will admit I am quite conflicted in my support of Donald Trump and on what happened on January 6th. He is a difficult guy to support and that event was a tragedy in many ways, especially for the Babbitt family.
But it certainly was not on par with the ultimate atrocity perpetrated by the Nazis and has resulted in far, far less damage to our country than the attacks on and abuse of our judicial system by Democratic prosecutors and administrators, who either fail to enforce the law or misuse it to attack their political enemies on a regular basis.
THAT is something I will not forget as I choose between Trump and Harris this election.
Trey Hoffman
Peachtree City, Ga.
