The tenet of innocent until proven guilty has been around since at least the 18th century. In slightly different language it can be traced back even farther. In 1948 the language was formalized when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed by the General Assembly of the United Nations. While those words don’t appear in the Constitution, they are hinted at in our Bill of Rights. The 5th Amendment says in part: no one should be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of the law.” A clause in the 6th Amendment provides the right to “a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.” Innocent until proven guilty is one of the foundations our nation of laws is built. When laws, and their administration, become perverted by politics people can’t depend on those laws to be fair.
Sadly, whether this tenet applies equally today depends directly on your political affiliation. There is a terrible wrong being committed against a relatively small group of American citizens. What is happening to the people who have been arrested, and detained, for the “insurrection” in D.C. is un-American. Every American should be appalled at the way our government is treating these citizens. Let me say right up front, and in no uncertain terms, that the people who entered the Capitol building on 1/6/2021 were absolutely wrong. Those who smashed windows, broke down doors, damaged or stole property, harassed or fought with authorities, should be prosecuted. Period. However, the dragnet the FBI is running is snaring people who did none of the above. They arrested, and are charging, people who entered through open doors, roamed the halls for a few minutes, took a few selfies, and left. Others were arrested, and prosecuted, who did nothing, other than step over barricades, and mingled with others who took pictures as they stood on the steps of the Capitol building! These two groups should have received no worse treatment than the Antifa and BLM rioters who were typically processed and released the next day. The mistake they made had nothing to do with their behavior on 1/6. Their behavior was demonstrably better than that of Antifa and BLM. Their mistake was being supporters of the Left’s great Satan, Donald Trump.
Democrats immediately called it an insurrection. And once the media received its talking points from the Democrats they dutifully fell in line. Headlines coast to coast read of the attempted overthrow of our government. News shows on the networks, as well as CNN, and MSNBC, screamed of the horribly frightening insurrection, and the sad loss of life. In August, the FBI stated there was no evidence to support the claims of an insurrection. It said that 90-95% of the people acted on their own. They were not organized. That hasn’t stopped Democrats and their media minions from calling it an insurrection, even today. Sadly, the mainstream media appears to be irreparably corrupt. Remember when I said the mistake the 1/6 rioters made was being Trump supporters?
Let me provide a little comparative data to support that comment. There were 5 deaths recorded during the 1/6 protests. It is clear that none of the deaths were the fault of the protesters. One of them, in fact, was a rioter shot to death by a Capitol Policeman. Another was a policeman initially reported to have been bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher. His family debunked that report a couple of days after his death, saying they had talked to the officer the day after the riot. The coroner’s report confirmed the family’s comments. Never wanting to let the truth get in the way of a good story, the media continued to report the death as a bludgeoning for days after the coroner’s report. The other three deaths resulted from natural causes. There were some windows and doors broken, and a few things were stolen. Damage is estimated that $1.4 million. No firearms were found during the 1/6 protests. Now for comparison. There were over 550 riots that took place across the U.S. in 2020. They caused billions of dollars of losses from vandalism, looting, and arson. Over two thousand police officers were injured or killed, along with dozens of citizens. Weapons of every description were brandished during the 2020 riots. Which of the above deserved FBI and Congressional investigations?
The FBI immediately launched an investigation of the 1/6 riots and have arrested as many as 700 people from 40 states. More are being arrested daily. A Congressional commission is now under way. Contrary to the 6th Amendment guarantee to the right to a speedy trial, most of the political prisoners of 1/6 are still awaiting their day in court. Around 500 people have been charged. Dozens of them are waiting in jail, a few in solitary confinement. This is unconscionable! By comparison there were no reports of FBI investigations during, or after, the riots in 2020. Those who participated in riots during 2020 were routinely released within 48 hours of being arrested. In Minnesota, V.P. candidate Harris, was soliciting funds to help bail rioters out of jail. To that end she requested donations be made to the MNFreedomFund. That fund was responsible for the release of a suspected murderer. Harris should be ashamed of her actions. Even with the carnage witnessed in multiple cities, Speaker Pelosi never suggested the formation of a commission to investigate the death and destruction they were causing. Even barricading police officers in their precinct building, then starting it ablaze didn’t stir the Speaker to form a commission. The rioting didn’t even evoke words of condemnation from the Speaker, or any of the other Democrat elites. The difference, apparently, is those rioters were not Trump supporters. Therefore their activities were somehow less odious than those of the 1/6 rioters. Maybe the elites view rioting differently when it occurs in their own back yard.
Even though Democrats, and the media, continue to mislabel the protests, we must understand the reasons why it was not an insurrection. First there were no firearms found. One person was found with Molotov cocktails. The rest of the “insurrectionists” were armed with pepper spray and campaign banners. The FBI said the protesters were not organized. The only gunshot fired was by the Capitol Police. Look, if the events of 1/6/2021 were that of an insurrection it was the most feeble in the history of mankind.
To further prove the point, over 500 protesters have thus far been charged with a crime. Most have been charged with trespassing like crimes. The most frequent charges are: Entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, parading, demonstrating, or picketing, in a Capitol building, and obstruction of an official proceeding. The majority who have pled guilty, did so to the charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. Nearly all of them received sentences of probation, a short house arrest, and fines. There were only a few people who received jail sentences. The longest of which was 3 years. Does this sound like the kind of sentencing that would be meted out to insurrectionists? Not a single defendant has been charged with insurrection, or sedition. Not one! This is yet another pathetic Democrat hoax. It is designed to intimidate and silence Trump supporters. The goal is to damage Trump so severely that they put an end to any thoughts he may have about running for President in 2024. In the mean time they are crushing the lives of countless American citizens.
In the meantime hundreds of Americans are being denied their Constitutional right to a speedy trial. By being held in jail for months without a trial they are being denied their right to innocent until proven guilty. Some have been in jail longer than their sentences would have allowed. Prisoners at Gitmo, responsible for murdering thousands of innocent Americans, were treated better than the 1/6 protesters. Every single American should be mortified at what is happening to Americans in America. If a foreign country was treating a U.S. citizen this shabbily we would be outraged. I hope everyone involved in this witch hunt are voted out of office the next time they are up for election. What is happening to our country?
Thank you for reading my post. If you found it interesting, or informative, please tell your friends. Bob
Thank you for bringing this up. Our Representatives don’t seem to be helping them out either and are way too silent about it
Mike,
Thanks for the comment. If a crime is committed against the Left, the media keeps it in your face every day. If it is committed against the Right, the media turns a blind eye. Given the short attention span of Americans, the old saying out of sight, out of mind, is sadly accurate. Keeping people aware of current events is one of the reasons I write. Thanks for staying up with my posts. Bob