On January 6, 2022, the governing and corporate media wing of the ruling class put on a sophomoric production commemorating the first anniversary of a contrived “insurrection.”  Self-righteous preening and blatant propagandizing amid a sea of lies were the hallmarks of the ceremony. 

Over the past twelve months, unable to hide their unbridled disdain for the unwashed masses, unfounded accusations of domestic terrorism and insurrection have been directed at the legions of everyday Americans who attended the rally on January 6, 2021. 

They are willing to blindly persecute and marginalize a sizable percentage of the citizenry --  Americans whom these elitists do not know nor care to meet -- in order to permanently rid themselves of their nemesis, Donald Trump. 

Who are these execrable rally participants that were set up to be malevolently denigrated, politically prosecuted, and falsely vilified?

I decided at the last minute to attend the “Stop the Steal” march.  Not because I thought that there was any chance of stopping the certification of the election, but to interview and meet my fellow “deplorables.”  I believed the massive gathering would mark the first step in Middle America’s determination to defeat the duplicitous ruling elites at the ballot box as their blatantly egregious and often unconstitutional manipulation of election laws in various states had awakened so many.

Upon arriving at the Capitol around 1:50 pm, I noticed the useless crowd barriers of portable and plastic snow fencing had been breached and a crowd had gathered near the entrance doors to the building as well as the inauguration stage.  Within this group were stereotypical Antifa-looking militants and other non-stereotypical Trump supporters egging on the crowd to forcibly enter the building. 

Sensing that the chaos at the Capitol was a setup, I chose to ignore the hundred or so thoughtlessly violent demonstrators trying to force their way into the Capitol at the behest of brazen instigators and the hundreds who later foolishly entered the building at the de facto invitation of the Capitol Police.

Instead, my primary interest was in talking to those in my immediate vicinity as well as those in the massive tidal wave of humanity moving relentlessly the length of the Mall and Constitution Avenue from the Ellipse, where President Trump had delivered his speech.

What I witnessed was the confluence of the inhabitants of Middle America of all races, ethnicities, and creeds.  Amid this tidal wave of humanity were not only many white faces but African Americans wearing “Blacks for Trump” shirts, large gatherings of Vietnamese, Filipino and Chinese men and women waving flags and wearing Trump paraphernalia, a vast number of people of Hispanic heritage, Orthodox Jews and a surprisingly large assemblage of college-age young adults. 

I talked to three bleary-eyed and cheerfully tired female college students who had driven 24 straight hours from Waco, Texas.  When I asked why, they said it was important to be here with others to send a message that there are many young people who care about the future of their country.

I met a contractor and his son who had made their way from Alaska despite the barriers to travel due to Covid-19.  When I asked why they came so far and put up with so much to get to Washington, they replied: “We had to come and make a statement that we are tired of being taken for fools by Congress, the Democrats, and the government.”

A Cuban restaurant owner from New Jersey said: “If we cannot have honest and fair elections, then we do not have a country anymore.”  Someone whose parents escaped Castro’s Cuba was well-positioned to express those sentiments.

A man and his wife from North Carolina, both proudly wearing Blacks for Trump sweatshirts, expressed a sentiment common among the vast majority of rally attendees “We have to march, demonstrate, force the states to change election laws and throw out the politicians that have betrayed their oath and those that elected them.”

A Vietnamese woman who owned a fingernail salon in Virginia succinctly claimed: “I am here because I love America.”

A member of the Mainstream Patriots from the Eastern Shore of Maryland: “We in Middle America have always abided by the saying that we don’t riot, we vote.  Now they are trying to take away our vote.”

I met people from California, Oregon, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Florida among other states in the union.  Many of these attendees said they were there not only to draw attention to the election irregularities but to express their appreciation to President Trump for being the only current political figure who kept his promises to them -- the average American citizen.  Some also mentioned how proud they were of Donald Trump persevering against the “Swamp” and all the unfair tactics arrayed against him.  Not since the days of Ronald Reagan had I heard such unabashed and universal affection for an American president.

The people I met were a genuine cross-section of America.  They came from small towns and large cities.  They were military veterans and active first responders.  They were middle-class hard-working Americans seeking not a handout from the government but redress.  They did not care about the race or ethnicity or religion of those with whom they marched side-by-side.  They wanted to once again believe that those sitting in the Capitol were also dedicated to the proposition that this is a government of the people, by the people and for the people and not of and for the ruling class.

Of the hundreds of thousands of rally attendees, perhaps 95% of them were not even aware of the conflict at the Capital until they either arrived home or at their hotels later that afternoon.  Further, it was obvious to all that well in excess of 99% of the rally-goers had no interest in entering the Capitol. 

Having attended numerous rallies and events in Washington over the years, beginning with the March for Jobs and Freedom in August of 1963, this was among the largest and most peaceful rallies, I have witnessed.  The police officers I talked to that were stationed outside of the immediate area of the Capitol said the same.

Yet, these are the American citizens, and by extension all the like-minded inhabitants of Middle America, that Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Liz Cheney, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris as well as virtually the entirety of the Democrat party and the corporate media accuse of being complicit in a contrived and almost certainly orchestrated “insurrection”.

Throughout American history has there never been a more loathsome cadre of politicians and media manipulators and never have so many Americans been so malevolently denigrated, politically prosecuted, and falsely vilified. 

Photo credit: YouTube screengrab