During the Summer of 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, twenty thousand WWI veterans travelled to Washington D.C., peaceably assembled, and demanded payment of a bonus the government had promised them for their service. On July 28, the Washington police were ordered to remove the veterans from buildings they were squatting in on Pennsylvania Avenue. The ragtag group, which called themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force (BEF), threw stones at the police, fracturing the skull of an officer. The police opened fire on the veterans, killing two. President Herbert Hoover called on the Army to restore order. The Army, led by Douglas MacArthur, was instructed to “Surround the affected area and clear it without delay. Any women and children should be accorded every consideration and kindness. Use all humanity consistent with the execution of this order.”

As it transpired, three veterans were dead, 54 injured, and 153 arrested. Macarthur described the veterans as a communist insurrection “animated by the essence of revolution.” History recalls the protestors of the BEF differently. There is no evidence that the BEF was a communist insurrection but clear evidence the government used lethal force to remove unarmed, unemployed, malnourished veterans from the nation’s capital.

An insurrection is “an organized and armed uprising against authority or operations of government.” Democrats describe the events of January 6th as an insurrection. There is a report on the matter: contrived by Democrats, perpetrated by the DoJ, and distributed by the corporate media. This report is as illegitimate as General MacArthur’s observation that the protestors of the BEF were a communist-led insurrection.

President Trump’s intentions are clarified by his words and actions. Trump released a tweet on December 19, 2020, inviting supporters to a “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th.” Approximately 120,000 people accepted his invitation. Trump spoke to those in attendance, saying, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

Many of the protestors walked to the Capitol building. Some deviated from Trump’s instructions by attacking police and breaking windows to enter the building. The DoJ has charged 1,265 people with crimes related to the January 6th protest; 718 pled guilty to the charges, and 460 were locked up. Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed during the riot. Two others were killed under circumstances that suggest they were targeted by government security forces. Like the other protestors, they were unarmed and posed no serious threat to the police.

Were the protestors of January 6th involved in an insurrection? They carried no guns into the Capitol building. They fired no shots.

A few people may have entered the Capitol building to prevent the vice president from opening and counting the certified electoral votes from the states in the presence of a joint session of Congress. This is a constitutional requirement. If the votes aren’t counted, a President can’t be seated. Eight members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were convicted on charges of sedition for conspiring to prevent the counting of electoral votes.

The protest was hard to watch. Opening and counting the sealed and certified electoral votes affirms the sanctity of the American government in a constitutional ritual as much liturgy as governance. Challenges have occurred during the performance of this government operation, but it has never been interrupted by protestors voicing their grievances. History’s judgment of the January 6th protests may differ from that of the Select Committee to Investigate January 6th.

On December 16, 1773, a large group of American patriots threw 142 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. It took nearly three hours to dump 45 tons of tea into the water, which would be valued today at $1,000,000. Many Americans didn’t support the actions of the patriots because of the destruction of private property. Benjamin Franklin insisted that the British East India Company be reimbursed for the loss. George Washington privately suggested the participants “were mad.” Today the Boston Tea Party is considered one of the seminal events in American history.

Justice Samuel Alito has been castigated by Democrats because an upside-down flag was flown outside his home. Justice Alito advised members of Congress that the flag was flown by his wife, who makes flag-flying decisions at their home. An upside-down flag is “a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger.” If the flag can be burned in a demonstration of free speech, there is no reason why Ms. Alito can’t fly the flag upside down for the same reason.

While Democrats attempt to render fear in the public by pronouncing Donald Trump a wannabe autocrat in the image of Julius Caesar or Adolf Hitler, many Americans believe the country is in dire distress. People can casually watch the country flush itself down the toilet or voice their grievances and work to put the country on the right path.

The January 6th protestors had good reason to demonstrate inside the Capitol. Government agencies and bureaus had worked to undermine President Trump. The FBI had illegally investigated Trump’s 2016 campaign, harassed Trump’s National Security Advisor in the early days of his presidency, and leaked the Russia hoax to journalists anxious to bring Trump down. Democrat politicians embraced the Russia collusion story and then spitefully impeached Trump for no good reason. During the 2020 election, reporting on Hunter’s laptop, which contained evidence of Biden family corruption, was dismissed by 51 intelligence agency officials as more evidence of Russian support for Trump. The FBI pressured Facebook and other media businesses to suppress the laptop story.

Many believe Democrats cheated to win the 2020 election. From Boss Tweed to Mayor Daley to current ballot-stuffing operations, Democrats are notorious for cheating. The protestors on January 6th had reason to demand clean elections.

Perhaps the protestors went too far. Maybe their tactics were too brash. But the BLM riots of 2020 caused far more property damage, death, and injury. The recent Hamas protests have proven segments of the Democrat Party to be antisemitic. Many Democrat politicians supported these protests.

It is a danger to democracy for a political faction, government agencies, and powerful media organizations to conspire against the election of an opposing political faction. This is what happened during the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. Democrats, the FBI, intelligence agencies, and liberal media were committed to defeating Trump. The FBI, which should have worked to uncover this conspiracy, helped to direct it. This is tyranny. The protestors at the Boston Tea Party had to board a ship to conduct their protest. The protestors of January 6th entered the Capitol building to ensure their grievances were heard.

While Democrats deride Trump as a wannabe dictator, they conspire to dictate political terms. Democrats, the FBI, and intelligence agencies all worked to bring down the government of President Trump. This is treason. The protestors of January 6th stood against this tyranny and have been jailed for their trouble. All Americans should stand with the protestors against the tyranny of the Democrat party and insist on reform of the government bureaucracy.

Image: Tyler Merbler