There is no place for insurrection in American politics. The fuel that runs America is the Rule of Law.
Still, lots of people are willing to argue about the meaning of the word “Insurrection” and whether or not it should be applied to the riotous actions that took place at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Let’s start with a definition provided by our newest guiding light, AI:
AI said, “An insurrection is ‘a violent uprising against an authority or government’. It is a form or rebellion or revolt that involves the use of force to overthrow a government or other established authority. The term is often used to describe political uprisings, such as the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol. The word ‘insurrection’ comes from the Latin word ‘insurrectio,’ which means ‘a rising up’.”
AI describes the riots as insurrection, and it certainly was a violent “rising up” of citizens angry, rightly or wrongly, about the election results.
People have gone to jail. Others will go to jail eventually.
For me, the sentences should be as light as possible for many, but not all. Many of the rioters were duped. The knuckle-headed protesters believed they were acting in the best interests of their country. They weren’t. The duped should be sent home with a stern warning to reconsider their violent actions. Violent protests should never be a part of the American political DNA.
Many people were duped, but they are not the ones who should be in jail. The ones who should be in jail are the ones who did the duping, and some of those are in Congress.
AI is duped to conclude that the January 6, 2021, protest and riot at the US Capitol was an “insurrection” because AI harvests information from available media and if a lie is told often enough, it is believed. What do your guiding lights have to say about the summer of 2020 riots that killed 35, injured 1500 police officers and cost $2 billion? Social justice?
As to the Black lives matter protests, Bard said, “Certainly. The year 2020 saw a wave of civil unrest in the United States, initially triggered by the murder of George Floyd during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020. This led to protests and riots against systemic racism in the United States, such as in the form of police violence and other forms of violence . The protests were facilitated by the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement. Following the murder of Floyd, unrest broke out in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area on May 26, and quickly spread across the country and the world. Polls have estimated that between 15 million and 26 million people have participated at some point in the demonstrations in the United States, making them the largest protests in American history. It was also estimated that between May 26 and August 22, around 93 percent of protests were “peaceful and nondestructive” . The demonstrations that followed Floyd’s death at times devolved into riots that often included looting, violence and destruction . Injuries to over 2,000 law enforcement officials and an unknown number of civilians were reported as of July 31, 2020 . The property damage caused by these riots was estimated to be between $1-2 billion”
I say 93 percent peaceful, okay by me, but the devolution of 7 percent into violent destruction, unacceptable!
Are you sure it is AI that is being duped, Richard?