Words matter. That’s why nearly every left-of-center media outlet is consistently using the word “insurrection” or even the more inflammatory “coup attempt” to refer to what happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. What they are doing is methodically intentional, and the reason is crystal clear. They want to paint a dark, ominous picture of the American political landscape, one that firmly places anyone who questioned the 2020 election or even supported former President Donald Trump as not just political adversaries, but enemies and even outlaws who want to overthrow a democratically elected government.
Imagine, the people who all year defended rioters who attacked police, burned buildings, looted stores, trashed neighborhoods, and literally took over police stations are now successfully painting Trump supporters as enemies of … law and order?!? And crazier still, millions are believing it. Many people will lose their freedom for simply, albeit unwisely, walking through open doors, even if they weren’t among those who attacked police, vandalized property, or broke into offices. People have lost their jobs and reputations simply for being among the hundreds of thousands at that rally. Trump supporters nationwide are being painted with guilt by association and driven from major social networking platforms because of a single event.
How did this happen? Granted, even given the fact that in any tense mob a few rambunctious rabble rousers can wreak a lot of havoc, this riot should have never happened in the first place. When you’re fighting the political war we’re currently engaged in with the enemies against whom we are currently engaged, we can’t afford even one mistake, and this was a big one. The left has been longing for a narrative-furthering event like this for decades, and they got it all in one fell swoop - a mostly-white group of right-wingers misbehaving on a massive scale on the biggest stage of all. It was too perfect, and now they’re using it, as they have COVID-19 and virtually every other ‘crisis’ that comes, to further their evil ends.
Sadly, because of the actions of a few hundred rioters who got out of control, the left forever intends to paint the right as “insurrectionists” and people who “attempted a coup.” Hmm. Again, words matter. What do governments historically do with insurrectionists and those who attempt unsuccessful coups? Suffice it to say, things generally do not end well for them. This, of course, says a lot about what the left would do with us, if they were able, and it speaks to why they use such inflammatory language for what happened on January 6.
If they can paint the right as insurrectionists and coup plotters, they can then justify any method to stop and/or punish the insurrection and coup plotting. If you think they’d never do it, consider all the ways the world has changed because of a virus with a 99.87% survival rate. This is why it’s so important to push back against that narrative. Indeed, what happened that day was stupid, tragic, and completely unnecessary, but it was NOT an insurrection, nor was it a coup attempt. It wasn’t even close.
The Merriam-Webster definition of “insurrection” is “an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government.” The definition of a “coup d'état” is “the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group.”
Were the few hundred rioters who broke into the U.S. Capitol and even the few dozen miscreants who attacked police, damaged property, or broke into unauthorized areas literally attempting to revolt or violently overthrow an existing government? Seriously? Sure, the media tells us this with a straight face, but watch any video of the events of that day, especially the one of the clowns who made it inside the Senate chamber, and tell me if any of it screams “violent overthrow” to you.
I’m not defending them. What they did was horrible, stupid and illegal. But these were the actions of a riotous, out-of-control mob who irrationally thought that going inside the U.S. Capitol was going to somehow sway the vote taking place. In the video, one guy in the Senate chamber even says, “it’s a PR war,” as he and his cohorts lose every ounce of positive PR the right may have had prior to January 6. It was ugly, but a “violent overthrow” attempt, it was not.
Ah, you say, but there were weapons on the premises. Sorry, color me unimpressed by this report about the “alarming” number of weapons found at or near the U.S. Capitol. A pick-up truck here, a pair of flex cuffs there, and pretty soon you’ve got a whole new government, right? I mean, c’mon man! If these morons, all or most of whom doubtless owned weapons, were indeed hellbent on somehow overthrowing the government, wouldn’t you have expected a better ‘effort’ than what we saw?
Words matter. This was a riotous mob, NOT an insurrection or coup attempt. Don’t let them take away your liberties because of a lie.
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