As the nation limps out of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans assume that we are also leaving behind the serious -- and in some cases, shocking -- power grabs that government leaders insisted were necessary to "defeat the virus."
The headlines suggest otherwise. A number of trends have emerged, the confluence of which should concern all Americans who love this country and value their freedom.
First and foremost is the obsession with characterizing the Jan. 6 riot in the Capitol as an "insurrection." Like so much else the American public has been told in recent years, this is a "narrative" -- wrapped in secrecy and sold with a heaping helping of propaganda, hyperbole and flat-out lies -- which falls apart as the truth slowly leaks out. While unruly and disruptive, Jan. 6 was no attempt to overthrow the federal government. Hundreds of protesters were let into the Capitol building by the U.S. Capitol Police; no one was carrying a firearm of any sort. USCP Officer Brian Sicknick was not killed by chemical spray or a blow to the head from a fire extinguisher, but died of a stroke. In fact, the only person killed on January 6 was Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed protester shot by a USCP officer who will not stand trial and whose name has never been released to the public. Perhaps most disturbing, Revolver News has raised pointed and unanswered questions about the FBI's possible role in January 6.
It is vital to understand that the "insurrection" obsession is itself grounded in another claim of far more serious import: that there was no fraud in the Nov. 2020 election, and that Joe Biden won the presidency "fair and square." While this is certainly possible (if unprecedented, given Trump's increased support in 2020 and every historical benchmark from previous presidential elections), the still-inexplicable simultaneous vote count stoppages in multiple battleground states, coupled with millions of unverified mailed-in ballots and massive middle-of-the-night vote dumps for Biden, raised legitimate suspicions that Americans deserve to have addressed.
And then, there is the Democrats' abject terror of forensic vote audits in battleground states like Arizona (or any states, for that matter). This terror manifests itself as: insisting that mailed-in votes have somehow already been audited (they haven't); suing to block the audit; demonizing every government official or concerned voter calling for an audit as a "Trump voter" - and, therefore, a QAnon nutcase at best or a "domestic violent extremist" at worst; and threatening states conducting audits or implementing election integrity legislation, as Attorney General Merrick Garland has done with the states of Arizona and Georgia.
This is not how a government acts when it is confident in its victory.
As anyone in government should know, an audit not only verifies facts that have been reported, but also the procedure by which those reported facts were obtained. It is odd, to say the least, that the same institution whose various agencies (IRS, SEC, EPA) audit individuals and entities regularly is now telling us that asking for an audit of election results is not only unnecessary and unpatriotic, but somehow a signal of bad faith and questionable -- if not criminal -- intent.
Jan. 6 is also behind President Biden's recent announcement that "white supremacists" represent the single biggest threat of violence within the United States. Even for an administration that plays as fast and loose with the truth as this one does, that's a whopper; one weekend in Chicago would disprove it. Attorney General Garland also pointed to Jan. 6 in his announcement of the administration's new plan to confront domestic terrorism, lumping Trump voters in with "white supremacists" and "militia groups."
The government's dangerous ability to spew unadulterated lies 24/7 was not created by the pandemic, but was certainly enhanced by it. The government has been exposed in one lie after another related to COVID-19, from its possible origin in a Chinese virology lab, to pharmaceutical interventions and treatments for it. At every turn, the government's lies have been disseminated by a compliant and unquestioning TV and broadcast news media, and anyone attempting to get accurate information out to the public has been silenced and banned by social media companies acting as the government's de facto censors.
All of this, without more, should have Americans deeply concerned. But there is more.
Last year's Black Lives Matter riots spawned a "defund the police" movement, which has had grievous consequences in our major cities, where cops have retired in record numbers or been ordered to stand down. Murders are at record numbers in Chicago. Retail theft is not being prosecuted in California. Criminals are released without bail in New York.
And even as state, county and local police forces struggle with funding cuts and attacks, the Capitol Police are opening "field offices" in California, Florida and other states. What's coming? A "United States Police Force" hunting down disgruntled Trump voters with the aid of Facebook and Twitter?
If you want to leave the major cities for the relative peace of the suburbs, alas, the Biden-Harris administration has a power-grab policy for that, too. As further proof that Obama and his people are pulling Pappy Joe's puppet strings, here comes Obama's Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule. As reported by Tucker Carlson last week, the AFFHA and Senator Cory Booker's proposed HOME Act would force cities and towns to eliminate single-family zoning and minimum lot sizes, and build high-density apartment complexes instead.
Carlson warned that the plan is to "destroy the suburbs." But this month's National Geographic cover story, "Beating the Heat," warns that "wealthy areas" of Los Angeles -- meaning single-family neighborhoods -- are "shady and cool," compared to poorer neighborhoods, which have fewer trees, less shade, more concrete and more high-density structures. Why would those who care about "climate change" want even more of us in those circumstances?
Concerned yet?