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.