So much for the insurrectionists
Saturday’s rally in support of the January 6 insurrectionists was a flop. Politico reported that both the media and security personnel outnumbered the attendees who came to support the so-called “political prisoners.” Prisoners my ass. The people who stormed the Capitol are terrorists—period, end of story. They did nothing noble, and their actions were not undertaken to save our democracy but to destroy it, all because the election did not turn out the way they wanted. There was and never will be any reason to support these criminals.
The rally was organized by a former Trump aide named Matt Braynard. He claimed that the rally did not support anyone who participated in violence or damaged property at the Capitol. Politico quoted Braynard: “Anybody who engaged in that kind of violence or property destruction that day deserves to be tried with a speedy trial and locked up for a long time.” All the people who invaded the Capitol that day broke the law, and supporting any of them is wrong. As Politico reported, however, one of the speakers identified herself as the girlfriend of Jonathan Mellis, who is accused of using a stick to beat police that day. He reportedly used “stabbing motions” and appeared to be trying to get the stick between officers’ body armor and/or helmets. Yet, contrary to Braynard’s contentions, this violent offender’s girlfriend was given a platform from which she claimed he is being “tortured” because he is in solitary confinement. Our hearts are bleeding for him. He is right where he deserves to be.
Another speaker at the rally, Cara Castronuova, a professional boxer, asked the crowd: “Do you see an insurrection?” Maybe not on Saturday, but there was certainly one on January 6. Continuing to try to downplay the events of January 6, supporters of the insurrections attempt to paint a different picture of what happened that day by lying and obfuscating the truth. Most Americans will never forget what happened, and the continued lies from these people is not going to change anything. Castronuova went on to claim that “the system” had put so much fear into people that they were afraid to show up for the rally. That is hardly likely. We are merely seeing that this “movement” lives among few, and to try to compare this atrocity to a peaceful protest is ludicrous. You can say one thing about these people: They continue to have no shame. Castronuova, Braynard, and others like them are trying to take advantage of their 15 minutes of fame, which is just about up.
What is almost humorous about these people and their complaints is that these complaints have been prevalent for some time as they relate to minorities. Mellis’s girlfriend “Kelly” complained of human rights issues. Black and brown people have been fighting for human rights for years, and it is highly unlikely that those rights mattered to “Kelly.” It is interesting how they take the very issues against which they fought to try to make these criminals seem more sympathetic. It is not working, nor will it ever work.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years