Jon Rappoport on who benefits from the Capitol breach

Obviously, if the assault on the Capitol building was a false flag, all the blame cascading down on Trumpers paves the way for Biden and his handlers to carry out even more draconian measures on the American people, under the rubric of National Security—piled on top of the COVID lockdowns. 

The short attention span of television viewers shifts further away from the violent Antifa riots in US cities over the past six months. 

And whereas media portrayed Antifa riots as “largely peaceful disturbances,” we can look forward to months of pompous posturing about Wednesday’s events in DC. 

Biden will be “the sane president” who restored peace and order. 

Trump resisters who refuse to acknowledge Biden’s election will be characterized, over and over, as dangerous lunatics. 

For the next 20 years, media will play up Wednesday, January 6, 2021, as the dark day America almost broke apart. You can bet a few dozen production companies are already editing footage for “stunning, award-winning” documentaries. 

Democrats are feeling a burst of confidence that Trump’s career as a politician is over—since he will forever be linked to “The Insurrection of January 6.” 

In their eyes, this is far better than a physical assassination.

~ Jon Rappoport, "Was the assault on the Capitol building a false flag?," Jon Rappoport's Blog, January 6, 2021

Sheldon Richman on the Capitol breach and the difference between public and private property

Perhaps most annoying of all about the coverage was the barely veiled premise that the Capitol is a temple on sacred ground. Let’s not fall for that nationalist bunk. I find it ironic that those who speak in such tones say they oppose nationalism, which is nothing but a body of state-worshiping dogma, sacraments, and rituals. They just don’t like a particular branch of the church, that’s all. So what’s new? 

Let’s be clear: there is no sacred ground or holy buildings. The posers who are called “representatives” and who occupy such places have no more access to the Will of The People than the high priests had to Yahweh back in the day. 

[...]

So, again, if we have to talk in such terms — and really we don’t — Starbucks and the corner hardware store are more sacred than any government building, which was built with the proceeds from extortion, otherwise known as taxation. This doesn’t justify or excuse what Trump’s infantile horde did on Jan. 6, but it’s a fact nonetheless.

~ Sheldon Richman, "No Sacred Ground," The Libertarian Institute," January 11, 2021

Jeffrey Scott Shapiro: "No, Trump isn't guilty of incitement"

The president didn’t commit incitement or any other crime. I should know.  As a Washington prosecutor I earned the nickname “protester prosecutor” from the antiwar group CodePink.  In one trial, I convicted 31 protesters who disrupted congressional traffic by obstructing the Capitol Crypt.  In another, I convicted a CodePink activist who smeared her hands with fake blood, charged at then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a House hearing room, and incited the audience to seize the secretary of state physically.  In other cases, I dropped charges when the facts fell short of the legal standard for incitement.  One such defendant was the antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan. 

Hostile journalists and lawmakers have suggested Mr. Trump incited the riot when he told a rally that Republicans need to “fight much harder.”  Mr. Trump suggested the crowd walk to the Capitol: “We’re going to cheer on brave senators and congressmen and -women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them.  Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness.  You have to show strength and you have to be strong.” 

In the District of Columbia, it’s a crime to “intentionally or recklessly act in such a manner to cause another person to be in reasonable fear” and to “incite or provoke violence where there is a likelihood that such violence will ensue.”  This language is based on Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), in which the Supreme Court set the standard for speech that could be prosecuted without violating the First Amendment.  The justices held that a Ku Klux Klan leader’s calls for violence against blacks and Jews were protected speech.  The court found that Clarence Brandenburg’s comments were “mere advocacy” of violence, not “directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action . . . likely to incite or produce such action.” 

The president didn’t mention violence on Wednesday, much less provoke or incite it.  He said, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

~ Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, "No, Trump Isn't Guilty of Incitement," The Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2021

Stephan Kinsella on the Capitol breach and the difference between public and private property

Q: You don’t find any difference between the Capitol and a Target? 

Kinsella: I think it's far worse to vandalize private property.  The state owns the capitol, which means we are its natural, real owners, and for my part, I hereby consent to my share of the Capitol being used to burn it to the ground.

~ Stephan Kinsella, Facebook post, January 9, 2021

Kevin Duffy on the battle of ideas

Ideas matter.  Progressivism, which began in the late 1800s, routed other ideologies in the 1900s. It's not even close. The Old Right died (including neutrality in foreign affairs).  Classical liberalism (aka limited government or more recently "libertarianism") was nearly snuffed out right after WWII, but a committed remnant remains and is making a comeback. 

We're on the losing side.  We're in the minority.  In a winner-take-all political system, we lose.  Our only weapon is our words.  Violence (as Wednesday's idiotic Capitol breach proved) will only backfire. 

The other side doesn't need to use reason. They have the numbers. And they know it. 

That's what we're up against.

~ Kevin Duffy, Facebook post, January 8, 2021

Capitol breach - January 6, 2021