On Wednesday, protesters with a pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” rally broke through Capitol Police and breached the premises of the U.S. Capitol Building. Some of them even made it to the Capitol Rotunda and the Senate Floor. The U.S. Capitol has survived many invasions in the past, and it will endure through this one, as well.
Tag: protests
Rage at Capitol assault makes excuses for summer riots all the more disgraceful
Wednesday’s mob assault on Capitol Hill was shocking and brazen: Hundreds of MAGA-hat-wearing rioters broke into the seat of American democracy. They stormed the halls, looting property and assaulting law enforcers, all in service of an absurd political demand: reversing the outcome of an election.
Now where had I witnessed such scenes before? The answer: in blue-governed cities in my native Pacific Northwest throughout last summer and into the fall and winter.
The right-wing political violence was met with universal rebuke from politicians of both parties and the media. But many of those who are loudest in condemning the Capitol Hill riot went radio-silent when rioters destroyed and looted in the name of Black Lives Matter.
Capitol Siege Shines Light On Vast Underground Tunnel Network
Even before this week’s unprecedented siege of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump, which you can read about in the War Zone‘s rolling coverage of the events as they unfolded, there were ominous indicators of what was to come. This included the discovery of pipe bombs in the vicinity of nearby Congressional office buildings earlier in the day, which had prompted evacuations, at least in part through underground tunnels. When the Capitol itself was breached, members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence, among others, were also ushered to safety via subterranean passageways.
These incidents highlighted the large tunnel network that lies under Capitol Hill, as well as other underground links throughout Washington, D.C. Many of these are used on a day-to-day basis just to conveniently get between government buildings without going outside, but, as was shown yesterday, they also have a clear value in helping people escape to safety during a crisis. Legislators had already been advised to make increased use of them on Jan. 6, simply to avoid encountering pro-Trump protesters.
Capitol Incident a Dress Rehearsal
With the normalization of mass shootings in the United States it is more than understandable that members of Congress feared for their lives when they learned protestors had forced their way into the Capitol in unknown numbers and were roaming around at will.
But by the time it was over we knew that: only five weapons were seized by police so most of the intruders were probably unarmed; the only shots fired were by police who killed an unarmed female protestor; video and photos showed the demonstrators taking pictures of chambers and art work like they were tourists; and the occupiers were peacefully led out of the Capitol six hours later. (Had they been anti-racism protestors one wonders how differently it would have ended.)
A dramatic event such as this is an old-time reporter’s dream, to just describe the facts and details as they emerged, painting a picture in words in print or on the radio. With so many mobile phone pictures and video as well as TV cameras everywhere, that journalistic function has been greatly diminished if not extinguished. In its place are preaching, partisan, editorialists masquerading as mainstream journalists.
By the time it was over it was clear what had not happened: it wasn’t a “coup,” it wasn’t an “insurrection,” it had nothing to do with Putin, or China or Iran and it wasn’t like Pearl Harbor, as Sen. Chuck Schumer ridiculously tried to call it.
It wasn’t the storming of a “temple of democracy,” interrupting Congress’ “sacred duty,” or “desecrating” the “hallowed halls” of the Capitol. Such quasi-religious rhetoric inflates the self-importance of officials elevating themselves above the people they are supposed to serve.
The Government’s New ‘War on Terror’ is Coming — This Time It’s Aimed at America
After the storming of the capitol on Wednesday, mainstream media and establishment voices began throwing around a term that should make us all pay attention — “domestic terrorism.” As the group of MAGA rioters stormed the capitol to take selfies with cops, steal podiums, and hang from banisters, president-elect Joe Biden quickly took to his platform to characterize them as domestic terrorists.
“Don’t dare call them protesters,” Biden said in remarks from Wilmington, Delaware. “They were a riotous mob. Insurrectionists. Domestic terrorists. It’s that basic. It’s that simple.”
Unfortunately, during the turmoil, a police officer was killed and a protester shot to death, as well as three other individuals, who were apparently part of the MAGA protest and died from “medical emergencies.” While it was certainly terrible, this riot does not come close to the description Biden gave it, calling it “one of the darkest days in the history of our nation.”
Really Joe? Was it?
COMPUTERS WITH ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED MATERIAL STOLEN FROM CAPITOL
A SOFREP source inside the Pentagon has confirmed that several classified SECRET laptops were stolen from the Capitol Building during Wednesday’s chaotic events. According to the source, who spoke to SOFREP under the condition of anonymity, some of the computers were left open and logged into the government’s classified network known as the SIPRNet.
SIPRNet, or the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, is, simply put, the Department of Defense’s classified version of the civilian internet. It is a network of secure computers and servers that allows users from the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and other government bodies to transmit classified information.
On Thursday, following the breach of the Capitol building, the SIPRNet was shut down for a portion of the day before an update was pushed out, according to several SOFREP sources.
On Friday morning, according to sources inside, the operations center of the United States Army Special Operation Command, USASOC, sent out an email to all personnel saying that any SIPRNet computers not accounted for by the end of the day would be dropped from the network. A USASOC spokesperson confirmed the email but said it was “part of an ongoing administrative effort” which was “in no way related” to the events in Washington DC.
The Department of Justice has expressed concern over the theft of computers from the Capitol and has warned that some secret information may now be in play. On Wednesday, following the breach of the Capitol and the subsequent securing of the building, Senator Jeff Merkley posted on Twitter a video of the damage to his office which is located on a lower level of the building. In the video, he reports that his laptop was stolen.
Remember when BLM rioters were burning down cities and Colin Kaepernick literally called for more violence? And then, instead of banning him, @Jack gave him $3M?
If Twitter is really going to ban Trump for the reasons it stated, then Colin Kaepernick should have already been banned for 100 lifetimes.
Instead, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey gave him millions — in honor of exactly what should have gotten him banned!
Vox Writer Reveals Own Hypocrisy on Leftist Riots vs Capitol Hill Riot
Here is the law and order crackdown article by Lopez on Wednesday which proclaimed “Every person who forced their way into the Capitol should be arrested:”
If America wants to prevent another event like Wednesday’s storming of the Capitol in Washington, DC, officials should make all efforts possible to arrest and prosecute every single person involved in the violent protests — events that some branded as an attempted coup by President Donald Trump and his supporters.
Contrast that with the German Lopez of September 22, 2016 who was oh so tolerant of leftist rioting as you can see in his title, “Riots are destructive, dangerous, and scary — but can lead to serious social reforms:”
Riots are the culmination of these underlying issues. They might be catalyzed by one particular cause — such as a police shooting — but they’re also the result of long-held angers — broader police abuse, residential segregation, economic inequality, and racial tensions, generally, in America.
What’s more, riots can lead to serious attention and change.
…But riots don’t just lead to more attention — other urban upheavals in the 1960s and 1990s led to real reforms in local police departments and governments, and the Justice Department is now pushing the Baltimore Police Department into reform following its investigation.
D.C. Cop Speaks Out, Says Cops Were Among Rioters Storming Capitol, Flashed Badges to Get In
As the Free Thought Project reported this week, mainstream media outlets ran with headlines that police at the Capitol building were caught off guard and didn’t expect people to breach a series of fences leading up to the building. However, these protests were planned for weeks with Trump acting as the ring leader, instructing his followers to march on the capitol, carrying out plans that were publicly available on social media for weeks. Despite many on the right claiming Antifa was behind the violence, we are now learning something far more sinister was afoot.
It is now widely known that police officers removed the barricades after video emerged showing them removing barricades and allowing the rioters in to continue to the capitol steps.
Watch The Capitol Police Open The Doors And Invite Protesters In
Capitol police appeared to let a mass of Trump demonstrators right into the Capitol building at one entry point Wednesday after the crowd breached the perimeter surrounding the complex.
“I disagree with it but I respect what you’re trying to do,” one officer can be heard in the video.
Hellbound and Down 
You must be logged in to post a comment.