Armed Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol today, in an utterly disgraceful assault on our democratic system. You can see a picture of police detaining protesters outside the House chamber at this link.
“Protests turn deadly,” resulting in one fatality, reports Fox News. In the chaos, one woman was shot and killed by Capitol police.
“Congress was locked down and lawmakers evacuated on Wednesday in unprecedented and shocking scenes after protesters stormed Capitol Hill as lawmakers met to certify the Electoral College votes. Protesters from a pro-Trump rally — where President Trump spoke — outside the White House then descended on the Capitol to protest the certification of results, before clashing with police.”
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Washington, D.C. has imposed a curfew. The Virginia governor has issued a curfew in Arlington and Alexandria, the regions of Virginia that border the District of Columbia. The curfew went into effect at 6 pm, although I only received notice of it at 6:20 pm:
Governor Orders 6 p.m. Curfew for Alexandria and Arlington in Response to Violence at U.S. Capitol
January 6, 2021
At the request of local officials and in response to today’s violence at the U.S. Capitol, Governor Ralph Northam has ordered a curfew in the City of Alexandria and Arlington County, starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, and ending at 6 a.m. on Thursday, January 7. During the curfew, it is illegal for any person to be present in any street, park, or other public place, unless an exception applies.
Violation of the curfew order is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both. Exceptions include persons traveling to and from home, work, or places of worship; government, emergency services, and hospital personnel; members of the news media; and persons seeking emergency services.
Today’s curfew order temporarily expands the one in Executive Order 72, which provides for an ongoing curfew between midnight and 5 a.m. every day, to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
This is very sad and makes America look like a banana republic.
At least the media are not pretending that this was “mostly peaceful,” the way it depicted an angry left-wing mob setting fire to buildings in Kenosha as part of a “fiery but mostly peaceful protest.”
As Greg Price notes, “The most widespread and destructive riots of the last 50 years literally occurred over the summer. The media called them ‘mostly peaceful,’ politicians catered to their demands, and barely anyone was charged for it. This is the consequence of normalizing political violence.”
As Price observes, “It is disgusting what is happening in our country today. You don’t get to riot and attack police officers and break onto federal property because an election didn’t go your way.”
Trump has claimed that he was cheated of victory in the presidential election due to vote fraud. But there is no reason to think that fraud affected the outcome of the election. At least 59 court rulings have rejected challenges to the 2020 presidential election results. That includes many rulings by judges appointed by Donald Trump himself.
