What Happens Now? The Paradoxes of Criminalizing an Insurgency

Too bad this whole thing really sneaked up on us…

A week later, and I am still at a loss for words to describe the feeling of dread that I have for our future as a nation. The attack on our seat of government, on the sacred heart of our democratic republic is by far one of the most appalling things that I have witnessed in my 42-years on this Earth. Notice, that I did not say “surprising”. It is about as surprising as finding out that Vader is Luke’s father… after watching Empire Strikes Back for the 217th time…

Was the sacking of the Capitol more appalling than watching officers of the Minneapolis PD murder a man on camera, or a vigilante posse gun down a man for wearing a hoodie? Yes… and no… While the gruesome acts of violence are horrid in their own right, the attack on the Capitol was carried out by a mob that accepts an authoritarian ideology and encourages violence against minorities in the US.

Obviously, those who attacked the Capitol should be arrested and punished to the fullest extent of the law. These charges should include conspiracy to kidnap federal officials. If some of these insurrectionists are not facing life in prison, then our justice system is severely broken (another shocker… I know). — Contrast this with a BLM protestor who is now facing life in prison for splashing paint on and smashing windows of a building. — However, the problem of rooting out and punishing the seditionists is much more difficult and much more perilous than most people may appreciate. Why? Because we are now facing an American insurgency.

Originally published at https://diary-of-a-nerdy-kid.medium.com on January 12, 2021.