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It did happen here

BARBER’s BUZZ


It could never happen here. And if many in America could have their way, we’d pull the covers over our heads and try to pretend it didn’t happen here.

But it did happen here. A politician in America succeeded in creating a cult of personality. That politician gained an office the envy of any aspiring authoritarian. That authoritarian had no interest in giving up power. That authoritarian oversaw a citizen effort to help him retain power through violence. And now, exactly one year following that January 6, 2021 assault on our democracy, we know why, we know how and we know who was involved.

Trump and his Republicans put their best foot forward to trip up a newly created investigative committee that was being formed to investigate the January 6 attack. That investigation has been uncovering much more information than those who tried to block the committee had anticipated – or, given the names that are surfacing associated with the insurrection, perhaps the investigation is bringing to the surface exactly what they did anticipate could be uncovered: the methods of political maneuvering associated with fascism; the effort at a coup to help an authoritarian maintain power that he did not want to surrender; and the sad discovery that not only did partisan politicians turn a blind eye, many actually participated in the effort. Trump, we are learning, not only actively plotted to undermine our democratic process, he had help from inside the Capitol as well of those within his kitchen cabinet.  

After brainstorming and testing the temperature of several options to throw the election in disrepute despite being informed by an internal campaign memo that they did indeed lose the election fair and square — options ranging from doctoring false claims of election fraud in the faint hope Trump appointed federal judges would give those charges credibility to pressuring Republican state election officials to create votes needed to change the result to declaring martial law and using the military – Trump settled on an old favorite: a coup.

At the direction of Trump his campaign consultant Boris Epshteyn, personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, Right Wing attorney John Eastman, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and the godfather of the Alt Right Steve Bannon bunkered down to devise a scheme that could overturn the democratic will of the people. In a suite in the Willard Hotel in Washington DC that they called  the “command center” and “the war room,” Trump’s lieutenants drew up the game plan for January 6 and would attempt to coordinate it within its plush interior. Who says this is so? John Eastman, who was there dialing numbers and pushing buttons.

Don’t think the storming of the Capitol to end the certification of the election was not a coup. It most certainly was. A coup doesn’t require bayonets to be a coup. A coup is any effort by an authoritarian to seize or retain power by any means necessary. In this case, deprived of military and legislative support for a coup, Trump and his small cache of schemers used their only remaining hand: they stirred up the citizenry loyal to Trump, armed them with lies, anger and hate and let them loose on the Capitol.

Eastman voluntarily admits it in his own words. Others had their actions and/or hypocrisy also revealed in their own words through texts obtained courtesy of Trump Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows. GOP Congressmen Jim Jordan; Louie Gohmert; Paul Gosar; Mo Brooks;  Scott Perry; and Andy Biggs were busy planning their own humble effort to undermine the election and were communicating with Trump and Meadows right up to January 6 proposing different approaches to upend Biden’s certification. Meadows had in his possession a PowerPoint presentation shown to many of those determined to keep Trump in office that is now public for all to see. This PowerPoint lists all options they considered – a clear narrative for stealing the election in their own handwriting.

Although investigators have yet to release names, they have reported that they have proof that some Republican Congressmen met in their offices with those who would lead the ground assault on Congress days prior to the event. On January 5, Bannon even advertised the upcoming coup with glee, urging his audience to pay attention to DC on January 6 because “all hell is going to break loose.” Today both Bannon and Trump are hinting that what happened on January 6 was only round one.

We Americans are in a crisis second only to the Civil War in its threat to our Union. It is the rise of fascism in America. It comes wearing many different faces. It is hidden beneath the white hoods, both actual and figurative, of racism. It relies on clever marketing and exploits social media by rebranding itself the Alt Right for American consumption. It plays sleight of hand by pretending paramilitaries are militias and that those armed in the paramilitaries are patriots and not Right Wing fanatics. They whitewash themselves as protesters instead of insurrectionists. Some are even arrogant enough to step out of the closet and publicly declare themselves American Nazis.

And some pass out red caps to a gullible audience and turn on a microphone for an egomaniac ready to sell both his soul and his country as the price he is willing to pay for attention, power and a mark in history whether that mark be remembered as good or bad.

If we are to overcome and extinguish the rising tide of fascism in America, if we are to remain a secure democracy, all who played any role, small or large, must be held accountable. One by one the pawns that broke down the doors and defecated our constitution have been brought to justice. But still the real criminals behind the coup remain untouched. The ones who plotted it. The ones who inspired it. The ones who triggered it. The ones who led it. The one who would have benefited from it.

Arrest all those involved for treason. Put all those involved on trial for treason. Punish all those involved for treason.

Our democracy and our rule of law will not survive if we do not.

*Note: Opinions expressed by columnists and letter writers are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the newspaper.

9 responses to “It did happen here”

  1. Stein says:

    “Arrest all those involved for treason. Put all those involved on trial for treason. Punish all those involved for treason.

    Our democracy and our rule of law will not survive if we do not”.

    Interesting finish (to an interesting rant). And now to current events: proceed with impeachment on our current “president” for dereliction of duty and his inability to defend the oath he took. Read the most recent leak of the video of illegal aliens and see firsthand the “presidents” blatant efforts to do anything but defend our borders (although his puppet show of defending the Ukraine’s border is a priority for him).

    Cult of personality indeed; don’t pay any attention to the agenda of putting America first (secure borders), energy independence (that scary pipeline must be shut down!), a robust stock market (how is your portfolio today?), and unchecked inflation (Jimmy Carter is saying his prayers of thanks now that Biden has replaced him as the most incompetent president!), among others.

    Still reeling from those mean tweets, I see. I was always taught “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. How sad that people can’t seem to see the forest through the trees……

  2. Kris Murphy - Escondido City Councilmember 1988-1992 says:

    David Barber is back in Escondido.? For those that don’t remember the politics of the 1980’s, here’s a summary. David was a leader in the Escondido Residents Challenge of the “Pro Growth” City Council Majority. David was relatively effective for a while, THEN he jumped ship. He reversed himself and sided with that Majority …which was prominently displayed on the front page of the Times Advocate. After that, David was a Republican for a while but then moved away and apparently became a flaming Lefty. Donating money and time to the Democrat Party. He was/is a big supporter of Joe Biden. Apparently David has settled down and decided to firmly be a Democrat. And, I assume he had no problem with the 2020 Summer of Democrat Rioting, Looting, Arson, Assault, Murder, Vandalism, etc WHICH INCLUDED ATTACKS ON COURTHOUSES…CITY, COUNTY, STATE and FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, including the BURNING OF POLICE STATIONS. David the Democrat thumps his chest and shouts both his Allegations and support for Prosecution and Imprisonment for “treason.” When David and his Democrat Party come up with ANY evidence that Trump or ANY GOP LEADER planned the INCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING, lets us know. David Barber howls about the Riot on January 6th, but as a typical Democrat, he NEVER MENTIONS the Democrat Riots that lasted for months.

  3. Kris Murphy says:

    LOL!! Who is the “Admin”??? David Barber? Never could stand opposing opinion or the truth.

  4. Kris Murphy says:

    LOL!!!!! So now you post the comment and my protest comment…after I raised the issue of why the first response had been deleted? David, you are a 2022 Democrat!!.

    • Mr. Murphy – I don’t show any of your, or any comments being deleted from this article.

      -Justin, Publisher.

      • Kris Murphy says:

        Hours after I posted the first response….the long one, it disappeared from the page. No longer listed at “awaiting approval” or whatever. Later, after I complained via a second comment, BOTH the original pending comment and the second one were posted. And now, the third comment.

        Strange.

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