Earlier this week, Donald Trump again said that, if he is reelected in November, one of his first acts in office will be to pardon the "hostages" who have been convicted of crimes during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol.
Silly me, I thought people like that should be called criminals or prisoners. After all, hundreds of them beat up and injured 140 Capitol Hill police officers before illegally breaking into the building, marauding through the halls of Congress, and hoping to hang Mike Pence. If the 900 who have been convicted after trials really are hostages, then I am an astronaut.
Imagine 100 parents wearing paramilitary fatigues, roaming the corridors of their local high school, breaking into classrooms, jostling students and shouting "hang the principal" -- because they don't like the school's curriculum; or, 100 residents, all wearing ski masks and matching black parkas, disrupting a city council meeting by throwing chairs, charging the dais and hoping to "hang the mayor" -- because they object to an agenda item; or, 100 neighbors surging into a museum, ripping paintings off the walls and calling out "hang the curator" -- because they don't like the images being exhibited.
As a 75-year-old father of three and grandfather of two, I fear that if the criminals/prisoners who tried to prevent the peaceful transfer or power three years ago are summarily released from jail, then those of us who truly believe in the rule of law will be at risk of becoming America's real hostages.
-DF
P.S. As troubling as this is, the former president is now saying there will be a national “bloodbath” if he is not reelected in November. Did he mean violence in the streets or an economic disaster? I will have more to say about this in my next FreidomReport post.