January 6th, 2021. There I was, computer parts scattered across my workbench, when suddenly, an urgent text from a buddy insisted that I turn on the news. The talking faces at the news desk were horrified as a full scale invasion of the U.S. Capital was afoot. An uprising of biblical proportion was unfolding as the ravenous barbarians pushed through the gate, disseminating carnage as their thirst for blood blinded any remnant of reason or rationale.
I quickly ran to my computer and scoured YouTube, in search of any live feed happening on the inside. A couple of live feeds popped up with amateur journalists carrying GoPros and iPhones, recording the chaos within. As I sat there affixed to the screen, it seemed pretty apparent that the energy inside actually seemed calm and the people walking through the hallways appeared subdued and peaceful. The live news desk coverage, which kept repeating the same clips were telling a much different story. My computer screen showed people calmly talking to capitol police, sometimes smiling and exchanging pleasantries. What the heck was going on? Did I miss the violence? Was the full-scale riot at another part of the Capitol?
Immediately after the event, the FBI began seizing cell phones and video records from civilians and politicians that had anything to do with the Capitol on January 6. All live footage was scrubbed from YouTube.
So, with all video and surveillance video confiscated, the American public was forced to rely solely on the national media as their only source of information.
Soon after another failed impeachment show, the Democrats, who controlled the House, assembled a politically partisan committee whose bias was almost cartoon-like. They withheld all video evidence from the public. The committee hand-picked their witnesses, edited their evidence and stated quotes out of context. The committee did not allow for any cross examining and no defense lawyers were permitted. They even hired an ex-ABC news executive to produce the hearing for maximum propaganda impact. This show bombed in the ratings and failed to meet any impactful conclusion.
As the media and politicians relentlessly beat the drums of horror and outrage for two solid years, screaming, “Insurrection!” This “new day of infamy” was compared to Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and even the Civil War. The “insurrectionists” were framed as the vilest of human debris to have ever drug their knuckles through the pages of history.
After the Republicans won the majority in the House and Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker, McCarthy soon released all of the thousands of hours of video within and around the Capitol on January 6th. The videos were given to Tucker Carlson who has the highest rated show on cable news.
Carlson’s shows recorded on March 6-8 revealed indisputable video evidence of everything that I saw on the live feeds from within the Capitol on January 6, wide-eyed, almost naive-looking Trump supporters walking peacefully through the halls and chambers while interacting with Capitol police who seemed completely calm and even helpful at times.
Chuck Schumer ranted on the Senate floor, while the Democrats and mainstream “journalists” began excoriating McCarthy for releasing the videos to the public. Even well-known Republican Senators such as Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney and Thom Tillis joined in with the media and democrats to chastise McCarthy and Tucker.
While anyone who damaged property, broke through windows and doors, or who assaulted officers should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, the video evidence of January 6 proves that this wasn’t some large-scale uprising by any means, as it has been portrayed.
The January 6 footage revealed a lot, but to me what is even more telling are the individuals and entities who were outraged by its release to the public.
These narratives seem to have a definite pattern. Anything that lowers the outrage or alleviates the fear is removed from public consumption so that the disseminators of propaganda can amplify their message without impediment.
This formula was also witnessed during COVID, but that’s a story for another day.
Charles Stouff lives in Pequea and is a lifelong resident of Lancaster County. He is the owner of A+PC LLC, a computer services company and also serves as a township supervisor in Martic Township.
