Opinion by
July 28, 2021
photo above: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) hugs Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn on Tuesday after he testified to the House select committee hearing on regarding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (Pool/Reuters)
[pullquote]
Fox News’ decision to air segments mocking the bravery of Capitol Police officers who risked their lives on January 6 is cowardly and shameful. It took courage to stand down that mob. It takes no courage to sit in front of a camera and belittle these officers.—Senator Dick Durbin, @SenatorDurbin, July 28, 2021[/pullquote]
WN: Officer Harry Dunn’s words highlighted in the pullquote below capture a profound truth about America. “I guess that’s the way that things are.,” he said. Tragically, those words have been true of White-dominated societies the world over ever since Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue . . . We Canadians can only point fingers at ourselves–as is the case throughout the “British Commonwealth.” What has been most “common” about it has indeed been wealth extracted from around the world on the backs, at the expense of, native peoples and slaves supremely brutalized. (See one such study here: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism.) Such could throughout identify with Officer Dunn, with countless savaged victims thus:
They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10)
I urge you to watch the testimonies and Qs & As in the video below. They are haunting, and indeed exceeded all expectations . . .
That top Republicans skipped viewing this is to their eternal disgrace! May they repent and make amends, or get voted out en masse the next time around! Despicable, indecent, exponential ingratitude . . . And Trump on cue, true to form, called the men “pussies.” In one word: Sick.
For too-true comic relief, you may click on this: Cartoon: The Republican Commission.
excerpts:
Rarely does a congressional hearing manage to avoid grandstanding, uncover new and compelling evidence and exceed expectations. The Jan. 6 select committee managed to do all three.
[pullquote]I guess it is America. It shouldn’t be, but I guess that’s the way that things are.–Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn[/pullquote]Indeed, the surprises kept coming on Tuesday. The sincere and spontaneous emotional reactions from Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) and law enforcement officers stood as a rebuke to the cynicism of Republicans who continue to lie about the insurrection. It also implicitly rebuked the media, which too often dabbles in bothsidesism, even to this day.
Kinzinger could barely get through his tribute to the officers’ bravery. “You guys won,” he said tearfully. “You guys held. Democracies are not defined by our bad days. We are defined by how we come back from bad days.”
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who has pulled no punches concerning the insurrection, was even more emphatic in skewering her own party. “On Jan. 6 and in the days thereafter, almost all members of my party recognized the events of that day for what they actually were,” she said. She added, “No member of Congress should now attempt to defend the indefensible, obstruct this investigation or attempt to whitewash what happened that day.” It’s no wonder she gives Republican toadies the shakes, especially when she warns that failure to hold all those involved responsible would allow the cancer on our democracy to go unchecked. As she put it: “We must know what happened here at the Capitol. We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White House. Every phone call. Every conversation. Every meeting leading up to, during, and after the attack.”
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Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn asked, “Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are being lauded as courageous heroes. And while I agree with that notion, why? Because they told the truth? Why is telling the truth hard?” He remarked that when a hit man goes to jail, so too should the person who hired him. That sentiment should resonate with the Justice Department as it considers investigating and indicting those who enabled the insurrection. Asked whether what he witnessed was America, he candidly replied, “I guess it is America. It shouldn’t be, but I guess that’s the way that things are.”
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The media coverage of the GOP’s ongoing attempt to undermine democracy has too often devolved into false “balance” and an inaccurate portrayal of a movement that now accepts violence and disdains elections. Journalists would do well to watch the full hearing and emulate the clear language offered by committee members and the witnesses. They must do better if they are to keep Americans informed about the ongoing threat to democracy. The days of putting Jan. 6 apologists and deniers on mainstream news programming must end. The media must stop acting as a conduit for Republican disinformation.
Please click on: Hearing Exceeded All Expectations