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January Sixth
When does “Never Forget” also mean “Don’t Remember”?
Right now, you can go online and buy a tee-shirt that says: Never Forget January 6, 2021.
That’s when President Donald Trump, who insisted widespread voter fraud made him lose reelection, held a “stop the steal” rally in Washington, DC on the same day Congress was scheduled to certify the electoral vote count. Trump encouraged thousands at his rally to march to the Capitol and protest his defeat, but his supporters stormed the building instead. Violence erupted, resulting in injuries and deaths.
Congress certified the electoral votes later that evening.
The rioters succeeded in proving the futility of mob violence. Riots aren’t merely the voice of the unheard, they’re also tantrums thrown from a sense of powerlessness.
The next day, the Capitol riot was characterized as an insurrection. Democratic leaders insisted January 6, 2021, was worse than December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor), and September 11, 2001 (Terrorist attack).
The statement Never Forget on the tee-shirt implies that January 6th joins the list of dates in American history that will live in infamy. At the same time, the tee-shirt wants the public to only focus on the “insurrection” and not remember the time period when the anti-Trump reaction was…