Political tribalism may be reaching new heights in America in 2021, but that doesn’t mean patriots should adopt violent tactics.
What began as a peaceful protest of the 2020 presidential election results at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 devolved into a violent demonstration and left five Americans dead last week, including a police officer. Demonstrating their belief that President-Elect Joe Biden won the Nov. 3 election due to voter fraud, protesters stormed the halls of Congress and delayed presidential electors from affirming the electoral college results until the following day. Protesters smashed glass doors, while authorities drew weapons to protect the building as senators, representatives, and staff evacuated.
There is a time when revolution is called for; there’s a time when, as our founders declared, men have not only a right, but a duty, to throw off a tyrannical government.
This was not it. Sabotaging our own capitol building is not an act of bravery against tyranny. Wearing a bear pelt in the speaker’s chair is no Boston Tea Party.
While the violence at the U.S. Capitol was far less than that of radical Black Lives Matter rioters this past summer, it still marked a troubling departure from the reasoned discourse of America’s political history. When we exit the territory of reason and lawfulness, we enter the state of nature, where every man is a law unto himself. Lashing out in violence doesn’t help the cause of liberty; if anything, it hurts it. If Americans want their voices to be heard, they should use words, not fists.
