Benson's View on Jan. 6 Questioned

After reading Mr. Bensons’ recent column on his take on the events at the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021 I feel I must write a response.

He starts his column by stating Donald Trump lost the 2020 Presidential election. I think it would be more accurate to say former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden appeared to be the winner as the votes were tabulated.

Trump received  74.2 million votes and Biden 81.2 million votes nationwide. Both are unusually high numbers. Barack Obama received 69.5 million votes in 2008 to set the previous record. Barack Obama was the most charismatic and articulate candidate the Democratic Party has nominated since Bill Clinton.

I find it hard to believe almost 12 million more people came out of the woodwork to vote for Joe Biden, a nearly senile and probably corrupt career politician who hardly campaigned in 2020. So how did Biden “receive” 81.2 million votes? It would require a forensic audit in several key states to determine.

A forensic audit like the Arizona State Senate conducted in Maricopa County. I found it ironic that news organizations like CNN, ABC, NBC,CBS and MSNBC belittled the audit in Arizona calling it a “fraudit”.  Any true journalist should be very interested in uncovering evidence of fraud that altered the outcome of an election. Perhaps some of the people working in main stream media aren’t true journalists? Perhaps they are propagandists? Or just idiots? Or both?

At any rate, many Americans have serious concerns that the 2020 election was rigged. I myself am one of those Americans. I wanted to go to Washington DC the first week of January 2021. I did NOT want to hang Vice President Mike Pence. I think he is a fine man and an honest man. The Vice President has no authority to reject any States Electoral Votes.

The Vice President merely over sees a joint session of Congress to open and count Electoral Votes as certified and submitted by the respective States. Senators and Members of the House of Representatives can object to any States Electoral Vote and that happens quite often. Both Houses of Congress must vote to reject a States Electoral Vote.

There should be a process to reject a state’s Electoral Vote if there really was a problem in that state. Again it would take that forensic audit to determine. In the weeks before January 6th, 2021 various lawyers filed cases in various courts charging that enough irregularities accumulated to change the outcome of the election. Most of these cases were dismissed for “lack of standing” or they were filed too late. Texas petitioned the US Supreme Court to hear a case on an emergency basis. 18 other States supported that case with amicus briefs.

The Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The US Constitution tasks the Supreme Court with settling disputes between States. Another instance where the powers that be ignore the Constitution whenever it suits them (kind of like the mask mandates and vaccine mandates and forcing some businesses to close while others are left alone to remain open). When the Supreme Court declined the case it took away the last attempt at due process. The only thing left for people are protests and disobedience.

The Canadian truck freedom convoy and blockading of downtown Ottawa and the US/Canada border near Grand Prairie are good examples. With regard to the events of January 6th,2021 a rally on the Ellipse turned into a protest at the Capitol that turned into trespassing and some vandalism. I disagree that it was insurrection. When protests erupted across the US after the George Floyd incident stores were looted and buildings burned.

The US Courthouse in Portland was attacked nightly with rocks, bricks and fire bombs. As bad as that was, I don’t think it rises to the level of insurrection. Not even when protesters set up an autonomous zone called Chaz. What happened at the US Capitol was less than that. It was vandalism and trespassing, fine them $500 and lets all move on. Instead, people arrested for January 6th actions are being held without bail and when convicted, are sentenced to years in prison. I would compare this to the old Soviet Union sending people who disagree with policy off to gulags.

Mr. Benson has every right to his opinion. He believes January 6th was an insurrection. I would bet that when King George and his court heard about American Colonists throwing tea overboard in Boston Harbor he considered that to be insurrection and Tory newspapers of the day condemned it as insurrection. Then, when militiamen fired on British troops at Lexington and Concorde on April 19th,1775 King George and the Tory newspapers really thought that was insurrection. Then the ultimate insurrection, 56 brave Americans met at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and signed the Declaration of Independence. Now there’s an insurrection for ya!

May I quote from that document: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive to these Rights, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Thomas Jefferson wrote that with help from Ben Franklin.. Jefferson also wrote that democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for supper. In a republic, the lamb is well armed and contests the vote. Ben Franklin also wrote: Those who would give up a little liberty to gain a little security, deserve neither and will soon lose both. I agree with Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. Thank you for you attention.

Warren Phelps, life long Cheyenne county resident, life long Republican.