Remember, Remember... the 6th of January?

An attempted Coup? An Insurrection? A protest that got out of hand and turned into a Riot? What was January 6th, and why should we remember, or even celebrate it?

There are few days as innocuous on the political calendar as January 6th, every 4 years. A joint session of Congress meets, under the leadership of the Vice President, to discharge their duty in carrying out their ceremonial certification of the Electoral College vote following the previous fall’s Presidential Election. This typically uneventful proceeding is often overlooked and disregarded by your average American, who on average is ill-informed about how the Electoral College functions and casts their votes for President in the first place.

Not since 1836, has the certification of these votes for President resulted in anything other than a formality of acknowledgment, and not since 1824 has there been a contingent election for the office of President. But that’s not to say it’s been without contention. In 2001, After George Bush, then Governor of Texas, won a majority in the Electoral College without winning the popular vote in the November Election. Along with the fact that his Vice-Presidential candidate was a resident of the same state, it led to a number of objections by sitting members of Congress to the certification of votes, yet sitting Vice-President Al Gore, who had lost to Bush in the Election, ruled every objection out of order and certified the election of his opponent gracefully.

Yet 2021 wasn’t so graceful. With accusations of rigged elections, fraudulent ballots, and general malfeasance in the political process, outgoing President Donald Trump took to social media to encourage his supporters to contest the results of the election that saw him lose to Joe Biden. And on a cold morning in January 2021, thousands descended upon Washington DC, to protest this normally mundane and ceremonial proceeding, to certify the election of the next President.

What happened has been called many things, a protest, a riot, an attempted coup, a staged insurrection. But in reality, it was far more simple than that. A large group of people gathered with anger in their hearts, and bad actors riled the crowd into a frenzy. What started as a peaceful protest demanding election accountability, led to an uncontrolled riot, and a violent confrontation between the protestors and the Capitol police. When the barricades fell, and the police retreated, the very halls of congress became overwhelmed with average Americans who were angry that they felt their voices weren’t being heard by those elected to serve them.

There was chaos, there was violence, there were casualties. Both Police officers and protestors suffered at the hands of each other, as Americans turned to violence as what they felt was their last resort in saving their country from a fraud perpetrated by elites trying to steal a rigged election. Property was damaged, people died, and ceremonies and traditions were put on hold as congress evacuated the house chambers out of fear for their safety.

Fear is the important part to hold onto. For too long, those in the halls of Congress have been unaccountable to the American people they represent. For too long, this special class of people has been held apart from everyday Americans, ignorant of their struggles and their trials. For too long, we have been complacent with the growing divide between America’s political class and her Working class. For too long, have we let unchecked power fester and grow stronger in the Halls of Congress, while average Americans suffer unheard.

Regardless of your opinions on President Trump, and irrespective of your approval of President Biden, whether you believe the election was stolen or legitimate, and whether or not you condone the motivations for those who acted out on January 6th, it is important to remember, that reinstilling a fear of the people into those in power, is a good thing for the health of our democracy.

Author Alan Moore, in his graphic novel “V for Vendetta” which is loosely based on the attempted 1605 attack on British Parliament by revolutionary Guy Fawkes, wrote “People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” And this is the sentiment by which I choose to hold reverence for the events of January 6th in my memory. 416 years after the attempts of Guy Fawkes, there still rings a nursery rhyme to remind us of the event’s significance.

“Rembemer, Remember the 5th of November
Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot
I know of no reason
The Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot”

So as the British remember and celebrate Guy Fawkes Day, I think Americans too, should hold the events of January 6th, 2021, as a date of special significance, and teach its history, not as an attack on the institutions of Democracy, but rather give it the same degree of reverence due to any group of people standing up to their government, regardless of motivations or intentions.

In celebration of the event, I will be hosting a 4-hour live stream special, only on Odysee, with other libertarian activists and content creators, to discuss the event, and it’s place in history. It will be fun, it will be wild, a likely rambunctious crowd, and you’re welcome to join us, by watching it here, Live starting at 8pm eastern.

A few months ago, I sat down with independent journalist Shawn Witzemann to discuss his experiences of the events as they unfolded, and his journey navigating the legal system after Federal Agents arrested him for reporting on the riots as they happened. That video has since been removed from YouTube by censors but is still available on Odysee, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and my own website if you would like to check it out!

Yours in Liberty,
Justin O’Donnell

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