Nothing screams political malfeasance more than telling lies about tragic events to advance one’s narrative and agenda. But the act of lying for political expediency has been the centerpiece of Joe Biden’s five-decade career in Washington DC. That’s why it’s no surprise that he would use the two-year anniversary of the January 6 protests to continue to gaslight the people.
Here are 4 lies fact-checked by Fred Lucas at Daily Signal followed by a bit of commentary:
Fact-Checking 4 Claims in Biden’s Jan. 6 Anniversary Speech
Marking the second anniversary of the Capitol riot that occurred Jan. 6, 2021, President Joe Biden struck a mostly unifying tone Friday by recognizing law enforcement officers with the Presidential Citizens Medal.
The White House event, held in the East Room, was a significant departure from the president’s more partisan, red meat speech at the Capitol to mark the first anniversary of the riot.
Biden strayed from the facts on a few occasions during his speech, however, and here are four fact checks.
1. Officer Not Killed on Jan. 6
In all, Biden honored 10 officers from the U.S. Capitol Police or the Metropolitan Police Department with the Presidential Citizens Medal. He also bestowed the medal on two politicians, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, and former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Republican, for resisting efforts to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in their states.
The White House event primarily was about honoring more police officers for exemplary conduct on the day of the Jan. 6 riot, when rioters supporting Donald Trump fought with police to breach the Capitol and some then attempted to stop lawmakers’ certification of Biden’s election victory over Trump.
However, Biden also honored Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans, who was murdered in April 2021 when a member of the Nation of Islam ran over him with a car.
The president strongly implied that Evans’ murder was related to Trump supporters.
“Today is a ceremony to honor heroes of Jan. 6, but also to recognize the late U.S. Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans,” Biden said. “His family is with us today. Three months after Jan. 6, while they were still cordoning off the Capitol because … threats by these sick insurrectionists continued to be profligated on the internet, again all of America saw what happened when Officer Evans was killed defending a checkpoint he had to go through to get to the Capitol because of these God-awful, sick threats that continue to move forward.”
Evans was among officers honored posthumously by the president.
2. ‘Never Happened Before’
Ar one point in his speech, Biden said there never before had been an attack on the U.S. Capitol. This is not correct, since history records that the Capitol was attacked at least four times before Jan. 6, 2021, three by domestic terrorists.
“Two years ago, Jan. 6, our democracy was attacked,” Biden said. “The U.S. Capitol was breached, which had never happened before in the history of the United States, even during the Civil War.”
It’s true such an attack didn’t occur during the Civil War. But 47 years earlier, in 1814, British soldiers burned the Capitol during the War of 1812. It took about five years to rebuild the House chamber.
In 1954, four Puerto Rican terrorists—Andres Figueroa Cordero, Lolita Lebrón, Irvin Flores Rodríguez, and Rafael Cancel Miranda—attacked the Capitol.
Unlike those who got inside the Capitol building two years ago, these terrorist were armed with guns. The four opened fire from the House gallery, wounding five lawmakers: Reps. Alvin Bentley, Ben Jensen, Clifford Davis, George Hyde Fallon, and Kenneth Roberts.
Before leaving office in 1981, President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, commuted the sentences of the attackers.
In 1971, a domestic terrorist group called the Weather Underground bombed the Capitol, causing $300,000 worth of damage. No one was harmed.
The so-called Weathermen returned in 1983 and set off another bomb that “tore through the second floor of the Capitol’s north wing,” according to the Senate’s history site. No fatalities occurred.
3. ‘Zero Place’ for Voter Intimidation, Political Violence
Biden said leaders of all political persuasions should agree on protecting democracy.
“Defending and protecting our democracy means that despite our differences of opinion, we must say clearly with a united voice that there is no place—none, zero, zero place—in America for voter intimidation—zero, never—and political violence,” Biden said. “They are completely contrary to the notion of democracy. America is a land of laws and not chaos, a nation of peace and not violence.”
However, Democrats’ 2020 presidential ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was less clear about condemning political violence when riots fueled by Black Lives Matter and Antifa raged.
Coffee the Christian way: Promised Grounds
At the time, Biden, a former vice president and senator, seemed to take a different view than his running mate Harris, a senator from California.
“Protesting such brutality is right and necessary. It’s an utterly American response,” Biden said of nationwide protests after the apparent killing of a black man named George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. “But burning down communities and needless destruction is not. Violence that endangers lives is not. Violence that guts and shutters businesses that serve the community is not.”
However, Harris called on her Twitter followers to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund to bail out arrested protesters and rioters. The bail fund secured the release of a convicted criminal who allegedly killed someone three weeks after his release, Fox News reported.
“If you’re able to,” Harris tweeted in June 2020, “chip in now to the [Minnesota Freedom Fund] to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.”
As for the president’s mention of voter intimidation in his speech: In 2021, both Biden and Harris supported HR 1, dubbed the For the People Act.
Among other provisions, the bill effectively would have expanded ballot harvesting, the controversial practice of allowing political operatives to engage in mass collection and distribution of absentee ballots. The practice historically has led to major voter intimidation scandals that in some cases led to the reversal of election outcomes.
4. ‘Insurrectionists’
At several points during the speech, Biden referred to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as an insurrection. He mentioned “charging insurrectionists” who threatened police officers and talked about “sick insurrectionists.”
However, the term “insurrection” has a specific legal definition under the U.S. code (U.S.C. 2383), which says: “
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
Biden’s own Justice Department issued a press release this week about prosecutions resulting from the Capitol riot; none of the 950 arrested in connection with the riot was charged with insurrection.
Prosecutors did charge 50 defendants with conspiracy, and four have been convicted of seditious conspiracy. The other conspiracy-related charges were conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement during a civil disorder, or conspiracy to injure an officer.
Seditious conspiracy (under U.S.C. 2384) is defined this way:
If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
Editor’s Commentary
As I’ve long said, the morphing of January 6 by Democrats, RINOs, and the Department of Justice was only partially due to their desire to stop Donald Trump. The real targets of the lies and the continued imprisonment of activists are us. The people who may have been willing to stand up against the advancing tyranny in America are less likely to engage in opposition actions today for fear of being thrown in the gulag like the January 6 political prisoners.
Unfortunately, it has worked. For the last two years, we have had many more reasons to be angry and protest the insane actions of our government, but few people do because of the example the FBI and DoJ have set with January 6 “insurrectionists.” We are being suppressed and intimidated and thus far there has been minimal pushback against the authoritarian regime or their Deep State puppet masters.
In 2023, we MUST reverse the trend of patriots self-censoring, of patriots staying home so they don’t risk getting targeted. In the long term, we’re ALL going to get targeted whether we protest or not if we do not stop the advancing Neo-Marxism that is taking hold in and out of the halls of government. They want us silent and scared until they’re powerful enough to stop us even if we do revolt. The window of opportunity is closing on America. Who will stand and be counted?
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
