March 2, 2021
The storming of the U.S. Capitol was a riot and violent attack against the 117th U.S. Congress on Jan. 6, carried out by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters in an attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. Five people died in an attempted insurrection against the United States, including a Capitol police officer who died from his injuries.
The attackers caused mass panic and created an unsafe environment for the congresspeople stuck inside the building. They also ransacked the federal building. Trump is accused of inciting the raid. The event called into question what freedom is.
Freedom is being able to have free will and the ability to voice your opinion without being bashed or hated for saying it. Everyone has a voice and should be able to use it. Everyone deserves freedom. The government can’t give it. It’s a human right, but it has limits. The government should give people the most amount of freedom possible. However, without rules or restrictions, there would just be anarchy. The government should not control people’s thoughts, but it should prevent them from running rampant in the streets.
There has been much debate about whether the attack was a protest, riot or act of domestic terrorism. A protest is peacefully voicing an opinion without damaging people or property. It is a peaceful request for change. Rioting is an unjustified act of looting and destruction that is done for personal motives such as when an incident does not go your way.
The attacks were extremely unnecessary and embarrassing to the United States. The perpetrators were attempting to upstage the democratic process and invalidate the decision millions of Americans already made: to choose Joe Biden as the next president.
The government should not control people’s thoughts, but it should prevent them from running rampant in the streets.
Democracy is extremely important because it allows for the laws of a country to be followed whilst listening to and representing the people. Those who participated in the insurrection not only attacked representatives and a historic building but democracy as a whole.
It also helps to remember the topic the Congresspeople were discussing on the floor of the Capitol building. They were attempting to see if anyone had objections to the presidential election. That morning, Trump made a speech telling his supporters to “walk down to the Capitol” and to “fight like hell.” He not only had to go before Congress on charges of inciting insurrection but Twitter permanently suspended his Twitter account.
EDITORIAL CARTOON BY ANDREW PALMA Former President Donald Trump is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice.
After years of harassment and spreading lies, Trump deserves to be punished by having his account suspended. It is the only way to keep America safe from Trump igniting more riots. It might set a bad precedent, as Twitter might start banning people who disagree politically. Nonetheless, it is a private company that can make its own decisions.
While Trump’s actions were wrong, impeaching him would make him out to be a martyr and motivate his supporters to fight back more. Trump absolutely ignited a riot, but there is no physical proof that would be enough to convict him. However, at the end of the day, Trump made history by being the only U.S. president ever impeached twice.
America needs to forget about Trump and leave him in our past.
