A Life Destroyed for ‘Parading’ at the Capitol
Joe Biden, his Justice Department, and the news media don’t care how many lives they destroy in this process. In fact, the more, the better.
By Julie Kelly
August 19, 2021
After Robert Reeder was arrested in February and charged with four misdemeanors for his involvement in the Capitol protest on January 6, he lost his job as a truck driver for FedEx. “As a result of his arrest in this matter, he has been placed on administrative leave/has been terminated,” Reeder’s attorney wrote in court filing. “He has not been able to secure steady employment since being charged in this matter.” Reeder, like many Americans who attended Donald Trump’s speech then walked to Capitol Hill, went alone. He is a registered Democrat but supported some of Trump’s policies. The Maryland resident decided to travel to Washington on the morning of January 6, a “spur of the moment” decision, according to his attorney.
After suffering the effects of tear gas and sting balls launched by police officers outside the building—a reality the news media still refuses to cover—Reeder went inside the building to look for water to rinse his eyes. From all accounts, he was allowed into the building. While inside, Reeder marveled at the beauty of the Capitol and urged others “do not destroy anything.” He asked police how he could get out of the building as the situation between law enforcement and protesters escalated.
Reeder took selfies and videos of his experience. “I’m leaving now . . . I got tear gassed at least four times inside the Capitol . . . I saw the lady they say got shot, I walked right past her in a pool of blood,” he said in one video. “And it’s just . . . completely crazy in there.” After he entered a second time—police were not allowing protesters to exit the grounds so Reeder was looking for a way out through the building—he said in another post that he was “gassed several times . . . and shot with pepper balls.” Although Reeder has no criminal record and prosecutors admit he did not commit any violent crime on January 6, Biden’s Justice Department wants Reeder to go to jail for two months. He pleaded guilty to one count of “parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building,” a common low-level charge levied against hundreds of Americans who entered the Capitol building on January 6. Prosecutors want to make an example of Reeder despite the fact he essentially turned himself in to law enforcement and quickly negotiated a plea arrangement.
Guilty of Sharing Memes
But as is the case in all January 6 prosecutions, the government is showing no mercy; Reeder, not charged with anything close to “rioting” or mob activity, nonetheless is branded a criminal by Joe Biden’s Justice Department. “[I]t is important to convey to future rioters and would-be mob participants—especially those who intend to improperly influence the democratic process—that their actions will have consequences,” assistant U.S. attorney Joshua Rothstein wrote in the government’s sentencing memo. “Picketing, demonstrating, or parading at the Capitol as part of the riot on January 6 is not like picketing at the Capitol some other day, without other rioters present.” Rothstein ticked off a list of notables who have lain in state at the Rotunda, including former presidents and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, then condemned Reeder for daring to enter such a sacred place. “[H]is very presence in the Capitol rotunda that day was a desecration of hallowed ground,” Rothstein wrote.
This is what they think if citizens, the unwashed masses cannot come in
To add insult to injury, prosecutors are citing Reeder’s now-deleted Facebook activity to bolster their argument he should spend two months in jail. The memes and messages don’t show any criminal intent; there’s no evidence Reeder planned to commit any violent crime on January 6 based on his social media account.
The posts do show Reeder’s doubts about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election..But this is one of the more flagrant examples of how the government is using someone’s disbelief that Joe Biden fairly won the election to justify jail time. One meme shows a woman covered with dozens of “I Voted” stickers with the title, “Democrats Going to the Polls 2020.”
The Press Piles On
Of course, no American life can be fully destroyed without the gleeful complicity of the news media. Just hours before Reeder’s sentencing hearing on Wednesday, a group called “Sedition Hunters” claimed it found video showing Reeder “assaulting” a police officer….
https://amgreatness.com/2021/08/19/a-life-destroyed-for-parading-at-the-capitol/
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