I don’t know about you all, but I am getting pretty sick and tired of all this ‘J6 insurrection’ and 14th amendment talk by people who don’t know what they are talking about. So let’s look at some history to see if we can gain a proper understanding, and we will use the definition of insurrection from Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 which was extant at the time of the supposed ratification of the 14th amendment. It is copied in full at the end of this excursion. What do I mean by ‘supposed’ ratification? The State of Ohio voted, in 1867, to ratify the amendment, becoming the seventh and final state to do so. Then a problem with the vote was discovered and a re-vote was held in 1868. That vote failed. Two certification statements were sent to Secretary of State Seward. When he got the second letter stating that Ohio did not ratify he immediately threw in the trash can and declared ratification according to eye witnesses. But since we are stuck with it, let’s see if insurrection applies anywhere in the history of the United States, either before or after 1868. I will state emphatically only once!! It began in 1774 and culminated in what we call the Revolutionary War of 1776 and following. This was truly an insurrection against the rule of King George III and the establishment of a new form of government for the colonies. Some may cite Shay’s Rebellion or Nat Turner as insurrections. Maybe. They were protests against specific laws of Massachusetts and Virginia, respectively. Well what about 1860, which prompted the later 14th Amendment, you ask? In 1860 South Carolina seceded from the Union, followed by the other Southern States. There was no attempt to overthrow a law or government. They simply recognized that the Northern States had broken a contract, called the Constitution, and proceeded to form a new nation. The war that followed was NOT a civil war. It was an invasion by the United States of the Confederate States. Under no twisting of the quoted definition can the Confederate States of America be called insurrectionist. So move forward to 6 Jan 2021. Was that an insurrection? NO!! It was a protest gone bad—prompted in part by FBI plants. The guy in the plaza with the bullhorn and the other on the wall with the bullhorn have been identified by independent investigations as such. They were never arrested and seem to have gone to mattress since these same investigators cannot find them. (Remember that FBI Director Wray testified that he did not know how many agents were in the crowd that day. He did not say none!) Did Donald J. Trump lead or incite an insurrection? He was still President. How can a President lead an insurrection against his own administration? And remember also that no one was charged with insurrection because it is not a specifically defined crime in statute. I could go on but this is enough food for thought and your own research. INSURRECTION, noun 1. A rising against civil or political authority; the open and active opposition of a number of persons to the execution of a law in a city or state. It is equivalent to sedition, except that sedition expresses a less extensive rising of citizens. It differs from rebellion, for the latter expresses a revolt, or an attempt to overthrow the government, to establish a different one or to place the country under another jurisdiction. It differs from mutiny, as it respects the civil or political government; whereas a mutiny is an open opposition to law in the army or navy. insurrection is however used with such latitude as to comprehend either sedition or rebellion.
