Dear editor,
We find ourselves in a country where one set of views can be expressed, protected, celebrated and violently defended in the streets, yet another set of views that finds itself repressed, censored, with no right to protest and criminally punished as “hate speech,” or even sedition.
The recent sentencing of Jan. 6 defendants Enrique Tarrio Jr. to 22 years in federal prison, along with Ethan Nordean, 18 years, and Joe Biggs, 17 years, for the crime of pushing and breaking a barrier fence at the Capitol building, is most troublesome, especially in a country that values free speech, reveres the right to protest and considers itself the global beacon of democracy. For the election doubters in D.C. that day, simple misdemeanors, the kind that occur at all protests, were elevated to charges of domestic terrorism and sedition.
Not so for the participants of the Antifa and BLM riots during the summer of 2020. Many innocent people were killed, thousands of cops were injured, their vehicles incinerated, federal court buildings set on fire, police stations overtaken and occupied, dozens of major cities (including D.C.) looted and set ablaze, yet very few arrests were made, most were simply released. The mainstream media did it’s best to exaggerate the narrative of Jan. 6, but ironically, it was this supposed unarmed “insurrection” that was “mostly a peaceful protest.”
A truly disturbing aspect to the length of the Terrio sentencing was the fact that he was in Baltimore and was not physically present in D.C. on Jan. 6. Although Mr. Terrio was obviously found not guilty of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said that as the group leader, his “seditious conspiracy” made Mr. Tarrio complicit in the fence destruction and deserving of the terrorism enhancement.
Was the 22 years sentence truly about pushing down a barrier during a protest? No, Terrio was guilty of protesting election results while being Republican, a most treasonous offense.
The federal government, its agencies and its bureaucrats have adopted fascist “police state” tactics. They have become unaccountable to the U.S. Congress (our elected representatives) and are punishing its political opponents through the courts, handing out maximum sentences to those that disagree but bringing no charges at all to those that hold the “correct” views. What will we do here in Wisconsin, here in Wausau? Will traditional Catholics, pro-lifers and moms that attend school board meetings soon be subject to “hate speech” violations or “enhanced” sentencings for exhibiting disorderly conduct?
Criminalizing disagreement is the road to fascism.
Orlando Alfonso of Wausau
Editor’s note: Wausau Pilot & Review gladly publishes commentary from readers, residents and candidates for local offices. The views of readers and columnists are independent of this newspaper and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wausau Pilot & Review. To submit, email [email protected] or mail to 500 N. Third St., Suite 208-8, Wausau, Wis. 54403.
