In 1923 in Munich, Hitler staged a coup against the German state. He led from the front an armed mob of 2,000 Nazis and sympathizers. They were confronted by the police. Four officers and 16 Nazis died. Hitler was found guilty of treason and served just eight months in prison.
If he had served an appropriate 20 years, there would have been no World War II, saving 30 million lives.
Donald Trump achieved power by national TV exposure and promising voters experiencing difficult change a return to simpler times. Instead of scapegoating Jews he played on people’s racism by questioning Obama’s birthplace. His actions in and before Jan. 6, 2021, are a perfect fit for the language of the Seditious Conspiracy Statute; similar activity to Hitler, except Trump didn’t have the guts to lead the mob himself, just wind them up to do his dirty work.
If we as a society decide we do not wish to punish severely, we must accept that the miscreants will regard it as weakness and a failure to properly treasure our democracy. Showing our belief in our history and institutions requires us to act decisively — to enact the maximum punishment permitted by the relevant laws.
