
<p>The first meeting of Pelosi’s 100 percent hand-picked Select Committee began its first hearing today. ; If one had harbored any hope that there would be a modicum of objectivity in the process, the introductory remarks by Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson dispelled it.</p>



<p>Thompson was not opening an inquiry, but rather an inquisition. ; That was obvious when he leap-frogged to the findings of the Committee even before the first witnessed testified. ; He engaged in a litany of “we know …” – as in we know what they did. ; We know who did it. ; We know why they came. ; With all those “we knows,” one wonders what they intend to investigate.</p>



<p>Thompson used the most provocative language – prejudging the event as an insurrection. Interestingly, in the video the Democrats showed, one of the Capitol Police officers is saying, “We have a riot.” </p>



<p>Thompson was playing games with the truth – lying might be a more proper word – when he claimed that the riot had killed seven people – including police officers. ;</p>



<p>According to the <em>New York Times</em>, there were only five people whose deaths were in some way attributable to the riot. And even that is a stretch. They listed 55-year-old Kevin Greeson of Alabama – a Trump supporter who suffered a heart attack; Rosanne Boyland of Georgia – died in a crush of rioters pushing against a police line; Benjamin Philips of Pennsylvania – died of a stroke; and Ashli Babbitt of Texas – who was shot by a Capitol Hill police officer as she led a crowd attempting to enter the House chamber.</p>



<p>Democrats often list Capitol Hill Police Officer Brian Sicknick as having been a victim of the riot. Initially, it was erroneously reported that he had been bludgeoned by a fire extinguisher. When the medical examiner said Sicknick had no blunt trauma wounds, the reports falsely said he was sprayed by bear repellent. The medical examiner’s final report stated that Sicknick had died of “natural causes” unrelated to his involvement in the riot. Regardless, Democrats and the left-wing news media continue to dishonestly report Sicknick as a riot victim.</p>



<p>I did a little checking and still could not identify the seven people cited by Thompson. Since only two rioters died violently in conjunction with the riot, the Committee chairman is being downright dishonest in his inflated death claims. But that is part of the constant effort to make matters worse than they were. Even though they were bad enough.</p>



<p>Thompson’s remarks were not the opening of an inquiry. They were the brief of a prosecutor who is determined to prove the guilt of those he and Democrats have accused in the court-of-public-opinion. In a sense, the jury should be the members of the Committee – including the two false-flag Republicans&#8211; but it is public opinion that Pelosi and the Democrats hope to influence in time for the 2022 election. The Pelosi panel – or jury – have already been set on their mission.</p>



<p>One of the most significant question is how so many rioters were able to breach the Capitol, enter the Senate chamber, damage windows, doors and offices, carry off files and carry-on general vandalism. Had there been adequate security, the breach may never have happened. But Pelosi has declared that issue off limits – and you know that none of the members of the Committee – Democrat or Republican (of sorts) will raise the issue.</p>



<p>The Committee led off with members of the police forces that had to face the mob. Some were injured. Their testimony was going to be obvious. They were the heroes of the day. They confronted overwhelming numbers of enraged rioters. And they were assaulted and injured. No good American would deny what they experienced from rioters &#8212; who should soon be going to jail thanks to the real non-political investigations by law enforcement.</p>



<p>In many ways, authorities who did not supply sufficient personnel and equipment – even though there were ample warnings of the potential of violence, let down the police on the scene. The police on the ground were not part of the problem. They were victims of the mob AND victims of those in charge of security – their bosses. </p>



<p>But the police describing their experience was secondary to the reason they first called them there. It was so that the members of the panel could spin their descriptions into larger anti-Republican narratives. They brought them in to politicize their graphic – and at times horrific – testimony. They bravely faced an ugly crowd. But they are in no position to know how that crowd was incited to riot – or by whom. Still, that is what they were staged to do – to reinforce the exaggerated Democrat narrative.</p>



<p>Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn waded deeply into the political swamp by specifically praising the two Republicans on the panel &#8212; Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Congressman Adam Kinzinger &#8212; for the “bravery” in willing to serve on the Select Committee and – in his political judgment – tell the truth. Dunn can certainly testify to the events as he experienced and witnessed them. But his testimony regarding the truth or causes was out of line. The truth should be what the Committee is seeking.</p>



<p>When asked what impact the police officers’ testimony would have on the ultimate finding of the Committee, a former prosecutor appearing on CNN said that while the testimony was heart-wrenching, it did not have much value in any legal case that might be brought against individuals in the future. ; THAT is the difference between a court-of-law and Pelosi’s kangaroo court-of-public-opinion.</p>



<p>As expected, the elitist east coast media cabal followed the Democrat script. ; In covering the Capitol Hill riot, leftwing news services stated their biased opinion – and then restated, repeated, reiterated, recapped and summarized. ; Petty much the same thing they have been doing since January 6<sup>th</sup> &#8212; and before. ; Watching MSNBC is like being stuck on Disney’s It’s a Small World ride and hearing that repetitious refrain <em>ad nauseum</em>.</p>



<p>There were no surprises in the first day of testimony. ; That seemed to be the consensus. ; This was all dog-and-pony-show stuff. ; If you watched the proceedings, you learned nothing new – nothing that “gets to the bottom of things” as Pelosi claims is her mission. ; Uh huh.</p>



<p>Pelosi’s manipulation of the police testimony takes nothing away from the bravery and the emotional and physical suffering of the police. ; They served beyond the call of duty against impossible odds. ; Every one of them should be awarded a medal and a bonus.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>