It’s no Hollywood movie, ‘The Purge’ is finally here!

Published 11:21 am Tuesday, January 12, 2021

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In recent years, most Americans refer to The Purge as a television and movie series, which depicts the violence and mayhem that occurs when citizens can commit any crime, including murder, during a 12-hour period once a year. However, the real “Great Purge” truly happened, and it was not just Hollywood fiction.

In the Soviet Union, during the Stalin years, communist party leaders purged their membership ranks of “undesirables” on a regular basis. In the “Great Purge” of 1936-38, more than four million people were executed and many more were sent to prison.

Sadly, many progressives in our country today have communist tendencies. Although these leaders are not calling for the execution of Trump supporters, many are claiming that the “deplorables” should be banished from society and should be purged from public life. Instead of a 12-hour period, they are trying to make it permanent.

Even before Hillary Clinton used the term “deplorables” to refer to Trump supporters, the president’s political base faced withering criticism and ostracism from left wing members of the media, the political establishment, and the Deep State. We should never forget the infamous texts of former FBI agent Peter Strzok, who described Trump supporters as smelly Walmart shoppers.

Last week, CNN’s Anderson Cooper said the protesters who gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday will “go back, you know, to the Olive Garden and to the Holiday Inn they’re staying at, and the Garden Marriott, and they’re going to have some drinks and they’re going to talk about the great day they had in Washington.” This elitism is insufferable, but it is all too commonplace among the left. They hate both President Trump and the 74-million-plus people who voted for him.

When rioters and looters committed acts of violence throughout the country this summer, many in the media and Democratic Party excused their actions. It was called justified even though police officers were attacked and killed. Clearly, politicians showed they are more worried about the security breach in the U.S. Capitol than the destruction of businesses owned by average Americans.

Of course, anyone who broke laws on Wednesday, breached security, stole items from the U.S. Capitol or committed vandalism should be prosecuted. The violent events which led to the deaths of five people must be vigorously condemned. Nonetheless, it should be noted that a substantial majority of the protesters were peaceful and traveled to Washington D.C. to express their free speech rights to condemn electoral fraud, not to commit violence. There is also substantial evidence that the Trump protest was infiltrated by members of Antifa, who participated in the security breach at the U.S. Capitol. These individuals must be identified and prosecuted as well.

In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 protests, President Trump and many of his most popular supporters have been banned from social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook. A pro-free speech alternative to Twitter, Parler, has been removed from app stores by Google and Apple and their servers were shut down by Amazon.

The Lincoln Project, a hate group of “Never Trump” so-called Republicans, wants to create a database of all people who worked in the administration and make sure none of them can find employment. It has become so ridiculous that progressives in Hollywood want to remove President Trump’s cameo appearance in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Not to be outdone, liberals in academia have also acted. President Trump’s honorary degrees at Lehigh University and Wagner College were revoked last week.

None of this compares to the insanity being pushed by Democrats and “Never Trump” Republicans on Capitol Hill. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is calling for the resignation, impeachment, or removal of President Trump by use of the 25th Amendment. These proposals show the president’s enemies only want political retribution and to divide our country even more.

The rally was held for a good reason, to show support for the president and to oppose the electoral fraud that occurred across the country. To be clear, President Trump did not issue a call for violence, only peaceful protests. He expressed his support for law enforcement and called for an orderly and smooth transition. He did not incite violence and condemned the “heinous attack” at the U.S. Capitol.

Despite the legitimacy of the president’s complaints about election fraud and his condemnation of violence on Wednesday, his political enemies are trying to eliminate any future Trump campaign. In addition, his supporters who attended the rally on Wednesday are facing a different kind of purge. Some are losing their jobs, while others are facing a boycott.

Rocker Ariel Pink was dropped from his record label after his attendance at the Trump rally. Donald Rouse Jr. attended as well. He is an owner of a successful grocery chain in the New Orleans area, but is now dealing with a boycott of his business.

Young conservative activist C.J. Pearson, who is a student at the University of Alabama, also attended Wednesday’s rally. Because of his non-violent participation, he is the subject of a petition calling for his removal from the university. Pearson did not storm the U.S. Capitol or commit a crime, so he should not face any penalties for his actions.

In this country, we still possess First Amendment rights, and our citizens are allowed the freedom to speak, assemble and petition their government. Unfortunately, too many politicians and members of the media want to revoke those rights.

If elections are not secure and our constitutional rights are not being protected, the future of our country looks bleak. The progressives now have total power and want to silence the voices of all opposition. The “cancel culture” is alive and well.

If these powerful forces were confident about their positions, they would welcome debate. Sadly, the suppression of free speech that has happened on college campuses is now occurring on social media and throughout our country.

Many years ago, Lord Acton wrote, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is still true today.

Jeff Crouere is the host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 10 p.m. Sunday on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 a.m. till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the political analyst for WGNO-TV ABC 26 and a columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.