Historic Lies

In the movie Doctor Zhivago, there is a chilling scene where mounted Cossacks with sabers attack peaceful, unarmed protesters in the street. Did such brutal attacks really happen in history? They did.

In England in 1819, many citizens worked long hours but still couldn’t afford bread. They needed help but had no voice. In fact, less than two percent of the people of regency Britain could vote. On August 16, sixty thousand people came to what was then St. Peter’s Field in Manchester for a peaceful protest rally. They wanted to hear the famous orator Henry Hunt. The authorities feared revolt, the images of the French Revolution still etched in their memory. The protesters were intent on having a peaceful outing as they sang God Save the King, but the authorities lied saying the assembly was anything but peaceful.

The speaker, Henry Hunt, was arrested. Then, the local militia riding horses and armed with sabers attacked the crowd. Amid screams and panic, some were cut down, some were trampled. Seven hundred people were reported injured, eighteen were killed including a two-year-old boy. It was called the Peterloo Massacre, a cynical reference to the Battle of Waterloo.

The authorities immediately put forth lies to justify their actions. They said the crowd was armed and violent and provoked the militia. Shopkeepers selling newspapers that criticized the Regent were arrested for sedition. We see that leaders who feel their power is threatened are capable of lying and committing acts of terror against their own citizens.

History repeats itself in the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. There were demonstrations in many cities for weeks before martial law was imposed on June 4, 1989. Hundreds died although estimates vary. Students were demanding democracy and freedom, an uncensored press, a student voice, and an end to blatant corruption.

Premier Li Peng referred to the protestors as terrorists and counterrevolutionaries. Deng Xiaoping said the complaint of corruption was to cover their real motive, to replace the socialist system. The Chinese commonly refer to the whole debacle as the “June Fourth Incident.”

There are many examples in history of governments lying to control their people. We see it today here in the United States. In fact, during recent Democratic administrations, we’ve heard little else. The Obama and the Biden presidencies have been working to bring down the United States while moving us toward socialism but convincing the gullible that they are fundamentally changing America for the better. They promote divisiveness with identity politics, foment racial tensions and crime, and restrict rights like free speech and freedom of religion. Worst of all, they weaponize government agencies against U.S. citizens, label outspoken moms as terrorists, and lie about the facts of incidents to use them as proof of endemic racism, or to trigger violence.

In a recent example, Kyle Rittenhouse was publicly called a white supremacist by the President of the United States before the trial began. The press reported that Kyle crossed the state line with a gun intent on killing people. This was not true. Some reported that he shot black people, also not true. Since the President’s inaugural speech, Democrats and the press have worked hard to expose white supremacists. They failed with Rittenhouse who was acquitted of all charges.

The January 6^th incident at the Capitol building was frequently referred to as an armed insurrection by Speaker Pelosi even though no arms were used by the demonstrators. The press falsely accused rioters of causing an officer’s death. Most have been kept in jail for eleven months so far while they await due process. One prisoner, Jacob Chansley, the man in the horned fur hat, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison.

In Ferguson, Missouri, the death of Michael Brown was followed by lies trying to falsely indict the police as racist assassins. Members of Congress would throw up their hands and yell, “hands up, don’t shoot” imitating Brown in an act that never happened--another lie.

There was the false Russian dossier that Democrats used to defame Carter Page and spy on President Trump.

Biden repeats the Charlottesville claim that Trump said neo-Nazis were very fine people even though recordings show Trump condemned them—another Biden lie.

The press called the shooting of Jacob Blake an inappropriate shooting of an unarmed black man which led to the riots that involved Kyle Rittenhouse. Blake had slashed at police with a knife. The police were acquitted. A report that Blake died is also false.

Actor Jussie Smollett reported an attack by Trump supporters that allegedly never happened. Biden, Harris, and the media were quick to respond calling it racism, hate, and an attempted lynching before it was exposed as a potentially criminal lie. Smollett is going to trial.

The lies just keep coming.