Michael Sparks (photo, left), 47, a factory worker from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, achieved notoriety as the first rioter to break into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 (bottom photo).
He was the proverbial tip of the spear of that violent mob which tried to deprive 81,283,501 Americans of their right to elect the president of their choice.
He’s lucky he lives in a society as tolerant as ours, because he’ll spend only 53 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, and pay a $2,000 fine.
He also won’t get to vote in the 2024 election, and as a convicted felon, he can’t touch a gun for the rest of his life. Even so, he’s getting off easy. In many countries a coup plotter like him would face a firing squad.
He’s lucky in another way, too. Once in the building, Sparks led a mob chasing police officers. He owes his life to their restraint. BBC News reports (here), “A U.S. Capitol police officer testified at trial that he saw Sparks enter the building but chose not to draw his weapon and fire.”
Think he’s grateful? No. Remorseful? No. At his sentencing, he told the judge the election was stolen, we’re living under tyranny, and his only regret is the mob achieved nothing.
The Associated Press says (here), “In the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 attack, Sparks used social media to … advocate for a civil war.” Then, on Jan. 3, he posted on Facebook, “It’s time to drag them out of Congress.” If you think this insurrection was spontaneous, or just a protest that got out of hand, there’s your answer.
Michael Sparks is an ongoing threat to our freedom, and decent citizens will sleep easier with him behind bars.
