All 1600+ January 6 insurrectionists, including over 600 violent criminals who attacked, murdered Capitol police officers, pardoned by Trump

by Vijaya Chandrasoma

The inauguration of the 47th President of the United States was completed with all the traditional trappings of the nation’s most momentous political occasion. The constitutional transition of presidential power at its most peaceful, a tradition conspicuous in its absence during the near-coup of 2021.

Due to freezing temperatures and high winds, the 2025 Inauguration ceremony of President-elect Trump was held inside the United States Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC, the scene of one of the most shameful days in US history.

On January 6, 2021, thousands of rioters, incited by then twice-impeached, defeated, disgraced President Trump, stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt at a violent coup to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. On January 21, 2025, these same violent rioters were granted unconditional pardons by the same, but amazingly victorious President Trump.

Before the inauguration, President-elect Trump said that he would pardon the January 6 insurrectionist on a case-by-case basis, and pardon only those who were “peaceful protesters”.

Another lie. At least 600 of these murderous felons, convicted of assaulting Capitol police officers, murdering one and wounding hundreds in the defense of the Capitol, were also among those pardoned immediately after his inauguration by Trump, a fellow convicted felon.

In his first televised interview of his second term with Sean Hannity of Fox News last Wednesday, he described the violent attacks on the police officers at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 as “very minor incidents”, in an attempt to justify his pardon of these violent criminals.

None of these pardoned criminals have shown any remorse for their violence. On the contrary, they have expressed their intention to seek retribution against those judges and law enforcement officers who had prosecuted them for their televised acts of sedition. A few of these pardoned “patriots” made some interesting public comments which indicate they feel they would be free to commit future acts of violence against perceived enemies of their Fuhrer, with no consequences.

Capitol rioter, Jacob Chansley, aka the “QAnon Shaman”, said he’s going to “buy some motha f….ing guns” after being pardoned by President Trump.

The newly freed Proud Boys leader, Enrique Tarrio, who had been found guilty and sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment, made no secret of his intentions of retribution against the prosecutors of the January 6 insurrection, saying, “The people who did this, they need to feel the heat. They need to be put behind bars”. It does not need much imagination to understand what these murderers mean by the phrase, “feel the heat”.

Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oathkeepers, who had been sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment, has been advocating political violence against the government for over a decade. He said, in a recording four days after January 6, 2021 played at his trial, that “his only regret is that they should have brought rifles” and that he would “hang f…ing Pelosi from the lamppost”. Presumably after he had hanged Mike Pence from the gallows they had constructed at the Capitol for the purpose. Rhodes is now free to commit these crimes.

Trump and his supporters are trying to defend these indefensible actions in an effort to rewrite history, that January 6 was just a peaceful protest against a rigged election. Rather than the violent insurrection resulting in murder and wounding hundreds of law enforcement officers, bravely defending the lawmakers of the nation carrying out their constitutional duties, which we all saw unfolding before our eyes. And the next four years will see pro-Trump criminals acting violently against democratic principles with impunity, with no consequences. In fact, they will be praised, like the January 6 murderers, as “patriots”.

Outgoing President Biden also issued a series of pre-emptive pardons for several persons, including members of his family, on the final day of his presidency. Clemency for Trump’s Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, who had served the country with honor but had committed the capital crime of criticizing Trump; and for Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the world’s leading epidemiologists who had questioned Trump’s ridiculous remedies for the Covid epidemic during his first term. They were both on the list of Trump’s targets for prosecutorial retribution, as were Liz Cheney and members of the Special Congressional Committee who had investigated and reported on Trump’s acts of sedition on January 6, 2021.

Biden, in his statement, stated that these pardons did not denote guilt.

“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgement that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country”.

Ominously, Trump stated at the aforementioned Fox interview that Joe Biden should have pardoned himself, a clear threat that he intends to prosecute what he calls the “Biden Crime Family”.

Ironically, Taylor Budwich, Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff said “that Biden’s pardons will go down as the greatest attack on America’s justice system in history”.

The double standard is incredible. Biden pardons people innocent of any crimes bar being disloyal to or critical of Trump, only for fear they will surely be victimized by Trump’s weaponized Department of Justice, headed by Trump loyalists, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. While Trump pardons, with total impunity, 1,600+ convicted, violent insurrectionists who followed his instructions to carry out a violent coup, a crime tantamount to treason.

All the traditional, symbolic traditions for the inauguration of the President-elect, followed by every other president except Donald Trump in 2021, were honored by outgoing President Joe Biden, to signify a peaceful transfer of power.

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden invited the Trumps and the Vances to the White House for tea and coffee on the morning of January 20, after which they drove together to the Rotunda for the Inauguration ceremony in the presidential limo.

Trump did not even attend the inauguration of President Biden in 2021, breaking a tradition which had endured for 152 years.

Trump’s Inauguration was attended by all past presidents and their spouses, except for Michele Obama. She gave no elaboration for her absence, which served to illustrate her customary good taste and dignity.

The Trump family, Elon Musk and the richest men in the world were given prominent seats at the Rotunda. Congressmen of both parties, even Trump’s former Vice-President, Mike Pence attended the ceremony, confident that this time, there would be no danger to their lives.

Trump’s inaugural speech was more like a campaign rally rant, with his usual claim, ridiculous for someone who has broken more Commandments than listed in the Bible, that he was chosen by God. He whined that he was “tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history”. Tested, challenged and convicted in the nation’s courts of 91 felonies, including obstruction of justice, sedition and espionage.

He proclaimed the beginning of a new “golden era”, and made some extravagant announcements, which were reminiscent of his first term promise of building that famous Southern border wall of 3,000 miles for which Mexico would pay. He barely did 50 miles in four years, and the former Mexican President, Vicente Fox jeered and said “Mexico is not going to pay for that f….ing wall!”

His intention to take over the Panama Canal, the property of the sovereign nation of Panama, will no doubt elicit the same reaction of derisive laughter from Panamanian President Mulino.

He sang his eternal tune of “Drill, Baby, Drill”, to exploit the “liquid gold under their feet”, ignorant of the billions of dollars and incalculable loss to life and property that will be caused by further natural disasters unleashed on the planet by the continued pollution caused by the abuse of fossil fuels.

But he will unilaterally rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and plant the American flag on Mars, actions which he assured his devoted followers will keep grocery prices and inflation down. Perhaps our own President Dissanayake could follow Trump’s example and solve Sri Lanka’s problems by unilaterally renaming the Indian Ocean as the Sri Lankan Ocean.

Trump didn’t talk about his intentions to acquire Greenland or break away from NATO. But he has withdrawn the USA from the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization. The former because he is a moron who believes that climate change is a hoax; the latter because he would not need the aid of WHO in the event of another epidemic. After all, he managed Covid 19 with great efficiency, presiding over the avoidable deaths of a mere million Americans and “managing” the US economy to near recession.

He did not keep his promise to stop the Russian-Ukraine war even before his inauguration. However, he expressed a desire to meet with his mentor, Russian President Putin. Probably to end the war by forcing the Ukrainians to cede their sovereign territory that the Russians have already annexed illegally. A deal unacceptable to both parties. Putin will continue to manipulate Trump as he has been doing since 2016.

Trump stated that the USA is a nation of two sexes, a man and a woman. His dad, God had proclaimed that He had created only two genders in the human race, when he commanded Noah, “You shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female”. (Genesis 6:19)

There are 1.4 million people in the USA who do not conform to the genders they were assigned at birth. They have the bodies of one sex with the genitalia of the other. Were they created by a lesser, non-Christian God?

As part of his immigration reforms, Trump intends to end birthright citizenship, rescinding the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside”. Presidents do not have the power to overturn Amendments to the constitution by Executive Order.

The Executive Order he has signed authorizing the use of the military to implement the mass deportation of illegal immigrants is also against the constitution and will be contested in the courts; as well as the actions his minions have started, replacing with Trump loyalists all known Democrats and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) federal employees, who in Republican eyes are black, brown and leftist hires.

There is one flaw about Trump’s great Project 2025 plan which was highlighted with a direct appeal to him at a prayer service at St. John’s Church, at Lafayette Square, Washington DC, held to honor his inauguration.

The Episcopal bishop of Washington, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, during her 15-minute sermon, cited Trump’s belief about being saved by God from assassination:

“You have felt the hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon people in the country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and Independent families across the country who fear for their lives”.

Budde also made a plea for immigrants, a group targeted for deportation by the Trump administration. “They pick our crops, look after our children and parents, work the night shifts in our hospitals, keep our schools clean. They may not have the proper documentation, but the vast majority are not criminals but rather are good neighbors”.

Trump, enraged at God’s words, of which his only knowledge is through selling Bibles, demanded an apology from Budde and clergy of the Episcopal Church for politicizing God’s Word, calling them “Radical left hard line Trump haters”.

As most true Christians are. No apology is required for the truth.

Colorful fancy pencils, a staple in every child’s school bag, may be hiding a silent threat. Recent revelations have raised concerns about the safety of low-quality pencils and stationery, which may contain harmful chemicals and heavy metals, posing serious health risks to children. Experts and activists are now urging parents, educators, and authorities to take immediate action to safeguard children from these hidden dangers.

Dr. Mahinda Wickramarachchi, Head of the Quality Control Unit at Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH), highlighted the risks associated with substandard pencils. “Imported pencils and coloring pencils, especially those without any without any proper information about the brand and manufacturer, often fail to meet international safety standards. These products may contain heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic, which can enter a child’s body through chewing or prolonged use,” he warned.

The European Committee of Standardization (CEN) has introduced the EN 71 standard to ensure the safety of children’s products, including pencils and stationery. This standard mandates rigorous testing to detect harmful substances. For instance, pencils are immersed in a stomach acid-like solution for two hours to check for the release of toxic chemicals. However, Dr. Wickramarachchi noted that most of the pencils in the Sri Lankan market do not comply with these standards.

A school teacher, who wished to remain anonymous due to administrative regulations, shared her concerns. “Children often chew on pencils or put them in their mouths. If these pencils contain harmful substances, it could lead to serious health issues like allergies, infections, or even long-term illnesses such as kidney problems and cognitive impairments,” she said.

Ranjith Vithanage, Chairman of the National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection, echoed these concerns. “The market is flooded with low-quality imported pencils and stationery, particularly from countries like China. These products are sold at high profits but pose significant risks to children’s health,” he said. Vithanage criticized the lack of regulatory oversight, stating that the authorities have failed to introduce adequate standards for school equipment.

Joseph Stalin, Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), emphasized the need for immediate action. “The authorities has a responsibility to ensure the safety of these products. We plan to investigate this issue and take legal action against those responsible for importing and selling substandard school items,” he said.

Despite these warnings, the market continues to be dominated by cheap, low-quality products. Vithanage urged parents to be vigilant. “When schools issue book lists, parents must pay attention to the quality of the items they purchase. Saving a few rupees now could cost your child’s health in the long run,” he said.

The call for action is clear. Parents, teachers, and authorities must work together to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful substances. By prioritizing safety standards and demanding better regulation, we can protect our children from the hidden dangers lurking in their school supplies.

As the anonymous teacher aptly put it, “Every pencil in a child’s hand should be a tool for learning, not a threat to their health.” Let’s ensure that our children’s creativity and education are nurtured in a safe and healthy environment.

Reviewed by Leelananda De Silva

Godfrey Goonetilleke is one of the outstanding personalities in the public life of Ceylon/Sri Lanka in the latter half of the 20th century. As a brilliant scholar in English at the university in the late 1940s, he was one of the best known members of the Ceylon Civil Service, after Independence. Leaving the public service in 1972, he had a major role in establishing the Marga Institute. From that time onwards, he worked with many UN agencies especially in Geneva. He came to be considered a leading intellectual on socio-economic development issues.

Godfrey now in his late 90s, has written his Memoirs – “Chaos and Pattern” in three volumes running into over 1,000 pages. The first volume deals with his early life at home and in school, mainly in a rural setting, his university life, and marriage to Bella. The second volume is concerned with his career in the Ceylon Civil Service, from 1950 – 1972. The third volume deals with the founding of the Marga Institute and his emergence as a leading Asian intellectual. At this time, he was associated with various UN agencies in developing, social, and economic policies. At the end, was his key role in setting up the Gamani Corea Foundation.

He was born in 1926, to a rural middle-class bilingual (English and Sinhalese) family. His early education was in several schools in the Kandy region. Godfrey ended up at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo when Fr. Peter Pillai was its rector. Even in those very early years he was developing an interest in English literature. Godfrey mentions that his grandfather established one of the earliest Sinhalese newspapers in the 1880s. This makes me realize that no history of Sri Lankan journalism, English, Sinhalese and Tamil, has yet been written. This is something the local press institutions should consider.

In the late 1940s, Ivor Jennings was the Vice-Chancellor of the university. Godfrey opted to read English under E.F.C. Ludowyk, Professor of English. He relates his university career at some length and his many concerns and interests especially of a philosophical and religious nature. He was undergoing a spiritual and moral crisis and he describes these at length. It was during this period that he met his future wife, Bella. And through this Memoir the loving and lasting relationship with Bella comes out clearly.

Godfrey describes the English Department under Ludowyk, from which he was destined to obtain a first class. One of his contemporaries, Upali Amarasinghe was also a brilliant scholar in English. Godfrey describes the politics of the English Dept at that time, especially concerning the possible appointment of either he or Upali Amarasinghe as a new Asst. lecturer. This was to be followed by either one of them proceeding to Cambridge, on a scholarship to do their PhDs. Ultimately Upali went on that scholarship. Godfrey opted to join the Ceylon Civil Service having passed the CCS Exam. in 1950.

Godfrey Goonetilleke

In Volume-2, Godfrey describes his life as a member of the CCS for the next 22 years. He started his career in 1950 and retired in 1972. He had many appointments and handled varied tasks especially in Colombo. Godfrey was not one of those civil servants who served in district administration. He had a short spell in Anuradhapura in the Land Development Department that was not part of the district administration. During these 22 years, he had a variety of tasks to perform and many interests to pursue. Let us look at them briefly.

One of his earliest assignments was to serve as Asst. Secretary to Sri Lanka’s first Prime Minister, D.S. Senanayake. When he was appointed to serve in that office, N.W. Athukorale was the Secretary to the Prime Minister. He was not a member of the CCS. Godfrey’s Civil Service colleagues raised many an eyebrow at this situation. The CCS at that time thought they were superior and that they should not serve under a non-CCS public servant. However, he served in that post to the great satisfaction of Athukorale and himself.

There is a fascinating episode which Godfrey relates. Godfrey had passed on information unwittingly to a university friend, a young woman who was now a journalist. She spoke of that material which concerned another Lake House journalist. The Prime Minister was visibly upset and wanted to know who had released this information. Godfrey admitted talking to Jeanne Pinto. The Prime Minister was courteous, and had a chat with Godfrey, asking him to stay for tea.

He warned Godfrey about talking to journalists. The Prime Minister knew more about Jeanne Pinto than Godfrey. He told Godfrey that she was having an affair with a businessman, Sardha Ratnaweera. Only later did Godfrey know that this was true. The Prime Minister was well known those days for reading police reports which he said was his favourite reading material. Godfrey is the last surviving public servant to have worked with Prime Minister, D.S. Senanayake.

In 1962, the country was shocked by the news that various Army, Navy and Police personnel had attempted to overthrow the government. One of the masterminds behind the coup, was alleged to have been Douglas Liyanage, a member of the CCS, and a close friend of Godfrey. Godfrey’s description of the coup is worth reading. He had the courage to go and meet his friend Douglas Liyanage in remand jail with a couple of his friends like Milton Aponso.

In 1965, the Dudley Senanayake government came to power. One of the Prime Minister’s first tasks was to establish a new Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs under him. Gamani Corea was appointed as the new Permanent Secretary. Godfrey was brought in to work with him as Director of Plan Implementation. Godfrey’s task was largely to manage the capital budget of the government which was earlier a function of the Ministry of Finance. It was Godfrey’s task, in consultation with others, to decide on the priorities for public investment, and projects to be taken up.

Godfrey relates the difficulties the Ministry faced with other leading government politicians in attaching priorities for public investment. It is the rational development of these priorities that led the government of Dudley Senanayake to achieve an average annual 5% GDP growth rate in the five years between 1965-1970. This part of Godfrey’s Memoirs is essential reading for the new generation of public servants who determine public investment priorities.

Godfrey was engaged in many other tasks in the Planning Ministry. After the change of government in 1970, he continued to work with the new Permanent Secretary, H.A.de S. Gunasekera for another two years. He was engaged in the preparation of a new Five-Year Plan. This five-year plan remained only a publication and was never implemented. In terms of its policies and priorities, it was a far cry from the earlier government’s methodical approach to public investment. I have always wondered how Godfrey could be involved in this kind of so-called socialist policies which had hardly any place for the private sector.

A few months before he left the public service, one of his last tasks was to handle the Dudley Seers Mission to Colombo, to advice on social and economic issues. Dudley Seers was the head of the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex, England. Seers and a team of 20 others was commissioned by the World Employment Programme of the ILO in Geneva, to undertake this study.

When the initial request was made for this inquiry, the Ministry of Planning was under Dr. Gamani Corea, and by the time the mission came in 1971, there was a new government which was not over-excited by this mission. The Five-Year Plan which was being drafted by the government did not take much notice of the Seers Report.

Volume-3 of Godfrey’s Memoirs is arguably the most interesting of the three volumes. Godfrey left the public service in 1972. He and Gamani Corea got actively engaged in the establishment of a brand-new research institute in Sri Lanka. The two of them were the founding fathers of the Marga Institute. Several leading ministers of the government which was a left of centre alliance (the SLFP, the LSSP and the CP) was unhappy with the establishment of Marga.

Felix Dias Bandaranaike, who was the Minister of Public Administration sent out a circular prohibiting public servants of having any dealings with Marga. Dr. Colvin R. De Silva who was a leading LSSP minister and even Bernard Soysa, a leading LSSP figure had reservations about Marga. They believed that socio-economic research should be done with a government institution, and not with an independent body. The more pragmatic, Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister was quite happy to go along with the establishment of Marga.

From now on Godfrey had several occupational strands in his life. Apart from building Marga, he was employed by many UN agencies as a consultant. In 1973, Gamani Corea was appointed Secretary General of UNCTAD in Geneva. Godfrey was to work with him closely on trade, commodities, finance and technological transfer issues over the next decade with UNCTAD.

Godfrey had another important strand to his consultancy work. He was also engaged by the World Employment Programme (WEP) based within the ILO in Geneva. The WEP was headed by a notable development scholar Louise Emmerij, and Godfrey worked closely with him. He was also working with UNICEF, the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), based in Geneva, with UNDP and UNICEF. He spent a considerable amount of time in Geneva.

He was also involved with the Third World Forum in Geneva, which included some of the leading social scientists of the time. It is obvious that Godfrey came to be a highly regarded member of the top intellectual elite engaged in third world development issues. Godfrey’s combination of leading a research institute of his country and being an advisor to UN bodies to develop their social, economic policies and programmes, made him a leading personality in international development.

Godfrey mentions in his memoirs that he wanted Marga to be closely involved in Sri Lanka’s social, economic and political development, and play an important role in resolving the political issues that were then emerging. His chapters relating to the communal crisis and relations with India are essential reading to present day policy makers. It is clear from Godfrey’s memoirs that the mismanagement of the relationship with India, was a crucial factor in Sri Lanka’s political crisis.

To end on a personal note. In March 1972 the ILO organized a meeting in Geneva to review the three reports of their missions to Ceylon (the Dudley Seers Mission), Columbia and Kenya. Godfrey was invited by the ILO in his personal capacity. I represented the Government of Ceylon. Gamani Corea, then Ceylon’s ambassador in Brussels, was brought in to chair the meeting. This was the first visit for Godfrey and me to Geneva. The next year in 1973, Gamani became Secretary General of UNCTAD and spent the next 11 years in Geneva. Godfrey was a long stay visitor to Geneva during that time. I spent over 12 years n Geneva from 1978 to 1990. This was our Geneva connection.

There is much in this 1,000-page Memoir which cannot be absorbed in a short article.