Tonight, May 31, (https://www.johnstrand.com) there will be a vigil for John Strand of America’s Frontline Doctors. On January 6, 2020, Dr. Simone Gold had a permit to speak at an event scheduled outside the Capitol building. The event was cancelled. She gave her talk from inside the building. Virtually everyone reading this now knows what a costly decision that was for anyone who happened to be at the Capitol that day to seek their right of redressal of grievances, a right incidentally mentioned in the First Amendment alongside freedom of religion, press, speech, and assembly — to illustrate how important the founders viewed that God-given right.
Dr. Gold repented before the court. She was put in jail for 60 days on a non-violent misdemeanor with no prior offense. The fact that she saw any jail time is an example of the politicization of the judicial system and the unequal application of the law. John Strand accompanied her into the Capitol Rotunda as security, which is often his role at her official appearances. John Strand, in contrast, has not repented before the court. Like a secret police struggle session, kangaroo courts desire to hear repentance and submission. At his June 1 sentencing, the unrepentant Strand will face the possibility of more than two decades in federal prison.
Though there has been some controversy around AFLDS, I have been slow to choose sides in the matter. Too many people are quick to throw a friend under the bus.
I had the opportunity in 2021 to work alongside Gold on a few projects. In 2020 and 2021, I had the opportunity to work alongside hundreds of other wonderful activists like Gold. Many of them were doing amazing work, seeking to promote liberty in their own spheres of influence. John Strand was an integral part of the team she had built.
Having such a breadth of experience, I was impressed with what I saw in Dr. Gold and I said to myself that autumn that Gold was the most effective activist that I had seen in the United States over the previous 18 months. She was generous with her contacts — spending vast portions of her day simply introducing people to each other who would otherwise never be in touch. Such introductions produced exceptional results. She sometimes offered to fund projects — when I saw this done, this was done with no quid pro quo that I could identify. She did not even request to be mentioned, to be invited to speak, or given any other form of publicity.
I said to myself during this period that if there was any activist that would be the most effective for the enemy to neutralize, it would be Simone Gold. Again, I got to work with hundreds of high caliber people like her, but she stood out to me as the most effective of the lot. It was with some sadness that I observed by the following fall she was not only in jail, but was also having the internal affairs of her organization being dramatically hashed out in public. Too many people involved acted to increase the drama.
Likely not a single person involved, likely not even Dr. Gold herself, realized what a loss it was for the country for her to be so distracted. She really had been engaged in some of the most impressive work of any of the dissidents in the era of corona communism.
And you know what, there was plenty that Dr. Gold got wrong. Just like any other person, she is not perfect. And just like any other person who was not a provocateur in the US color revolution of 2020, and the governmental overreaction to Covid-19, she was not as prepared as she could have been.
Gold was an emergency room doctor who found herself running a grassroots organization. Hardly can I find anything more distant from her chosen career. Strand was a male fashion model turned activist. Hardly can I find anything more distant from his chosen career. Many people have told me similar stories, of being in one field and realizing that something very different was needed from them from 2020 forward.
I don’t mean to sweep imperfections under the rug. I know this much — imperfections are no reason to abandon an ally. Many people are dissidents in 2023 — now that such a position is easy. Few people were dissidents during the darkest days. Forgive me if I consider it the gravest dishonor to turn on a dissident at this late hour. So allow me to move on from the distracting topic of individual imperfections.
We have not received a clear understanding of everything that the federal government did to provoke the events of January 6, but there has been repeated indication that the role played by the federal government was significant. Some argue that the events of that day appear to have been orchestrated by the federal government, while others say that at the very least federal officials entrapped private citizens.
The common narrative now, even among those who claim to staunchly stand as advocates for freedom, is that we must all publicly proclaim the evil of those who assembled on January 6. Any reasonable man would do exactly that, we are assured. Anyone who does not speak out against the actions of private citizens on January 6 is not reasonable.
I have a different narrative. I think any decent American would have entered the Capitol that day and sought to speak with his elected representatives if he believed 1.) the election could not be properly certified and 2.) Congress was about to make the wrong move by certifying the election rather than requiring the states to properly investigate what took place on Election Day 2020, election night, and the days following.
I do not denounce what took place that day at the hands of private citizens. I denounce the color revolution that occurred. Everyday Americans do not support a color revolution, no matter who the successful or unsuccessful candidate is. I denounce the lack of transparency on the role the federal government played in provoking a mob that day. That is what I believe any decent American should oppose.
On June 1, Strand will be sentenced for the five counts of which he has been found guilty. I do not expect him to throw himself before the mercy of the court. I suspect Strand will be more likely to stand before the court at his sentencing and to denounce the system as rigged and evil. He is likely to have the book thrown at him for refusing to kowtow during this struggle session.
Many reading this will call that stupid of Strand, that one should swallow one’s pride in such a moment. I call that honorable of Strand. I call that noble. That immovability is the only way that life ever becomes more free. That immovability is the only way that freedom is ever won.
Thank you to John Strand for standing his ground.
