Congressman Bill Keating and I had a long conversation about the recent invasion of the U.S. Capitol on my radio show. His account of the event is powerful and enlightening.

Imagine if you went to work and you were almost murdered for going to work that day. Five people, including a police officer, died during the invasion of Congress. We have had an incredible increase in politically-related violence since last spring across the nation. As bad as it has been, it is worse when it happens at the center of our Republic.

Rep. William Keating represents the south and the southeastern region of Massachusetts. He has cities like New Bedford and Fall River, suburbs like Fairhaven and Wareham, and all of Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard. Before he was in Congress, he was a crime-fighting district attorney. Before he was a prosecutor, he was a Massachusetts state senator. Senator Keating took on Senate President Billy Bulger and earned the hatred of his serial-killing gangster brother James “Whitey” Bulger in the process.

Angering Whitey Bulger could get you killed. Bulger liked to overwhelm his targets by surprise, bind them at the wrists and then interrogate them. After he was done with the interrogation he would sometimes use a rope to execute his victim.

The invaders of our Capitol had zip ties fashioned into “speed cuffs” so they could quickly bind Vice President Mike Pence, and some senators and representatives. They had a rope crafted into a functioning hangman’s noose to strangle these elected Americans. I assume there was going to be some interrogations and forced confessions before the rope went around the necks.

The Capitol Hill invaders weren’t anything more than thugs, and stupid ones at that. They might call themselves libertarians or conservatives but they don’t know Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk, Milton Friedman, Ludwig von Mises, William F. Buckley, or Dean Clarence Manion.

Congressman Keating stood up to murderers like Bulger and he stood up to the murderers who invaded our Congress. Now he is going to make sure a full investigation is done to ensure that this type of revolutionary violence can’t happen again.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

PHOTOS: Scene at U.S. Capitol shows chaos and violence

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