January 6th.

The very mention of this date evokes a wide range of emotions, irrespective of your political persuasion. And even though it’s been over four years since that unprecedented stain on our collective history, its significance remains a topic of intense debate in many circles.

Ever wondered how history will eventually come to regard what happened on that fateful day? Well look no further because I’m going to clear that up in the next few paragraphs. You can thank me later.

Here are ten predictions that either you, or your kids/grandkids, can expect to see in the history books of the future:

First, January 6th will be remembered as a violent insurrection instigated by a recently defeated president. It was an unambiguous attempt to overturn a legitimate election by those who wanted to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and keep their preferred leader in place — by force if necessary.

Second, the people who were involved in the assault on the U.S. Capitol were criminals. And they will always be criminals regardless of whether their convictions were overturned, or they were pardoned for their actions. A piece of paper can never absolve them of the responsibility they share for assaulting peace officers.

Just to reiterate: The insurrectionists were not, and will never be, considered “patriots” in any legitimate sense of that word.

Third, it was not “mostly peaceful” as some tried to portray it in the intervening years. The problem for these folks is that it was televised live from multiple angles. Everyone saw what went down in real time. Using the same logic, it could be argued Lincoln’s time at Ford’s Theater was “mostly uneventful.”

Fourth, it will eventually be acknowledged that there were no outside agitators stoking the flames that day. No FBI agents participated, and no one from Antifa, Black Lives Matter, or Dancing with the Stars had any role whatsoever in initiating or sustaining the uprising.

Fifth, the only real heroes were the security guards, police officers, detectives, FBI agents, prosecutors, judges, juries, and anyone else who tried to hold the insurrectionists responsible for their illegal activities that day. They did their best to bring those responsible to justice and for that they deserve a monument on the Washington Mall.

Sixth, the woman killed that day was not a martyr. While it’s always a tragedy when someone loses their life, the reality is that she disregarded a direct command from police officers and was subsequently shot during the commission of a crime. End of story.

The only martyrs that day were those trying to defend the Constitution who eventually succumbed to the injuries – psychological as well as physical – they sustained at the hands of a rampaging mob.

Seventh, the decision to pardon all those involved in the insurrection, as well as the persecution of all those trying to hold them accountable, was one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice ever witnessed in the United States.

Eighth, the dismissal of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, or judges due to their association with the insurrection and its aftermath will prove to be one of the worst national security decisions ever made. Without their expertise and experience at identifying and thwarting terrorist plots, the safety of ordinary citizens was seriously compromised.

Ninth, the attempted takeover of the Capitol will be seen as a turning point in the great democratic experiment the United States successfully navigated for almost two and a half centuries. If we do eventually discard the Constitution and succumb to fascism, January 6th will no doubt be cited as the beginning of our downward spiral.

Finally, the attempted insurgency will serve as a cautionary tale to future generations for what can go terribly wrong when people adopt a tribal mentality and follow a charlatan who makes unrealistic promises intended to appeal to the naïve and the gullible. Those who don’t learn from the past…

So now you know how history will ultimately judge January 6, 2021. Don’t believe me? No problem. Look me up in about 20 years and we’ll discuss it.

— Aaron W. Hughey is a university distinguished professor in the Department of Counseling and Student Affairs at Western Kentucky University.