The scene at the Capitol is disgraceful.
The scene at the Capitol should not be a surprise to anyone.
This type of lawlessness has become distasteful, but tolerated, behavior. Just yesterday some were saying that boarding up ahead of the announcement on whether charges would be filed for the officers involved with Jacob Blake is “hurtful” and “incitement.” They, a vast majority the left, were building excuses to riot based on their whims. Until it became a threat to the left it was going to continue to be permitted. Today’s disgraceful rioting at the Capitol is the fruit of the past tolerance of violence and rioting.
We need to unequivocally state the past tolerance of rioting does not excuse today’s disgraceful actions. Those involved in breaking the law need to be held accountable. However, what’s most important is how does everyone, both left and right, respond to what happened today.
We need to make certain two issues remain in the fore when responding to the rioting today. First, nothing excuses this behavior. Nothing. At. All. We are a democratic republic, and peaceful transition of power is paramount. No matter the grievance today’s riots are indefensible. Second, the anger and resentment that lead to today are real, and didn’t build up starting in November 2020. Whatever the societal and political response to the disgrace that is today needs to be one of peace and reconciliation.
Ferguson (insert all the subsequent cities) didn’t burn because of the flashpoint that initiated the riot. The Capitol wasn’t stormed because Trump lost reelection or any other singular event. Just as with Ferguson, the feelings that lead to today have been building, and that needs to be understood when the immediate crisis settles and response is formulated.
We need to hold the actors today responsible, but we also need to set about to understand why today happened. Trite statements like we are the party of law and order, or this is Trump’s fault, or any simplistic dismissal of the underlying cause is not productive; and will not prevent a repeat of the violence that has marked the past few years.
Today is a disgrace, but it is also an opportunity. As a nation we cannot continue the path we are on. Whether it’s occupation zones in Seattle or rioting at the Capitol violence has replaced dialogue as the means to resolve dispute. We, everyone of good sensibility, need to reject violence in lieu of political discourse, and unite in the proposition that through dialogue, and only through dialogue, can the stark divide in society begin to close. The danger in today isn’t in the disgrace that occurred at the Capitol today. The rioting will be quashed, and rightly so. The danger is in how we respond. If we don’t take intentional steps to recognize that deep grievances exist on both sides of the political spectrum more violence will follow. It’s just a matter of when and what event causes the violence to erupt again.
For everyone’s sake we need to seek first to understand; and acknowledge the underlying concerns that lead to today – not just today but all incidents of violence that have occurred the past few years. Understanding and recognizing the grievances exist and have become intolerable is the key to beginning the process of peace and reconciliation.
The peaceful transfer of power through elections is the core of our federal system. Texas officeholders that contributed to enabling the delusions of our outgoing President share some measure of direct blame. In my view they are unfit to hold any office of trust. That they hold an office from the Great State of Texas required remediation. They will never receive my vote again.
What I saw was the people invoking their right to peaceably assemble and petition their government for the redress of grievances. A fraudulent election, banana republic style, is a legitimate beef, and the people have a right to demand that fraud be nullified and rectified.
I’m just laughing at people who were just fine with the blm and antifa destroying cities all Summer long, who now suddenly have the vapors now.
And I trust that the Senate office building will be renamed in honor of the UNARMED WOMAN who was murdered by the Capitol Police. She needs to join George Floyd and Breonna Taylor on street signs, and buildings across our nation. I’m suggesting that 16th Street in D.C. that was renamed ‘blm Plaza’ be again renamed for the unarmed woman who was murdered by the police. Suddenly, defunding the police sounds like a good idea.
I have never had anything but contempt and disgust for the BLM and Antifa looters and looters who looted, burned and pillaged their way through cities and towns this summer. Participants in that crime spree should have been arrested and locked up.
On the other hand I despise those who decided to invade the Capitol building, break windows, bring business to a halt and force elected officials to flee. The right to “peacefully assemble” does NOT include the right to dress up in war paint and bizarre costume and chase out Congressmen and Senators so you could squat on the seat of the Speaker of the House like some aboriginal over a dead antelope.
If they wanted to protest, they could have held a rally on the Capitol steps. I would have supported them all day. Indeed, I think they legitimate complaints. Unfortunately, their absurd actions have completely overshadowed their actual legitimate concerns. It’s very much the same way that Trump himself often overshadowed his own successes with his provocative, pejorative and often bizarre tweets and postings.
As for the woman who was shot by Capital police while in the act of trespassing on Federal property, I mourn for her and feel for her family. But she no more deserves her name on anything than does Breona Taylor. Interestingly, your call for such a thing, and your statement about defunding the police, puts you squarely in the camp of BLM and Antifa. Perhaps you should give them a call, I’m sure they could use a new member with your acumen.
If this is representative of the mindset of Trump and his supporters, then please count me out. I have supported him through thick and thin for the last 4 years. I am now beginning to regret doing so. I told people 4 months ago that in the unlikely event that Trump actually lost the election, he would behave honorably and leave office with his head held high. Instead he’s behaved like a willful, petulant, 8 year old, spoiled brat having a temper tantrum in the grocery store.
His actions in the last month have completely overshadowed all of the good that he did in his 4 years in office. At this point all we can hope for is that he will STFU and spend the next 2 weeks quietly preparing for the transfer of office.
If I had to guess, this looks like a situation where a small number of individuals, probably both radical right and left, came to the rally with the intention to cause trouble, and then mob mentality took over.
The mob mentality doesn’t excuse the behavior, but does explain how it got out of control so quickly. Outside of the obvious horrendous behavior this probably ensures Trump cannot win the primary in 2024, when otherwise he probably would had if he chose to run.
What’s troublesome is rather than have a backlash the events yesterday seem to have steeled the resolve of the ardent Trump supporters who voted democrat before 4 years ago. The country needs reconciliation, not unity. Until that process starts, and I am not certain that it will, the underlying issues that brought Trump to power will fester and it’s just a matter of time before there’s another eruption.
Why would Trump enter another rigged game? He knows he got cheated. It is quite clear that there will never be another outsider. There will never be a John Anderson, Ross Perot, Ron Paul, or Trump ever again. It won’t be permitted. You’ll only be able to choose between candidates preselected for you……ALL elections from now on will be Obama/Romney type races. I mean, look what happened to Bernie…..twice. He never had a chance. It wasn’t going to be permitted. Joe was SELECTED for us.
Voting will probably still be meaningful in local and state elections, as long as you don’t live in a Dominion state, but as far as national office, like president? That’s gone forever.
To some, the established rules of elections make them rigged games from the onset, Trump’s problem this time was that neither he nor anyone else supporting him could provide verifiable evidence of massive fraud as he claimed. That’s not to say there wasn’t any fraud but even the multitude of Trump’s advisors and appointed experts in the field of election security declared this was the most secure election in history.
As far as Sanders in concerned, he was given special considerations by the DNC to run as a democrat in both 2016 and 2020 since he is a declared independent as senator. Exactly why most people are being told the democrats will hold the majority when they will only have 48 seats and Republicans hold 50, two senators claiming independent status, is another quirk in the system that should be addressed. Sanders thankfully lost both times on his own lack of merits so claims he was cheated or otherwise disenfranchised belong in the tin foil hat folder along with other conspiracies espoused by extremists.
As far as Ashli Babbitt’s demise is concerned, all loss of life is tragic but had she tried to break into the house of most people commenting here, she would have met a similar fate given the comments most have made in the past. I’ll reserve the bulk of my sympathy for Officer Brian D. Sicknick who died trying to protect the Capitol from the invasion of crazies.
Otherwise, I agree with most everything Greg wrote.
I might add that one of the things that I really detest about Trump is his penchant for immediately turning on anybody who dares to disagrees with him. It’s indicative of someone who is incredibly insecure. The way in which he’s treated Mike Pence today (and other supporters over the last few weeks) is ridiculously childish.
Among other things that he’s done in the last month is to insure that he will NEVER be able to run for office again. At this point I wouldn’t vote for him for dogcatcher.
The ‘warpaint’ guy, also known as Viking guy, is a documented antifa member. You can DuckDuckGo pictures of the same guy and antifa riots. There were at least a few larping antifa folks there, including the guy walking around with the podium. He is seen on videos from antifa riots elsewhere.
I suspect most, if not all, the actual damage, was done by the antifa plants, but I’ll concede that some of the actual damage was probably done by overzealous Trump supporters.
For what it’s worth, I’m not good with vandalism, either. I’m also not good with massive voter fraudsters, like Ruby Freeman and her Atlanta posse.
Also, just to update everyone, Trump gave up, he put out a video, which looks an awful lot like a hostage video, so it’s over. Stacy Abrams has sung.
The Viking guy will be in custody soon. I suspect he will turn out to be an Qanon loon not an Antifa loon.
The riots all summer were despicable. The left and the press gave them aid and comfort.
The assault on our Capitol egged on by our President was despicable. Bill you are entitled to your opinion but you are tarring yourself giving aid and comfort to these loons.
Although it’s like screaming into the void, I feel I must inform you that your grievances about BLM and Antifa rioting are fun-house-mirror views provided by the swampy, cynical media environment that you all consume to the exclusion of accurate, fact-based media. You’re hopelessly delusional. Try documenting and quantifying how much actual violence and looting took place; to hear y’all tell it, many cities are smoking cinders. B.S.
To compare demonstrations prompted by racist killings of black people (many unarmed) with the seditious white nationalist coup attempt in our Capitol on Wednesday is proof that you are politically and intellectually degraded.
I don’t think you fully appreciate what is about to happen to your pathetic right wing dream; the people of this country with a moral center and belief in our country’s foundations are about to deal you defeat after defeat in civil discourse, law and electoral consequences. Scales have fallen from many eyes and you are on the wrong side of history. Get ready: karma is a b*tch.
Between Bill Daniels on one side and jslamen on the other side, it’s astounding that we can have a coherent conversation at all. . . . .
jslamen – there’s not really a nice way to say this: you’ve lost touch with reality. If you think there wasn’t violence, or looting, or vandalism, then you obviously can’t think at all. And, to be blunt – two wrongs do not make a right. Burning down somebody’s business because a cop shot a Black man (unarmed or not) is wrong. And, it doesn’t help the problem. It certainly doesn’t exhibit a “moral center”.
And, speaking of moral center, Joe Biden has been demonstrating his lack of one for the last 30 years. Kamala (I’ll sleep my way to the top) Harris isn’t any better. If they’re the best you’ve got, I wouldn’t make any long term plans.
Jeanean, “Get ready: karma is a b*tch”, “I don’t think you fully appreciate what is about to happen to your pathetic right wing dream” and “civil discourse” aren’t able to be reconciled.
If you can’t see Martin Luther King Jr’s “another America” speech applies to many Trump supporters since NAFTA I can’t hold that against you. People are often blinded by ideology and hatred. But that doesn’t.mske the feeling they hold any less intense.
People “with a moral center and belief in our country’s foundations” are going to choose reconciliation over ever increasing strife.
I mean, jslamen is just telling the honest truth. The settling of scores and pogroms against Trump supporters has already begun, and Trump isn’t even out of office yet. Get ready for a full out offensive by every government agency against every day Americans who are conservative, or who may have supported President Trump.
They have already told us that’s what the first order of business will be. Further, endless lockdowns, flooding the country with both illegal aliens and legal immigrants (despite a presumed pandemic health scare), forcing anti-American and anti-white reeducation training via the schools and govt. institutions like the military, the Post Office, etc…..and that’s just a start.
Have you seen the dust ups at the airports in the wake of the Capitol protest? Overt Trump supporters are being denied boarding, being thrown off of planes, etc. Whole flights have been cancelled by airlines to appease the left. It really looks to me like the only way for Trump supporters to leave D.C. would be to wear some blm gear and try to pass as leftists.
Perhaps jslamen would like to supply Trump supporters with yellow arm bands – you know, with an insignia so we could be more easily identified and abused.
Then later, people who opposed the new “liberal” order could be tattooed with a number. . . . . . ’cause, you know, karma is a b’tch!
Though I never thought, or support, the destruction that happened in D.C. would ever happen, I voted for Trump because he was a grenade in D.C. and that’s exactly what he turned out to be. If there was anything I had hope would come of his presidency, I had hoped people would value the country we live in and the opportunities provided by the constitution. 2016 had Hillary Clinton and I swore in 2000 I would never vote for her when the time came, and it came. Now we see if Republicans redefine themselves.
I’ve just read all the comments from my sick bed and I am amazed that Bill Daniels continues to cling to conspiracy theories about MASSIVE voter fraud.
First and foremost, Greg’s article is spot on!
As for that ‘Viking Guy’ that Bill would have us believe is part of Antifa, nothing could be further from the truth. He is a known force behind the crazy conspiracy theories of QAnon.
Fat Albert, your’s is the voice of reason, unlike that of Bill who is as delusional as our megalomaniac president.
Get well soon, Howie!
Thanks Bill! And please, for your own sake, stop paying attention to the conspiracy theories about the election.
What happened to Headshaker? I bet he is really shaking his head now!
There was not election fraud! Your eyes lied to you and the people tearing up the capitol were Trumpers! https://www.dailywire.com/news/left-wing-known-agitator-charged-for-alleged-role-in-capitol-breach
We are living in a parallel universe for sure. GodSpeed!