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.