If you're like me, you're still embarrassed by the violent eruption at the Capitol building last week. I know, Trump didn't directly provoke it, but those close to him did, and Trump indirectly did.
As I mentioned yesterday, no one who wants to remain in the United States can logically condone riots and other forms of public violence (e.g., tearing down statues), no matter the reasons.
But we can take comfort or at least suspend a little bit of judgment on the events earlier this week by keeping in mind a few things.
First, we don't know who all the protesters are. Just as Antifa and its fellow travelers provoked violence from BLM protests that were intended to be peaceful, we know there was at least one Antia-type person among the protesters. One doesn't equal a coordinated effort by any means. He could've just been an aberration, but it merits further investigation, even though it appears he probably was the only one, and he said he was there just to take video.
Second, we don't know anything. Unless you're crazed with anger or other passions, the one thing that should be in your mind right now is, "Wait, stop. What the frick is going on?" How was the protest launched, who's responsible, why was security at the Capitol building so crappy, and on and on. When you combine our ignorance in general, the media's full-scale disregard of their important duty of trying to provide objective facts, and the clandestine efforts of the CIA and other federal agencies, no one should assume he or she knows anything about the riot.
Third, the Left is now behaving violently, from banning Trump from Twitter to calls for impeachment. The disturbingly shrill and non-measured response from Pelosi and others really ought to give sane people pause. They claim Trump is a demagogue and then behave like demagogues themselves.
I hate to say it, but Biden is one of the few who is displaying a measure of detached judgment in this thing. Of course, he is part of the inside crowd that profits greatly from going back to business as normal, so it makes sense that he just wants everyone to calm down, but he is showing a measure of reason and dispassioned behavior.
Fourth, this is hardly the first time politics has erupted in violence. Nor were the violent protests last summer the first time. Nor were the 1960s. American has a long history of political violence, starting with 1791's Whiskey Rebellion.
We've come through it before. We'll come through it again.
Well, probably.
