I’ve actually started writing this twice before. Both times, I decided I was too close to the events to assess them in as objective a manner as I would want. This time, I hope, my emotional response won’t interfere with my judgement.
The demonstrations in Washington resulted in a tragedy. 5 people died. One was shot, one was hit by a fire extinguisher, and 3 died from “medical emergencies” that might have survived had their problem occurred in a different place or time. The media commentators on both sides have been replaying the events over and over. Each side putting their own biased versions out for the public to read, see, or hear. My views don’t entirely agree with any of them.
I should start by noting that language matters a lot. This was a political demonstration that got out of control. It was certainly not an “insurrection”, nor was it an “attempted coup”. People using such terminology are trying, for the most part, to justify the actions they want to take in order to either prevent a recurrence or achieve some political objective. Anyone using the event for to support a political agenda, whether it be removing a lame duck President or excusing violence, should be ashamed (and ignored). There were actions that need to be dealt with by arrests and prosecutions Those actions should be limited to clear violations of the Law. There were other actions, or inactions, that I think ought to result in the persons responsible either resigning or being removed from positions of authority. I do not believe President Trump is included in either category. His call for people to go home was probably late, and probably not noticed by some people who were there because the social media oligarchs banned his message. American Democracy is not served by muzzling voices of dissent.
I do not know who actually fired the shot that killed an unarmed, and non-violent, bystander. I am sure it came from security forces trying to contain the demonstration. Crowd control is something with which I am very familiar. As a U S naval officer I faced race riots on board my ship in the 60’s. As an Israeli reserve officer during the First Intifada I closed down the entire student population of the old Bir Zeit University with 3 soldiers. In both very volatile situations calm was restored without any deaths or injuries. Why didn’t that happen in Washington? Did the guards lack proper non-lethal, equipment? Had anyone ever trained them how to respond? Shooting directly at a probable lawbreaker ought to be preceded by verbal warnings. That does not seem to have happened. A warning shot should have been fired first, also. The video clips I’ve seen do not show any imminent danger to life of anyone. Breaking down a door or shattering a window can trigger a warning, but ought not result in direct aimed gunfire. The mobs I faced carried stones, knive and chains, but not firearms. My men did not have to fire a single shot. o was in charge inside the Capitol Building at the time? Were the guards and police given orders to shoot? Were they trained in crowd control? Had they been given any “Rules of Engagement”? I think the individuals responsible for lapses in those areas are the ones that need to be held accountable.
There is another area where someone in authority dropped the ball. The gathering that President Trump spoke to was an authorized demonstration. When the first of them reached the barrier s, the guards opened a passage for them. Only later were attempts made to keep them out of the building. I’ve heard claims, probably true, that there were not enough guards. Since the fact of the demonstration and the subsequent march to Capitol were well known in advance, why weren’t additional guards or police on site? One of the most ridiculous claims I heard was that the National Guard was called out by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She is part of the Legislative branch of government. The National Guard can only be called by the Executive branch. Some people did act responsibly. The National Guard was actually called by the Assistant Secretary of the Army, possibly following instructions from the President. Mayors of nearby cities offered their police forces to reinforce the Washington DC police. Some of them were sent before being requested. A failure to prepare properly for a known potential threat is not an excuse to grant any extra powers to the Mayor of the city. It is certainly not a reason to grant DC Statehood.
A final personal note: I am ashamed to have Vice-President Elect Harris using such strong language to condemn the event when she paid bail for “peaceful demonstrators” on the West Coast who were filmed looting stores and who set fires and blocked responders access to the affected areas. Over 20 people were killed in those riots. Harris deserves, at the very least, to be awarded the title of Hypocrite.
Wetherhorn 