Three years ago more than 2,000 stormed the U.S. Capitol grounds.
Their purpose was not to sightsee.
I’m choosing my words carefully here.
In the time since Jan. 6, 2021, the sworn testimony of hundreds of the participants affirms their goal was to prevent Joe Biden from becoming our 46th president.
Attempts to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power violates the U.S. Constitution, and is a federal crime.
For some, the day was weeks in the making. They arrived heavily armed, wore protective gear and had organized hundreds to join them.
Others say they were swept up in the fervor of the moment and fought U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police forces with their bare hands or makeshift weapons.
More than 150 police officers were injured in their defense of democracy that day. Seven lives lost.
I remind myself that the mob that day does nor represent most Americans nor does their version of what it means to be an American.
Today’s identity politics fall far short of telling a person’s worldview and are but a veneer of what kind of person they may be; hardworking, good provider, loyal spouse, attentive parent, etc.
I’m reminded of a passage from Amor Towles’s book, “A Gentleman in Moscow.”
“What can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli.
“By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration — and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.”
I avoid reading or watching much about far-right extremists.
In preparing this piece, I discovered many who once expressed remorse for their participation in the Capitol riots now say they were unfairly treated by the justice system. Instead, they feel they deserve martyr status.
If history repeats itself in the Nov. 5 general election, they tell us to brace for even more violence.
