6 ms·

Perhaps I am of the minority opinion, but I damn sure was never worried about a bunch of selfie-taking unarmed rednecks destroying the United States of America.

Perhaps I am of the minority opinion, but I damn sure was never worried about a bunch of selfie-taking unarmed rednecks destroying the United States of America. My faith in this country goes a little deeper than that.

rocketpastsix 5y ago
I wonder if your opinion would be different if those unarmed rednecks were able to get to Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell or VP Pence? Those "unarmed rednecks" were able to do something not even the various armies of the Confederacy couldn't: get inside the capitol. People are not terrified enough, because this group of people saw they could do it and I have a strong feeling they will try again.
- sk2020 5y ago
  Are you suggesting this country is better off with Nancy Pelosi or Mitch McConnel in it? Think about what you’re saying.
- cavisne 5y ago
  The capitol is (normally) a public building. There is a sitting senator who has been arrested at a protest in the building. Likewise it was not long ago that the capitol was full of protesters accosting senators in the lead up the the supreme court pick. It's not meant to be a secure building that takes an army to get into.
- vimy 5y ago
  I watched the live stream. The capitol police opened the barriers in front of the building to let them pass. They seemed friendly towards the protestors.
  - rocketpastsix 5y ago
    I agree, which should also be terrifying.
- iammisc 5y ago
  The capitol police opened the doors. Nancy pelosi was offered help by the executive branch to help keep the protestors at bay. She refused.
  - rocketpastsix 5y ago
    uh... Nancy Pelosi has limited control with the Capitol Police. She can't call in the national guard, or DC police.
- Grieving 5y ago
  Susan Rosenberg was part of a group of former Weather Underground members that bombed the U.S. capitol in 1983. She was pardoned by Clinton and became involved with the company bankrolling the largest BLM organization in the world. In what way is a group of proles walking around, taking selfies, and breaking some glass comparable?
  - rocqua 5y ago
    In the sense that they were there to lynch the vice president for certifying a fair election result. In that sense, the capitol attack was comparable to your whataboutist example.
    - Grieving 5y ago
      They weren't. You, I, and everyone else knows that hyperbolic, sometimes violent language is par for the course on both sides of the aisle. It's actually protected speech. Whataboutism increasingly seems to be used as a thought-terminating buzzword by people who want double standards.
      - rocqua 5y ago
        Fine
  - marvinvz 5y ago
    What's Undetermined In the absence of a single, universally-agreed definition of "terrorism," it is a matter of subjective determination as to whether the actions for which Rosenberg was convicted and imprisoned — possession of weapons and hundreds of pounds of explosives — should be described as acts of "domestic terrorism." https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/blm-terrorist-rosenberg/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/blm-terrorist-rosenberg/ Interesting fact checking.
- 8note 5y ago
  The Canadians/Brits burned the capital down and it did not matter. Some rednecks stopping by arent going to topple anything
- kcplate 5y ago
  Comparing this to the civil war is ridiculous. They were literally invited in by the capital police because it is a public building. The south is not at war with the north. The only shots that were fired were from the capital police. No one brandished a firearm in that capital except the police. “But what if…” is a pointless exercise because the past has already proven that those things didn’t happen and is just a mechanism for a bunch of people who desire authoritarianism in this country to justify making a free people less free.
ethanbond 5y ago
People are much less concerned about the unarmed rednecks taking selfies than they’re concerned about the armed folks searching the grounds for certain representatives, the people planting pipe bombs around DC, and anti-government militias comprised heavily of former military and law enforcement. Oh yeah, said militia members stashed guns at a nearby hotel (according to their own testimony and video footage). This could’ve gotten way uglier and who knows what the ramifications would be. Let’s not fixate on the selfies.
- Grieving 5y ago
  You're talking about a small group of Oath Keepers in an otherwise peaceful protest. But I'm curious, why do you think Stewart Rhodes was never arrested? Would it make more sense given the context that the boogaloos behind the Whitmer kidnapping plot turned out to be FBI agents, as did the leaders of other right-wing groups including the Proud Boys and Atomwaffen Division? Who does the right-wing terrorism scare serve?
  - llamaimperative 5y ago
    Right-wing terrorism scare? We all watched angry mobs attempt to disrupt the peaceful transition of power on live TV. These are the same people who proudly fly the flag of literal traitors to our country and call the press the “enemy of the free state.” If all it takes for your movement to attempt to kidnap elected officials or disrupt transfer of power is a few undercover agents nudging along, your movement is a huge problem.
    - Grieving 5y ago
      We all watched protesters demonstrate in a public building, and yes, disrupt the transition of power. Peaceful disruption of the government is the quintessential act of protest. >call the press the “enemy of the free state.” Criticism of media is terrorism? >kidnap elected officials That group was comprised almost entirely of undercover agents along with a couple of mentally ill people. The FBI orchestrated the entire thing. >disrupt transfer of power Again, a valid target for protest.
darkerside 5y ago
Marie Antoinette was similarly not worried about the visceral expressions of very real problems across the nation of France. It's not a problem until it's a problem.
- bopbeepboop 5y ago
  Right — but we’re collectively okay with violent rioting, including arson and murder… but draw the line at selfies. This seems more Reichstag Fire than French Revolution.
- kcplate 5y ago
  So overthrowing the French monarchy was a mistake? That’s a pretty ironic metaphor you got there…
  - darkerside 5y ago
    No, being overthrown by the populace was a mistake from the perspective of the French monarchy. You might want to stop looking at the world as black and white at some point.
cratermoon 5y ago
Unarmed? https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2021/09/trump-extremists-guns-january-6-insurrection-congress-domestic-terrorism/ https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2021/09/trump-extr...
iammisc 5y ago
My goodness they were old ladies with walkers... This is so stupid as to be comical.

rocketpastsix 5y ago

I wonder if your opinion would be different if those unarmed rednecks were able to get to Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell or VP Pence? Those "unarmed rednecks" were able to do something not even the various armies of the Confederacy couldn't: get inside the capitol. People are not terrified enough, because this group of people saw they could do it and I have a strong feeling they will try again.

sk2020 5y ago
Are you suggesting this country is better off with Nancy Pelosi or Mitch McConnel in it? Think about what you’re saying.
cavisne 5y ago
The capitol is (normally) a public building. There is a sitting senator who has been arrested at a protest in the building. Likewise it was not long ago that the capitol was full of protesters accosting senators in the lead up the the supreme court pick. It's not meant to be a secure building that takes an army to get into.
vimy 5y ago
I watched the live stream. The capitol police opened the barriers in front of the building to let them pass. They seemed friendly towards the protestors.
- rocketpastsix 5y ago
  I agree, which should also be terrifying.
iammisc 5y ago
The capitol police opened the doors. Nancy pelosi was offered help by the executive branch to help keep the protestors at bay. She refused.
- rocketpastsix 5y ago
  uh... Nancy Pelosi has limited control with the Capitol Police. She can't call in the national guard, or DC police.
Grieving 5y ago
Susan Rosenberg was part of a group of former Weather Underground members that bombed the U.S. capitol in 1983. She was pardoned by Clinton and became involved with the company bankrolling the largest BLM organization in the world. In what way is a group of proles walking around, taking selfies, and breaking some glass comparable?
- rocqua 5y ago
  In the sense that they were there to lynch the vice president for certifying a fair election result. In that sense, the capitol attack was comparable to your whataboutist example.
  - Grieving 5y ago
    They weren't. You, I, and everyone else knows that hyperbolic, sometimes violent language is par for the course on both sides of the aisle. It's actually protected speech. Whataboutism increasingly seems to be used as a thought-terminating buzzword by people who want double standards.
    - rocqua 5y ago
      Fine
- marvinvz 5y ago
  What's Undetermined In the absence of a single, universally-agreed definition of "terrorism," it is a matter of subjective determination as to whether the actions for which Rosenberg was convicted and imprisoned — possession of weapons and hundreds of pounds of explosives — should be described as acts of "domestic terrorism." https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/blm-terrorist-rosenberg/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/blm-terrorist-rosenberg/ Interesting fact checking.
8note 5y ago
The Canadians/Brits burned the capital down and it did not matter. Some rednecks stopping by arent going to topple anything
kcplate 5y ago
Comparing this to the civil war is ridiculous. They were literally invited in by the capital police because it is a public building. The south is not at war with the north. The only shots that were fired were from the capital police. No one brandished a firearm in that capital except the police. “But what if…” is a pointless exercise because the past has already proven that those things didn’t happen and is just a mechanism for a bunch of people who desire authoritarianism in this country to justify making a free people less free.

ethanbond 5y ago

People are much less concerned about the unarmed rednecks taking selfies than they’re concerned about the armed folks searching the grounds for certain representatives, the people planting pipe bombs around DC, and anti-government militias comprised heavily of former military and law enforcement. Oh yeah, said militia members stashed guns at a nearby hotel (according to their own testimony and video footage). This could’ve gotten way uglier and who knows what the ramifications would be. Let’s not fixate on the selfies.

Grieving 5y ago
You're talking about a small group of Oath Keepers in an otherwise peaceful protest. But I'm curious, why do you think Stewart Rhodes was never arrested? Would it make more sense given the context that the boogaloos behind the Whitmer kidnapping plot turned out to be FBI agents, as did the leaders of other right-wing groups including the Proud Boys and Atomwaffen Division? Who does the right-wing terrorism scare serve?
- llamaimperative 5y ago
  Right-wing terrorism scare? We all watched angry mobs attempt to disrupt the peaceful transition of power on live TV. These are the same people who proudly fly the flag of literal traitors to our country and call the press the “enemy of the free state.” If all it takes for your movement to attempt to kidnap elected officials or disrupt transfer of power is a few undercover agents nudging along, your movement is a huge problem.
  - Grieving 5y ago
    We all watched protesters demonstrate in a public building, and yes, disrupt the transition of power. Peaceful disruption of the government is the quintessential act of protest. >call the press the “enemy of the free state.” Criticism of media is terrorism? >kidnap elected officials That group was comprised almost entirely of undercover agents along with a couple of mentally ill people. The FBI orchestrated the entire thing. >disrupt transfer of power Again, a valid target for protest.

darkerside 5y ago

Marie Antoinette was similarly not worried about the visceral expressions of very real problems across the nation of France. It's not a problem until it's a problem.

bopbeepboop 5y ago
Right — but we’re collectively okay with violent rioting, including arson and murder… but draw the line at selfies. This seems more Reichstag Fire than French Revolution.
kcplate 5y ago
So overthrowing the French monarchy was a mistake? That’s a pretty ironic metaphor you got there…
- darkerside 5y ago
  No, being overthrown by the populace was a mistake from the perspective of the French monarchy. You might want to stop looking at the world as black and white at some point.

cratermoon 5y ago

Unarmed? https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2021/09/trump-extremists-guns-january-6-insurrection-congress-domestic-terrorism/ https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2021/09/trump-extr...

iammisc 5y ago

My goodness they were old ladies with walkers... This is so stupid as to be comical.