The Maelstrom of Violence

[David Horn]

(01-15-2021, 03:55 PM)mamabug Wrote:

(01-14-2021, 08:07 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: We will need to know more about this insurrection. Were insiders in the federal government, including elected officials, complicit or neglectful? We may not know fully until investigations or trials are complete. Anybody who had any role in this insurrection that isn't innocent error must be removed from the responsibility and receive such sanctions as appropriate. For a breach of security not an innocent any Senator or Representative must be expelled; any staffer must be fired and blackballed; any Capitol Police officer or any employee of the House or Senate must be fired. This insurrection is pure disgrace. I have yet to be satisfied that insiders were involved. Lives of fellow Senators and Representatives as well as the dignity of Congress were put at risk.    

I agree here, as I think would many on the center-right.  My issue is with throwing unsupported claims against a 'them' like chum into the fetid cesspit that is social media.  If a congresscritter has a specific concern, they should raise it to the FBI and not post it on Facebook.  That even as friendly a publication as the NY Times pointed out (weakly) that the claim had zero proof behind it should be a red flag as to just how irresponsible it is in the current state of tensions and distrust.

This is a bit rich considering the source of 99% of the disinformation out there.  FB was a RW cesspool, far more than one used by the left, and it still continues to a great extent.  It's been well documented that FB algorithms reward extremism, and the "influencers" on the right were often driven to the extremes just to get Likes and Reposts.

mamabug Wrote:My skepticism over the assertion it was an inside job is still pretty high and it would take a lot of actual facts to clear it.  Occam's razor, at this point, suggests it was a planned attempt by a hard-core group of Trump supporters who used the madness of crowds and lack of proper preparedness by the DC Mayor as cover WITHOUT active collusion and facilitation of elected officials and/or staffers.  It's basically the Seattle CHAZ fiasco in a much more serious context.

But, I could be wrong, and I'm sure the lovey surveillance state we live in will soon reveal the truth.

I agree that this was planned and executed by professionals of one sort, or perhaps, many.  Transparency, on the other hand, is not all that great.  Actually, if this was the UK,, I would agree, but it's not.  We aren't bathed in video cameras like London (~25,000 the last time I was there).  For al;l the whining about loss of freedom, we maintain a lot of privacy here -- possibly to our detriment in this case.  Still, privacy is extremely important, and should be violated only under extreme circumstances.