(07-25-2022 08:16 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Sorry, guys, but I see the events of Jan 6. as a protest that got out of hand. And the events since as the Democrats trying to make anti-Trump hay out of it.

I see it as a protest that morphed into a riot. With elements of 'protest' interspersed with 'riot'.

What is clear is that the Capitol was a restricted space for that event.

No one in their right mind can say 'we didnt know we werent allowed in there.' If they truly did not know that, then they should be taken to a house for the mentally enfeebled.

No one in their right mind can say that they didnt know *why* they werent allowed in there.

In another discussion elsewhere, a discussion was being had of how terrible the criminal cases were. Looking at the actual allocutions in the plea for that case, and about twenty others, they all admit that they knew that being in the Capitol was wrong. And they all admitted to entering the Capitol in order to obstruct the certification.

With that, I have very little sympathy for the protestors/ rioters/ selfie takers in the building.

I think the action was an 'off the cuff' action. Trump didnt necessarily incite them to do that -- but had the asshat actually taken the office seriously, and to a somewhat lesser extent than his own self-interest, he absolutely should have tempered his speech then and there. But, Trump is Trump.

My issue with Trump isnt anything pre- Jan 6. It isnt even with the speech on the 6th, which I personally find grossly foolhardy and self-serving in the context of the issue.

My issue with Trump is that, as President, he sat on his ass watching the events from a couch on Fox TV. Didnt lift a gd finger. Except to attack Pence by tweet, and with the same tweet attack the event going on in there.

With all respect, there is a lot of good hay in that abdication of the office. And some good hay in the attack on the rule of law. The dude is such a small, petulant man that he apparently would prefer not to intervene in a riot that was aimed at trying to disrupt the certification. Absolutely grotesque.

There simply is no justification for those three hours. None. If some of his comments to Meadows in that timeframe are actually true, then even more so. But, true to form, Meadows is fighting giving testimony tooth and nail. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

At this point, I could not vote for Trump in any fashion.