I was splitting logs in the woods and got a phone call telling me what was happening at the Capitol. I looked at the stock prices, and saw that the markets considered this a non-event. I went back to splitting wood.
I try to compare this to the other "mostly peaceful protests" and find this one more peaceful. No burning. No shots fired by protesters. People trying to use force to get what they can't achieve politically. My daughter tells me this is totally different, because this time republicans are doing it. Hmm..
I try to imagine myself in Concord, MA in April 1775. A mob of protesters stormed the government. Shots were fired. The government tried to put down this insurrection, but ultimately failed. And here we are. In revolutionary times, only about a third of the population supported the patriots. They had decided the evils were unsufferable, and reached the part about their right and duty to replace the government. Another third were pro government, and the last third, (mostly German and Dutch), tried to be Swiss and remain neutral. In hindsight for 1775, it is easy to proclaim where I would have fallen in, but I suspect the closer to Concord Bridge, the harder that choice would be.
Yesterday's actors were unsuccessful. The insurrection was put down. They will be labeled a mob and not freedom fighters. Their lives, fortunes and sacred honors hinged on their success. And since it did not last long, I don't have to contemplate which third I would join. But what if they had succeeded?