Because just like they said most of them weren’t trying to do anything. They were just doing whatever all the way up to grabbing congress people and then they would have been surprised to see executions and most of them would have gone along with things if they somehow overthrew the government.
Or at least thats what I think.
Or, maybe, things were exactly what we saw, and the people there supported the overthrow of a lawfully decided election…
Oh no it’s exactly what we saw. But I think the majority of the people there were going with the crowd doing bad things because they don’t do bad things so whatever they’re doing now surely must be fine.
When this happened I saw a video of a cop standing in one of the doorways helpless as people walked by. He told a group they shouldn’t go in the capitol and they said “oh it’s ok we’re press”, and you could tell they weren’t real press. He told them no even the press wasn’t allowed but they casually strolled in anyhow, right in front of the cop, recording and being recorded. I do think they thought they were “reporting” for their blogs and youtube channels and thought they’d be fine as long as they weren’t the most destructive person in eye shot.
They’re idiots but that’s not the behavior of someone who thinks they’re doing something wrong. These people represent the most coddled sub-demographic of stupid white Americans and have never faced serious consequences for anything in their entire lives. Drunk driving and temper tantrums in Wal-Mart they’ve been able to walk away with warnings and 2nd chances their entire lives, why would this be any different?
Are you saying that most people went to the Capitol that day just for whatever? They had no intent to join with others to do anything? Just another day?
Or you mean they weren’t organized enough for there to be a weapons cache? Because that’s not a stretch 
Well, that explains the body armor…
I think that’s delusional. Look at the composition of a previous T**** rally compared to Jan6. Note the difference in how many people are wearing body armor and carrying metal “flag poles.” Note the tactical clothing and helmets. This was not another T*** rally.* Hundreds of his supporters arrived ready to storm the Capitol, armored and armed.
But there were at least two we know about. The hotel one that @jerwin linked to and a van parked near the Capitol that contained pipe bombs and assault rifles.
ETA: And as an additional thought, it’s entirely possible they were too disorganized to use those caches. Or, they encountered much less resistance than expected (since the Capitol Police were insufficiently deployed and equipped) so they didn’t go for the weapons.
If they truly believed that, why did so many of them hid from the law.
Why should we believe anything they say? They might believe what they did was the moral and right thing to do, that it was “taking back their country”, but more than enough of them knew what they were doing was illegal. The fact that those people said they were “press” shows intent - lying to a police officer who they claim to worship.
These are violent insurrectionists. Most of them knew what they were doing why. I’m not sure why you or anyone else is STILL giving them the benefit of the doubt. Fuck that.
I’m thinking that they were expecting to use them once they “secured” the capitol building, with all of congress inside. Once they had control, the guns get moved over, and they start shooting.
As horrific as this was, it could have been so much worse.
“Everyone was doing it” makes “I was just following orders” look like a real excuse. 
Agreed. As any of us who’ve been part of mid- to large-scale demonstrations, you definitely feel when it “turns,” and you decide then if you’re going to “go with the flow,” or GTFO.
The major difference IME is that, when you’re demonstrating for what I consider the right side of history, by the time things turn you’re already screwed. Whereas the Jan6 folks got to walk free for so long. Even the ones who didn’t get out when they realized things had turned a violent corner.
But since they’re “real” Americans, they STILL get the benefit of the doubt and people rushing to explain away their actions. They knew what they were doing, and they wanted to be there. They want to destroy everyone of us who aren’t them, or at the very least ensure that we have far less rights than they do…
It’s really infuriating. Even ignoring the difference in treatment of demonstrators, which, we shouldn’t even have to, we see examples all the time where someone is just trying to bear witness and is treated far worse than these effing insurrectionists.
Ever tried to monitor 3 cars full of police harassing a homeless person or a 12 yo Black kid? I have. From a safe distance. And got way more flack than these assholes at the time.
I’m so thankful for all the internet sleuths that have kept the pressure on and done so much of law enforcement’s jobs for them. Without them, so many more of these traitors to democracy would still be free.
Some might wonder why that’s the case… that’s because someone pushing to expand our freedoms, rights, and to end forms of discrimination within our systems are considered a much bigger threat than those seeking shrink our freedoms.
I think a lot of the people who showed up thought it would be a tea party with silly hats and ignorant circle jerks with friends. Then they got caught up in mob mentality. I know this sounds a lot like arguments for leniency but I think every single one of them who hit anyone or anything, chucked anything, or entered any buildings should be looking at a life ruining amount of time behind bars and felony convictions.
Regardless of why they did it, the fact they did it means they’re fundamentally dangerous people who can be baited into just about anything.
Conservatives are easily led people. They subscribe to vague philosophies that are designed to work against their interests without sounding bad. The people leading them have spent decades building up a culture of protest, LARP, and gear collecting and while a lot of them do actually want to overthrow the government a lot of them have as much a clue why they’re dressed up tacticool as why anyone would actually advocate for trickle down economics.
Of course they’re designed to be there in all their airsoft gear in order to overthrow the government but in their minds it’s to protect them from antifa, the police, or whatever… and often even those are just lame excuses to wear their gear and they don’t believe any of it. But when things heat up they will be there in armor committing treason.
Stop making excuses for them. Just… stop. We all saw what they did and what they will do again if they can. They don’t give two shits about democracy, only about keeping their guy in power (or getting him back into power). Constantly giving them the benefit of the doubt and making excuses for them is not how you deal with this sorts of actions. They INTENTIONALLY attempt to over turn an election that their guy lost. With violence. THAT is what happened.
You need to think again. That’s just an apologia for insurrectionists.
I realize this is an unpopular opinion but I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand what makes these people tick and the motives of the people running the show. The vast majority of the Jan6 people could have been duped into showing up in athletic cups and clown makeup if that was what came down from above.
We’re talking about a population that buys pickup trucks they use as sedans in order to assert their culture and masculinity and it’s all part of an automotive industry campaign to dodge CAFE standards. They’ll talk about flat tax because it sounds fair and simple at a glance. They spew slogans and treat politics like a sports team because right wing PR emulates pro sports PR.
It’s like saying a bunch of trained dogs believe strongly in sitting. They just do what they’re told.
You’re saying that they’re not competent and not responsible for their own actions.
Bullshit.
If you have evidence of their mental incapacitation- provide it. Otherwise you’re flirting with skirting the TOS.
It’s just wrong. As in incorrect. There is mounds of evidence that plenty of the people who were there that day knew what they were doing and weren’t just “tricked” into an insurrection.
We take this shit seriously, or we’re fucked.
Again… bullshit. Stop pretending like these people have no agency. Many of them KNEW what they were doing and why.
No I think they’re just a bunch of low level proto-nazis but I doubt they understand that.
I think they’re idiots. I don’t like that it’ll get used as an argument for leniency that they don’t deserve but most of these people are basically little kids.
They do, yes. They embraced those politics, because they believe in them. Again, MOUNDS of evidence to that effect. MOUNDS of it.
And you think that’s exculpatory?
