Why Everyone Should Keep an Open Mind About Jan. 6th.

  We all have heard the familiar narrative that on Jan. 6th, 2021, a group of people broke into the Capitol, trying to overthrow the US government. It's almost a year later, and there is still so much evidence that has not been made public. The preponderance of what has been released so far has supported the predominant narrative, to be sure. Not surprising, since in this case, the perpetrators are supporters of Donald Trump. There is ample evidence of government security agencies previously trying to frame him for imagined crimes (see the Russia collusion hoax), and the media have been willing accomplices all along. These are among the reasons I am keeping an open mind about that day, regardless of the echo chamber pushing the "insurrection" theory. I will outline some further reasons in this post.

  The first of many red flags was the concerted effort to blame it on Pres. Trump, and the rushed second impeachment, based upon his rally that day. For all of the claims about him "inciting insurrection," I have yet to see any video evidence of him directly calling on people to do what happened at the Capitol. In fact, there is video of him calling on people to peacefully protest there. As I understand it, the Capitol rioting started while he was still speaking at the rally. I can't defend his decision to wait so long before asking people to stand down, but that's a different question, and also not a crime.

  Second, the fencing around the Capitol, as if this was a serious, ongoing threat to the transition of power, instead of a one time protest that became a violent riot, as well as the stationing of National Guard troops in the Capitol for months. This was absolute political theater, and an abuse of the national security apparatus. There was clearly no ongoing threat to the Capitol, but these National Guardsmen were forced to live and work in shabby conditions for months, and the fencing was reminiscent of a third world authoritarian regime than the USA. Adding insult to injury, the military staged a month long stand down to look for "extremism" in it's ranks. This, too was political theater.

  Third, the politicization surrounding the criminal prosecutions, and biased claims about crimes and motives with no proof. The false claims about the death of officer Sicknick, in particular. There is also the conditions of the jail they've been held in, and there are claims of brutality. I want the people who broke the law punished, but in a fair and just manner, with all due process, including the presumption of innocence. In a strange twist, one person volunteered for solitary, calling the Jan. 6th inmates "cult like," for doing things like singing the Star Spangled Banner every night. He was released into his parents' custody in NY, with orders to stay out of Washington, not attend political rallies or use social media, and bizarrely, not to watch cable news. This seems abnormal to me, to say the least.

  Fourth, the paucity of attention given to inquiries into police and other government actions on that day, especially in the death of Ashley Babbitt. How were they so unprepared, when there was ample warning? Also, we know the FBI had an informant in the Proud Boys, who was in contact with them during the riot. Were there others, and if so, what actions did they take? Was this guy Ray Epps one of them, and why hasn't he been arrested, if he's on video inciting people to enter the Capitol? I have a lot of unanswered questions along these lines.

  Finally, the reluctance of the authorities, and the Democrat House Jan. 6th committee to release evidence that runs counter to this narrative. In fact, the reason I call it the Democrat House committee is because there is no true Republican representation on the committee. Once Speaker Pelosi banned two of the GOPers that the Minority Leader appointed, the Republicans stopped participating. Then the Speaker appointed two Republicans that voted to impeach Pres. Trump, and have shown no interest in finding out the impartial truth about Jan. 6th. This whole thing seems to mirror the Russia collusion story: It's not passing the smell test. That's why I'm keeping an open mind, and asking everyone who reads this to, as well. I was enraged by what happened that day, and that was reinforced as I was reviewing the reporting for this post. I damn well want to see the perpetrators prosecuted fairly and fully under the letter of the law. I believe that in time, all the facts will come out, but we're not close to that point, yet.