I am absolutely certain that damn near every one of the folks who marched, protested, rioted, and ultimately stormed the capital on January 6th 2021; thought of themselves as patriots.
I am absolutely certain that for most of them, what they thought of as their patriotism, was at least in large part... maybe the largest part... why they were doing what they were doing.
I think by most people's definition ( whatever other motivations were involved, whether those people were not entirely wrong, just plain wrong, deluded, misguided, or otherwise, and whether they understand their own patriotism in the same way) those folks were in fact patriots.
At the very least, I think just about everyone, no matter how critical they may be of the events and the people involved; would acknowledge that at least the large majority of those participating in the events of that day, were patriots by their own concepts and definitions of patriotism.
Many of them committed some fairly serious crimes, and a lot of what should be thought of as shameful and stupid behavior... criminalnor otherwise.
Their being patriots is not nullified by that.
Nor does their being patriots, or their patriotism, or any other motivation or reason for that matter; excuse their wrongdoing (criminal or otherwise).
But... whatever you think of the events of that day, the people in question, what they did or did not do, or whatever motivations or reasons why they may have done so...
I can with absolute certainty, and without any equivocation whatsoever; say, that the events of January 6th 2021, were not an insurrection.... Not anything remotely like an insurrection in fact.
Why can I say that with absolute certainty?
Two things...
If it had been an insurrection:
1. They would all have been armed, most of them with rifles, which they would have used
2. They would have actually tried to "win", not simply disrupt and rage at the system... and at least in a limited way, would have been successful. Because they would have had rifles, and used them.
And I am so certain, because anyone knowing anything about the people involved, the events of that day, or actual insurrections (and I know rather a lot about all three), and thinking about it rationally for even 20 seconds or so; knows that both 1 and 2 above are absolutely true and correct.
Anyone calling the events of that day an insurrection, is either not thinking at all rationally or with any knowledge of the facts or the law... or just not thinking, period (they're reacting and emoting)...
... Or are they lying for political reasons...
...Period...
