June 10, 2022- I did not watch the live broadcast of last night’s January 6 Committee hearings, preferring to wait until this morning, and viewing the key elements on You Tube. One of the most disturbing points involved the storming of the Crypt, below the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, and it was largely downhill from there. The Washington’s Tomb was not disturbed was most fortunate-and all the more so was the fact that ALL members of Congress, their staffs and the Vice President of the United States were kept out of harm’s way.
I do not discriminate against anyone, for their ideology, any more than for physical attributes, creed, sexual orientation or anything that the media might seek to use to foment discord. Those on the far right are as human as those on the far left, and anywhere in between. I cannot, and will not, however, excuse violence-especially on the order that took place on January 6, 2021-or for that matter, at various points during the summer prior.
While I also do not condone cheating in the electoral process, I also recognize that some will go to excessive lengths to re-work numbers and make it look like their side won, even when after two dozen audits, only about a dozen or so violations, at the local levels exclusively, have been unearthed.
I do not condone removing the rights and freedoms of one group of people, so that the rights of others can be preserved. Here’s the thing, though: Except in the minds of demagogues-and those of their most deluded followers, this need not happen in the United States of America-anymore. Freedom is not a zero-sum game. Lower and middle class whites should not lose their freedoms, but by the power of their own misdeeds. African-Americans, Latinos, First Nations members, Asian-Americans and anyone else “of colour”, likewise deserve the same freedoms, and should not lose these, but by the power of their own misdeeds.
We will all see what transpired, on January 6 and in the weeks and months both before and after it, in the hearings that take place over the coming weeks. The wheels of justice, whose gears grind in a way that makes frozen molasses seem like Niagara Falls in June, will eventually get the mission done, maybe even within the tenure of the current Attorney General. As my late father-in-law often remarked: “Hope springs infernal”.
My hope for all is that each of you do more thinking before acting than was done by anyone who breached the Capitol building and grounds, on that cold, sad day.
A Sagittarian Seeker 
I hope ou will take the time to watch as much of the hearings as you can, rather than just clips that show up on YouTube. Last night was gripping, very dramatic, and very telling in the details that we had not heard previously. I was very impressed by the timeline of the entire day, and by the details of various top-level actions. And by the fact that in the end it was Pence who brought reasonand reality back together.
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The role of constitutional conservatives, in keeping things together, this time is very reminiscent of the role that Southern whites-even segregationists, had in bringing Nixon and his cronies to justice.
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It is my impression that “constitutional conservatives” would rather the January 6 insurrection not be discussed at all, but rather forgotten. I do admire Liz Cheney for remaining on the committee, even co-chairing it, and for narrating so clearly the timeline, beginning with the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, who didn’t bother with the rally, but actually began the insurrection several hours earlier than we knew. I agree completely with Val about the testimony, which exposed the participants for their fealty to Trump, and provided far more information than we had previously known.
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There is nothing constitutional about the people who are trying to obfuscate the process, braying about the Gas Price issue and Hunter Biden. I found a gavel-to-gavel C-Span coverage this evening and will rely on that outlet for all the future hearings. Officer Edwards was the prime hero that day, along with Mike Pence. Let the transparency keep on building. This is Watergate, writ large.
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Thank you, Gary — I’m glad you found that CSPAN coverage. I don’t know that I will watch all 7 episodes from beginning to end, but I do think the detail and presentation in the first were outstanding and super-revealing! I am super impressed by the work of the Committee, and hope it will have long-range effects for the country’s future.
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May that be so-the long-range effects!
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As much as I dislike Pence (a homegrown politician from my state) I have to give him kudos for having the spine and moral convictions to stand up to Trump and uphold the constitution. I watched the hearings so far and I was overwhelmed by the violence and apparent pre-meditation of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The footage was startling but the testimony was more so. Even Barr came off as a reasonable man. The rest of the inner circle were either stupid or willfully in cahoots with Trump’s plan. A shameful situation!
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It was that. I will find the full four hour tape and look at the parts that were not included in the Liz Cheney, Bennie Thompson and Riot tape segments.
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