ANCHORAGE DAILY PLANET
Let’s get beyond the craziness of the this week and understand this: Despite all manner of wacky claims from the usual suspects, the Antifa and assorted other boogeymen were not responsible for trashing the nation’s Capitol.
The culprits, despite outlandish claims to the contrary by those seeking political advantage, were ordinary Americans, some of them more stupid, some of them more criminal, than others, but all caught up in a political frenzy.
We never will understand exactly what happened if we persist in weaving tales about how it all came about. The facts are clear: A highly partisan crowd was fired up to a frenzy by months of conspiracy theories, internet misinformation, a close election and a volatile speech by President Donald Trump. With fire in its eye, the crowd-turned-mob set sail to the Capitol to undo the November election.
Once there, some of the mob embarrassed the nation and themselves by storming the complex, doing serious damage. Five people – one a police officer – were left dead after the incursion.
Was Antifa there? It is likely some were, drawn to the conflict like moths to a candle. Were there criminals? Oh, yeah. There likely was all manner of riffraff, but the vast majority of those who made fools of themselves invading the Capitol were simply ordinary citizens sold a bill of goods and acting stupidly because of it.
They simply forgot: We are better than that.