Posts Made By: Mel Maki

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi Mel:

In my view, the symbolism of a gallows is what actually matters here.  Far more important in the political spectrum than whether or not it was a proper gallows suitable for actually hanging someone.  That is pretty poignant stuff, the symbolism.   

Let me ask you this - do you think the slipshod nature of the gallows excuses or mitigates any of the crimes the rioters who entered the Capital are accused of?

Jim 

p.s.  No one is accused of attempted murder or conspiracy to commit murder by hanging.  At least not that I know of.  

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

" makeshift gallows stood, complete with sturdy wooden steps and the noose. Guns and pipe bombs had been stashed in the vicinity"
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/01/11/capitol-riot-more-sinister-that-it-looked-as-gallows-pipes-and-guns-turn-up/
They also got within a 100 feet of Pence who was hiding in a room before being evacuated from the building...

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

It's bewildering to me that you don't think the threat to Pence was real. One only has to listen to the perps stating what they intended to do along with the chants of the mob to do it along with the physical structure to carry it out. But to you and Greg, it's just "symbolism"...

Originally Posted by James Brown

Greg can chime in Rod, if he chooses, but I agree, literally no one (except maybe Rich?) disputes that there were at least a handful of real nutjobs there. 

One issue for our speculation is how many of the rioters would have harmed Pence, had they caught him?  I think it is less than "all of them."  I suspect it was more than three or four.  Other than that I personally don't really have an opinion.  How many actually entered the Capital?  My guess is that at least 50% would have shouted slogans at Pence had they cornered him, and left it at that.  Some might have tried to kill him.  More than 3-4 but less than half?  It is hard to guess.  Like Greg said, when the mob is enraged, people will do things they never would consider doing otherwise.

This is all just speculation.  Fortunately for Pence and his family, we did not have to find out how it would have gone.

Jim

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

My point is that I believe it was more than a handful of nut jobs. The mob was was primed by Trump, who gleefully replayed the video of the insurrectionists storming the capitol multiple times during the event, and by Giuliani's speech prior to it to have "trial by combat" and by Mo Brooks demanding "it's time to start kicking ass" and by Josh Hawley's fist pumping to the rioters just prior to the breech, among other actions that prompted the mob to do what it did...

Originally Posted by James Brown

Is this the mother of all non sequiturs?  Maybe I missed something?  


p.s.  I see that the post I replied to is ancient.  Probably was an affect of parallel conversations.

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

Only a nut job would see it your way...