[FRIAM] Fallback in barbarism

[Steve Smith]

Marcus -
> < Among all of the other points you make, the one about how *relatively* benign the event turned out to be (compared to it's worst potential incarnations) gives me some kind of hope [..]>
>
> What is the hypothesis here? 

That they ARE an angry mob of insurrectionists but that this particular
action did not involve a particularly high level of coordination or
competence.  I'll grant that too many of those involved DID demonstrate
a level of competence (enough to own a firearm, build a pipe bomb, and
get them into DC/Capitol grounds) and reckless/violent intent (as you
point out, *what else* could they have had in mind with those, including
the eerie zip-ties).   The damage (at many levels) they wrought was not
trivial, but far from what I feared and/or expected once it was underway.  

Yes, it is time to deflate this while we still can.  Yes (hindsight
20/20) I now wish I'd been *less* tolerant over the last 8 years (since
Trump started his Birther nonsense).  The stakes are somewhat
(evidently?) higher now.

I don't intend to suggest that we need to give any more slack for any of
this... I've withdrawn the little slack I had left for my family and
friends who were still Trumpeting (weakly) right up until the
election...   none have been willing to Trumpet out loud since, but I
suspect some are doing it under their breath.  Maybe not since this
week, but even that, who knows?

I've broken up every bar fight I've been in the presence of, alone or
with backup, always with a bartender dialing 911, so I know I have the
personal will to face anger and violence, though I quit going to those
bars after I realized that I didn't need ANY of that Karma.  I've never
instigated nor accepted the challenge of a bar fight personally.  I
became acutely alert once Trump started Trumpeting "landslide" and
"stole the election" to my friends' and neighbors' rhetoric on the
topic.   They either have backed down on that on their own or recognize
something in my posture or voice when we even get *close* to that kind
of stuff.  I hope it is the former, I accept the latter with caution.

I speak more openly/freely/generously here because except for a
(miniscule?) number of possible lurkers, I trust that this is a choir
I'm croaking at, at least on this topic.   I feel I can be more open
about trying to understand what is *really* going on, not just girding
ourselves for the worst cases.

If we are playing man-on-man, have you picked out the people in your
world you are ready to take head-on (or blindside) to shut down?  I
think the ratio of  White to Black Hats is at beyond 4:1 in our favor
even in these dark days. 

Carry On,

 - Steve