I disliked the Patriot Act too, and I'm strongly opposed to this new Domestic Terrorism Act. All I'm saying is that endorsements of terrorist attacks should be banned from reputable discussion forums and I won't participate in a forum that allows them.
I upvoted your comment, because I think this is the crux of the issue. I am not entirely convinced if it was a terrorist attack.
It does fit FBI definition ( https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism ), but that definition is rather broad to begin with. To me attack suggests some level of planning, forethought, end game even it is just to terrorize. FBI definition also does not seem to indicate that terrorist attacks are typically directed towards civilians ( government buildings are not civilians ).
But if we accept FBI definition then what political end was achieved by this? Clearly not the intended one.
Again. I think this is just another Patriot Act moment. We can calm down or go down another rabbit hole. Only this time, we will have to TSA every time we want to talk to a government official.
> I upvoted your comment, because I think this is the crux of the issue. I am not entirely convinced if it was a terrorist attack
Folks turned up the protest armed and carrying zip-tie cuffs. Improvised explosive devices were planted in multiple locations. There can be no argument that there wasn’t a segment of protestors that turned up to commit acts of terror.
> There can be no argument that there wasn’t a segment of protestors that turned up to commit acts of terror.
okay, but you can say that about pretty much any sufficiently large protest. most people show up to be heard. a few arrive with bricks, molotovs, etc. it's always hard to tell whether the violent elements are aligned with the greater cause, false flags, or just people who saw an opportunity to create mayhem.
I'm not super attached to the word "terrorist". What's relevant to me is that it was a violent incident which people enthusiastically engaged in; nobody seems to have premeditated the specific deaths that happened, but many of the participants spoke quite openly after the fact about how excited they were to be able to break their way in and how glad they are that it happened.
I do agree that we need to calm down rather than going down the rabbit hole of making 100% sure it can never happen again. But one of the critical ways in which a society calms down is by reinforcing its commitment to nonviolent norms of communication, and that involves a collective recognition that glorification of violence is incompatible with norms of kindness and respect. Reading a comment on how neat it was to watch people break into the Capitol is like reading someone's detailed story of how they'll kill burglars who break into their home - I get it, I really do, but it's incredibly poisonous to polite discourse.
