# 7 Jan 2021 and beyond - the aftermath of the storming of the Capitol **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 8, 2021, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020 "2021-01-08T10:28:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 121
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2409 "2021-11-06T04:42:22Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I do find it odd that posting threats earned a longer sentence than actually breaking into the Capitol, but I suppose most of the sentences thus far have been for trespassing. That guy had a lengthy criminal record before he was charged in this matter. That would have to be taken into account, resulting in a more serious sentence than rioters who were first offenders. > [@](#): > > Smocks has a two-decade-long criminal history, and prosecutors said he had bought a plane ticket to leave the country shortly before his arrest. > > His social media accounts indicated he had been a colonel, but authorities found no record of military service. Prosecutors found evidence he had long passed himself off as veteran and had a history of fraud-related convictions from the 1980s to 2006, though he had stayed out of legal trouble over the past two decades. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2410 "2021-11-07T14:20:22Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Others in the article get jail time, too. I don’t understand why these people are getting off with such light sentences. The woman above only got 2 months. Yeah, I know I sound a bit vindictive. But they tried to help Trump overthrow the government caused deaths, many, many injuries and millions in damage. There was one guy who’s argument was that he should get a light sentence (this isn’t in the above linked article) because he didn’t shit on anyone’s desk. He must make his parents proud. Maybe he does, but maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2411 "2021-11-07T14:59:46Z")
I did get a response back. An email saying “If I want to be removed” (whatever that means), they need my email address. I guess they think I subscribe or something. But that was it. The person that responds for a collage newspaper (news letter?) emailed me asking for my email address. It was not an automated response. As correctly noted by the mod above, I was wrong to post the newspapers email. I am NOT calling for a response to them, but thought I would share what their response to me was. They emailed me asking for my email address. 🤦‍♂️ I weep for our future. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2412 "2021-11-07T16:40:49Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’ve always been baffled by the “we had no idea this was gonna happen” excuse. I mean, _I_ fucking knew it was coming and I’m just a regular guy who looks at teh regular intarwebz. Millions of people were legitimately worried January 6 would be violent at the Capitol. (Frankly, it was LESS bloody than I feared it could be.) The unpreparedness is the height of stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2413 "2021-11-07T16:49:09Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > > > I’ve always been baffled by the “we had no idea this was gonna happen” excuse. I mean, _I_ fucking knew it was coming and I’m just a regular guy who looks at teh regular intarwebz. > > Millions of people were legitimately worried January 6 would be violent at the Capitol. (Frankly, it was LESS bloody than I feared it could be.) **The unpreparedness** is the height of stupidity. - It could have been deliberate. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2414 "2021-11-07T16:53:09Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > It could have been deliberate. I think this is why Trump is fighting so hard to keep his records of that day secret. I think the documentation will show that there was an effort to prevent law enforcement from doing their jobs, and that orders came from the top to stand down on Jan 6. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2415 "2021-11-07T22:34:48Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > It could have been deliberate. Incompetence is likelier than malice. I’ve little doubt Trump and his minions might deliberately have tied the hands of law enforcement in some ways, but law enforcement decisions on the day were very likely borne of stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2416 "2021-11-07T22:42:01Z")
I was just rereading a _Dresden Files_ book yesterday, _Changes_ I think. Harry’s mentor, near the end, tells him (paraphrased): “There’s only so many blackhearted villains in the world, but stupidity is everywhere, every day.” 45 could have been so much worse, but he got in his own way and/or worked against his own long-term interests constantly. He did blaze a trail, stumbling along, that a smarter authoritarian will follow. I want to believe that even if he manages to get re-elected on 2024, he’ll still be the same bumbler, but as many have pointed out, he won’t be worried about reelection, so things will be worse than his first term. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2417 "2021-11-08T23:05:05Z")
One of the capitol rioters has surfaced in Belarus, asking for asylum. > **[Jan. 6 accused rioter seeks asylum in Belarus](https://thehill.com/policy/international/europe/580583-jan-6-accused-rioter-seeks-asylum-in-belarus/)** > > A man wanted by the FBI for allegedly participating in the Capitol riot is seeking political asylum in Belarus, according to a report by Radio Free Europe, which noted an interview the man gav… This is the same Belarus that is intentionally importing migrants to release them across their borders into the West. > **[Migrants aided by Belarus try to push across Polish border](https://www.npr.org/2021/11/08/1053608851/migrants-aided-by-belarus-try-to-push-across-polish-border)** > > A large group of migrants sought to push their way over the border from Belarus into Poland. European Union leaders accuse the Belarusian government of organizing the illegal passage of migrants. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2418 "2021-11-08T23:22:39Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > One of the capitol rioters has surfaced in Belarus, asking for asylum. At long last his quest for a country with fair and free elections is at an end. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2419 "2021-11-09T09:21:31Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > At long last his quest for a country with fair and free elections is at an end. Or at least he’s found another country with a leader with weird hair issues. Lukashenko has literally banned people from taking photos of the back of his head. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2420 "2021-11-09T09:44:00Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Or at least he’s found another country with a leader with weird hair issues. Lukashenko has literally banned people from taking photos of the back of his head. - Looks perfectly ordinary to me. [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoQUMl9CIAAb7A0?format=jpg&name=360x360) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoQUMl9CIAAb7A0?format=jpg&name=360x360) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2421 "2021-11-09T09:50:06Z")
Apparently there’s a bald patch there. I dunno. But it’s true that he’s banned the press from doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2422 "2021-11-09T14:22:57Z")
Should veterans be held to a higher standard? I say yes. > **[These veterans swore to defend the Constitution; now they're facing jail time...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/09/politics/january-6-veterans-military/index.html)** > > More than 70 current and former members of the US military, who all swore an oath to defend the Constitution, are now facing criminal charges and special attention from prosecutors for attacking their own democracy by storming the US Capitol on... ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2423 "2021-11-09T15:07:17Z")
Veterans? Meh - they’re private citizens again. Current members of the military? Fuck yeah. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2424 "2021-11-09T15:09:09Z")
What if they are using the skills and knowledge that we trained them in in order to perform insurgent assaults on our government? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2425 "2021-11-09T15:11:42Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Veterans? Meh - they’re private citizens again. Private citizens with continued benefits based upon their previous service. They should at a minimum be denied these services in the future if convicted since they attacked the government that is providing those services. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2426 "2021-11-09T16:26:00Z")
Whiny insurrectionist Jenna Ryan is very butthurt over the slap on the wrist she received ( I know, I’m mixing metaphors ) and took to the Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo, the place to go when GoFundMe decides you’re a grifter. She’s raised…….wait for it………almost $1200 whole dollars. But GiveSendGo literally has an option where you can send your thoughts and prayers (well, technically, just prayers ) instead of money. It look like lots of patriots took this option. Hundreds and hundreds of them, but only 17 actually gave money. And least one detractor thought it was worth $5 to tell her to fuck off. [https://givesendgo.com/supportjennaryan](https://givesendgo.com/supportjennaryan) You can let Jenna know you’re praying for her, too. You don’t have to tell her what outcome what you are praying for. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2427 "2021-11-09T16:49:34Z")
Hey, she only committed a crime for “2 minutes and 8 seconds”. Oh, and announced that she was going to commit the crime on social media beforehand. Hardly worth mentioning. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2428 "2021-11-09T17:30:24Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Hey, she only committed a crime for “2 minutes and 8 seconds”. I wonder if Matt Gaetz is going to try that defense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020.md?page=120) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020.md?page=122)