Yesterday, federal prosecutors secured the convictions of four more of the ringleaders of the Jan. 6th Capitol riot, continuing the quest to hold those accountable for attempting to undermine the results of the 2020 election.
These men came from the far right of the political spectrum, of course, but as I processed the news of their convictions, I couldn’t help but think back to when it was groups on the far left who constituted the main threat to the legitimacy of the government.
That was over 50 years ago now, and since then most of the extremists from the Weather Underground and similar groups have done their time and rejoined society in more respectable roles.
Not all of them have renounced the violence they inflicted through bombings and bank robberies and so on, or apologized for the pain and suffering they caused, but they long ago ended their war on society.
But all too many of extremists of any stripe seem unable to accept that the ideological justifications for their actions simply are wrong. Neither socialism on the left nor authoritarianism on the right are legitimate alternatives to representative democracy, whatever its flaws.
I hope the convicted leaders of the Proud Boys come to renounce their past beliefs now the legal system has found them guilty essentially of treason, but I won’t be holding my breath.
Meanwhile, what remains to be done, of course, is to determine the fate of their Conspirator-in-Chief — he who remains free to spin new plots to this day. Ultimately, with his case it’s our democracy’s fate that hangs in the balance.
LINKS:
Four Proud Boys members found guilty of seditious conspiracy (CNN)
Former FBI supervisor arrested in connection with Jan. 6 riot (WP)
America faces a debt nightmare (Economist)
President Biden and Schumer must get to work to break the debt limit stalemate (The Hill)
Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner Group boss says he will pull troops out of Bakhmut (BBC)
Russia says U.S. was behind Kremlin drone attack, drawing quick denial (Reuters)
Moscow Claims Explosions Above the Kremlin Were an Attempt to Kill Putin (NYT)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters)
UN denounces Taliban intimidation, attacks on Afghan media (AP)
Sudan’s generals stake claim to more territory ahead of latest cease-fire (WP)
Death of unhoused N.Y.C. subway rider placed in chokehold ruled a homicide (Axios)
Tennessee lawmakers react to Vanderbilt poll that shows growing support for gun control measures (NewsChannel5)
Microsoft doubles down on AI with new Bing features —The company's betting the farm on generative AI (TechCrunch)
Artificial intelligence is remixing journalism into a “soup” of language (Economist)
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The First Step to Solving the Housing Crisis Might Be Simpler Than You Think (Politico Mag)
Area Man Having One Of His Little Bursts Of Energy Where He Tries To Write A Song (The Onion)
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